22: She Wrote the Book. Now She's a Bestseller. — with Brianna LaShell Rabb

Brianna LaShell Rabb is a nonprofit coach, legacy strategist, and now a published, Amazon bestselling author of The Work That Outlives You. In this episode, Mikaela sits down with her very first podcast guest to talk about what the book-writing journey actually looked like from the inside.

Brianna started her first nonprofit at 16. She's been in the sector for over a decade. And still, she hesitated. Not because she didn't have enough to say, but because she wasn't sure she had permission to say it. 

In this conversation, we talk about:

• How Brianna knew she was actually ready to write the book (hint: it wasn't when she felt fully confident)
• Why she chose to work with a coach instead of figuring it out alone 
• The moment mid-process when she scrapped a month's worth of work for a new framework 
• What launch day actually felt like 
• The exciting results post-book

This is a conversation about doing the thing. And when you're ready to make it happen like Breanna, join me for the Plan your Book Workshop! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to For Women Who Write Podcast. I'm Mikayla, a certified writing coach, editor, and self-publishing expert with over a decade of experience, helping women turn their ideas into powerful, best style books. If you felt the call to write, share your stories, share your experiences, how you can help other people, then you are in the right place. Here we talk about the real process of writing and publishing, from finding your voice to structuring your budget, to overcoming resistance and imposter system and launching into the world with public. I'm excited to tell you that become a publisher and a best-selling author if it's possible. Absolutely. Your story matters, and chances are you're closer to holding a finished book in your hand.

SPEAKER_02 0:45

Okay, Brianna, I am so excited to talk to you today. This is going to be such a fun episode. It's kind of a new thing for the podcast. Your very first interview, which is so exciting, but I really feel so honored. You good. I really wanted to have you on here because you recently launched your book, The Work That Outlives You. And we've been working together for almost a year, and so, which is crazy to think about. So I am so excited to chat with you today. We're going to talk all about your book and you know what life is like now, post-book and all of those things. And so before we get started though, introduce yourself. Tell us more about who you are and what you do, and then we can talk about your book.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Well, hello. Thank you so much for having me on. I'm so excited that I'm my first guest. I feel so special. So for those of you who do not know me, I am Brianna Lachelle Rab. I am a nonprofit coach and legacy strategist, a newly published author, a mom. And um, I have the honor and privilege of getting to work with um nonprofits and other organizations that really give back to their community. I help them set up nonprofits and um all those types of things. I've worked in the nonprofit world for about a decade now. I actually started my own nonprofit, and that's where a lot of um that journey kind of started for me. And I've gotten to put all of that knowledge into my book, The Work That Out Lives You. And so I'm really excited about that with the help of Michaela and her team. And so, yeah, I'm so excited to be here and chat with you guys today.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

I love it. Amazing, amazing. Okay, so you're a busy woman. There's a lot of hats that you are wearing right now. No joke. Being a wife and a mom in and of itself is a lot. And then also, you know, running a business as well and coaching. So, in the middle of a lot going on, what made you decide, like, okay, I'm going to write a book?

SPEAKER_00 2:47

Yeah. So if I'm being honest, I've had the dream of writing a book for a really, really long time. Um, parts of me still have dreams of dabbling in the fiction realm. But as a coach and just someone who really works in the like non-fiction-y realm, I knew that having a book could be really great with introducing other people to me and letting people kind of understand what it's like to work with me, hear my voice, hear my passion, understand um the kind of things that I do and the kind of things I don't do. And I knew that a book would be a good way to do that. And so once I really finally decided, okay, I do know enough information to put into a book. I have been doing this long enough that I can feel confident that the things that I'm writing down aren't just made up. Yes. Yes. Um, I started doing a little bit of research of like, okay, if I write this book, how am I gonna get it edited? How do I even publish it? What does that look like? And um one of my good friends um recommended you. And so I was like, hey, let's go browse this Instagram page. And um, I saw that you were having a, I think, are you were you calling it a challenge? Yeah, it was a challenge at the time. Yeah. And so I was like, hey, yeah, sure, I'll sign up for this. And I really went in thinking that you were not going to talk to me at all, that I was just going to listen to this surprise and then be gone. And then you were like, hey, so let's like talk. And I'm like, wait, what? Yep, there's small for a reason. That's how that journey kind of started. And then once I kind of laid out, like, okay, here's the idea that I have, and you were like, Yeah, that's a book. And it was like, okay, well, let's do it then. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 4:33

