Send me a text message! I’d love to hear from you!
Prepare to meet the dynamo that is Laurie Condon, a sales director, personal trainer, author, and an inspiring woman who is living proof that we can wear multiple hats and excel in all. Her journey from her first steps into the world of sales to her present role at a global media company, and her side gig as a personal trainer, is a captivating tale of ambition, determination, and resilience. Laurie's passion for inspiring others to reach their full potential shines through as we explore the philosophy behind her book, 'Everything is a Big Deal until It's Not', which encapsulates her unique outlook on life.
Get the scoop on Laurie's foray into the world of writing as she shares how her preoccupation with turning 50 led her to pen her first book. The conversation takes a fascinating turn as we discuss her new novel, 'There's No Place Like Home', which is inspired by her husband's real-life discovery of his biological family and a hidden medical condition. Laurie's knack for storytelling is evident as she takes us through her personal struggles and triumphs, offering a masterclass in resilience and positivity.
Don't miss the lowdown on Laurie's fitness regimen, a key component of her daily routine that helped her recover from an eating disorder. Her insights on maintaining consistency in exercise and its impact on mental peace are sure to strike a chord with fitness enthusiasts. We also delve into how she manages her personal training clients, and her own workouts while balancing her myriad roles. In conclusion, whether you are interested in sales, writing, fitness, or looking for some inspiration, this tête-à-tête with Laurie Condon is a treasure trove of insights and experiences. So, tune in and prepare to be inspired.
You can find and follow Laurie on Instagram at @lauriecondonauthor and Meghan at meghanalexander_being_real.
Thank you for tuning in to Meghan's podcast!
Remember, we are all made for more!
Intro voiceovers by her family: son, Billy Alexander; daughter, Mackenzie Alexander; and husband, Bill Alexander.
Music by Bill Alexander
Produced by Bill Alexander
Send me a text message! I’d love to hear from you!
Prepare to meet the dynamo that is Laurie Condon, a sales director, personal trainer, author, and an inspiring woman who is living proof that we can wear multiple hats and excel in all. Her journey from her first steps into the world of sales to her present role at a global media company, and her side gig as a personal trainer, is a captivating tale of ambition, determination, and resilience. Laurie's passion for inspiring others to reach their full potential shines through as we explore the philosophy behind her book, 'Everything is a Big Deal until It's Not', which encapsulates her unique outlook on life.
Get the scoop on Laurie's foray into the world of writing as she shares how her preoccupation with turning 50 led her to pen her first book. The conversation takes a fascinating turn as we discuss her new novel, 'There's No Place Like Home', which is inspired by her husband's real-life discovery of his biological family and a hidden medical condition. Laurie's knack for storytelling is evident as she takes us through her personal struggles and triumphs, offering a masterclass in resilience and positivity.
Don't miss the lowdown on Laurie's fitness regimen, a key component of her daily routine that helped her recover from an eating disorder. Her insights on maintaining consistency in exercise and its impact on mental peace are sure to strike a chord with fitness enthusiasts. We also delve into how she manages her personal training clients, and her own workouts while balancing her myriad roles. In conclusion, whether you are interested in sales, writing, fitness, or looking for some inspiration, this tête-à-tête with Laurie Condon is a treasure trove of insights and experiences. So, tune in and prepare to be inspired.
You can find and follow Laurie on Instagram at @lauriecondonauthor and Meghan at meghanalexander_being_real.
Thank you for tuning in to Meghan's podcast!
Remember, we are all made for more!
Intro voiceovers by her family: son, Billy Alexander; daughter, Mackenzie Alexander; and husband, Bill Alexander.
Music by Bill Alexander
Produced by Bill Alexander
Hello and welcome to. We Are Made For More. I am your host, Megan Alexander, and this is my podcast. So today I am with another guest, guest number three on this very new podcast of mine, and tonight I want to welcome a friend, Condon. Hi, Laurie.
Laurie Condon:Hi, thanks for having me.
Meghan Alexander:Thank you so much for coming. I'm so excited to have you. I'm so excited too. So I'm going to kick off tonight and share a little bit about Laurie, so that you can know a little bit about her and what we're going to talk about tonight. So Lori is a director of sales at a global media company. She lives on Long Island with her son, luke, who is 18, and her husband, she's a personal trainer. Laurie is an affiliate for Sikara for Life. She has written three books, and one of which was just released this month. Right, yes, so that's a tidbit, right, that's a little bit. But as I even just say those things and as I was kind of reading your bio and we're friends, but I still ask everybody for a bio but as I was reading it, it just made me realize all of the hats we wear in life. There's a lot of them, for sure.
Laurie Condon:Hard to juggle.
Meghan Alexander:Hard to juggle and you know it's funny. I think back to when I first met you and we were on on Long Island. We live on Long Island and we were at a baseball facility.
Laurie Condon:And I was selling something else you were.
Meghan Alexander:It's exactly where I was going with this and I remember I was just sitting at the table and our sons didn't play in the same team, right, that's right. They were just in the in, like the same training facility, and you were, you know, just friendly and we just started chatting and I remember one thing went to another and you told me about.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, I don't even know how it came up, but because with you it just, it just does.
Meghan Alexander:it comes up so naturally. Thank you, and at the time you were, I think it was like it was skincare. Yes.
