Episode #90 - Putting All Your Ideas Down For The Future: An Interview With Michelle Vandepas

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Welcome to the podcast where relationships, confidence, and

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determination all converge into

an amazing, heartfelt experience.

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This is Speaking From The Heart.

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Joshua: Welcome back to episode number

90 of Speaking From the Heart, and

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today we have Michelle Vandepas with us.

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She is an accomplished professional

who captivates with her empowering

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message and unwavering support.

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As a seasoned author, speaker, and

coach, she has a wealth of experience and

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profound insights into publishing, online

marketing, and living with a purpose.

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Michelle lives in the mountains of

Colorado where she lives with her

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family, forty goldfish, and the

occasional mountain lion or bear, oh my!

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Michelle is often walking through nature,

thinking of new ways to help her clients

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live their most authentically successful

lives, and also grounding herself in the

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beauty of the world around her, whether

at home or through her travels, and I

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think in this episode today, in which we

talk about a variety of different subjects

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relating to inspiration and encouragement,

and just taking that big step forward,

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although it's very small in the big

scheme of things, it can make such a big

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difference in the wins that we have in

our lives, let alone the things that we

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share, not only that is on our hearts,

but also in the books that we publish, the

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things that we do for ourselves to make

sure that we have that hero's journey,

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which we talk about, but also never

letting that story die within ourselves.

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I think that we often go through life

thinking that we have to have this

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driven purpose, time and time again,

but Michelle's story, let alone her

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experiences working with others from all

around the country, has really shown her

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purpose, and her ability to drive forward.

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I think that we have to figure out

a way, if we ever are going to get

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through some of the biggest, toughest

struggles in our lives, to get to that

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other side, we have to be open to the

vast amount of possibilities that exist.

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But with that, let's go to the episode.

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All right, we're here

from Michelle Vandepas.

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Michelle, thanks for sharing

your heart with us today.

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Michelle: Oh, heart to heart.

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I can't wait.

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Joshua: I can't wait either, and I mean,

we've been super excited about this.

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You're like one of those idols of people

that I am striving to be one day, so

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like, I'm really been like giddy about

this whole entire thing, so thank you

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so much for being part of the show.

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I really want to ask you

this first question, out of

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the fact that I am a coach.

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I've been doing coaching now

for a little over a year.

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What got you into becoming

a coach in the first place?

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Michelle: Wow, great question.

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I don't know that, with life in general,

there's never just a direct line, right?

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It's never a direct line, so I've

been an entrepreneur my whole life.

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I had a business where I was selling

medical equipment and two holistic

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practitioners, like chiropractors and

nutritionists and so forth, and what

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I discovered is they are all so good

at what they did, but they had no

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idea how to take this equipment and

market it to help their practice, so

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I started coaching them on marketing,

and as they say, the rest is history.

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It evolved.

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This is like 40 years ago almost, right,

30 something years ago; I'm showing my

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age, but all of that was really coaching.

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It was consulting, it was coaching, it

was helping them with marketing, and

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so, I've been doing this in one form

or another ever since my late 20s.

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Joshua: Do you still enjoy doing what

you're doing today with coaching?

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Do you feel like you

are making a big impact?

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Michelle: I feel like

sometimes I make an impact.

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Sometimes I feel like I shout

into the wind and I don't know

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that it's my job to judge that.

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I think I show up and do what I do,

as you say, with full heart, right?

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I show up, I do what I do.

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The people that can use it, use it,

and I show up the next day and do

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it again, and some people take it;

other people don't, and it's not

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my job to discern why or why not.

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Joshua: Yeah, and I think that it is

important for anybody that is going

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through some sort of program, or even

just trying to evaluate where to go

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in their own life, that we take a step

back and maybe listen to some of those

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things that are being said, because those

could be some of the building blocks

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for what we build, which I actually

want to lead into this because it's

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one of the things that I wanted to talk

about with you, which is really living

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your purpose, and I was wondering if

you could share a little bit about

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what you mean by living your purpose.

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What does that mean for you?

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Michelle: Well, it definitely does

not mean chasing it, because I

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spent 30 years chasing purpose.

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I chased it so much I ended up writing

a book about chasing purpose and how

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not to chase it, and really, purpose

is about living and being and not about

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doing, so we think our purpose is being a

podcaster, being a book publisher, being

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a coach, being a nurse, and that's our

purpose, but actually, our purposes are

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more verbs like inspire, heal, nurture,

share, love, and so when you think

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about the verb, so if you're a podcaster

or a coach, what is it that you do?

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Do you teach?

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Do you nurture?

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Do you love?

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Do you listen?

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What are the words that come to

your mind about which pieces of

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those verbs resonate, and then

bring that into your daily life.

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Bring that into your being instead

of always out there doing, and

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the more you can be in that, the

more you are in your purpose, but

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some people are natural healers.

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Some people are natural teachers, but

not everybody is, right, so you're

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going to have unique verbs that

speak to you in living your purpose.

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Joshua: Yeah, and I think it is really

important to find those verbs, because

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we often live with negative verbs, and

I have even shared with my audience

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numerous times about the fact that for a

long period, it's really been about, "Oh.

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These are the stereotype thoughts that

I should have", but really, it's about

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exploring maybe what new verbs would

look like to in my own life of being

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able to help others, be able to heal

others, so I think it's so important

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for all of those things to be happening

all at once, which, as a coach, you talk

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about really empowering that mindset

and giving success principles with that.

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I was wondering if you could talk

about that a little bit with how you

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run that, especially in your own life,

even your businesses for that matter.

