Transcripts for Episode 157

These transcripts were generated by robots, not writers.

Stacy: I think the journey is the powerful part. I think the journey is why you should join the program. The book is a nice bonus at the end and it’s a great bonus, right? Like that’s why you would join, because you want to write a book. But my hope is that you get through the program and you say, that was an amazing journey and I’m really proud of this book that I’ve written.

Welcome, welcome. I’m so happy to be with you today with a brand new episode, fresh off of three and a half weeks of vacation, I took almost the entire three and a half weeks off. My parents visited. I got time with my family, my kids, my husband, of course, my parents, and it was so great. It was so wonderful. As I record this, I’m back officially, like, into the swing of things. And of course, as happens, you know, that first week back, I’ve had many later working days, so I’m really fully back into it. But it’s been wonderful and especially wonderful because before my holiday, I got all ready for the launch of my next cohort of idea to draft my six month coaching program.

And so this week, as I come back, I’m really leaning into some of the things that we’re doing to help share that program and reach more aspiring authors. If you’re listening to this before September 26, that’s a Thursday, I will be doing a live masterclass on how to make time to write your book even when you are really busy, you can go to staceyenis.com productivitymaster class. You can get access to that link for the webinar in the show notes of this episode. It’s free. Come sign up and I would love to see you live today. I am answering questions about my program idea to draft.

These are common questions that I get from people who are considering the program, and hopefully they’ll also be helpful for you regardless of what path you plan to take as an author because they’ll give you some insight into the journey of writing a book. So my wonderful team has pulled together some questions for me. If you’re watching on YouTube, you’re going to see me looking down at my questions, but I’m going to just basically roll through these questions and answer them. So if you’re curious about the program, you can get your questions answered. And if you have more questions, I would love to connect with you. You can book a call with me directly. I will include the link in the show notes to be able to book a call.

So with all that said, let me just start with a quick overview of the program so you have some context on the questions that I am going to answer. Idea to draft is a six month program. I guide authors from idea to draft, as the name describes. So our goal in this program is to get you to a first draft by the end of those six months, but also to understand and have planned for be able to move into the next phases of sharing your book with the world. So while we have a shared goal in the program of completing that first draft, the other goal that I have for you is to understand the editing and publishing steps to come and to be able to move forward into those next steps so that you can achieve your goal of becoming an author.

So I’m going to run through the questions that I get, regular questions that come in all the time about the program. Our first question, when is the start date? Our next cohort begins October 8. We start on the 8th, and you get pre work on that day. There’s some work that you do before the official first call to help us get momentum, get you access to the education, get you the workbook, all of those things. And then our first call is on October 15. Next question. Will I get enough individual attention during the group sessions? Of course. It is so important to me that you are getting individual attention along with the group sessions. You also have a coaching call with me included as part of the program.

It’s a bonus, but as long as you get enrolled, you will get this, because it’s important to me that we get to connect and you get that one to one support. I also have a shared tracking sheet so I can see where you’re at, what your progress is, and have a sense of your journey through the program. It’s also a place that I can look and see. They look like they’re struggling a little here, or wow, they’re really ahead. Maybe I can give them some additional things to be thinking about now that they’re a bit ahead on the program. So, yes, absolutely one one attention. And the thing that I’ll add is that even though it’s a group program and when we meet, we are me to the group. A couple of things to keep in mind.

One, I will always reach out personally and support you if you have an additional need or have something that you’re struggling with, that’s very important to me to provide that level of support to you. But two, when we have our group coaching sessions, I make sure that everybody gets a chance to ask their question, and that when I answer questions, I do it in a way that’s both supportive to you but also supportive to the group as a whole. It’s also important to keep in mind that I have a really specific philosophy approach to how I run group workshops. And so when you are part of a group workshop, which happens earlier on in the program as we’re planning the book, I give very specific instructions.

So the only coach in this program is me or any of my team members that I have brought in to support you. The goal is not for peer coaching. So I build a space where we are supporting each other, we’re asking good questions, and when we’re in a workshop format, I will guide that process so that the person that you’re workshopping with is not jumping in with, here’s what you should do, but rather being really thoughtful and supportive and helping bring more out of you. So we have both that the group workshop, which we do a couple of those in the early part of the program, but then every single session I do group coaching. I also tend to stay a little late if I need to or want to make sure that everybody’s needs are met in the group.

Okay, the next question, how long is the cohort? I mentioned already at six months. This cohort is a little bit longer than normal because we have the holidays. So we have included a couple of three. I think we have two three week stretches because of holidays, so that we make sure that you are still able to complete the goal that you set out to complete at the beginning of the program and that you also can be present and rest and get that time with your family and friends that you need to get during the holidays. Next question is how is the course structured? This course is highly structured. I am a very systems oriented person and it’s really important to me that you feel ease of here’s what I do, 1st, 2nd, third, et cetera. That you move through a system, a process.