Laurie Condon:And I did that for three years and then obviously, like I just had too many things on my plate and I really thought hard what do I like doing the most? And that was writing and definitely exercise.
Meghan Alexander:Writing and exercise. Okay, we're definitely going to get into that. I've got my notes here because there's a lot, there's a lot of fun things to talk about. You know, I could say where do you want to start, but where I'd love to start is a little bit about tell us about your director of sales global company. I'd love to hear a little bit about that because, to understand the whole picture, your career woman.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, you know. So it's a funny story. I had applied for a job at CMP media which back in the day, so I've been with the company 29 years.
Meghan Alexander:Wow.
Laurie Condon:I had about 100 companies to work for on Long Island, so I was determined that I was going to work there.
Meghan Alexander:Wow.
Laurie Condon:And I had 11 interviews. They did not want me and I really was young and I did not have any skills, but I, I guess at some point I wore them down.
Meghan Alexander:Oh, wow, I love the word determined right there, First of all that's clear with you.
Laurie Condon:So I took a job and I you know, and it evolved. At the time there was no internet, which really makes me feel old. I can relate.
Meghan Alexander:I can relate.
Laurie Condon:I think we're the same age and so I started laying out a magazine that was a thick 250 page magazine weekly and I worked there for doing that job for three years and the publisher said I think you'd be really good at sales and I wanted nothing to do with it.
Meghan Alexander:Okay.
Laurie Condon:And the woman who I'd be working for was going out on maternity leave. So she's like just take three months, try the job and if you don't like it you can have your old job back.
Meghan Alexander:Okay.
Laurie Condon:And I never looked back, so I went right into sales like having no experience and just going for it. Just going for it.
Meghan Alexander:And that was right away. That was when you first got there.
Laurie Condon:Well, so I was three years. Three years yeah.
Meghan Alexander:I did the print layout Okay, three years for that. And then it was okay, give this a try. And you've been doing it ever since.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, Okay, so I was doing print, which was all they had to. Now I sell people, concierge services, web advertising, events, people.
Meghan Alexander:Wow, that's a lot.
Laurie Condon:You can sell people. How do you do that? I'll tell you about that later. It's a long story, all right.
Meghan Alexander:But you stayed there.
Laurie Condon:Yes.
Meghan Alexander:So do you like sales? If you had a, if someone had to ask you that question, I guess I'm asking you that question.
Laurie Condon:I think I do. So it's it's not like I. I know that I like sales, but when I get passionate about something I don't, I just find it me sharing. So I think I sell good things, which is I would never sell anything that I don't believe in. Right, there's definitely hard sides to it and but yeah, when you help someone grow their business or whatever it is, I'm selling. Okay, Helping them get healthier.
Meghan Alexander:Okay, I'd love to talk a little bit about that.
Laurie Condon:Yeah.
Meghan Alexander:So you're doing two parts in that kind of arena?
Laurie Condon:Yes, Uh, so I sell. It's called Sakura life and that is a plant-based meal delivery, right, and of course I have a story as to how I got into that too?
Meghan Alexander:I'd love to hear it.
Laurie Condon:Okay. So I have a very close friend of mine. Her bus gifted her a month of this food and it's not cheap. Okay, um, and she said, can you cause? I cook a lot. So she was asking me can you figure out how to make these recipes? And I took some of the things home, I took screenshots of what they were and the ingredients and I tried and I'm like, no, I can't. So then I'm, unfortunately or fortunately, I tried the food and I loved it and at the time they were not as huge as they are now and I literally used to write articles for their magazine and get paid in food, wow. And they've grown so big that now I'm a customer and I'm an affiliate.
Meghan Alexander:But, um, so was that something they offered at the time, or did you okay? Oh, no, no like I'll write for you if you do this, or did you? I wanted to write, okay.
Laurie Condon:I have always loved to write. Usually it's been fitness articles, that's how it? Started and, um, I had been doing it since I was a trainer, you know. I reached out to a lot of publications and then I just offered and they said can we pay you in food? I'm like I would love that. That's brilliant. Yeah, it was really a good recipe, and I've kind of done that my entire life. I find something, I get passionate about it and I turn it into a business which is just how my mind works, I don't know why.
Meghan Alexander:Well, it sounds like it comes naturally to you.
Laurie Condon:It does, I don't yeah.
Meghan Alexander:Meanwhile, there's so many people out there that want to start a business and they're trying to figure out how to do it. How do I, how do I get started? Do you have any thoughts or what works for you?
Laurie Condon:Well, so to be honest, I don't think I've done things the right way. The right they have been the right way for me. But, like, even with the book publishing, I didn't have, I didn't map out what I was going to write about. I didn't have like an outline, I didn't consult anyone, I just wrote. And that's kind of how I do most things. I it's trial and error, I just go for it. Okay, it's kind of how I I work and sometimes it doesn't work, but sometimes it really just takes off and I, I I fell very blessed. I got published pretty quickly for the, the first one.
Meghan Alexander:So, okay, I know we're all over the place. Well, we've. We'll even cut. Keep coming back to things because I think it's a story that we've obviously throughout. Um, let's talk a little bit about the three books. One of them I've read. I want to say right now that I read the second book that came out, but tell us the titles of all three. Let's start there.