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Michelle: Well, light always overcomes

dark, right, so when you're talking,

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I presume about like negative self

talk or whatever verbs you have that

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are negative, I can't think what those

would be, but like run; I don't know,

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but the light and the positive always

outshines the darkness, and so, even when

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we don't feel empowered or courageous,

when we can give ourselves a small

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win, it will help us be in that space.

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I'll give you an example.

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I tell some of my clients to get

on podcasts, and they freak out.

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They get full of fear.

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I say, "Go find someone that

doesn't have a guest yet.

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He's just starting, and be their

first guest, and the two of you go

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do it together", and you will both

be like, "Hey, we did it right?"

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A win for both of you, and when you do

that, you're like, okay, I did that.

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Now I can go do another one, so

we need small wins to overcome all

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that self doubt, so mindset and

being empowered is giving yourself

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permission to have small wins.

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We don't all hit it out of the

park making six figures in 90

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days, or whatever they tell you

online that you're supposed to do.

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Whatever your small win is, go do that and

pat yourself on the back and celebrate it.

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One of the coaches online that I follow

sometimes talks about having one foot

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in gratitude for exactly where you are,

and the other foot and desire for where

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you want to go, and I love that, right?

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You've got to be okay with where

you are, so totally grateful, and

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have vision for where you want to

go in life, and so mindset and the

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coaching that I do is all around that.

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All around bringing your

purpose into your business.

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If you're an entrepreneur, or I

think you know I'm a book publisher,

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so I publish lots of books, and how

do you bring your purpose into your

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messaging and your books, and then

your business, and promote all of that.

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It's all interconnected for me:

empowerment, purpose, all of it.

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It's all interconnected in

the humanness of who we are.

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Joshua: Sometimes finding those values,

like even the verbs that we're using to

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be able to create that sometimes they're

buried underneath all these layers of

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our culture or the negative thoughts that

sometimes surround us, so it's almost

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like sometimes being able to meditate

to go through that thought process, and

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I know starting out as a coach myself,

which I don't hold a candle to what you

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have accomplished, Michelle, yet, but I am

going to do that, and that's just what I

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think we always have to say to ourselves,

and I think you put it so accurately.

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It's about having that baby step, or

baby steps, to get to where that is, and

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I've had many baby steps starting out.

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Michelle: Well, and I still have baby

steps, right, and let me remind you that

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I probably have a few decades on you, but

there are also plenty of coaches 30 years

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younger than me that are doing amazing

things and are really great, so it's

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not age, but sometimes it's experience.

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Sometimes it is an innate ability

to do one thing better over another,

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right, and there's all different

kinds of coaching, and so you probably

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haven't even found your best drive

yet because you're fairly new to it.

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Joshua: I definitely

agree with you with that.

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It's really finding my identity and

being able to do that, but you just

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said something that really perked my

curiosity because you've been doing

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this for decades, but you said that

you're also doing baby steps, so

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I'm kind of curious, just to be a

little bit vulnerable with everybody.

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What is it that you're currently

working on right now to kind of expand

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or make you feel like you're growing?

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Michelle: Well, I'm going through a little

bit of a rebrand and we're in the era

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of TikTok, and I'm not an online dancer

or anything, so I'm trying to figure out

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how I fit there, so it's not necessarily

a baby step, but I am trying to be true

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to who I am and who my audience isn't

expecting me to be dancing on TikTok,

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right, so it's not per se a baby step, but

it is kind of going into new territory,

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rebranding a little bit, pivoting a

little bit, and choosing how to show up

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in a new way and still being who I am.

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I think the world we're in right

now means every day is learning.

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Every day is showing up

expecting maybe a little, maybe

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adversity or chaos or, you know.

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My Internet's down at home.

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Luckily, I don't work from home full time.

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I do sometimes, but my internet is down

and was probably going to be down for

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a couple of weeks, and there's not a

dang thing I can do about it, right, and

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that seems to be sort of the way of the

world, and it's slightly different than

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what you're talking about, but it's still

about just being with what is, and fixing

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what you can, and having a good attitude,

and putting one foot in front of the

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other, and as my daughter says, sometimes

getting out of bed is a good day, right?

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Joshua: Yeah.

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I was going to say that it is sometimes

just a struggle just to get out of bed

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and be able to say, "Yes, it's going to

be a bright, wonderful day.", although

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it's pouring rain outside, and you also

have to drive into the office, or whatever

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the case might be to do what you do.

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Michelle: And I do think this is

a case, so, I find it interesting.

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I think there's also different

generations handle this differently,

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right, so, me being without internet,

it's a pain in the butt, but...

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I can do it.

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My 20 year olds at home are not as happy.

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We also live in the boonies.

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We live out in the wilderness.

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We don't have cell service where

we are, so we're basically dead.

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Joshua: Yeah.

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Michelle: Right?

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Joshua: And I have to rely sometimes

on the being in the boonies too.

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Not so much though, because I'm kind

of in a metropolitan kind of area, but

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sometimes certain spots, rural areas,

because Pennsylvania is really known for

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a lot of rural areas, still have that.

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I'm kind of curious, because now

you've mentioned about your children

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and you've seen the evolution of

this, especially with the decades

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of experience that you have.

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What would you say, especially in the

world that we live in today, what do you

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think is one of the top things, one of the

biggest challenges, for people, especially

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when they come to you for coaching?

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What is the one thing that you

would say is something that people

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are looking for to get help with?

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Michelle: Yeah, so I'm going to

break that up into two answers.

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The people that come to me for

coaching tend to be a little bit

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older, have had some adversity,

or something in their life, and

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I know I have something to share.

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How do I share that, and my job is to

help them be fearless, not worry about

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how it's going to be received out there.