So talk to me a little bit more about like having the experience and expertise. Cause a lot of people I talk to are like, do I have enough for a book? Like, when do I know that I'm like ready to write a book? And it's kind of like asking the question, when am I ready to get married or have kids or start a business? It's like there's no point that you're like ready, but there is wisdom in knowing when to do it or not do it. So kind of walk me through that process for you a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Yeah, I mean, so personally, I am young. I started a nonprofit when I was 16. So I have always had this kind of fear of that I'm too young to be able to share the things that I know, right? And so for me, it took a while to have like the courage to be like, oh, you know, yes, I'm only 29, but I have been doing this for literally half of my life. So there's lots of things that I do know and that I have done that I can pull from. And so for me, it was more of one getting out of my own way, because I think that you can always make a reason of why you can't do something, right? You can always um tell yourself, oh, you're not smart enough, you don't have enough education, you don't have enough time, you don't have enough wisdom. Um, you can always find a reason to talk yourself out of something. And so I had to really look at the evidence of like, okay, I've worked with clients before. I have been really successful with helping other organizations. There's topics and questions that I talk about all the time with all of my clients. And so those were kind of really the building blocks for me to be like, okay, here are like common issues that I'm talking about all the time. What if I just wrote out my answers for people to have in a really tangible way before they work with me? And so that was kind of my like green light, I guess you could say, for myself to say, like, okay, I have enough information. I know the things that I want to talk about, things that feel really important to me. I know, um, like for me personally, in the philanthropical space, I really see a lot of issues that I would like to change. And there's a lot of um old systems that um I feel like is really hurting the industry in general. And so for me, I really wanted to talk about those things and give a different perspective. And a book was a really easy way to put that, you know, thought process into something that people would respect. Because I mean, like obviously I talk about it on my social media, sometimes I talk about it in podcasts, but a book is like a real authority builder that like I know personally I've worked with coaches because they've had a book that I've read. I've um, you know, done different trainings with people because I read their book and then I was like, oh, I want to learn more from them. So I knew in that area, having a book could be a real door opener for me to get more people into my like atmosphere. And so I was like, okay, these are the things I want to talk about, and these are the things I feel really confident in, and these are the things that I have proof that I know work because I've worked with other people. So I think like if you haven't been in your industry for a long time, like more than a if you haven't been there for at least a year or you haven't worked with, you know, a handful of clients, then that might be not be the right next step to write a book. But if you've been in it for a few years, if you are constantly having conversations, if you know, you know, the viewpoint that you really want to take for this, I think that that is a good first indicator that, hey, yeah, you're ready, even if there's lots of little voices in the back of your head saying that you can't.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

100%. Oh my gosh, yeah. So I feel like it's like if you feel like you can add a new voice to the overall conversation that's happening around your topic, like that's when you're probably ready to, you know, to be able to write a book. Because like for you, you were like seeing you've been in these the system for a while and you're seeing like, I there's a better way to do this. I want to add another voice to this conversation because there's a better way to do this. And I'm seeing so many people go down a path that's not the best for them. Let me show them, you know, really a better way. And one of the things I know you and I had talked about at the beginning of your process too is that you really wanted to like start having more speaking engagements too. And like a book could help open that door for you as well to, you know, really have those speaking engagements too. So I, you know, it just a book is a really unique way to open up doors in a way that like a course, you know, really can't, as much as I love courses and think they're great, um, or you know, other opportunities, a book is like something really solid that can build your authority in a really unique way, you know, than than other things could potentially do.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Yeah. And I think for me also like having like sitting down and writing out my outline and like sharing it with you and you telling me like from an outside perspective, like you didn't owe me anything, you didn't know me personally, and you just like really logically looking at what I had and being like, yeah, this is a book that we can we can do something with that was also really validating for me because you know, like people in your life will tell you lots of things, you know, because they love you and they want to encourage you. And like the idea of writing a book is super exciting. Um, but having like an outside validator was also really helpful for me to feel more confident of like, okay, somebody who has no skin in this game is like, yeah, this is an actual book. And I think I told you many times during the process, I'm like, Michaela, if it sucks, just tell me. I will still pay you. Just tell me. Don't let me publish something I'm embarrassed of. So I think that was really helpful too, to have just someone who wasn't in the industry, who who really just had an outside perspective, be able to tell me, like, yeah, there's something here. And then when you're like, actually, this kind of sounds the same. How can we redo it? And so I think that was really helpful for me too, having somebody walk through the process with me.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