Laurie Condon:So the first one was called keeping fit on the run. Okay, and I wrote that because, as a sales person, uh well, I guess I have to backtrack and say I, I had an eating disorder for the majority of my adolescence and into my probably my early my twenties, probably ending around 30. And one of the things with sales is you travel, um. So to make myself feel better, I needed a game plan as to how I was going to work out and eat healthy while I was traveling, right. So I came up with a book called keeping fit on the run and it was a spiral bound book that would you could keep it open, so it would stay open, so you could look at the exercises. Okay, it had a meal plan for how to order in restaurants and what to eat when you were in a hotel, and it had a hotel room workout. So, like I said, I did it for myself to get myself through the anxiety, and then I turned it into a thing.
Meghan Alexander:That's fabulous.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, so how did that? Too, so the company that I worked for bought them all. So at the time that was self published. I printed 500 because it was $9,000 back then to print 500 books and I was in my twenties, wow. So they, they bought them all and they distributed them to the sales team and then I didn't print anymore because I had some other stuff going on. But but it, I was happy with that. Yeah, I'm sure you were.
Meghan Alexander:You sold them all who wouldn't be happy with that first run. And you did it. Yeah, but that's great Like you put your mind to it. How did you even think to get it printed, did you? How did you research that part of it? Yeah, I guess there was no internet.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, gee, I don't really remember exactly.
Meghan Alexander:But you're obviously resourceful yeah, just figured it out, actually, I, I did.
Laurie Condon:I um, I had known some professionals who had helped me get certified, you know. So you have to go through courses, and I think I consulted with them, and then I had an editor who had been published. So I'm sure I used you know, I'll use the network that I've created. That's wonderful, but equally, if someone asks me for help, I'm happy to share the resources. So I think that's how you have to be, you know you have to propel each other. Yeah, I, I agree with that.
Meghan Alexander:It is about propelling each other, and that's one of the reasons I started this podcast to begin with is really about inspiring people to be the best versions of themselves, and that might mean something different to each person that hears me say that. Yeah, um it does you? Know. For some people it could be how they dress. For some people it could be how they carry themselves. For some people it could be I was made for more and in this life I want to accomplish the things that came here to do.
Laurie Condon:Yeah.
Meghan Alexander:Whatever level people think that is for them, but it is about inspiration and that's why I feel each guest that I want to bring on is everyone has a story, absolutely, and, um, it's about sharing these stories with with others and with each other.
Meghan Alexander:I think that, like you just said, helps propel people and get people to learn what it is they're looking for, and hopefully different stories will resonate with people. So, so, anyway, um, let's, let's, weave a little bit into the second book. Yes, okay, this one I like I said I read tell us about this.
Laurie Condon:That's called everything is a big deal until it's not what a clever title, though. First of all, I want to say very captivating title, and I'll tell you how that happens. Let's go. I called my sister and I said I'm working on a book and she's said well, what's it about? And I said you know how everything's a big deal. And then it's not.
Meghan Alexander:She's like there's the title, so that's really how that came about.
Laurie Condon:It was not a well thought out plan, but I had, um, I started a book club and it's a funny story. I was invited to a book club and I was kicked out of the book club before it even started and I was apparently very competitive and angry. So what?
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, I'm like what do?
Laurie Condon:you mean I'm not invited, and I was. I came home and I was like this is worse than being kicked out of a sorority. So I was, you know, ruminating over it and I'm like I'm starting my own book club and it's going to be better than that book club and I, you know, in my mind I'm like what would make it better and I thought let me call up an author and see how much to get them to come to my house. The first author I reached out to was Jane Green and she said I'm not coming to your house, but she did say I will Skype in.
Meghan Alexander:That's pretty gutsy yeah Of you to just reach out to an author and say, hey, would you come to my book?
Laurie Condon:I mean it is you know at the time it didn't seem that big of a deal, but yeah looking back. Yeah, and then in retrospect. I'm like why would I do that? So she said I'll Skype.
Laurie Condon:So, she said I will Skype in. So I bought sushi and we had you know wine and it was all set up. I had a whole room set up and people came and we Skyped and it was a fantastic event. I felt so elated and excited because I always have loved to read and she's one of my favorite authors and to have her in my den.
Meghan Alexander:You know it's incredible deal.
Laurie Condon:So then I started reaching out to other authors and it became a monthly thing. So then, right after Jane Green was, I think, Ellen Hildebrand who's another big deal, Okay who agreed to. She said you know, this is my first Skype.
Meghan Alexander:Wow.
Laurie Condon:And it kept going and going and eventually, for some odd reason, it started becoming live visits from authors. So I've had Kristen Higgins to my house. Sally Hepworth.
Meghan Alexander:Wow.
Laurie Condon:And so Sally Hepworth is the reason that I wrote the first book. Okay, Sorry, the first book that was not self published, Right? Okay? So what happened was she had asked me. No, I had mentioned to her. Oh, you know, I started writing a book in college. It was called don't waste my eggs. And each egg was a boyfriend, and so there was the hard boiled egg, the rotten egg and I had like a great storyline, but I think I had written it on paper because there was no computer or maybe I did and I, you know whatever I couldn't find it and so much time had gone by I didn't even remember the story.