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If they have something to share, go

ahead and share it on a podcast or

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in writing, in a book, and you can

always refine it as you move forward,

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but you got to just start, right,

and so be fearless, just start.

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Don't worry about how

it's going to be received.

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Don't worry about are people

going to like it or not like

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it, all that kind of self doubt.

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That comes from having expectation

about what other people think.

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The second half of that question though,

is what I think the world really needs,

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and what I think humanity really needs

is the ability to be bored, because that

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helps us tap into our creativity, and

that's a piece that I think is really

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difficult for a lot of people to just

be bored: be out in nature, be without

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internet, be without anything, just sit

on the park bench and look around, because

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that's where we can really tap into the

depths of who we are and be creative

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and need new creative solutions moving

forward in life, so the combination of

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those two things: tapping into your own

creativity and being fearless with who you

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are, is really what my coaching is about.

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Joshua: You say something that

really resonates with me is the fact

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that we had a lot of time, a.k.a.

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boredom, during COVID, and that's why

I find it so fascinating, especially

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some friends of mine that have opened

businesses, gone into ventures.

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I feel like I kind of started a little

bit later after COVID, but I still started

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with it because I had that idea planted of

wanting to start something that would help

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others, and speaking of helping others, I

know that you are involved with the book

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publishing business more specifically.

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I know that you're involved

with Grace Light Press.

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I think you own that, correct?

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Michelle: Yeah.

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Grace Point.

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Grace Light, and some other, and

PowerPress, quite a few different ones.

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Yeah.

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Joshua: How did you get into the

book industry and publishing?

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Michelle: If we go back to what I

said about I was consulting holistic

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practitioners and helping them learn

how to market, so fast forward a

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couple of decades, right, and I

wrote a book about how to market, how

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holistic practitioners can market.

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This was still 25 years ago, 26 years

ago, so back then: no Amazon, vanity

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press, the whole thing, but I used it

to help me share my message with the

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people that I was consulting with, and

with the people that I thought needed

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to hear it, how they could go market

themselves, and in that process, I

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learned a lot about book publishing, and

I started helping some of my clients then

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go create their own books, and then I've

been in that business now for 25 years.

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Of course, that's changed a lot,

right, because this is way back when

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you actually got boxes and boxes

of books delivered to your garage.

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I think I still have a box somewhere.

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Now you can get 20 books delivered to

your garage, not 10,000, so a whole

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different model, but it did evolve

from that, and I have consulting

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where I help people self publish.

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We do hybrid publishing.

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We do all the different models

of publishing that's out there

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because there's not one broad

stroke that's right for everybody.

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Joshua: I've had plenty of authors on the

show, especially a good friend of mine.

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His name is Dan Armstrong.

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He's published several books in which

I've had the opportunity to talk with

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him about how he's even got started, and

I think it's just so fascinating to me

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that so many people nowadays can simply

go and self publish themselves with a

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nominal fee and be able to distribute

widely, but I think it's so important

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though, like you said, there's so many

different ways of doing it and modeling

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that is so important, especially with

what you're doing, and what you're trying

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to sell, so when you're working with

an author, let's just say that there's

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somebody like me that approaches you and

says, "Hey, I have this self help book

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that I want to get published out there."

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What would you recommend as a model for

somebody, and I'm sure there's probably

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some people that are probably interested

in this answer because they've been

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thinking about it for a long time.

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Michelle: Yeah, so congratulations to

your friend, and I work with a lot of

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people who sell publish and then the books

don't do anything, and so for someone

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who has a book, especially that is tied

up with something that they want to use

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kind of as a business card, like they're

building their business, or they want

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to go speak, or bring people into their

podcast or show themselves as an expert

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in the field, right, for whatever reason.

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You really got to make sure it's a book,

number one, that's going to get read.

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It's going to get good reviews, has a

great cover, has good interior design,

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understand how distribution works

and doesn't work anymore, understands

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how to get your audience to buy your

book, so for that person, I would

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: 00:18:29

say hire me for consulting to take

you through all those steps, right?

283

: 00:18:34

It may be that we would actually publish

your book for a fee, and then you keep

284

: 00:18:39

royalties or most of the royalties, right;

there's all kinds of models out there,

285

: 00:18:44

but really the place that I see people

put out a pretty good book, but fall

286

: 00:18:49

down, is they didn't test the keywords.

287

: 00:18:52

They didn't test the cover.

288

: 00:18:54

They fell in love with the cover, or

fell in love with some picture and put

289

: 00:18:57

that on the cover, and that's not exactly

what's going to sell, so there's some

290

: 00:19:00

marketing research that has to happen.

291

: 00:19:03

What goes on the back cover is just

as important as what goes on the

292

: 00:19:06

front cover; those kinds of things,

and so we consult with lots of people

293

: 00:19:12

who want to publish a book or self

publish book and relaunch books.

294

: 00:19:15

People who put out books and they haven't

done as well as they'd hoped, and then we

295

: 00:19:21

come in and refresh and relaunch the book.

296

: 00:19:24

Joshua: I like that you

actually go swooping in.

297

: 00:19:27

It's like, "Oh yes.

298

: 00:19:27

I need you to help me out.", and you do

all that awesome creative work because,

299

: 00:19:32

yeah, it is about not only what you're

branding yourself for, but also what

300

: 00:19:37

is going to be the end product, even

after the book is done too, and I don't

301

: 00:19:42

think anybody really thinks that out.

302

: 00:19:44

Is there a certain number of steps

that people should think about

303

: 00:19:47

when they're writing that book,

even after that book is written?

304

: 00:19:50

Should they be thinking

about the marketing?