Yeah. Which leads me to one of my questions then was what why did you want to have like a book coach and an editor help you through that whole process? Because you can do it by yourself. But what was it about having a coach and editor that was really important to you?

SPEAKER_00 10:37

Yeah. So first off was professionalism. Like I'm a big person on if I want to do something, I want to do it right. And I knew that for the goals that I had for the book, getting those speaking engagements, building more authority, getting more people into my coaching world and and to be clients. I didn't want a sloppy, half done thing to present to them because my book is a first impression for a lot of new people, right? And so I really wanted to make sure that it was done well and I know my limitations, right? Like I can write and I can speak, but that doesn't make me an editor. I can, I'm, I do great with my Canver Pro, but that does not make me a book, a book cover designer, you know? I can Google my little heart out, but that doesn't make me have all the knowledge that I needed to pick the right categories on Amazon or to know how to figure out how to become a bestseller and all those types of things. And so it was really important to me to have somebody who was knowledgeable and who could help me walk through the process. So that way the only thing that I had to really worry about was to write what I knew and to um do my craft really well. And then letting somebody else do their craft really well was really helpful and supportive to me. And so that's really what it kind of like boiled down to. And then also the accountability piece, because I had deadlines for you that I had to meet. And it was really easy for me to be like, you know, like I've written things in the past, but it's really easy to talk yourself out of doing it if there's no one holding you accountable, right? So like there was lots of times that I was like, I can't do this. This is dumb. I'm not going to write anything. And then I'd be like, but I have a call with Michaela on Friday, and she's just gonna stare at me if I don't send her my chat actors. So then that was my encouragement to sit down and like actually write um and not talk myself out of doing it because I don't, I don't think I would have published if it would have just been me, because there was lots of conversations that I had with you that I was like, you know what? I'm just not gonna do it. And you're like, you've already done it. We're doing it. It's too bad. Um I think that was really something that I needed and was really helpful to have like a really kind but like firm. You were very kind but firm. You're like, hey, you're scared. That's okay. You're supposed to be scared. Your brain is telling you that this is a weird thing, but you have been doing this, you're going to continue doing this, and I'm gonna hold you accountable to that. And that was really helpful for me.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