Laurie Condon:So I said I. She said you should write that that's a great title. I'm like what if you write it and dedicate it to me? And she said that's not happening.
Meghan Alexander:But I love how you just ask people, you just go with it. Okay, go ahead.
Laurie Condon:She said what's on your mind? And really what I was so preoccupied with was turning 50. I was just freaked out that all this time had gone back and kept gone by. And I was turning 50 and and that's what I wanted to write about, because no one was talking about it, even though my friends were, my peers were turning 52 and all these things were happening to my body and I was starting to feel like, oh no, I'm out of my prime. And so then I I looked back and I thought about how everything is scary once you're starting it right. So, becoming an adolescent, going into high school, getting your first boyfriend, getting your first job, getting married, having a kid, yes, and that became the thinking. And then for me, what was Paramount was turning 50.
Meghan Alexander:Okay.
Laurie Condon:So that's how that book evolved. And then I wrote it, and then it was no big deal, and then it was no big deal.
Meghan Alexander:But I actually want to talk about that book for a moment because it's funny. I got to tell you a story. I'm in a book club and Would you like me to come in?
Laurie Condon:I'm free. There you go, there you go, I love it, I love it.
Meghan Alexander:See there you go and there you go again. I'm noticing this theme about you You're not afraid to ask. You're not afraid to ask and I want to like point that out right now, because you never know where these conversations are going to go. But that is absolutely a theme with you and I think that's if you didn't already know this that's a key for you, and I don't even realize. I'm doing it. If you don't, I'm just why wouldn't? I but why not?
Laurie Condon:That's how I feel like. Why wouldn't I?
Meghan Alexander:But I think that again for a lot of people out there listening. Sometimes people are held back by oh my gosh, what if they said no? Or what if I get turned down? So good for you. But I am calling out that theme because you just do it.
Meghan Alexander:naturally it's a good one, but I do want to tell you so. I am in a book club and a bunch of wonderful ladies from my neighborhood, but I don't read a lot of the books. I don't read a lot of books. Everyone has a different thing in life of what they do?
Meghan Alexander:I do read some books, don't get me wrong. But to just randomly pick a book and read it is not my thing. Let's say, for some people it's listening to podcasts, for some people it's watching movies or TV series or what have you. But anyway, this book I read, and that's why I even bring that up, because it was a page turner. It was and it was. Just I couldn't put it down. So I want to start by saying that if anyone hasn't read this book yet, you should pick it up. But one thing, one theme in it that you did talk about was Perry Menopause.
Laurie Condon:Yes.
Meghan Alexander:And you just talked about turning 50 and that whole thing, and I want to just say how brave that was to write about that, because I think we're seeing a lot more of that now, but this was a couple of years ago, was it three years ago when it came out? I'm trying to remember exactly 2019. 2019, okay.
Laurie Condon:It was hard to write about. But the reason I wrote about it is because I wanted answers.
Laurie Condon:And I wanted to have those discussions. So I felt like if I put it out there, maybe I could have the dialogues. And let me tell you, I had a lot of conversations with women who had worse experiences than I did and still just trying to find a way to navigate through it and not. You know, I don't want to waste my life worrying about what's going to happen next, and that's kind of how I was feeling and I still believe me. There's days that I wake up I'm like, oh my God, more wrinkles or whatever. And then there's other days when I wake up and think about wow, I'm so lucky that I can go down and ride my bike.
Meghan Alexander:Or.
Laurie Condon:I'm so lucky that I have this great family and I always try to turn my negative thoughts to something positive, because we have so much to be grateful for.
Meghan Alexander:You're absolutely right. I mean, you know, you hear different quotes or sayings and one of them is about how, if you think you have problems, would you trade them with somebody else's?
Laurie Condon:And really, you know you look at your own right and it's no.
Meghan Alexander:But it's true, we kind of reflect and we all go through tough times. There's no doubt about it. We've all been through tragedies and if you haven't hate to say it, you will. It's life. But embrace, I guess, what we have and be grateful first.
Laurie Condon:I feel like if you pay it forward, that's how I feel good. I know you're like that too, but when I'm feeling that negative or self-pity part, I'm like who can I help or what can I do to get out of my own head, cause we spend a lot of time self-absorbed, kind of thinking about our own things. And when you step out of your own way and try to help someone else, it makes you feel better, makes them feel better.
Meghan Alexander:Thank you for bringing up that reminder right now. You're absolutely right. I mean, I'm very into self-help, self-development type of things. That's a big part of my life and I'm passionate about learning. But you're right, a lot of people that are talking in that space talk a lot about helping others and how that really helps you help yourself. It does.
Laurie Condon:My mom was like that and I just always, I always saw her, you know, and it was effortless. She wasn't doing it for attention, she didn't have social media to post out like I just gave blah blah blah to this chart. She did it cause she really cared about making a difference in the world.
Meghan Alexander:And what did that do for you to see her doing that?
Laurie Condon:I mean, I was always that was what I was always around. So it made me aspire to be like that Absolutely.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, it's a great role model to have, Definitely. I was very blessed, For sure, and I think it was Mr Rogers that said look for the helpers you know and look for those people in life because they're inspiring. So anyway, little tangent there, I like that one. So we were talking about the book, but I was saying how brave it was that you talked about perimenopause. At the time I thought because, it was my first time reading something like that.