305

: 00:19:52

What are some things that they should be

considering, if you don't mind sharing?

306

: 00:19:55

Michelle: So at the very, very beginning,

like if you just have an idea, you

307

: 00:19:58

should not think of any of that, because

it'll stop you at the writing process.

308

: 00:20:02

The very first stage, you just

got to get words on paper.

309

: 00:20:06

Think about what you want to say.

310

: 00:20:07

Do an outline.

311

: 00:20:09

Don't worry at all about what you're

putting on paper, because you'll

312

: 00:20:13

self edit, and that's not the stage.

313

: 00:20:15

The second stage is, okay, what do I

really want my reader to take away?

314

: 00:20:21

Who is my reader going to be?

315

: 00:20:23

What do I put in this book to help my

reader, and then the natural outreach

316

: 00:20:27

of that is, how do I find that reader?

317

: 00:20:29

What's the marketing going to be, and it

may be things like podcasts, social media,

318

: 00:20:34

email lists, book signings, speaking;

could be all kinds of things, right?

319

: 00:20:39

There's three stages.

320

: 00:20:40

That first stage, you don't think about.

321

: 00:20:41

The second stage, you start to think

about it, and then by the time you go

322

: 00:20:45

into publishing, everything should be

connected in that marketing for maximum

323

: 00:20:51

impact, including, do you have an opt in?

324

: 00:20:53

Do you have a website?

325

: 00:20:55

What's your book cover look like?

326

: 00:20:57

Are you doing a course along

with the book, or a retreat?

327

: 00:21:01

Are you going to use it to help you get

on podcasts, whatever it is, right, so

328

: 00:21:05

kind of three stages to think about.

329

: 00:21:07

Joshua: I think those

are all valuable tips.

330

: 00:21:09

I know I was writing them down as

we're going through them because that's

331

: 00:21:12

really helpful, even for me, as I

continue to build out myself, because

332

: 00:21:16

I think that we're not just thinking

about what we need to do in the short

333

: 00:21:20

term, especially even business leaders.

334

: 00:21:22

We need to be thinking about the short

term, but we also need to be thinking

335

: 00:21:25

what's the long term vision with that, so

even with books like that's so important.

336

: 00:21:31

Michelle: Books often get forgotten.

337

: 00:21:33

Authors and the readers, you know,

they forget after two or three months

338

: 00:21:37

and it sort of sits, and so we work

with authors to relaunch and refocus

339

: 00:21:43

on their book a couple times a

year maybe and do a new push on it.

340

: 00:21:47

Joshua: I definitely don't

want it collecting dust.

341

: 00:21:48

That's for sure-

342

: 00:21:49

Michelle: Right.

343

: 00:21:50

Right.

344

: 00:21:51

Joshua: Michelle, as we get closer

to the end of our time, I really want

345

: 00:21:54

to talk about your public speaking

career, because I, being a public

346

: 00:21:57

speaker myself, I'm budding and I'm

really trying to get myself out there.

347

: 00:22:01

I noticed that you're a TEDx speaker.

348

: 00:22:03

You've been on that stage several times.

349

: 00:22:05

Everybody's pretty familiar with what

TEDx is now that's evolved over the years.

350

: 00:22:10

What is your keynote message that

you usually give at TEDx, and even

351

: 00:22:14

when you are giving your keynote, are

there things that you would recommend

352

: 00:22:18

to somebody that is going to be

presenting, whether it's at TEDx or

353

: 00:22:23

even the big TED stage, if you will-

354

: 00:22:25

Michelle: Yeah.

355

: 00:22:25

Joshua: Because I know there's a distinct

difference, which if you want to talk

356

: 00:22:28

about what the differences are from our

listeners that don't know, feel free.

357

: 00:22:31

Michelle: Yeah, so TEDx is

usually local and it's a licensing

358

: 00:22:36

agreement, I think, right, where-

359

: 00:22:39

Joshua: Yup.

360

: 00:22:39

Michelle: It's someone local putting it

on, and TED itself is the big stage, and

361

: 00:22:43

to get invited onto TED, you got to be

pretty big, so just to clarify, I've only

362

: 00:22:48

been on TEDx once; maybe I'll go again.

363

: 00:22:51

Joshua: Oh, I think you got more than

enough, Michelle, to be able to go again.

364

: 00:22:55

Michelle: Yeah.

365

: 00:22:55

I was a TEDx speaker coach, so I

was helping other people craft their

366

: 00:23:00

message to be a speaker on TEDx.

367

: 00:23:03

I got to say, too, just because

I think you'll like this story.

368

: 00:23:07

The night before I was supposed to be on

TEDx delivering my speech, I was curled

369

: 00:23:12

up in a ball telling my sister to call in

sick that I wasn't going to do it, right,

370

: 00:23:17

so, I had to coach myself, and my sister

had to basically kick me, and dragging

371

: 00:23:23

and screaming to show up and do it, and

I paced like everyone else was on stage.

372

: 00:23:29

I was freaked out.

373

: 00:23:30

I was so nervous, partly because

I didn't get a coach, and I wasn't

374

: 00:23:34

really as prepared as I could have

been, but also partly because I

375

: 00:23:37

hadn't done something that big

before, and, of course it was fine.

376

: 00:23:42

Would I be better today than I was then?

377

: 00:23:44

Of course I'd be better today.

378

: 00:23:46

Would I do it a little bit differently?

379

: 00:23:47

Of course, but I did it, and it was a big

win, not just a small win, right, but I

380

: 00:23:51

thought you might like that story, because

it was excruciating the night before.

