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Alright, well everybody welcome back to another episode of Faithfully Engaged.
So something that my mom actually taught me a long time ago is that everybody has a story
and I don't just mean a made up fictional story but we all have a story to tell and
it's important that we all are able to share that story.
So today my guest, her name is Michelle Prince and I'm very happy to have her here.
And Michelle why don't you go ahead and tell the audience a little bit about yourself.
Yeah, you bet.
Thank you so much for having me.
So my story is, my story starts back quite a while ago when I was 18 years old I had
an opportunity to attend one of Zig Ziglar's conferences and it was such a pivotal time
in my life that was the beginning of my love of personal development, motivation, all things
related to that.
And I took that with me throughout college and worked for Zig right out of college and
that's at the foundation for me for my career.
But it took a really long different path for a while there but I started a business in
2009 with the intention of just sharing my passions, my heart, helping other people to
be all they were created to be and then that evolved to realizing that so many people had
stories that weren't being told or they didn't know how to tell their stories so we started
a publishing company in 2010 to help people to not just tell their stories but get it
out in a book so that they could really impact more people.
Now I am curious of how was working for Zig Ziglar and how did that all kind of line out
for you?
Well amazing, absolutely amazing and I'll tell you the back story of how that happened
so my parents sent me to a conference when I was 18 and the truth is I went kicking and
screaming because I did not want to go but I did love it after and I walked up to Zig
at the end of that conference and said I'm going to work for you and I mean I'm 18, what
did I do?
But I, crazy story, my very first job out of college was selling copiers, I only worked
there for six months but one of the places that I cold called accidentally was the Zig
Ziglar Corporation and I walked into the building and I was one of those like oh my
gosh, Zig works here, like I'm supposed to work here and literally I went home and typed
up my first resume with six months copier sales experience, submitted it, got a job
working for him and I was 20, very young 20s and it was just amazing experience.
You know I always say that Zig is incredible man that everyone knows through his books
and speaking but he was even better behind closed doors, like he was just an incredible
man, highest integrity, love for people that I've ever met.
Yeah, no that definitely sounds like that experience really shaped you.
I'm also wondering there at 18, you know, I have a four year old that seems like she
knows everything that goes on in the world but I know 18 year olds, they really know
everything.
Did you kind of have an idea of what you wanted to do then or were you just like, Zig Ziglar
I'm going to get a job there?
No and in fact, so when I went to college, by the way that ticket to the seminar was
my college graduation gift so to say I was disappointed is an understatement but I think
I was general studies or I think I started in business or no, no, no, I take this back.
I started in psychology, I thought I wanted to be a counselor and I remember my my Psych
101 professor basically scared me to death and he said if you have any empathy or if
you could take things back home with you, you know feelings and use this is not the
profession for you and I was like, oh, you know, so I quickly move from that to business
which who knew if that was the right thing or not but I still love psychology and I still
love all things related to that so maybe maybe I should have stuck with it.
Yeah, it's always interesting just hearing people's stories.
It's really I was saying that unironically about the episode but that leads in well of
why why are stories so important?
Well, we connect through story.
We all everybody has a story and it's in your story is really just a combination of your
passions, your experiences and what you can share with someone else to to guide them help
them motivate them, you know, warn them even just things that we've been through and when
we know other people have been through or down similar paths, it just connects us and
I think it just makes us more real too, especially now in this very social media world when you
know, I always call it the back story, but when you know the back story of why somebody
does what they do, you're more likely to want to be a part of it than if you just know what
they do.
If you know what I mean.
Yeah, no, that's really important there and that that's something that I was telling Michelle
kind of off air here that that I'm a licensed counselor and oftentimes kind of like your
professors shared there like you don't want to bring too much personal things into therapy.
We need to be able to one, I need to have my own personal life and two, it's about my
clients there and not myself.
However, there are times it's kind of an art here that I'll bring up personal stories
for that very fact like Michelle was mentioning that it humanizes me and I'm able to speak
their language.
