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Transcripts for Episode 156

These transcripts were generated by robots, not writers.

Stacy: Welcome, Mike. I am really excited to be here with you today and to talk all about your book and your experience in nonfiction book school. Thanks for joining me. I always love the opportunity to connect with you and to share about your work. So first of all, can you tell our viewers, people that are tuning in about your book and what inspired you to write that well?

Mike: My name is Mike Green, master certified coach. I wrote proud author of Wandero’s journey to seven truths. And the book is basically eight different heroes journeys. And with me and my client, that comes from lower 48 up to Alaska, and I take him out into the bush and I coach him. And as I’m coaching him in the outdoors, adventure coaching, that is, I’m going back in time to all the different continents, and as I go back to a continent, I discover a leadership truth. And then I talk to him about how I apply that leadership truth to my life and work life and my work life balance. And the book is doing very well. I’m grateful, and it’s been a heck of a journey.

Stacy: Yeah. It’s been so fun to watch the success of your book. And I’d love for you to tell me a little bit about what that’s been like, releasing your book and what are some of those successes that you’ve seen, you know, personally, professionally, the whole scope, the releasing aspect, that’s where you. Want me to start having, like, official authorization.

Mike: Wow. Yeah. You know, I can tell you the obvious. It was like, I have two boys. I’m grateful for my lovely wife. It was like having another child. It was that big of a moment. It was next to my marriage, my kids being born, this was the biggest moment of my life, the fourth biggest, if you will. So that was obvious. It was going to be big and major because you worked so hard for it. But, you know, honestly, what I did not expect, and I’m so grateful for it. Writing the book and having it out helped me step into who I am as a leadership coach and allowed me to feel very comfortable as someone at the, I earned my seat at the table, if you will. No longer did I have that self doubt of Bob. Who are you?

Mike: Why do you think you should be here kind of thing. When I’m in a big boardroom and they’re making major decisions and they’re looking at me to come up with a good question to make everyone else feel at ease about the big decision you’re about to make and that those words of imposter syndrome, if you will, would creep up. And now that the book is out, I really, truly believe that I deserve my seat at the table.

Stacy: Oh, I love that. Well, and a lot of that, I imagine, is just that journey of clarification and really pushing to be able to communicate your ideas, understand your own ideas, even. This is at least my experience. It’s like, I know I have these ideas and I have these insights and things I want to share, but, like, how do I actually like what how did. What does that mean in words? And then how do I share with other people?

Mike: Exactly. And that was tantamount, paramount to all of it, because, you know, when I started this journey, I had much like you articulated, I always, my metaphor was that I have all these lightning bugs in a mason jar, and they’re all over the place. Now I need to figure out how I can get them to fly in unison and in a way that makes sense and that it really captures my thoughts and it really allowed me to solidify what my message to the world is in this book and in quiet that imposter syndrome, they saying that you hear in the back of your mind or whatever have you throughout the process, and that I didn’t realize how powerful it was going to be towards the end. It was a major life experience for me.

Stacy: So I remember when we were connected by a mutual colleague, Justin Foster. And I remember you coming into the program nonfiction book school. And I wonder if you could share a little bit about making the decision to say yes to your book and then kind of going through that experience of actually writing the book.

Mike: Right. It honestly came down to sometimes I self coach, right. So I said to myself, if not now, when? And you can go round and round with yourself if you want. About that answer. Well, if I could get this done or if I make this much money, I can do it. There is no time. This is the present. And an opportunity came up. Right. Much like life happens. And I decided to carp a diem. And ultimately that has made all the difference, not only for me, but my relationship, my wife, my relationship with my kids. I mean, my kids think I’m famous because I have my own sticker.

Stacy: Why are they. I love it.

Mike: Yeah. So. So that was another one of those benefits, right? I mean, there’s six and nine. So that was that. So then I just put down them, the money. And then ultimately, I. The money for me, ultimately, was the group accountability, my accountability to you, my accountability to the book thought process, the idea of the book. So that helped me go all in, because it’s easy when you don’t put anything down. Oh, I’ll do it some other time. And you talk to yourself out of. Talk yourself in circles. But if not now, when?

Stacy: Yeah. Yeah. With books and babies, there’s never a right time, right? Like puppies or any. Yeah. Any big thing like that. You can talk to me a little bit about some of the roadblocks or challenges that you faced while you were writing your book and how you overcame those challenges along the way.

Mike: I always remembered the intent of why I’m writing the book. The intent and that intention supported me in the ups and then also the downsitive and what. It was really fun to write the book because you just, like you say, just keep typing, just keep typing. And I did 120,000 or 115,000 words. And so I just overcame by keeping that intention. And I did not think about the end. I did not think about six months out. I just thought about, okay, that day is writing, I’m going to. My intention is to get 3000 words down today, or I’m going to write from noon until two or whatever time I did and just get it down. So I kept the intention and much like a Kaizen effect or a butterfly effect, small incremental steps along the way make a huge difference.