Good, good. That's that's the goal is for it to feel safe, obviously, because you can't be creative if you don't feel safe, but also still having the guardrails to keep going because there is so much resistance, even when you are ready, even when you have all of this experience and you can help people and you know it, there's still so much mental gymnastics you have to do throughout the process of recognizing that you do have, you know, something to say, that it is good. And that I think a lot of people, and we can talk about this too for you, is like when they first start writing, it's really messy at first. And it's like you're like, oh my gosh, what am I doing? Like I'm terrible at this. This was a terrible idea. And that's the process. Like that you it starts off really messy and kind of ugly at first, you know. And I'm not not you, like your work was wonderful, fantastic. But it's just like this is everybody's process, is it starts off kind of clunky. Um, you're still figuring out your way. And then together we can create something that is exactly what you're trying to communicate. And so having, you know, somebody in your corner to help you through all of that process, through all the stages of it, I've seen is just so helpful, you know, for so many people. But tell me, you know, talk to us more about kind of that process for you. You and I did a six-month program, which isn't what we're doing, I'm doing as much anymore, but it was a process of you and I really working through the outline of your book and then kind of the, you know, writing part of it. And so talk to me more about what it was like to structure the book. Because I know you had one direction you were going for a little bit. And then we kind of reworked it with a framework that really like pulled together the whole structure of your book. So walk us through that process.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Yeah. So I had been kind of like dreaming up this framework for a while, but I didn't really have it all together. It was kind of like pieced out. Um, and during our time working together, I actually went to um like a coaching retreat session and it was like a light bulb. And then I was like, oh no, my whole book has to change. I remember coming to you that next week, our next coaching session. And I was like, hi, so all the work that we've been doing for like the last month and a half, it's gone. We're here's the new thing. And you were like, okay, let's roll with it. So that was really an interesting kind of uh vision, but I felt really good about it. I felt like it flowed so much more, it was so much more structured, and like some of the feedback that you were giving me, I think it really kind of fell into place once we had like how we were going to structure it into three parts and then what my actual framework was gonna be called and how how all the things I were talking about kind of played into that. And so I think that that was really helpful. But yeah, I think it was really nice having the like monthly, like twice a month, like, okay, I have to write something because I'm gonna be talking to Michaela and we're gonna be going through this outline. But I think it was really, it was really beautiful because I got to outline with you and then I got to first draft with you, and then I got to second draft with you all before you went through the editing process, which is really nice because it was really kind of like developmental editing where you were like, hey, here's this, you know, here's this concept that you're talking about. I'd love to hear more. Hey, you need more examples here. Hey, I don't really understand what you're trying to say here. And that was really nice for my process because another thing that I found when writing is that like there was a lot of things in my brain that I thought was like no-brainers. And so when I was writing, I was like, oh, I don't need to say any of that because that's just like duh. But then I was like, it's duh because I've been doing it for 12 years. But somebody who's never done it before has no idea what I'm talking about. And so it was really nice having someone see like those blind spots that I had so that way I could fill it out. And it made the writing so much easier because then I had so much more to talk about because there was more things that needed to be, you know, fleshed out and explained. And so personally, I really loved that process. And it was really just helpful to have like checkpoints throughout the way versus like having the book all the way written and then you coming to you and being like, and you saying, Oh, you need to do this and this and this and this and this, and feeling really discouraged, you know. Like I felt like it was really nice for me because even when you did critique me or shift things, like we had built enough of a relationship, enough of a like back and forth that I was like, oh, okay, this isn't a you hate my book and I'm a terrible writer. This is a, oh, hey, here's things that we can tweak to make this really the vision that we've talked about. And I think that that was really, really good for me in my heart as I was kind of like, because like writing a book is really um exposing. It's really like intimate in a way, especially when you're like, it's like you're taking your heart and you're putting it into these pages. And so having someone who really could lovingly guide me through that without breaking my spirit was also really helpful.

SPEAKER_02 18:13

Yes. Oh, that makes me so happy. I'm so glad to hear that. And it's for so many reasons. One of them is that you're totally right. Getting help the earlier you can, the better in the process. Because if you write, you know, 50 hundred pages and then have somebody look at it, it's gonna be really it's gonna be a lot of work, it could be expensive, and it could be really discouraging because all that work you've done, you haven't gotten feedback and input on it as you're shaping it. And so now you have to go back and redo a ton, and it's just it it can get really discouraging. And so I'm glad you said that too about starting earlier, you know, rather than later can just really help the whole process entirely.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Yeah. Yeah. And then by the time it came to like final edits, it was really like grammar and stuff. It wasn't like, hey, you need to rework this entire chapter because it doesn't fit. And I think that that was really nice too, because I spent a lot of time on the front end getting things done. And then at the back end, we were doing edits like around the holiday time. And obviously, I have small children. I was traveling, and so it just made the process a lot easier for me because I didn't have to spend hours and hours and hours of time doing my edits. It was really uh, oh, okay, let's fix these grammar. Let's, oh, this sentence doesn't work. Oh, we need to add a sentence here to make this really flow. And then that was that was really helpful too. It made the experience a lot easier because we had done so much work on the front end and I had really been working with you, talking through my vision, talking through what I really wanted this book to say and communicate, and you helping me shape what I was saying, where things were going, and it made the process a lot smoother. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 19:54