381

: 00:23:56

Joshua: I do, and I'll

tell you this real quick.

382

: 00:23:59

I had a friend of mine that did a

TEDx in the Virginia area, and he went

383

: 00:24:03

with his wife, because his wife was

also going to be on the TEDx stage.

384

: 00:24:07

He accidentally fell.

385

: 00:24:09

He broke his nose, and he had a nosebleed.

386

: 00:24:12

I swear to you.

387

: 00:24:14

He made it, and he did it, but the

ironic twist to the whole story?

388

: 00:24:18

They forgot to set the requirements

up for the stage in a proper

389

: 00:24:22

manner, so they had to go back and

re-record the whole entire showcase.

390

: 00:24:27

It was-

391

: 00:24:27

Michelle: Wow.

392

: 00:24:28

Joshua: It was just a crazy amount

of different things happening all at

393

: 00:24:31

once, so I've heard stories for sure.

394

: 00:24:34

Michelle: Absolutely; lots of stories.

395

: 00:24:36

I think the biggest thing that people,

and probably myself included, right,

396

: 00:24:40

because we teach what we need to learn,

but I think really not thinking through

397

: 00:24:45

your speech and making sure that it has

a beginning, a middle and end, maybe

398

: 00:24:49

a hero's journey, and a real specific

takeaway for the audience, and then

399

: 00:24:55

practice it, practice, practice, and

then don't memorize it; just practice it.

400

: 00:25:00

You got to know your material inside and

out, and the mistake that I see is people

401

: 00:25:07

think they can just wing it, and yes, you

and I are winging this podcast interview,

402

: 00:25:13

but I know my material inside and out.

403

: 00:25:16

I've done this for a long time.

404

: 00:25:17

You can ask me anything, right,

and so I feel pretty confident in

405

: 00:25:22

giving an answer, and I think on

any big stage, you have to know your

406

: 00:25:28

material, the point that you want to

get across, and do it in a succinct

407

: 00:25:33

manner so you don't lose your audience.

408

: 00:25:35

Joshua: Those are some of the very famous

words that I even say to some of my public

409

: 00:25:39

speaking clients too, being that I've been

trained for over a decade in Toastmasters,

410

: 00:25:44

learning that craft so well, and hoping

to get into the National Speakers

411

: 00:25:48

Association as my next step, which is

what I should really be at this point so

412

: 00:25:52

that I know how to market myself, which

is, if you never knew that difference,

413

: 00:25:56

most people don't know that difference.

414

: 00:25:57

Michelle: Right.

415

: 00:25:58

Joshua: Yeah; that National Speakers

Association, for those that are listening,

416

: 00:26:02

if you want to market yourself, learn

how to market yourself, you go to those.

417

: 00:26:05

If you want to learn how to

actually give a speech and deliver

418

: 00:26:07

effectively, go to Toastmasters.

419

: 00:26:09

I'll put links to both of those

organizations in the episode notes if

420

: 00:26:13

you want to check the both of those

out, which I've been an advocate for

421

: 00:26:15

Toastmasters for many years as a result.

422

: 00:26:18

MIchelle, we're getting closer to

the end of our time, but there's

423

: 00:26:20

something that stood out to me that

I really want to ask you about.

424

: 00:26:24

You have this mantra of don't let your

book die inside of you, and that really

425

: 00:26:30

resonates with me since we were just

talking about publishing and talking

426

: 00:26:34

about what are some tips for authors.

427

: 00:26:37

What would you say to somebody

that might be afraid of that

428

: 00:26:40

book dying inside of them-

429

: 00:26:41

Michelle: Yeah.

430

: 00:26:42

Joshua: What would you say to

someone to kind of get them to start

431

: 00:26:45

moving in that process of being able

to share it before that happens?

432

: 00:26:48

Michelle: Yeah, and I see it all the time.

433

: 00:26:50

People get halfway through a

manuscript and get scared, or

434

: 00:26:53

they don't think they're scared.

435

: 00:26:54

They just think they don't know what

to say, or they not good writers, or

436

: 00:26:59

whatever, right, and they never finish it.

437

: 00:27:02

If you've got something in your

heart that wants you to get a book

438

: 00:27:05

out, then you've got to finish it,

and so I do all kinds of things.

439

: 00:27:10

I beat with wet noodles.

440

: 00:27:11

I cheerlead.

441

: 00:27:12

I threaten.

442

: 00:27:13

I drag.

443

: 00:27:14

I pull.

444

: 00:27:15

Everybody needs a slightly

different approach, but I would

445

: 00:27:18

say, don't write thinking about

who's going to read it, yet.

446

: 00:27:24

You will think about that when you go

into editing stage, and the biggest

447

: 00:27:28

thing that people stop- I read a

manuscript today that was brilliant.

448

: 00:27:32

It's taken this guy a long

time to get me a hundred pages.

449

: 00:27:36

He finally did.

450

: 00:27:37

I'm like, "This is amazing",

and he's like, "Well, I was

451

: 00:27:41

so afraid it wouldn't be good.

452

: 00:27:42

I was so afraid to send it to

you.", and I'm like, "Who cares?

453

: 00:27:45

That's what editing is for-"

454

: 00:27:47

Joshua: Mm-hmm.

455

: 00:27:47

Michelle: Right?

456

: 00:27:48

I mean, even you talked about editing.

457

: 00:27:52

Joshua: Don't, don't, don't worry.

458

: 00:27:53

I'll be editing this show.

459

: 00:27:54

Michelle: That's what editing

is for; don't worry about it,

460

: 00:27:58

and that's what stops people.

461

: 00:28:00

They're so afraid of, "Oh, I don't

want to throw Uncle Joe under the bus.

