Meet Zachary Steele

We were lucky to catch up with Zachary Steele recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zachary, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I’ve never really stopped to consider whether or not I’ve developed an ability to take a risk. I would say, in us all, there is the ability. What prevents us from making complex choices is the fear. Primarily of failure, whether it’s a professional decision or personal. If anything, I suppose I’ve learned to accept that fear is a facet of humanity. I can carry forward with the fear, or I can let it bring me to a full stop. I’m always afraid. Always. But if I don’t do the thing, I won’t know what there is, or isn’t, to truly be afraid of. So, I tend to do it. Have I crashed and burned? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Every single time.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m fortunate, in that I get to wear multiple caps. To focus on just two, I’m an author of four novels, and the founder of a writing organization, Broadleaf Writers. It could be the same hat, I suppose, but I like to see them as separate. As an author–writing and storytelling has been a joy of mine since my pre-teen days–I have the opportunity to freely create without bondaries, weaving relationships and emotion into stories that I hope will stick with readers. There, I’m able to connect with readers, to tell stories they can relate to, to offer journeys and experiences some may share within or embrace for the first time. Hearing from a reader that I touched an emotional chord with them is something irreplaceable.

As the founder of Broadleaf Writers, I get to experience a different joy, one focused entirely upon others. At no time is this better on display than during our annual writing conference (we just had our 8th!). The sense of community–of writers finding one another and sharing their journey–is so palpable. Smiles. Conversations. Excitement. It’s everywhere. I have the privilege of seeing them go from panels to workshops, notebooks and devices in hand, busily taking notes, learning and growing as artists. It’s amazing and I hope we can continue to build upon it.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For any individual pursuing a dream–in my case, writing–there can’t be an end to learning. Learn, learn, and when you feel like you have a grip on it, learn some more. I am relentless in advising writers to get involved in a writing community. Go to conferences, attend programs, become a member of an organization and go to meetings, visit bookstore and get to know the booksellers, then attend their author programs. Your task, the writing, is something you do on your own. Your job is to connect and grow as an artist.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Honestly, my greatest obstacle is, and always will be, me. That doubting voice. The fear. The uncertainty over whether or not I’m doing the right thing. It’s a constant battle. If I allowed it the room, it would consume me and prevent me from making any decisions at all. So I fight it. I remind myself of the tangible things. What I have accomplished. Times when I worked through the fear. I don’t know if this is something anyone ever overcomes. Or at the least, I’m not sure I ever will. But I keep the positive moments close by, try to remember how insanely vast life is and how small the current choice or problem is in relation, take A LOT of deep breaths, and go forward.

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