Oh, I love that so much. Okay, so talk to me then about the big day, about launch day. You launched back in March 2026, and you became an Amazon bestseller. Congratulations. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Such a big deal.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Your launch day was so fun. And of course, Amazon took its ever-loving time to get the sales data back. And so bless you. We were just like refreshing constantly the whole day. And it wasn't until 10 o'clock that night, my time, that the data started coming in and we saw that you became a bestseller. But tell us more about like what you were feeling when you opened up your book and or like saw your book for the first time, what it was like seeing bestseller that day. Like, talk to us about all of that.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

Yeah, it was really just like a surreal experience, if I'm being honest. Like, I think uh we had many conversations where I was like, it didn't feel real until I saw the book in my hands, right? Like, I think the first time that it really started to sink in, like, oh, I'm writing a book, um, was when I saw the cover for the first time. And that within itself was a hard process. We went through many iterations of my cover to finally get one that I really loved and that really felt like um my book. And so when I saw the cover for the first time, I was like, oh wow, this is a book. And then when I got it in my hands, I was like, wow, I really did this, which was a really like emotional feeling. Like anybody who's following who wants to see, I um posted a video of me opening my books for the first time, and that was really emotional for me. Because really, it feels like when you're writing in a Google Doc, it just feels like a long college essay is what it feels like writing a book. Yeah. So when you finally see it in like a book form, that's really crazy. I am really grateful. I I would like to say to any of the any aspiring authors out there, I would take your launch day off. And maybe the day after. I had the privilege of taking the entire week off of my launch week. Um, but I am so glad that I didn't work launch or the day after because all day I was literally just kind of like glued to my phone, refreshing, trying to see, okay, what's going on, where where's it at? And it's like so nerve-wracking because you've spent all this time and this money and this energy trying to create this thing, and then you release it out into the world and you can no longer control is it's successful, if people buy it, if if people are able to show up for you in that way. And so it's kind of like nerve-wracking. And then me and you and Miranda in our group chat all day. I was like, nothing's happening. Like, okay, it's lunchtime. You said it probably wouldn't be here till this afternoon, but I still see zero cells in my dashboard, and you're like, no, no, it's okay. Well, and it just like was such a long process to see the final results. But then when we saw it, it was so exciting. And so I think that was also really nice, is because doing this with you and your team, I had people who actually understood what was going on. So that way you were able to talk me off the ledge, which was really nice. And it was just y'all had the just the the knowledge of like what that feeling feels like because my family all day they were super supportive and super excited, but they were like, so how's it going? And I'm like, I don't know, I'm a fail. I don't know. And everybody hates me. So like having a team of people who like were bought in it with me, but like also could take away the emotions that I was having, yeah, was really, really nice. So yeah, it was a crazy process. It was very like nerve-wracking all day, but I felt so good. It felt like such an accomplishment. One to publish it and like have it be out in the world and then to see the bestseller was really, really exciting and really kind of like validating to all the work that we had done. So that was a really sweet experience.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Yes. Well, I mean, now you are a bestselling author and you did the work of writing a book, a really great book, a book that people wanted. You got bestseller, and now it's just opening up a lot of doors. So you told me actually before we started it this episode, some fun development. So tell me more, you know, what life is like post-your book. It's been out for a couple of weeks as of this recording. So, what has it been for you um since then?