462

: 00:28:03

Oh, I'm afraid about what

my mother's going to say.

463

: 00:28:06

What if my boss finds out?

464

: 00:28:08

I really believe this."

465

: 00:28:10

Don't worry about any of that,

because that's what stops

466

: 00:28:12

people dead in the water.

467

: 00:28:15

They get partway through their manuscript,

and they hit the difficult part, and they

468

: 00:28:19

don't know how to say it, but it's going

to be well received, and I'm saying,

469

: 00:28:22

don't worry about it being well received.

470

: 00:28:24

Just write it.

471

: 00:28:25

We'll edit it out later.

472

: 00:28:26

We'll fix it later.

473

: 00:28:28

Just write it.

474

: 00:28:29

Joshua: Yes.

475

: 00:28:30

It's always important to just write it all

out and we can go through it and edit it.

476

: 00:28:34

Just like it is for speaking.

477

: 00:28:35

We-

478

: 00:28:36

Michelle: Yeah.

479

: 00:28:36

Joshua: Can write your outline.

480

: 00:28:37

Even if you have to write

verbatim, we'll start with that.

481

: 00:28:40

We'll take care of that, but we'll make

it so that you seem natural and eloquent,

482

: 00:28:44

but that editing process is so important

and I'm really glad that you touched

483

: 00:28:48

upon that, because I have lived in a

life that I don't want my book to die

484

: 00:28:53

inside of me, so I'm passionate about

what I'm wanting to do, and I want to

485

: 00:28:57

keep doing the good things, and even

if I make mistakes, I know that those

486

: 00:29:01

mistakes are going to make me better

because, Michelle, I'll tell you, I have

487

: 00:29:04

made plenty of those, and some of my

listeners that know me for many, many,

488

: 00:29:08

many years, know that for a fact, so-

489

: 00:29:11

Michelle: Yeah.

490

: 00:29:11

Yeah.

491

: 00:29:12

Joshua: But Michelle, I really

appreciate you being on the show.

492

: 00:29:15

I want to give you the last few minutes.

493

: 00:29:17

Can you share how people can reach

out to you if they're interested?

494

: 00:29:20

Maybe they have a manuscript

that they want you to review.

495

: 00:29:23

Maybe they want to work

with you and your coaching.

496

: 00:29:25

Can you just give us a few details,

maybe about your business as a recap,

497

: 00:29:29

and also how they can reach out to you?

498

: 00:29:31

Michelle: Yeah.

499

: 00:29:31

The easiest way is I've got a

kind of a catch all website.

500

: 00:29:35

It's michellecoaches.com and

it's Michelle with two L's.

501

: 00:29:39

MichelleCoaches.

502

: 00:29:40

com.

503

: 00:29:40

It links over to my publishing site.

504

: 00:29:42

It links with different

ways to connect with me.

505

: 00:29:45

You can even just book a call with me.

506

: 00:29:47

20 minutes and we'll chat and see whether

there's any kind of mutual interest

507

: 00:29:53

in working together or not, right?

508

: 00:29:54

I'm pretty low key about all of this.

509

: 00:29:57

I do have a manuscript review, and

I've also got a course that'll help

510

: 00:30:00

you outline your book in an hour, so

I've got all kinds of things for people

511

: 00:30:06

at all levels, and really what I love

to do is help other people live their

512

: 00:30:12

purpose and get their message out in

a way that's right and best for them.

513

: 00:30:16

Joshua: I find that funny that

you say living their best purpose,

514

: 00:30:19

because I talk about learning how

to use your voice, and I use voice-

515

: 00:30:22

Michelle: Yeah.

516

: 00:30:23

Joshua: In quotation marks, in

this changing world, and it's

517

: 00:30:26

really about not only the things

that we say, but the things that

518

: 00:30:29

we do that are really important.

519

: 00:30:30

Michelle: Yeah.

520

: 00:30:31

Right?

521

: 00:30:32

Joshua: Michelle, I have to tell

you, like I said, I was really

522

: 00:30:34

excited to do this interview because

you're a very accomplished lady.

523

: 00:30:38

You have done so much.

524

: 00:30:39

It's one of those things that I look

at some of the most successful people.

525

: 00:30:43

I even think of people in my world

of Toastmasters, like Ed Tate, Les

526

: 00:30:48

Brown, even John Maxwell, like-

527

: 00:30:51

Michelle: Right.

528

: 00:30:51

Right.

529

: 00:30:52

Joshua: All those people.

530

: 00:30:52

Michelle: Old school.

531

: 00:30:53

Joshua: Yeah, yeah.

532

: 00:30:53

Michelle: You've gone old school.

533

: 00:30:55

Joshua: But, they are definitely what

have set the standard, but has allowed

534

: 00:30:59

me to realize that, yes, they have their

legendary times, but also we have, as

535

: 00:31:05

many coaches do, their legendary times,

to keep on building and rising, and I

536

: 00:31:10

love the fact that you are adapting to

that and being vulnerable, sharing, "Yeah.

537

: 00:31:14

Technology.

538

: 00:31:15

TikTok.

539

: 00:31:15

I don't know about that.", but you

are still pursuing that and you're

540

: 00:31:19

helping so many people, so for all those

reasons, Michelle, thank you so much

541

: 00:31:23

for being on Speaking From The Heart.

542

: 00:31:24

It was really a privilege

to talk to you today.

543

: 00:31:28

Michelle: Thank you.

544

: 00:31:29

Joshua: I really want to thank

Michelle again for allowing me to

545

: 00:31:32

interview her and be part of the show.