Mike: And this is a really good example of that. Like, much like training for a marathon, you’re in a marathon and understand that you’re going to have ups and downs. And if you’re aware of that and you keep that intention, then you will be successful, in my opinion.

Stacy: Yeah, I love the way that you put that because, I mean, isn’t that true with any big goal, that it really is more about the continual showing up and doing the work and less about what I think a lot of people face when they go to write a book is, I’m not a writer who wants to hear what I have to say. You know, we go all we get. We stop ourselves in our heads before we ever put our fingers on the keyboard. And, and now, and you know from experience that it really is about that, creating a plan, having an organized approach to it, and then sitting down and actually just showing up regularly and doing the work.

Stacy: Was there any point along the way where you were, like you had to overcome some of those roadblocks, even mid draft, or do you feel like you were able to overcome those early on? What, what did that, what did you, what did that look like for you and your process?

Mike: I had to come to the realization that my process is going to be my process. As long as I’m meeting the expectations of the book school, then I’m doing it. No matter how I get there, I’m doing it. I didn’t have the luxury of being a morning person. I’m easily distracted, obviously. So some mornings I would get up at 04:00 a.m. Get after it, and then sometimes I would be up from eleven until two in the morning, or I would work Saturdays. So I had to get comfortable in my process. As long as I’m meeting those goals in a quality way. Right. So just get it on paper. Don’t worry about any other thing, because your editor is going to do it. And much like you said, I’m not a writer. I had those things, those ideas. I’m not a writer.

Mike: People tell me I should write a book, but I’m not a writer. And part of that process, just putting your, your intention, the reason you’re doing it, matters. If you’re even having these thoughts. It matters.

Stacy: Yes. I mean, it’s funny, because I remember thinking that same thing of, I can’t. I don’t know if I can write a whole book. I’m not really a writer. I was in a graduate writing program. I’d been editing books for, like, eight years at that point. I mean, I was an established professional. I was writing for, I was running a national magazine, writing for this magazine. I mean, I had all these credentials, and I still felt that way. So just anybody that’s watching this and thinking, oh, but I’m not a writer. I couldn’t write a book anywhere from, I literally don’t write at all. To people who write professionally, that is such a normal thing to feel and go into the process.

Mike: Yeah. I mean, who’s going to listen to me? Mike Green. Doesn’t matter. If you are having these conversations in yourself about I should write a book or I want to write a book, then that’s all matters. And, you know, and the other outcome that I never experienced, never thought of and is actually one of the best jewels of it, of writing a book, is those letters. I get it. I literally get notes or comments of people you never, ever met saying, thank you for your book. It really made a difference. It’s inspiring. Thank you. I mean, that’s something that you’re talking about. I’m not a writer, but we’re talking about the end result, where people actually listen to your intention, the reason why you sat down at the computer.

Stacy: It’s hard to put that into words. What that feels like when people reach out to you, when you had no idea that they were reading your book. Like, to me, that’s just such a. It’s almost, like, trippy, you know, it’s like I was living my life, and my book is out there and people are reading it, and then they’re sending messages, and this is all just happening. And all of that comes through you going through that journey and that process of creating that thing that actually can influence beyond what you can do one to one or even one to many. Speaking engagement or something like that.

Mike: I remember I got a note from somebody just recently. They got my book for a Christmas present, and they read it. And I thought to myself, I can. Wow, that is really nice of them to say. I don’t even think they liked me, you know, I’m not kidding you. That’s the true story.

Stacy: Oh, that’s great. So we’re talking now because nonfiction book school enrollment is open. I only do this once a year. One of the things that I really try to get through to people that are thinking about joining is that this is not a course in the sense of I log into a platform and I complete the work and I don’t interact with people. This is very much a coaching program, and my team and I are available. We will email with you. We will answer your questions during coaching. We are there to support you along the way. I would love for you to share a little bit about that from your perspective as a student, what it’s like to go through this type of program and how it’s different than maybe what people might assume being a group format.

Mike: Right. And I say this respectfully. You’re not just getting you, they’re getting your awesome team. I mean, and I truly mean that. And they’re very attentive, they’re very empathetic, and they’re the supporting you and you created. I created a relationship with your team, and I know others have, and it’s that relationship, like Forrest Gump. I don’t want let you down, you know? So you do the work, right? So that was a major part for me. I was. I wouldn’t even call it white glove. I would call it, like, truly higher than white glove experience. And. And they are there. I mean, from all the ups and downs, they’re there for you. Even now, after I’m done, they’re still there for me. And I consider them great friends. My relationship with some of your people, it’s very deep because you’re so vulnerable.

Mike: Just be nice to me about, oh, no, it’s really. But it was really amazing because I did some research prior to saying yes to you, and everyone else was, you’re just cog in the wheel. You’re just. You’re just a bunch of other people in a group that there’s no maybe once in a while touch point. That’s what sold it to me, and that’s why I believe so strongly in you and your team. Without a doubt.