SPEAKER_00 24:30

Yeah, so one, it's been just so exciting seeing people, people in my life show up for me. That was really exciting and really heartwhelming. Um, but I also have started seeing people that I have I wasn't connected with pre-book launch show up like in my Instagram DMs and things. And so I actually had someone who messaged me and was like, hey, I got your book. I've started reading it. I would love to sit down and talk with you. And I was like, yeah, let's do it. And so she hopped on a call with me. Um, and she's kind of telling me about this dream that she has for a possible nonprofit and kind of talking through some logistics with me. And she was like, I'm still in the middle of reading the book, but here, can I tell you some things that I'm really loving? And she pulls out my book and she's like highlighted and written notes in the margin. And I was just like, Oh my gosh, because I've had, I just had this feeling of like, I think of um just Connolly's book, You're the girl for the job. That was kind of like my book that got me into like the coaching space. And so I remember like highlighting and and doing annotations in her book, and then um I actually have gotten to meet and work with Jess, and she's just amazing, her and her team. But it was just kind of like that full circle moment for me, like, oh my gosh, I'm somebody's like in a very small way, somebody's Jess Connolly, you know? Yes. So that felt really kind of crazy to see somebody take the book that I had spent so much time and energy on and like really be dissecting it and being like, hey, I love this part. Um, hey, can you tell me more about this? Or oh, this really kind of changed how I thought about something. And I've had some of my my friends who are reading the book who has no like who's never really thought about starting nonprofits and been like, hey, so I've rethought about some of the things that I want to do. And I realized that actually maybe this is a nonprofit, this idea that I've had, this ministry that I've wanted to do for a long time, maybe I actually could make it an organization. And so that's been really cool too to see both like people that I don't know and people in my life starting to rethink nonprofits, rethink their capabilities and starting and running organizations. And so that's been a really beautiful thing that's happened just in the last few weeks. And so it makes me really excited about what's going to happen in the future and whether, you know, those people become clients or not. It's it just felt really good and validating to have them be like, hey, this is like really good. Like this is making me think about things differently, and this is making me wonder what I could do. And so that that was really the dream for the book. So that that feels really exciting to have, you know, just the that response so early on, even.

SPEAKER_02 27:10

Yes, yes. And I think when you are courageous and step out and do something like this, like write and publish a book, and like, you know, it it inspires other people to do courageous things too. And I think that's what's really cool too about a book is it's like you build belief in other people that this is possible for them too. And when you like show them the way, show them a pathway to like transformation, they start to see themselves as like, wait, maybe I can do this too. And not just write a book, but like whatever it is you're talking about in the book, you know, like now people are starting to think about nonprofits differently because of the transformation that you took them through with the book. And that's just it's so cool to like build belief in people in so many ways when you step out and do something courageous, and especially when it's like something in your own industry, you know, like now they're starting to rethink about nonprofits and think about what's possible for them. You're just really building belief in them. And it's just it's the coolest thing. I love that. I'm so excited for you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

And it's, I think it was like a good reminder to me that like the things that we kind of hype up in our head, like writing books, starting nonprofits, doing podcasts, things like that, they are really big things. They take work, they take courage, they take, you know, time, but they're not as like big and out of reach as we tell ourselves they are, right? Like at the end of the day, like I published my book, I became an Amazon bestseller, but I was still a mom. Yeah, I was still a wife. I still had to get up the next day and do things. I still had dishes to clean. I still had a house to keep up. Like, none of those things changed. But in your in my head for such a long time, when I thought about, oh, being an author, that means that, you know, you're this really fancy, successful person that does all these things and has all these people doing other things for you. And I'm still me. I'm still Brianna. I have a really cool accomplishment that I'm really proud of and that I feel really good about, but it didn't change who I was. And so that just tells me that I didn't need to be a different person to write this book. And I think that that's a really important message for anybody who's considering writing a book. You don't have to be this curative version of yourself that you have in your head that you think makes an author. It's really just you. It's really mundane work that not everybody has the discipline or the courage to actually walk through. But it's not, you're not gonna, you don't have to become a different person to write the book that you're supposed to write.

SPEAKER_02 29:44

100%, 100%. It's like being an author or being a good writer or whatever. It's like this kind of out of reach person, you know, or it's something that seems so far away, or I'll get to it eventually someday. When the reality is you have the resources and the tools to make it happen today. And you have to ask yourself the question of am I saying it's a someday thing because I'm doing that out of fear? Am I just really scared of doing the hard work of it? Because the reality is you can make it happen today, like now, you know, within the year you can have a published book. And it took you, you started, I think we started in May of last year and you published in March of this year. Um, and so roughly it took uh roughly a year. And so it's like, and in the middle of, I know you had a lot of life happen too, in the middle of all of that, too, you know?