546

: 00:31:35

She is one of those people that I am

looking forward to becoming, and I know

547

: 00:31:39

that I'm already becoming, as a result

of exposing myself to people that have

548

: 00:31:44

walked the walk and talked the talk.

549

: 00:31:47

I think that we often have all these

different types of people in our lives

550

: 00:31:51

that we look up to, to help us understand

and create, not just those opportunities,

551

: 00:31:56

which yet again, we have another episode

we're talking about opportunities, but

552

: 00:32:01

it helps us to also get that framework

that if many people have done this,

553

: 00:32:06

we are able to do just the same, and

I think Michelle's story today, let

554

: 00:32:12

alone all these valuable points that

she shared, should be something that

555

: 00:32:15

you should put on your playlist and at

least listen to once again, because we

556

: 00:32:20

have to shout to the wind that we have

these opportunities to inspire, heal,

557

: 00:32:25

nurture, and share, as she's talked about.

558

: 00:32:28

You have to be able to overcome the things

that are needed in order to become that

559

: 00:32:34

best person that you always wanted to be.

560

: 00:32:38

Here we are.

561

: 00:32:39

We're talking about being that best

person, and we always talk about this,

562

: 00:32:43

and we always say that this guest or that

guest have all these great qualities,

563

: 00:32:48

but what does that mean for me, Josh?

564

: 00:32:50

How do I use that to my benefit,

listening to all these different people

565

: 00:32:55

and their different perspectives?

566

: 00:32:57

Well, we can go all the way back to the

very first episode with Chris Hulse, and

567

: 00:33:02

we can start to take notes on all these

different people that have been able to

568

: 00:33:06

overcome and live those opportunities,

despite the struggles, or the animosities,

569

: 00:33:12

or even the businesses that they have

formed, to create that value for others,

570

: 00:33:19

but it all started with just a small win;

a small curiosity, a small little inkling

571

: 00:33:26

of being able to move forward, and that's

all it takes, ladies and gentlemen, if you

572

: 00:33:30

ever want to create that opportunity in

your life, is just to have a little bit of

573

: 00:33:34

curiosity and persistence to pursue that.

574

: 00:33:38

To be able to lean into that interest so

that you have that opportunity to have

575

: 00:33:44

those small wins, but you have to be

able to fix the things in your life that

576

: 00:33:49

allow you to do such a thing, which is

why rebranding yourself, which I've seen

577

: 00:33:54

plenty of my friends, and even some very

guests that I've had on this show in the

578

: 00:33:59

past, rebrand themselves, and be able to

take that first step forward out of the

579

: 00:34:05

fear, persecution, and the freedom that

they really want to live in their lives.

580

: 00:34:11

Michelle is no different.

581

: 00:34:13

She's been able to do the same thing, and

she's been able to help so many different

582

: 00:34:17

people, not only in the publishing

industry, not only in the things that

583

: 00:34:22

she will leverage her legacy in, not only

in the entrepreneurial spirit that she

584

: 00:34:27

has living in Colorado, but allows you

to know that no matter what kind of fear

585

: 00:34:34

that you might have, you have to live a

fearless life in order to achieve them.

586

: 00:34:40

That is so good to hear, especially

from me, sometimes living in that fear,

587

: 00:34:46

and it's funny because 89 episodes

ago, I was living exactly that fear.

588

: 00:34:53

Now what do you mean by that,

Josh, you are living in that fear?

589

: 00:34:57

I didn't know what to

expect from this podcast.

590

: 00:35:00

I didn't know what to expect from my

business when I was just about five months

591

: 00:35:05

in when I started Speaking From The Heart,

and I had to do a lot of homework, not

592

: 00:35:10

only on myself, but on what I really

needed to do to overcome the fear of maybe

593

: 00:35:17

putting myself out there for the first

time; to be a little bit more vulnerable

594

: 00:35:22

than I have ever been; to be open, to

be able to express myself in ways that

595

: 00:35:27

I never thought I could ever express.

596

: 00:35:30

Sure, we've talked about in a lot of my

earlier episodes about Toastmasters, and

597

: 00:35:34

how that really helped me to overcome;

to really show what that journey has

598

: 00:35:39

been all about; to be able to use, as

Michelle put it in today's episode,

599

: 00:35:45

her why, but it's not enough to just

know your why, and it's not just

600

: 00:35:51

enough to just keep saying to yourself,

"If I just have the right keyword.

601

: 00:35:54

If I just have the

right social media post.

602

: 00:35:57

If I have just the right sphere

of influence, I will be able to

603

: 00:36:00

do what I need to do.", because

those are all external things.

604

: 00:36:05

You need to look internally to not only

the opportunities that you have, but what

605

: 00:36:09

you have already gained in your life, and

I am so thankful that when this all comes

606

: 00:36:16

to fruition for myself, when this whole

new reality is born, that I will be living

607

: 00:36:22

a life just like Michelle Vandepas is.

608

: 00:36:26

That is something that we can all

achieve, no matter what kind of

609

: 00:36:30

background, no matter what kind of

situation, no matter what kind of

610

: 00:36:35

circumstances were presented to you.

611

: 00:36:39

It's about knowing what your

homework is, and knowing what you

612

: 00:36:43

need to do to study up for it.

613

: 00:36:48

Let's go back to the fact that 89

episodes ago, I was really afraid of

614

: 00:36:53

what I would ultimately become, and

I think that even now, as I sit here

615

: 00:36:58

and reflect on it, and I'm less than

10 episodes away now from sharing with

616

: 00:37:03

you the exciting 100th episode of this

program that I've been doing for almost

617

: 00:37:09

a year, that I have finally realized why

Michelle said the phrase that she did:

618

: 00:37:17

"Don't let your book die inside of you."

