Ep 351: Habits of a Whole Heart with Arnie Herz with guest Susan Crossman P2 on hmTv

Ep. 351: Habits of a Whole Heart with Arnie Herz & Susan Crossman (Part 2)

In this powerful continuation of their conversation, host Arnie Herz and internationally acclaimed author and writing coach Susan Crossman dive even deeper into the spiritual, psychological, and emotional journey of writing a book.

Susan reveals surprising statistics about how few people who dream of writing actually finish—and why most never cross the finish line. Together, she and Arnie explore the hidden forces that hold creators back: perfectionism, self-doubt, fear of being seen, and the lure of “busy life” that keeps so many dreams stuck in limbo.

Arnie opens up about his own multi-year book journey, how open-heart surgery sparked his desire to write a legacy for his children, and why the pause in his writing may have been divinely orchestrated. Susan guides him through an insightful, unscripted coaching session that uncovers clarity, commitment, and the deeper purpose behind his book.

This episode offers:

• The neuroscience of creativity and why writing feels hard
• The spiritual dimension of authorship
• How purpose and faith guide the creative flow
• A practical plan for finishing a manuscript
• Hope for anyone who has a book inside them waiting to be born

A rich, honest, and inspiring conversation for writers, seekers, and anyone standing at the edge of a dream.

Transcript

Episode 351

Host: Arnie Herz
Guest: Susan Crossman (Part 2)
hmTv / Humanity Matters Series

Arnie: Welcome to Habits of a Whole Heart. My name is Arnie Herz, and I’m your host today. This show is part of the Humanity Matters series on hmTv.

Today I’m joined once again by my dear friend, the internationally acclaimed author, book coach, and healer, Susan Crossman. This is our second episode together. We just wrapped Episode One a few minutes ago, and it was incredibly rich—Susan walked us through the creative process, how writing connects us to a higher power, how it heals, how it reveals who we are, and why this inner work can have a profound impact not only on ourselves but on others.

Susan, thank you so much for coming back for Episode Two.

Susan: Thank you, Arnie. It’s wonderful to continue our conversation. Books, writing, evolution—these are some of my favorite topics.

Arnie: Last episode you were about to share some statistics. And we also promised listeners a little coaching role-play today—unscripted—so you could help me figure out how to take my book from 80% done to finished. We’ve been working on it for years, and I’ve had it on hold for the last three. So… take it away.

Susan: Perfect. So here’s what I wanted to share:

Roughly 80% of the population has thought, at some point, “I should write a book.” That means out of 10,000 people, about 8,000 have had the dream.

Of those 8,000, only about 40% actually start writing. That’s 3,400 people who get enough momentum to sit down with a notebook or at a computer.

But out of those 3,400, only 2% finish a manuscript. That’s around 64 people.

And here’s the kicker:
 Of those 64 who finish a manuscript, only eight—eight out of 8,000—go on to publish their book.

Eight.

And what stops the rest? Life, self-doubt, perfectionism, fear of judgment, fear of being seen, fear of not being good enough. And of course… the busyness of life. Writing a book is vulnerable and time-consuming, and people get discouraged long before the finish line.

So before we go deeper, I’d love to hear your reaction.

Arnie: Well, I think those numbers are astounding. One in a thousand people who want to write a book actually publish one.

And yes—what stops people? Exactly what’s stopped me at times: life gets busy, writing is time-consuming, and honestly, it’s not always enjoyable. It’s tedious. You never feel it’s good enough. It’s not a quick dopamine hit like a video game. It’s actually the opposite—lots of cortisol, lots of struggle.

And then the doubts. “Why am I doing this? Is it worth it? Will anyone read it?” All of that.

Susan: You’re absolutely right. The doubts outweigh the perceived benefits. And here’s something important: people imagine they should already magically have the skill to write a book. But our brains literally have no neural pathway for book writing until we build one.

Writing a book is like learning to ride a bike. At first, it’s awkward. Your brain doesn’t know what to do yet. But through trial and error, the neural pathway forms.

Once you’ve written your first book, the second is far easier because the brain map already exists. Those eight people who actually publish? They’ve built the neurological superhighway that supports future books.

But you only get that by doing it.

Arnie: That actually makes me feel better. And it’s funny—you mentioned I must’ve been a good athlete as a kid. My children and siblings are probably laughing out loud right now. But I appreciate the vote of confidence!