If I'm talking to a parent that's dealing with issues and they have a four year old and like,
oh, I was having all sorts of issues with my four year old yesterday or whatever.
It connects us.
We understand each other and I think that's what's so beautiful and kind of leads me into
where some of the people that I work with and just people I know sometimes feel like
they don't really have a story to tell that their story is not interesting.
What would be your advice to somebody that says like, my story is not very interesting?
I think we all feel that way.
We all feel like our stories aren't that unique or that different from other people and that's
what I think keeps us back from wanting to share our story.
But the truth is that if you've ever given advice to someone or talked to a friend over
a cup of coffee and you've shared with them, you know what, I've been there.
I understand or you know what, I've tried these things with my kids.
Maybe you should try them too.
It's just how we help each other and how we connect.
And I think with people just take a step back and realize you're telling your story all
day every day.
But when you could take your story and maybe put it in a format that you could reach more
people, that's when you can have a greater impact.
And for those who are listening who do want to make a bigger impact, that's one of the
best ways to do it is sharing your story through channels that will get to more people.
Yeah, which really leads well into kind of this next question I had queued up of what
about writing, about making a book, what makes that such a useful format to be able to tell
your story?
Well, a lot of times when we're sharing our stories, it's one to one, you know, or with
a small group of people.
And when you have, when you take what you know personally, professionally, you know,
it's on your heart that you want to help people with or guide them on or teach them.
And you put it in a book, you're going to have an opportunity to talk to people that
you would never get to meet just in your own sphere of influence, you know, in your own
community.
So that's just one of the ways.
But the other reason why to put it in a book and then also a podcast or various other ways
through speaking is it immediately creates this credibility and authority platform that
allows you to to impact other people.
What I mean by authority is not better than anyone else.
It just means that you you've established yourself as an expert enough that people want
to hear what you have to say.
And when you have a book, you automatically get that respect even long before they read
the book.
That's a really interesting point there of the authority aspect.
That's been something that I have I've experienced on my end of being a being a podcast host,
which has been interesting.
I've only been doing this for for less than a year.
And I've had friends and families share things and that's neat.
But when I have random commenters say like that was a great episode or whatever, I'm
like, yeah, I'm just a guy, a guy with the microphone.
That's crazy.
But there's there's this authority.
They're not doing a podcast.
I am right.
Same thing with like you're saying with the book, you automatically read that and like,
oh, wow, they must know what they're talking about.
So there's a lot of weight to having that authority.
I would imagine there is.
And I think if more people just realize they already have the authority, all they're doing
is is just, you know, having a little courage and putting themselves out there.
I mean, as a podcast host, I know it's not, you know, you had to make the decision to
do it.
You have to make yourself out of all those negative beliefs and just say, you know what?
I'm going to put myself out there and I'm going to share what I love, what I know.
And that's the same with a book.
And I happen to think a book is one of the easiest ways to do it.
But that's because that's, you know, what I've done before and I have a publishing company.
But sharing your story doesn't have to be in a book.
It could be through so many different channels.
But I think the bigger reason to tell your stories, it's more the person, it's who you
become as a result of writing a book or starting a podcast or putting yourself out there that
you realize, wow, you know what?
I maybe do have something that could make an impact in someone's life and, you know,
we're created to do that.
We're supposed to help others.
So it's just one way that you can reach more people than you would normally.
When you said there and what we were talking about earlier reminded me, I've mentioned
this on the podcast a couple of times that my, my local church, something that we do
once a month, we have a, just a potluck and within that potluck, one person shares their
testimony.
And what I love about that is you'll, you'll hear some, you'll hear some testimonies that
are like, whoa, I had no idea that they went through that, but a good chunk of them are,
I had great parents and they raised me in church and I stayed in church and they feel
like, and my story is kind of like that.
And they feel like, ah, that's not worth anything.
That's, that's not, why do I need to share that?