SPEAKER_00 30:31

There was a lot of personal things happening, like with illnesses and hospitalizations, and I have four littles running around and school and and just a lot of life happened. And I think that that was where especially like you and your coaching really played a huge role because it kept me. There's a lot of things that could have derailed me that would have made sense for me to be like, yeah, okay, right now's not the right time to write this book. But having committed and having you be like, okay, yes, there's a lot of life and there's a lot of things, but here's how we can adjust, here's like what we can do was really helpful because I would have stopped. I wouldn't have published in March. Um, and so I think that that was also a really good thing that coaching can do for you is just having someone there that can help you readjust your plan to still get to the goal that you want and give you like the space and the opportunity to like focus in a new way, right? Like, because there was never a time that you told me, like, hey, you gotta do this or else. But but you were like, hey, I know there's a lot of things going on. What do you need for us to still make this a goal? Is it so important for you to publish on the date that you wanted to publish? Do we need to move your publishing date? Do you you need more time to do these edits? Do you do you just need some encouragement to be like, hey, you can do this? And so being able to talk through, okay, what do I actually need? And what is like me taking an easy way out? And how can and you were really good about asking how you could support me through that process. And I think that that helped a lot.

SPEAKER_02 32:03

Good, good. I love that. I'm so, so glad to hear that. So, what is next for you after this book? Write more books, a companion book? What do you want to do now?

SPEAKER_00 32:14

I, you know, so I was, I'm a big Enneagram one, uh I love like type A, like eldest daughter. So I'm really big on the like, okay, we do the accomplishment. Now what's next? And so I really tried to sit in the accomplishment of writing a book because it was a really big deal. It was like a really big deal to me. Um, because this is a dream that I've had since I was a teenager. And so I really tried to sit in that for a while. But now that it's been almost a month since publishing and it it feels really good. Now there's like a part of me that's like, ooh, so like what are we gonna do now? Um, I know while we were writing the book, you had talked about like this like a workbook would be really cool to add to this, to this book because we do a lot of you know structured things. And so I've been thinking about, ooh, maybe we maybe we should do a workbook version. I know you just added on audiobooks, and that's really exciting to me. So I'm thinking maybe that's gonna be a new thing. And then I do have an idea for a second book that kind of has come to me in the last couple of weeks that really like focuses on leadership and how to develop yourself as a leader to step into roles in these spaces, specifically in the nonprofit philanthropical area, because I talk a lot about leadership in this, but I really would kind of want to dive in on like what it means, what you have to change in yourself, the habits that you have to develop and the mindset that you have to kind of take on. So I don't know, Leo. We might be doing another another book here in the net.

SPEAKER_02 33:51

I'm here for it, totally here for it. I love the workbook idea for so many reasons. For the reader, it's really helpful to like go deeper into the content because when you read something, it's kind of passive. When you write out ideas, it's way more active. And so, like in a workbook, you're writing out in response to questions and things like that. So I love workbook and for the author, it's just extra income, which is always nice, you know, and just it shows if you're a coach, like it shows how you coach and the types of questions like people could expect in one-on-ones and group coaching and things like that. So it's really great for workbook. But I also love having series of books too, because it just shows more of your authority. And I feel like have you ever heard the phrase sleep begets sleep? It's like a sleep training thing for like little kids where it's like if they get sleep, they will sleep more. So like put them to bed earlier so that they just get more sleep. And I feel like book ideas beget book ideas, like so many people I've worked with, as they're writing the books, they're like, oh, I could write a book about this or this or this. And so a lot of people I've talked to are like, well, this is my one idea, and I need to make sure like every condition is perfect, everything is good, like this is the best idea. I'm hinging everything on this book idea, which number one is a lot of pressure. But number two, it's like you will only get more ideas if you start engaging with that idea. Um it's there's a famous Marie Angelo quote that I cannot remember, and I'll probably cut this part out of the podcast recording because I can't remember. It's a really good quote and I can't remember it. But basically, when you work on your book, is when you start to get more ideas. And when you get to engage in creativity, you just become more and more creative. And it's really fun to see at the end of writing a book where a lot of people are like, I have so many more book ideas. And these ideas weren't there beforehand. And a lot of it too is just the process of writing the book. Like as we work through how to outline and how to structure a transformation for a book, it's like, oh, I could also do it this way or this way. It's like you start to see path forward now of what's possible for you and for your brand and coaching process that you could really bring to people. And so I'm really excited for you. I let's do a workbook and then let's do book number two.