And yes—the only way to get the neural pathway is to write the book. No amount of talking about it will do it.

So okay—I’m here for your coaching questions.

Susan: Wonderful. So tell me, what has been stopping you from finishing? You already have so much content.

Arnie: I think the biggest issue is that the content lives in multiple places. I have pieces everywhere. I need clarity—the table of contents, the overarching map, the core habits and concepts. Once I see that clearly, I can plug in the chapters and move through them methodically.

Another part was doubting the value of the content. Wondering if the ideas were strong enough. But after doing 25 podcast episodes, I have much more clarity. And I may refine some of the concepts based on what I’ve learned.

Susan: That’s wonderful because writing a book is an evolutionary process. You start with what you know, and as you write, your clarity deepens. Your neural network grows, your insights sharpen, and the book shifts in response to your own evolution.

So let me ask—are you still questioning the value of your book’s core idea?

Arnie: No, I think it’s very valuable. My lingering doubt is more like: will people take the time to read it? And there are a million books already in the world. Do we really need a million and one?

But then I look at this podcast. There are millions of podcasts too, yet people are listening. People are being impacted. And that gives me hope. I don’t need a million readers. If I meaningfully impact a number of people, it’s worth it.

Susan: Beautiful. Now let me ask something important.

You believe in a higher power, correct?

Arnie: Yes, I do.

Susan: Then is it possible that God brought you to this book, and to this exact point in the process? That this is part of your divine intention? That the book is meant to serve you—and others—in ways you can’t yet see?

Arnie: Yes. I like that a lot. This whole inspiration came from deep within me. I’ve trusted it. I’ve put in years of work.

And honestly, the book isn’t just my book—it’s God’s book coming through me. So who am I to stop up the channel?

And I think the pause these last few years was purposeful. I’ve learned so much through this podcast series that the book will be stronger, clearer, more impactful. And… you’re right. The timing is divine. This conversation happening today isn’t random.

Susan: So then the question is: how do you want to incorporate writing the book into your life going forward?

Arnie: Practically? I think scheduling regular sessions with you is essential. We need to finalize the table of contents and the core concepts. From there, I can go chapter by chapter—say one chapter a week. With 15 chapters, that’s about 16 weeks. Four to five months.

By May or June, the manuscript could be ready for copy editing.

Susan: Exactly. And depending on your publishing model—traditional, hybrid, assisted, or self-published—you could have a finished book out by September.

Arnie: That’s amazing. And September is the Jewish New Year—Rosh Hashanah—so the timing is beautiful.

Let me ask you something I think many aspiring authors wonder: Should I talk to a publisher before I write the book? Should I write toward what’s “marketable”?

Susan: There’s merit to understanding the market. But traditional publishing takes two years from contract to release. Trends change.

My belief? Write the book that’s in your heart. Write the book you were given. You can always revise later. And with hybrid or assisted self-publishing, you don’t need to wait.

Arnie: That makes perfect sense. Especially when we remember the book-writing process is itself a healing and growth journey. It's not just about the market.

And honestly, the thought of holding the finished book in my hands makes me really excited. It feels aligned with my purpose. This whole project began nine years ago when I underwent open-heart surgery. I started writing a letter to my children—what I wanted them to know if I didn’t survive the surgery. That letter became the seed for this book.

So yes… legacy matters to me. Not for ego, but for meaning.

Susan: That’s incredibly moving, Arnie. And it makes perfect sense that this book is part of your life’s legacy.

Arnie: Thank you. And believe it or not, we’re at the end of Episode Two. Susan, this has been delightful. I’d love to have you back in six months—when the book is finished—and we’ll talk again from that new vantage point.

Thank you for your care, your love, your commitment, your wisdom, and your ability to see the bigger picture. You help so many people bring their voice into the world. I’m grateful.

Susan: Thank you, Arnie. I’ve loved being here.

Arnie: And thank you to all our listeners for joining us on Habits of a Whole Heart. This was Episode Two with Susan Crossman. Please follow the podcast on HMTV, or follow Habits of a Whole Heart and me, Arnie Herz, on social media.

If you’re interested in writing a book yourself, reach out to Susan at CrossmanCommunications.com.

Thank you again. This is Arnie Herz with Habits of a Whole Heart on HMTV.
Have a wonderful day.