619

: 00:37:21

I have learned that I don't want to let

my book die inside of me, because if I

620

: 00:37:27

let that go, if I don't give myself that

grace, and that opportunity, to share

621

: 00:37:33

with you these exciting adventures that

I've had in my life of learning so much

622

: 00:37:39

about myself and learning with others,

let alone the opportunity to be able

623

: 00:37:43

to outline what I need to do to achieve

that success, I think that I would be

624

: 00:37:49

very disappointed in myself, and it's

funny because I have a client right now

625

: 00:37:54

that has been talking about how to write

that book for themselves, and we've been

626

: 00:37:59

batting around those ideas, but it never

came to my mind that it was actually

627

: 00:38:04

something that I needed to hear as well.

628

: 00:38:09

We have to be able to learn to lean

on what is not just in our hearts, but

629

: 00:38:14

we need to create that material that

surrounds ourselves in becoming not

630

: 00:38:21

just that best version of ourselves,

as I preached on this show; not just

631

: 00:38:25

those relationships that we need to

form; not just that interest of creating

632

: 00:38:29

that determination and that confidence

that we have, but it's about what we

633

: 00:38:36

can do with all those great things.

634

: 00:38:40

So enough about me; what about you?

635

: 00:38:44

What are you doing today to create

that best value in your life?

636

: 00:38:49

Are you walking around the mountains of

Colorado to be able to do such a thing?

637

: 00:38:54

Are you creating those opportunities, day

in and day out, by leading an authentic

638

: 00:39:00

life, whether that's in business,

whether that's in your profession,

639

: 00:39:04

let alone in your personal life?

640

: 00:39:08

What are you doing to leave a lasting

legacy and leading your purpose?

641

: 00:39:15

Your children are important, but

that's not just enough, ladies and

642

: 00:39:18

gentlemen, when it comes to you being

able to create that opportunity.

643

: 00:39:23

You have to live it for yourself.

644

: 00:39:26

Nobody else will give you that

responsibility to do it, unless you

645

: 00:39:30

empower yourself to do just that, and I

think Michelle's testimony today really

646

: 00:39:36

speaks to the fact and the importance

of being able to live in that purpose.

647

: 00:39:41

No matter if you have 40 goldfish or all

kinds of other animals surrounding you.

648

: 00:39:47

You have to be able to live for

yourself, and if you're not living for

649

: 00:39:53

yourself, who are you living for, and

I know that for many of us, we have

650

: 00:39:59

different answers to that question.

651

: 00:40:02

Who are we actually living for?

652

: 00:40:06

A long time ago, in one of my episodes,

I talked about the lighthouse, which,

653

: 00:40:10

that episode is still available

if you want to check it out.

654

: 00:40:13

It's one of my earlier episodes in which

I discuss what was my real purpose in

655

: 00:40:18

being part of this world, even after

I tried to commit suicide, but one of

656

: 00:40:23

the things that I have learned, even

through this journey as I approach my

657

: 00:40:26

100th episode, and even talking with

Michelle today, and even being part of

658

: 00:40:31

this adventure that I've been on with

opening my business, is that it isn't just

659

: 00:40:35

about the people that you interact with.

660

: 00:40:37

It isn't just about the things

that you do to run your business.

661

: 00:40:40

It isn't just about the things that

you do to take care of yourself.

662

: 00:40:44

It's about what you can be in that

hero's journey format, that can create

663

: 00:40:50

those opportunities, those exciting

adventures, those authentic purposes

664

: 00:40:56

that we're all trying to seek out.

665

: 00:40:59

The question is really back on you.

666

: 00:41:02

What are you doing today to create

that opportunity, not just for

667

: 00:41:06

yourself, but for others as well?

668

: 00:41:10

What are you doing today to

live that purpose filled life?

669

: 00:41:16

Even if you don't want to hire a coach,

even if you don't want to hire me as

670

: 00:41:19

a coach, and you've been listening to

this episode, and you've been listening

671

: 00:41:22

to all other 89 episodes, and you're

still asking yourself that question of

672

: 00:41:27

what you need to do today, I think that

to Michelle's testimony, and what she

673

: 00:41:32

has shared about not letting your book

die, it's something that should give

674

: 00:41:37

you great ponderance, great pause in

your life, to think about what you can

675

: 00:41:42

do, to not just do your homework, to

not just live on a keyword or a social

676

: 00:41:48

media post or the next TikTok sensation.

677

: 00:41:52

It's about just having that small win,

and if you can have that small win,

678

: 00:41:58

if you can just empower yourself to

create that opportunity that you never

679

: 00:42:01

thought possible, I think that you are

living a life not just purpose filled,

680

: 00:42:06

not just creating that opportunity

of a lifetime, but you're definitely

681

: 00:42:11

creating something that is worth living

for, and I know that you are worth it.

682

: 00:42:19

You've always been worth it, and I know

that your purpose is just beginning.

683

: 00:42:24

Thanks for listening to episode

number 90 of Speaking From the

684

: 00:42:27

Heart, and I look forward to

hearing from your heart very soon.

685

: 00:42:32

Outro: Thanks for listening.

686

: 00:42:33

For more information about our podcast

and future shows, search for Speaking From

687

: 00:42:38

The Heart to subscribe and be notified

wherever you listen to your podcasts.

688

: 00:42:43

Visit us at www.

689

: 00:42:45

yourspeakingvoice.

690

: 00:42:47

biz for more information about

potential services that can help you

691

: 00:42:51

create the best version of yourself.

692

: 00:42:54

See you next time.