Meghan Alexander:Like we just said, it was a few years ago and really enlightening for you to be so authentic about what you were going through in life and I think, like I was saying, now we're starting to see a lot more of that.
Laurie Condon:Like.
Meghan Alexander:Oprah has been talking about it, Brook Shields.
Laurie Condon:I think Naomi Watts, yeah, they, there are a lot Naomi Watts yeah.
Meghan Alexander:And Maria Shriver, I mean. So these are some of the names where but that's recent, like within the past six months, and I'm thinking wow. Lori did it first, right there with you, lori did it first. So good for you, though, for sharing and shedding a light on what people need to hear about.
Laurie Condon:Well, cause I had to. You have to know that everyone's going through it. And I was like why are we ashamed of what happens to our you know, can't we help each other? And I feel like so many times when you just talk to a friend or you, you know you discuss something and it validates your feelings and then you're like you know what? This is just what happened. So it's kind of I needed to own it so that I could stop worrying about it.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, Good for you. Well, that's it was. It was great, and then that leads us to our the most recent novel right. Which you call it novel and Billy, my technician here, who's also my husband, must have an asset he could put up there for us. And the name of the book is there's no place like home and yeah. Tell us about it.
Laurie Condon:So there is a situation that happened, which I'll talk a little bit about, that I I embellished upon, but my husband for real was adopted and thought he would do some research into his biological family, and so we thought, oh, maybe he'll find a half sibling. He'll find out he has eczema or something. And it turned out to be a whole lot different. There was a medical condition, there was a lot of kids, a lot of baby mamas, and it was such an interesting story.
Laurie Condon:I'm like, oh my God, no, I'll believe this Right and as it evolved, there is, I don't want to ruin it, but there's a disease that comes up that I knew nothing about. I hadn't heard of it, and I thought I want to bring some attention to this, Because we did meet one of his sisters who's since passed of the disease. Oh, wow. And so the book is dedicated to her. That's nice, that's lovely and it's it's. It was just such a fascinating story. I wanted to. I wanted her to live on, because we really loved her, Like we. We only knew her for a year, but I wanted to bring attention to it and have something that would you know, because he, you know, didn't have a family, and then he found this family and then, to have that happen.
Laurie Condon:So it was kind of that. And then it was such a great story that I had to turn it into something.
Meghan Alexander:So is the whole book based on a true story or do you embellish a little bit? No, no, no.
Laurie Condon:So just in case for anyone who reads it, I am not addicted to drugs, nor do I sell them.
Meghan Alexander:Okay, yeah.
Laurie Condon:So there's yeah, there's a lot of made up stuff that I just took from stories I've heard, et cetera, and actually I took it from my my full time job, the sales job. I interviewed someone who was talking about how she was not diagnosed with ADHD until she was in college and she was struggling through school and she became at a very young age a CMO in a technology company after she was diagnosed and started taking Adderall. So I was fascinated by the story. I started running on the treadmill and I'm like, oh my God, there's where I'm gonna take my other character. So that's how that came about.
Meghan Alexander:Okay, so just listening to life and weaving things in. So it's been out for what? A couple weeks.
Laurie Condon:July 13th.
Meghan Alexander:So just about a month. How's it going so far? Tell everybody about this process.
Laurie Condon:So it is as an unknown author. It is hard to get the word out there because of the book club that I told you about, I was blessed and privileged to meet Adriana Cigiani, and I just was on her Facebook Live, that's wonderful. So she only has 108,000 followers.
Meghan Alexander:That's it, huh, I'm hoping Good for her.
Laurie Condon:I'm hoping that will help and it's getting really good reviews so I'm hopeful.
Meghan Alexander:Oh, congratulations, thank you. It's really neat and I remember when you were putting out your second book, you told me a little bit about the process of getting an editor and all of that kind of thing. Could you share a little bit?
Laurie Condon:about what?
Meghan Alexander:for people again out there that may want to write a book or they've been dying to do it.
Laurie Condon:So again, it's really hard. So, the writing piece for me was not the hard part. The editing is kind of brutal because you've already put down all the things that you think and you want it to be, and then someone goes through and then red lines all of it, and some of it can be like that's funny. So it's not all the red lines are bad. But to go back and rewrite for me was very challenging, and I also I race through things.
Meghan Alexander:Like.
Laurie Condon:I like to be. I like to get it done.
Meghan Alexander:That's the end I can relate.
Laurie Condon:So you have to be patient and rewrite and it's a process. So that part was very difficult. I used the book club again. I found an editor through Sally's editor.
Meghan Alexander:Sally.
Laurie Condon:Hepworth's editor, so I don't know if I told you this, but she did a book club with me. She lived in Australia, so she Skyped in her first book when she was not known at all.
Laurie Condon:Now she's got like 10 New York times best sellers and she did a huge book tour came to New York and when she was in town I said come over. And she said I can't, I can't come over. I'm like, no, you're coming over. And she came with her husband Seriously, to my house. My husband sat with her husband until they watched a basketball game and she came to my house.
Meghan Alexander:See, there it is again. Yes, you have this power of persuasion. That's what I'm gonna say about you, lori. Well, I was her first book club. Yeah, yeah.