Stacy: Yeah. Thanks for that. Yeah, it is very different. I mean, I, part of why I created this program, actually, the main reason was that I couldn’t find anything else out there to refer people to that couldn’t maybe work with me one or didn’t really want the one coaching or ghost training that we offer. And actually, I’ve had. I’ve had people come to me who’ve gone through those types of programs and ended up getting stuck and then come into my program because really, that connection, that support, that ability to ask questions, truly connecting with other authors, you know, like ordering each other’s books, sharing each other’s stuff on social media, some of the COVID have traveled to meet each other in real life, like that type of thing. Also, along with the team, I think is such a cool piece of it that’s beyond me.
Stacy: Like, that’s something that humans create together. It’s more like I get to create the space and then it gets to happen.

Mike: Right. And also, they’re not buying, I wouldn’t think about it now, having gone through it, is that I’m buying this. I’m buying an experience. And those who are going to shepherd me along the way, much like Joseph Campbell’s work, you are currently that person who’s listening and is currently being called to leave the known of. I’m not. I want to write a book, but I’m not going to write. You’re being called to leave the known and go into the unknown. And when you go make that first step, congratulations. Then you ultimately find a sage or someone who’s going to support you during that. Well, the good news is Stacey is one of many of those sages are going to support you along the way so that you go on and slay the dragons of self doubt. Slay the dragons of, oh, tomorrow. Tomorrow.

Mike: And then ultimately create something that you bring back to your community. Right. And that’s what you’re ultimately putting forth, the effort and the money.

Stacy: That was so good, Mike. Was that just, that was just came off the top of your head? That was awesome. I love that.

Mike: Yes, it was.

Stacy: That was great.

Mike: That was really good.

Stacy: One last question, and then I want to make sure people know where to find you and get a copy of your book. What advice would you give to somebody who’s where you were? You know, you’re talking maybe with a trusted colleague or friend about maybe writing a book, or maybe you haven’t even shared that with anyone. You’re thinking about that and you know.

Stacy: You’re just not really sure how to do it. How whether, you know, maybe you don’t feel validated yet in that next step and taking that hero’s journey, what advice would you give to somebody who’s in that moment, in that place, and trying to decide what to do next?

Mike: Well, it comes down simply not now. When, however, I would ask them, ten years from now, look, if were to go fast forward ten years from now, you look back at this moment, what’s the value of you saying yes now, ten years from now, what’s the value of you saying now, ten years from now? And you’re thinking, I should have done it back then. Or if, let’s say, you come down, that’s the best thing I can say, is that the proudness of my boys thinking that I’m famous because they wear my t shirt to school and they have stickers on their water bottles, that’s a huge thing. It’s priceless. So, I don’t remember what I paid you and your organization. In fact, I think you should charge more, to be honest with you, for what I got.

Mike: The cost now has nothing to do with the exponential value that yourself most likely will feel if you’re like me and others like the Lindsey’s, the misty’s, and such. So it’s a small price to pay for great validation of. I have something to say, and it’s out there now.

Stacy: I love that perspective. I mean, that’s so true on any big goal. I think about that a lot with some of the things that I’ve taken action on in my life, and some of the things that I didn’t take action on that were goals. I mean, I think about even starting my podcast. I started that in 2017, even though I was not really no clue what I was doing. I was using my headphones from my iPhone. I didn’t have anything figured out, but I just took that leap and took action and did it, and it’s grown to be something I’m really proud of today. But sometimes I think it’s that really. That this is my. My. My perspective at this point in my life is that bias toward action.

Stacy: When you feel something, called to do something, take an action step, whatever that next step, and then keep acting, keep taking action, and then it will lead you to where you need to be to reach that goal or.

Mike: The person that you need in order to support you on that goal, because you can’t write a book on your own, if you have anyone read it.

Stacy: Without going crazy or putting it without going crazy. That is such an important piece. Yes. Yes. Katherine on my team and I were talking about this yesterday or the day before, about how we have this idea that authors, they’re these solitary beings who.

Stacy: Yeah. They’re all abusing substances. Substances. And, like, depressed and, you know, like, there’s all these things in these authors. You think of Hemingway, you think of, like, all of those great.

Mike: Kerouac.

Stacy: Kerouac. Yeah. That’s actually who Katherine brought up. It could be fun and it can be joyous and supportive and, like, you can actually transform and end up a better whole person on the other side. It does not have to be suffering. So I love that. I love that point, Mike.

Mike: Yeah. Thank you.

Stacy:I want to, before we end today, make sure that anybody watching this can get a hold of your book. And when we end the livestream, I’ll be sure to comment it on this video, too. Tell us the title of the book, tell us where to find it, and tell us your website so that people can learn more about you and the coaching and adventures that you do.

Mike: The book is titled wander a hero’s journey into seven truths. Find it on Amazon. It’s wander. Must you find all things Mike Green at mikegreenleadership.com and I wish everyone who’s listening to this well and just take the small steps, small butterfly kaizen effect steps, and you will be seeing successful.

Stacy: I will echo that. Thanks, Mike, so much.

Mike: Grateful to be here. Thank you.