But being able to share it in front of the church, it's, it's beautiful and, and it's
wonderful to hear those stories.
Even the quote, boring ones where we're like, oh, wow, like God really used them.
They, they, they're able to impact their kids and pass that legacy on.
And I love the fact that my church has kind of forced people in that position to share
their story.
And it's given, given us all a lot of practice of how, yeah, this story even goes beyond
us for those that are Christian or that have any other type of belief that these stories
hold weight in a, in a very powerful way, in a very authoritative type of way.
So we as Christians are, are believers today because of the stories that we're told.
I mean, if you think about it, the Bible is just a collection of stories.
Jesus told stories.
That's how, if, if those apostles though, the disciples didn't write down their stories.
I mean, where would we all be today?
So I think it's an equal balance of sharing your story, sharing your testimony, sharing,
you know, what's happened in your life, how God has been faithful, but also putting it
in a format that can help more people just like, just like the Bible is.
That is, if it wasn't that way, it would just be passed down word of mouth, but because
we could pick it up and read it generation after generation, it's had a bigger impact.
And so whether it's through a book or a podcast or, or what have you, a course even, there's
something behind our stories.
And even if it doesn't even have to be, some people don't have any desire to build a business
and that's okay too.
But when you get clarity on, you know, here's who I am, here's what's happened to me, good
and bad, there's a little bit of both.
But here are the people that I could probably help the most or feed into or support or encourage
the most.
So if nothing else just to get clarity on, well, what is my story is, is really important
and the first step.
That leads in well into kind of some practical steps here that, okay, let's, let's assume
that somebody's listening like, I know my story, I know who I really want to reach,
but practically like, I don't know how to write a book, I don't know how to start a
podcast.
What advice would you give to somebody on just that practical step to actually get pinned
to paper, so to speak?
Yeah, so anything you would put into a book, a nonfiction book about your personal life,
professional life, etc., everything you would put into a book you already know.
So I always suggest just start journaling or just start recording yourself, even in
a venue like this, through audio, through video, and just talk and think about if, who
are the people that I could most, or that I feel the most passionate to help to support
to raise up?
Are they kids?
Are they teenagers?
Are they teachers?
Business owners?
You name it.
And then start thinking about, well, what is it that I could share with them that could
help them?
You don't have to write a book right away, but I believe journaling is one of the best
ways just to get clarity on your thoughts.
And then after, through that process, eventually it will become so clear that, wow, I really
do have more than I thought.
Now let's maybe move it into a different format.
I like that for multiple reasons, one, as a counselor, I recommend to pretty much anybody
to start journaling.
It can be a really wonderful way just to get your thoughts out.
And on that, for those of you that have heard my episode a couple weeks back with Soad on
here, she actually wrote a journal of how to journal, which is awesome.
And you're able to kind of look at yourself, and she asked all these great guided questions
there.
So I'll include that in the links too.
If you're like, okay, journaling sounds great, but I don't know how to do it.
That can help walk you through that.
Another format, and I'm curious to see if you've had people that have published books
and have done it through this way, is I do some blogging.
And I know that my part of why I bring this up is my mom's in the process of getting a
book published, and not all of it, but a good chunk of that came from her blogs that she
has done throughout the years.
Is that something that you've seen as well of people kind of taking things from their
blogs and being able to turn that into a book?
Absolutely.
I know many, many people that have blogged to a book, basically.
They blogged for so long, and then they captured all of that, and then they weaved it into a
book.
The other way I've seen it happen quite a bit is through podcasting, especially with
a podcast host, because you have so much content and so much great conversations, and
things come out of that, that rather than sit down and start to recreate the wheel through
writing, why not just go back to your recordings and get those transcripts, and then use that
as the basis?
That there's so many books done that way.
I always tell people, you don't have to write a book to be an author.
You just have to have the content.
You can talk a book.
You can write a book.
You can type a book.
You can blog a book, but it's really more about what you know than how it gets out of
your head on the paper or into book form.