Laurie Condon:You're like, hey, let's go, so anyway. So her editor had referred to me, to my editor that I used for both books, and this second, this third book, so that the last one that just came out. I had two editors. I had a content editor and. I had a grammatical editor and again it took a month to rewrite.
Meghan Alexander:What if you didn't agree with their suggestions? Did you still have to do it?
Laurie Condon:It was strongly suggested, so I didn't change all of the suggestions, but most of them were good.
Meghan Alexander:OK.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, so like if something needed more character development yeah, I mean, they know what they're doing. I hired some good people and yes, and then it's coastal.
Meghan Alexander:You have an editor and then it's a publisher. Is that that's different?
Laurie Condon:Yes, so most people get an agent. So what happens is, after you write, or you have maybe half of a book written, you have to send out query letters to find an agent. So I gave myself a year. I did not want to self publish because I had done it before. It's very expensive. And then every time someone orders a book, you have to print it.
Meghan Alexander:OK.
Laurie Condon:So I either would have to assume I would make a certain number of sales and then mail them out myself, or print every you know. It's just you can't do it.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah.
Laurie Condon:So I gave myself a year and on April 1st I got two offers to get published. So I started January 1st and April Fool's Day. I don't know what that means. It's funny. The weird thing is I had I mean, it's a lot Every day I sent an email to a new agent. I got a lot of rejections, but still in the course of four months, that's not a very long time.
Meghan Alexander:If you had to give it a number? Do you remember, like how many rejections you got?
Laurie Condon:Probably about 40.
Meghan Alexander:Wow.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, um, but then a publisher had responded, and again it was not Simon and Chuster. It was not like a publisher I had heard of. I'm like, hmm, black Rose writing, is this real? I didn't know I had no experience. So my sister-in-law and my brother have both published books and they told me to join the author's guild.
Meghan Alexander:Okay.
Laurie Condon:So they reviewed the contract. So you can use a lawyer from the author's guild to review, and I didn't have to. I joined the author's guild for $135. There you go. They reviewed my contract for free, Perfect yeah. So they went over it and they said this is a great contract and I ran with it for 135 bucks. I'd rather write that one, yep.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, so that's good for you, yeah.
Laurie Condon:But the normal process is to get an agent. I don't have one.
Meghan Alexander:Okay, do you want one, do you need one, or do you feel like you don't want one?
Laurie Condon:Cause, then you have to share. I mean it's not a lot of profits until you become a best seller which, hopefully, that's where this is headed.
Meghan Alexander:Let's go.
Laurie Condon:Let's get, let's put the word out everybody Like and share, please I just learned recently that, um, you know, again, you could fact check me.
Meghan Alexander:I'm not sure if this is a hundred percent accurate, but I did hear recently, like the power of how Facebook started, and apparently Mark Zuckerberg came to the table again you could fact check this. But he was so confident in its success because he said, oh, we have this one point four multiplier and somebody had said, well, what does that mean? And he said, well, if we already have data that says that everyone's you know, everyone's telling one point four people about Facebook, and it's a sure thing.
Laurie Condon:So again, I may not be articulating this perfectly, but if you do the math, remember that shampoo commercial yeah, if they told two friends, yes, and so on, that's right.
Meghan Alexander:So if that's the multiplier, let's say that's the one point. Four, let's everybody out there please tell one point four people or more. But anyway, I think I wish you well on this success. So you just mentioned you were on a Facebook live and she has over a hundred thousand followers, so that's amazing. Oh, it was so. It was so exciting You're doing this podcast now, which we don't have as many followers, but I'd love some more so please tell everybody. But then you said, you have another one coming up.
Laurie Condon:I think yeah, it's called the clip out. So that's the Peloton community. Oh wonderful yeah.
Meghan Alexander:So tell me about that, because you I know are Miss Pelotoner. Yes, let's talk about your fitness side of your life.
Laurie Condon:Yeah, so I'm up to about 3100 rides. Oh, wow, yeah, but you're very consistent in the same spot, don't?
Meghan Alexander:you do the same days a week, every single week.
Laurie Condon:Yes, okay, yes, I do Tell us about that. How did you get?
Meghan Alexander:so regimented.
Laurie Condon:I ride an hour on Monday, Tuesday I run an hour.
Meghan Alexander:Okay.
Laurie Condon:Wednesday I ride an hour, thursday I ride half an hour and then I do the elliptical for half an hour, and Friday I ride an hour.
Meghan Alexander:Goodness, Lori, how do you, how do you do it?
Laurie Condon:Sunday I ride an hour and a half. Wow, how I'm really tired. Okay, okay, okay, yeah, but what?
Meghan Alexander:is it Okay? Listen, I talked to a lot of people I happen to know I'm realizing now. I know a lot of personal trainers and everyone talks about consistency. But Help us understand, how do you stay consistent with that? It's not optional to me, okay.
Laurie Condon:Like the way you brush your teeth the way you you know the way you do certain things, like I don't. It's not an option, because being eating disordered for a large part of my life fitness is what got me better. Okay, it was a trade off for me, which, again, it's not always great to you know. You don't want to become exercise bulimic, which I am not, thankfully.