So as you go through this process, you will be guided through a couple things. One is that we have bi monthly coaching calls. So about every two weeks, with those couple of exceptions I mentioned, we will be meeting and those are guided by me. And as we get a little further along, I start bringing in expert guests to talk about things beyond the program. So branding, speaking, things like that. At the start of the program you will also receive a course workbook and that breaks out everything that you should be doing month by month, session by session. And you also have custom education that I designed, that I recorded, created that goes alongside our journey. So the workbook will tell you what education needs to be completed. You’ll know exactly the thing to bring to the next session.

You will know where you need to be on track to finish your goal. By the end of the six months I mentioned already, we have a shared tracking sheet. That’s where you can update me on your progress and I can look and see where you’re at. All of these things are designed to support your success and to provide a really hopefully very smooth and organized experience. I know a lot of times when authors go to write their books, it feels chaotic a little, or like you’re kind of like wading through mud.

My goal is, yes, you do have to wade through a little bit of the mud to find the clarity, but I’m going to give you a rope to guide you through and then I’m going to give you that path next so you can feel clean and clear and fresh and be able to journey through this with hopefully again, a sense of ease, a sense of presence, and develop a skilled, by the end of it, a skill of book writing. You’ll be able to use this skill for this book, but also who knows your second book, your third book and beyond. When are the sessions? That’s our next question. When are the sessions? Coaching sessions are generally on Tuesdays at 08:00 a.m. Pacific time, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, and that is 04:00 p.m. My time, which is western european time.

I know it’s early, but I love doing the morning. Well, at least for you Pacific people and for you east coasters. Of course it’s a little bit later morning, but I prefer mornings for you because it’s going to be when your brain is fresh and it can be a little bit easier to organize morning schedules to be able to attend. I’ve been doing my groups on Tuesdays for years and I really like the rhythm it brings. Every so often we may have to adjust a day because of something schedule wise, not during the program. We always keep our schedule during the program, but at the outset you might have. For example, I think we have one Wednesday in this program, but they’re almost always on Tuesdays. Okay, next question is, what platform are the sessions hosted on?

So we do our coaching calls in Zoom. Easy peasy. We all know Zoom. Your education is in a platform called Kajabi, and we share your documents that are related to the program in Google Docs. So should be all things that you’re really comfortable with and that you’ve used before. Kajabi, of course, is probably new to you, but it’s very user friendly and simple. It’s just the course platform. So it walks you through all the things that you need to be able to complete the education in that course platform. You also get templates and different things that you’ll utilize during the program, so it’s a really important part of how all of it is organized. Next question is, how many learners are there in the cohort? We typically have around five to 15 authors.

This is important to us to keep it small, make sure that we can serve every single author very well, and to provide a high touch, supportive experience for you on your author journey. Next question is, what is the investment and how does that investment work? The program as a whole is $10,500. You can pay that installments, which figure out to 1750 a month, or you can pay in full. You end up saving a little over $500 and that total ends up being $9,975. So you can choose your option here, but whatever choice you make is perfect, and we’re happy to work on installments, or we’re also happy to do the pay in full at the beginning to save you that 500 plus dollars. Can I get in one one contact with Stacy? That’s a question that my team gets a lot. Absolutely.

This is not me just talking at you. It’s not me showing up right the moment it starts at ending right the moment it ends. This is not a me being on this kind of like coaching pedestal where I’m just like only showing up for the time that we have scheduled. It’s not like that at all. Any of my past students in these cohorts, my clients will tell you that if you need something, I am here and so you can absolutely reach out to me at any time. We also have a WhatsApp group for this cohort. You’re welcome to reach out on there. You can email me. I am here. I really am here and I care deeply about your success and you reaching that goal of authorhood. Okay, three more questions. What happens if I miss a session?

I highly encourage you to attend every single session. 100% of the sessions I’ve had people attend from airports, from vacation, and while I’m a huge go on your vacation person, take the rest person. I think it’s really important that if you make a commitment, you follow through with that commitment. That said, I’ve had people doing a keynote during these sessions, so obviously in that case that can’t be helped if you miss a session, we always provide a recording. Actually, all of them are recorded and you’ll have a folder with all of the session recordings so you have access to it and you can watch it at a later time. Next question. Will my first draft be completed by the end of the program? That is my goal for you and I will give you the things that you need to make that happen.

Like any coaching program, you have to do the work to reach the goal. And so while I feel 100% confident that I’m giving you what you need to be successful, I feel and have proven that is true, that you have what you need, you have the education, you have the support, you have the accountability, you have all the things that you need. At the end of the day, you have to show up and you have to do the work to reach that goal. So if you follow my system and you stay on track, yes, you will complete your manuscript by the end of the program. If, let’s say, you have a little less time to devote or I don’t believe in behind when it comes to book projects. But let’s say you have a different schedule that you’re following. That’s okay.