There's just so many different ways to do it.
It starts with really more just recognizing that you do have a story.
You do have something to say, and it could benefit somebody.
But only if you get it out of your head, because it may help you, but it doesn't help others
if you don't share the experiences and the things that you've learned along the way.
That is some really helpful, practical guidance there.
I say that for myself, especially being a podcast host, that if you are listening and
you run a podcast or you're interested in it, transcripts are incredible information
out there.
There's all sorts of ways.
I'll throw some link of what I used down in the description that's super easy.
You upload a file and bam, there's all the words there.
I say all this because I've never been a, oh, I've never been great at grammar or language
in school growing up.
I was always better with numbers and things like that.
That was always intimidating to me to write a five-page paper or whatever.
That's one of the benefits of some of the technology that we have and what Michelle's
lining out there, that if you have the content and the ability to get that story out of your
head, there's a way to make it and to book form.
You don't have to have a grammar degree or something in order to get that done.
Well, and that's what editors are for.
That's the beauty because you just have to have the story.
Nobody else knows what you know, but somebody else can make it read better.
That's their job to do that.
I always say that's the best money you'll ever spend is finding a great editor.
Absolutely.
But that goes a really long way.
And there are, you know, this won't replace for a book, but for little things that I use
grammarly sometimes for my own blogs and stuff.
I think that's something that I've really learned doing podcasting and things that on
my own is not only do I not have to be, I cannot be everything.
I can't.
No.
I have my own counseling practice.
I have a podcast.
I pay somebody to edit my videos.
My friend Ian does these.
I use software to help me with different things.
I think that's what keeps a lot of people down is like, oh, I don't have the skill set
to do XYZ.
Like you said, that's why editors are there.
You don't have to be everything.
It's not only overwhelming.
It's not possible.
And going back to our kind of our creation.
God didn't create us to all be the same person.
He created the editors out there to catch those mistakes and everything.
Absolutely.
We need to stand in our strengths and what we're good at.
And for some, and for me, I'm the same way.
I am not a great writer.
I'm a great storyteller.
I love telling stories and I love sharing what I know, but that does not make me a great,
you know, somebody who's good at grammar and all of that.
So I, but you don't have to be is the point.
Yeah.
And that's really why I was kind of drawn to you from the get go.
And I will kind of throw this pitch out here to that if you are doing a podcast or if you
are wanting to be a guest like Michelle is on here and she, I think you do a pod match
on the other side to find guests.
Pod match is a great way to be both a host and a guest.
That's something that I've been in all of that when I started this, I'm like, well, how
am I going to find people?
Right.
Well, there you go.
The pod match is super, super easy.
So I'll have a link there for you if you're interested.
Like I said, not just as a host, but as a guest, you can get your name out there.
But that's something that I've really have had to grasp and learn that there are, there
are all sorts of other people and other tools out there to accomplish things.
And it's, I found that before I started doing a podcast, really the limiting factor was
myself.
I've kind of enjoyed the format for a while, but yeah, how do you, how do you do the hosting?
How do you put something on YouTube?
It's not that difficult.
You just have to ask, get on Google, watch a YouTube video.
It's pretty simple.
It's, we limit ourselves sometimes.
It's totally true because nothing you want to do in life, nothing.
There will never be a lack of information to teach you how to do it.
I mean, between YouTube and Google and everything else or people you know, there is somebody
out there that can show you exactly what to do.
It's always just going to be a lack of implementation.
And usually we don't implement because of either fear or procrastination, like negative
limiting beliefs or, you know, past experiences, but those things are not as tangible, right?
So it's all in our head.
And when we can get past that, whether it be the fear or negative beliefs, once you
can do that, then you realize, well, whatever I need to know, there is somebody out there
I can either hire or learn from to do what I need to do.
It's just a matter of doing it.
Yeah.
And that's really that key.