Meghan Alexander:But I could have overdone that too.
Laurie Condon:I did overdo that for a while too. So okay, I'm extreme. You are figuring that out?
Meghan Alexander:I definitely am. I'm sure our listeners are hearing that and I found some balance, but I need to be consistent.
Laurie Condon:It gives me peace. That's great.
Meghan Alexander:Now, have you ever had moments of like an injury or a time where you had to take a break from it, or no?
Laurie Condon:Yes, I had a foot surgery and I went out and I bought a really stupid. I think it's called an ergometer, where you right.
Meghan Alexander:So you turn the.
Laurie Condon:I couldn't use my foot, okay, so.
Meghan Alexander:I was going to do your upper body, doing it for an hour, right.
Laurie Condon:And it burned like 104 calories. I'm like that's four croutons. I mean it was so dumb and I donated it to the veterans. So yes, that was hard, but to also see that I went through the foot surgery. I didn't work out for a month and I was fine, and you were fine.
Meghan Alexander:So, again.
Laurie Condon:that's that process of learning to become comfortable. I plow right into them rather than avoiding them. I need to know I'm going to be okay.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, and I'm glad you're sharing this part of the story too, because that's reality as well for people that you know. It's so important for them to work out, and sometimes you get sidelined with something. But if you've been consistent, you stay consistent. You'll be fine.
Laurie Condon:But the one thing that I will say is that if you can't, if you have a foot injury, you can do weights right.
Meghan Alexander:You know, there's there are things that you can do and again.
Laurie Condon:so I was a runner for 40 years and mine really, really. I didn't know that I had something called paraforma syndrome, which is next to your sciatic nerve, and I also have it be, which is illiotibial band syndrome, which are both from running. Okay, women are more prone to it than men, but it is something. It's just an uneven stride which I was like how am I gonna deal without running? And that's when I found the bike.
Meghan Alexander:So you know, there's always a an alternative right, there's an alternative and you know I've had some as I get a little older myself. We just talking about that, just the the creeks that are coming in in different parts and someone suggested to me recently. You know, get in a pool walking swimming, swimming, you know absolutely. So I haven't done that yet.
Laurie Condon:But that's you know, I just talk about exercise, different things that you can do Just moving. We just are so sedentary like it's just good to move. It's so true and it feels good to be out in it and fresh air absolutely so.
Meghan Alexander:We mentioned personal trainer. How much of that is part of your life?
Laurie Condon:I have four clients that I see before work. Okay, so I do that.
Meghan Alexander:I do that Monday, tuesday, wednesday and Friday, all right so one each day, one of one each day, all right, and of these people You've had for a long time. Yes, yeah, okay yeah so they're grandfathered in because you've got a lot going on, I don't think I'm gonna be taking anyone else, but yeah good for you. It's amazing. So you know we've talked a lot about your story. What about your? Tell us a little bit about your family, your son and your Husband, what you could share sure where they're at in their life right now.
Meghan Alexander:I know, like Luke, being 18, that's an exciting time.
Laurie Condon:You know it's really it is. It's hard, it's hard to let go and it's hard to not be able to fix everything as I'm sure you know, it's a mom. I sure do, so he is not outgoing. My husband is quite shy as well, and and my son is more like my husband than myself, although we're all kind of anxious yeah, and he's staying home for school and part of me is so Happy really I wanted him to go so badly.
Laurie Condon:I wanted him to experience College and being away, but as it gets closer I'm happy.
Meghan Alexander:So what did he decide to do?
Laurie Condon:He's gonna commute, oh, that's great. Yeah, but at the same time I want to make sure he has Friends and social life and all the great things that come along with college. So it's hard, it's hard to let go, I'm sure but I'm sure those things will come to.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, I can totally relate, as my son is looking at colleges right now. You know he's gonna be a rising senior this year, so just starting that process here a year ahead of me. But I have some of those same fears going on.
Laurie Condon:I can oh my god, absolutely understand that's you right. Right, yeah, they always say little kids, little problems big. Understood that driving thing came about and let me tell you it's awful.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, how do you feel about it?
Laurie Condon:Um, so he's really not a fan of driving. Okay, so part of me, I mean. I'm glad he's cautious, but it's frightening it. First of all, being the teacher, that is not fun. I don't love teaching him to drive. I don't love being in the car with him. He's doing great now, but we've had 20 private lessons.
Meghan Alexander:He's drive every day.
Laurie Condon:It's a it's a lot. Yeah and I don't love it.
Meghan Alexander:I Understands and listen. I mean, I know we mentioned a couple times we're on Long Island, but for those of you that aren't on Long Island, it is a very busy area.
Laurie Condon:Oh my gosh.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, you know some of our Main roads that are would be somewhere else in the country they're.
Laurie Condon:They're packed like a highway or freeway and the easy thing would be for me to keep driving them because I can yeah. But I, I'm trying, not I'm fighting myself, because you gotta let go. Absolutely right and I keep thinking like I was a lousy driver and I'm still here.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah, I'm hopeful, yes, and we could only do what we could do and just yeah.
Laurie Condon:And lastly, I'll just tell you that my husband. I'm really proud of him because he was in finance for yes. I know that like 30 years, yes. And then COVID hit and he said I'm not doing anything that's fulfilling me.