SPEAKER_00 36:11

Okay, yeah. Well, I mean, even within my book, we had a whole chapter on conflict that I wrote that ended up not making it into a book. Yep. So there's still that that feels like a jumping off plate for me too. So yeah, I I have lots of ideas now and I feel just so good about the process. Like, I think also going through the process from start to finish and seeing like the published book also gave me a lot of um just like encouragement, a lot of like faith in myself to be like, oh, I actually can do this. And so it doesn't feel so intimidating. Like I've written a book now, so I know that I can do it again. And I know that I had a great team that I really loved and that really supported me. And so it feels like, okay, I already know the the secret sauce to make this happen. And so now it's just repeating it with a new thing. And so yeah, I feel I feel really good about that too.

SPEAKER_02 37:07

Yes. Oh my gosh. I love this so, so good, Brianna. Thank you so much for sharing all this. So many good nuggets, so inspirational and encouraging to see all the things that you're doing, but doing it like sanely and you know, in a healthy way to still accomplish the things that are just really important to you and that are so helpful for other people. So tell us where we can find you on Instagram, online, your book, all the things.

SPEAKER_00 37:34

Yeah. So, first of all, if you want the book, please go find it on Amazon, the work that outlives you. I want to say my focus has been in the nonprofit and philanthropic space. But I really feel like the book is a good thing. If you're a leader of anything, if you have any type of thing that you're running with people, I think that there's some really good nuggets in there. And I can say that not just as the person who wrote it, but getting feedback from other people who are not in the nonprofit space who just bought and read the book because they love me, they've told me they they've gotten some really good value out of that. So even if you're not looking to start or run a nonprofit, I think the book can be a good encouragement for you and and the people in your life. And then if you want to follow me online, you can find me on my website, BriannaLeschelle.com, on Instagram, coach underscore BriannaLachelle. And you can also find me on LinkedIn, Brianna Laschelle Rab. So yeah, there's lots of ways to connect. I love talking to people. Please do not be afraid to be in my DMs to ask me questions. If you have a dream about an organization, I do offer um free 30-minute like consultations where you can talk about your dream. I can give you um real insight. And I'm a big coach. I want to say this that if I don't think that your idea has merit, or if I don't think that I'm the coach for you, I will tell you. I am much more focused on um creating good experiences and being honest with the people that work with me than making a sale. So if you just want, hey, I don't want to coach with you, I just want you to tell me what you think about this idea, I would be more than happy to do that. Um, I think that relationships are better motivators than making sales. And so that's really important to me is to have good relationships with the people that I talk to and the people that I work with. And so I would love to have you be a part of my ecosystem and come and hang out with me on my side of the internet and um to help however I can.

SPEAKER_02 39:30

I love it. Yes, I as someone who is very involved in your book, I can absolutely attest to the fact that it's like a leadership book, but it's got some like, but for like nonprofit, but like you can totally apply it to really anywhere. And so it's it's an excellent book and I love it. Brianna is a wonderful girl. She's so fun to talk to. Slide into her DMs, y'all. She's amazing. All right. Well, thank you so much, Brianna. And thank you so much. We're so glad that you're here.

SPEAKER_00 39:57

Yeah, well, thank you. And Mikaela, I just want to say I have loved working with you. I've loved working with your team. I really appreciate you, Whitney, Miranda, and all the work that you did for me to keep me sane and to get my book out into the world. It really truly wouldn't have happened without you guys. And so I just so appreciate you and your time and the work that you do and giving me the opportunity to come and speak to your audience. If you are looking to write a book that you want to publish yourself, she is the girl that you want on your team. And the rest of her team is just so fantastic too. And they they really make the process so easy and so fun and just so enjoyable. And so I highly recommend if you're on the fence, talk to Michael. She is a joy. And so just thank you so much for all that you've done, and I really appreciate it. Thank you. You're gonna make me cry. Thank you, Brianna. You're the wonderfulest.