But what I recommend is that you maintain support so you can complete the draft within a reasonable timeframe, which I really wouldn’t recommend extending beyond three more months and really focusing on getting that done. Momentum is so important. Maintaining momentum is so important. When you lose momentum when momentum drops, it’s a lot of work to build that momentum up. So we’re always looking to maintain that momentum going forward to support you. I have an author community. It’s called the author influence circle. You can learn more about that@staceyinnist.com authorcircle and we’ll be sure to include a link in the show notes as well. That community was designed as a next step from this program.

So after you get through this program, I recommend that you join the author influence circle and it will support you as you go through those next steps of editing, publishing, branding, marketing, all that stuff, all of the after stuff. That community is a great support for you. And the next question I kind of just answered it is, what kind of support do you receive after the course is completed? After the course is completed? As I mentioned, we have our author community. That’s my recommendation. That is the best next step for you. It provides so much value, especially as you’re continuing on this journey. And it’s fun. We have such a great time. As I’m recording this, I’m participating in a challenge that we’re doing in the community, a habits challenge. My habit is to think in stillness for 20 minutes every morning.

I’m on day three now as I record this and I’m checking that box, but I’m already seeing it’s going to be a challenge, which is the point of a challenge. So we do things like that. But I also have monthly coaching call and some other things. We have some experts that come in, so it’s a really great option. Many of my cohort participants, clients will choose to work with me in a mentorship capacity after the program is completed. That’s something I can tell you more about toward the end of the program. But there’s an option that you can continue working with me directly in a mentorship capacity. Okay, this question wasn’t answered, but how do you find out more? Well, you can go to staceyannis.com ideatodraft.

You have an option to fill out an application on the page, or one of my team members can connect with you. Andrew, he’s our operations manager. He can help you fill out the application, answer some of your initial questions. If you’re really feeling serious and ready to join, I’d love to connect with you directly as well. You can book a call directly with me, or you can go to staceyenis.com, click contact, and you can fill out a form and reach out to me there. I’m also@hellotaceyannis.com so pick your pathway to get more information. But certainly a great first step is to go to staceyannis.com ideatodraft.

We’ll make sure that’s at the very top of the links, maybe with the masterclass right above it, since that’s happening soon and the program right below, so you can go and click around and get all the links you need. I guess the last thing that I’ll close with is that when I started this program, it’s gone through some iterations. I began it as a ten to twelve weeks. So I’ve gone through like twelve, no. 812 ten weeks. And my last ten week cohort, it ended and I just had this pull to continue supporting the group. I knew they needed it. I knew they needed more from me. When I first launched the program, I launched it with a sense of fear that people wouldn’t sign up, that it would be hard to get people to commit to six months.

And if I just did a like, I never expected people to write their book in ten weeks or eight weeks. The goal of that was to get their book planned and get them started in their draft and give them what they needed to continue. But it became really clear to me through maybe the first couple of them that they really needed more. They needed more support. And this six month program is the amount of time that I work with my private coaching clients. It’s the proven amount of time that you can finish your book, and it really is like nothing else out there. You can go and find many programs on book writing, but a lot of them value speed over quality, and they don’t get you thinking about the big picture, the big vision.

When I coach you on your book, I’m helping you go from where you are today, this point a, to where you want to go, that big vision of impact that you want to make on the world, whether that’s scaling your business or growing a brand or some kind of social effort, social good effort. And what we’re doing is we’re defining what that book is. That’s between point a and point b. What is that right book for right now? That’s going to help you achieve that goal that you have set for yourself? That is what I help you do in this program. I think the journey is the powerful part. I think the journey is why you should join the program. The book is a nice bonus at the end and it’s a great bonus, right?

Like that’s why you would join, because you want to write a book. But my hope is that you get through the program and you say, that was an amazing journey and I’m really proud of this book that I’ve written. That’s it for today. If you have more questions, you are very welcome to reach out to me. I love hearing from you. I love answering questions. I always reply personally to anything that comes directly to me. So I really hope that you’ll take a moment to reach out and ask a question if you have it. Thank you as always to Krita Dominguez for her production of this fine podcast. I am so grateful she makes all of this possible. And without her nudging, I probably wouldn’t have even shown up today because it’s been crazy time getting back from my holiday, from my vacation.

So she prepped all the questions. She sent me a nudge, and she is really, truly why I have been able to show up with the consistency that I do every week for you and bring you this podcast with much gratitude to her. If I you like this podcast. If you look forward to these episodes, if it has impacted you in any way, would you take literally a minute like, I have done this myself? It’s 1 minute. Give me a five star review, leave a rating, and leave a review. It can be as short and simple as love this podcast. I listen to it every week. Something like that. It truly makes a difference in my ability to not only reach more listeners, but I tracked some of the guests that I want to share with you.

It hugely impacts my ability to get my message of living a life that is beyond better out into the world. Thank you for being here with me this week, and I will be back with you before you know it.