Meghan Alexander:I love this story.
Laurie Condon:Please share this and I'm like, all right, what are we doing? So he, he, you know switching companies and just not getting. He's just wasn't happy and I could see it and it was Stressful to be to know that your partner is not happy Of course and I'm like you know what?
Laurie Condon:The money doesn't mean anything if you're not happy. So he's like I want to Help people, I want to become a home health aide, and he did it. He made a complete pivot, went to school for it and it's now doing it, which I think is so brave.
Meghan Alexander:It's, it's completely, completely brave. Yeah, I'm just so to make a life change like that and and you know, at this point too to just say, hey, I'm done with this part of my life and I'm ready to try something new so you need, you need to be in a great marriage.
Laurie Condon:Okay, and I do not mean that we don't. Everything is perfect all the time, but you need to know that you have support. You can't make a change like that. Yeah and and as the spouse. Yeah, if I said you can go for it, I can't change my mind. Yeah, I can't be like oh that was a bad idea. So once I said it, I'm like and even though there were days, Well, I was worried. I'm like how? Are we gonna make you know this is a big pay cut it's a big change change, but it always works out and was?
Meghan Alexander:was there a moment of that change where he ever thought, gee, am I making the right decision? Or?
Laurie Condon:no, was he pretty.
Meghan Alexander:Oh wow, that's that's incredible. Then it was yeah it's so nice to hear these stories because you often hear them people that were in corporate America for X amount you know 10, 20, 30 years or whatever it was and there's burnout. That happens.
Laurie Condon:I ask him, I'm like because his job is not easy. Yeah, works with disabilities. Yes, you know how does he like it? It's challenging but it's so rewarding. I think, and I've heard the feedback, because I'm friends with one of the parents of His client okay, and Her demeanor is so much calmer because she has a sense of peace, because my husband is reliable like he's such a good guy and he's where he should be, so I feel very wonderful.
Laurie Condon:That's a great story and interestingly enough I'll just make this quick, but in the book You'll meet. So every Character about that family relationship is true, meaning his brother. Yes, is really his half brother, and, okay, two or three of them are in the healthcare field, which I think is so bizarre. Oh, you wrote that before. Well, no, I'm just saying they became Health aides and he yeah, that's what I mean exactly that's it.
Meghan Alexander:It's amazing, that's amazing. What a cool story.
Laurie Condon:I don't know, maybe, maybe it's gizmo, for sure.
Meghan Alexander:Just a couple more things, though, just to in thinking about your life and and all the things you shared Just now. Yeah, what are? What are you most proud of? And there's a lot of things to be proud of, for sure, but what's something that really stands out that you like to share, I think?
Laurie Condon:I'm most proud of the fact that when I say I'm going to do something, I do it. Like my follow through. It is not easy always, sometimes I commit myself to things that I really shouldn't have, but I always want to be a good example to my son, to show him when you start something, you have to do what you say, and I really think, like you've pointed out, I just go for it. I was raised treating people just because someone was rich or this or that. I treat everyone the same.
Laurie Condon:And that's how I expect to be treated, and I think when you have that attitude, you have expectations that you're going to go far, absolutely so.
Meghan Alexander:Well, I love that. One Follow through is important and you could tell from all of the different things that you've done that you're certainly doing that.
Laurie Condon:Thank, you what?
Meghan Alexander:about any mentors in your life that have helped you to become the person that you are.
Laurie Condon:I think I learned from everyone I'm with. So I really listen, I pay attention and I ask a lot of questions. I know I'm talking a lot, but normally I do, I listen and I and it's amazing because I will say I am pretty self critical- so, I look at other people and I see every shiny thing about them, and then I look at myself, which is really not one of my best traits, but anyway, when I see something that I admire, like it's something that I'll try to do.
Meghan Alexander:OK.
Laurie Condon:So I like to be around positive people and I like to be around doers.
Meghan Alexander:Yeah. It does, it does help, it's motivated, especially if you're a doer yourself, it's like helps you learn and lean into that skill a bit more. So I love that, and if you? I guess maybe you've already said it. I just thought I'd throw a fun question out there is to say what is your superpower? If you had to think about that.
Laurie Condon:I don't sleep very much.
Meghan Alexander:That's a superpower?
Laurie Condon:I don't know, I don't know.
Meghan Alexander:I'm thinking of things like words you may have already used, like that you are a doer, but that you're a helper, all of these different things. Maybe it's a bunch of things, yeah.
Laurie Condon:I'll go with that. We'll go with that.
Meghan Alexander:Is there anything else that you want to share with us today?
Laurie Condon:No, I think we've covered a lot of ground. We have, we have.
Meghan Alexander:Well, you have a great story, Laurie. Thank you. I'm so excited to have been able to hear it and to share it with, hopefully, a lot of people. I hope a lot of people tune in and I wish you much more success.
Laurie Condon:Thank you and I wish your podcast amazing success and if anyone needs help with anything that I do, reach out Reach out, we've definitely put it out there.
Meghan Alexander:Laurie Condon, author on Instagram and please check out her new book. So thanks again, laurie.
Laurie Condon:Thanks for having me.
Meghan Alexander:Take care everybody.
Laurie Condon:Peace out. Good night, peace out, bye.