That's something I talk about with a lot of my clients, whether it's physical exercise
is a big one where I'm trying to get them to move more often for their physical health
but also for their mental health.
I'm like, well, I don't want to go to the gym.
Well then don't go to the gym.
Go walk to the mailbox and pack.
I don't care what you do.
Do something and that's what that important piece is here to maybe you don't write a book
all at once, but can you write a blog?
Can you journal?
Like Michelle said, do something work towards that goal in some way, shape or form.
Totally.
Great.
Well, one last thing that I'm really curious on as far as the book writing piece goes, talking
about tools and things like that of Google and everything.
I know you run a publishing company.
What is so important for somebody to seek out your services or somebody else's as opposed
to just publishing my own book or something like that?
How can it be so helpful to go to a publishing company like that?
Great question.
So the end result is exactly the same.
You are a published author, whether you self-publish, traditionally publish or work with a, like
we are a hybrid publisher, we call it partner publishing, which means that the end result
is the same.
So a lot of it just depends on your goals for the book, budget, how much time you want
to invest.
So the benefit of working with a partner publisher or a hybrid publisher is that they do all
the work.
They have the editors.
They have the designers.
They have the process.
They have done it thousands of times.
It goes a lot quicker.
So you don't have to learn everything because there is a learning curve.
Now can you do it?
Can you self-publish?
Absolutely.
Are there tools and resources to teach you how 100 percent?
So for people that want to really embrace the process and really spend the time learning
the process and rolling up their sleeves and doing the work and going and finding their
own editors and all that, then that's a great model.
A lot of people though, especially business owners, entrepreneurs, they're so busy that
it's one of those things that it's worth outsourcing.
And that's really what we do is it's not that we own the rights to their work.
We don't take any of the profit of our authors.
It's literally just outsource the work.
We will get it produced with you as a partner so that you can reap all the benefits.
But there's no right or wrong.
It really just depends on what you need, how much you need, and how much you're willing
to invest time and resource wise.
Yeah.
And I think that's something that's important there too.
So often we here invest, we think of purely dollars, which is obviously an investment,
but time is important too.
So those that are business owners, you can do that work, but would it be helpful to have
somebody there on your side?
So I've known about those.
Kind of three different spheres, but I actually haven't had that explained quite in that way.
So I think that's really useful information.
Great.
Yeah.
Anyone can write a book.
Truly.
It's just a matter of figuring out the why, the goal behind it, meaning why.
I always ask our authors, what do you hope to accomplish as a result of being an author?
Meaning, are you writing this book to build a business, to use it as your business card,
build a platform, or are you writing this book as more of a legacy book that you want
to share with family and friends only?
Maybe you are writing a book because you want to start a ministry.
So the goal of why you're doing it is also going to reveal the best route for you to
go.
And there's options.
That's the good news.
Yeah.
Options are always better than no options.
Well, that's right.
Michelle, I think you've given, I think you've given the audience a lot of really great practical
tips to, one, not only share why it's important to share your story, also giving confidence
that you do have a story, and three, that you really need to share that and the different
formats that you can do that.
Saying all of that, I'm sure that there's going to be members of the audience that want
to know more about your publishing company, about yourself, the work that you've done.
So where can people be in contact with you after the show?
Well, one of the best places is just go to performancepublishinggroup.com.
And if you're even not sure if you have a book, we do free strategy calls.
So if you just want to talk to somebody, kind of kick around some ideas or determine, is
this the right path for me, then take advantage of one of those free strategy calls.
I'm also on social media, mostly LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, under Michelle Prince,
for performance publishing.
Great.
Well, yeah, be sure to check out the links I have down below.
I'll have all of that link down there.
And Michelle, it was an absolute pleasure to have you on today.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me on.
This was a great conversation.
Absolutely.
And thank you, everyone, for listening to this episode.
And please share your story.
Maybe that's a good call to action down there.
Please share a little bit of your story down in the comment section wherever you're listening
to this.
And as always, I'll catch you guys on the next episode.