In a world of constant digital distraction, where we are terrorized by to-do lists and starved of authentic presence and connection, many of us feel tired and wired. Seven to eight hours of sleep often feels like an unattainable luxury, and caffeine becomes a convenient crutch.
As a Holistic High-Performance Coach and “Healthspanner,” I’ve observed that many of our modern health struggles and barriers to success stem from chronic stress, overwhelm, and burnout; symptoms of an unbalanced achievement model focusing on hustle, toughness, and sacrifice. To make matters worse, our current healthcare system is a misnomer. It’s not about health, shows little care, and is a poorly functioning system. Amid political discord, wars, and a mental health epidemic, a new paradigm of self-determined success, health, and fulfilment is being called forth, based on joy, wisdom, harmony, and energy flow. This shift reveals a crucial truth: no one is coming to save us but ourselves.
As Buckminster Fuller said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign is a powerful example of uniting people across the great political divide as the idea of shifting from sickcare to genuine healthcare is something that resonates widely.
Everyone desires the health and energy to be, have, and do what they want in life. According to the NY think tank Project Energy, energy is the single common denominator in lasting success in virtually anything. So, knowing where it comes from, where it goes, and how to maximize it is the key to success. Yet many people are unclear how their choices cause either energy gains or drains. This is precisely why after years of research I created a framework called the “Energy Engagement Wheel,” a holistic framework for us to cultivate healthier energy states in every aspect of life. Everything is energy. And everything we do, say, and think affects it. Energy is the currency of exponential impact, and it must be spent wisely.
The Energy Engagement Wheel divides energy into six main sources, empowering us to become more aware of how we use it. At the core is Foundation Energy: the air, food, water, light, sleep, and supplements we take in. Next is Move Energy: the shapes and movement we give our body, such as posture, smiles, exercise. Sitting is the new smoking. Then comes Pause Energy, the power of meditation, prayer, and mindfulness. Rumi said it best: “God’s language is silence. Everything else is poor translation.” Space Energy covers the sights, sounds, smells, and physical elements in your environment. Are you crushed under clutter, or do you have the space to let in the new and good? Mind Energy is about the thoughts, habits, and emotions that shape your experience of life. What questions are on your mental dashboard? Do they direct you to a place you want to go? Finally, Connection Energy looks at how you communicate and interact with others. The energy you give is the energy you get back. Are you an energy angel or energy vampire?
Take a bird’s-eye view of your energy wheel. How do you score in each category? For instance, if your Foundation Energy is low, do you need to cut back on sugar and hydrate? Are you sitting at your desk all day and need to top up on your Move Energy? Also, notice where you go when you’re depleted—do you seek connection through coffee with a friend or turn to pause with meditation? Bringing awareness to your unique personal energy map can help you plug up the leaks with small energy affirming habits. As you slowly stack your energy habits in each of these six areas, you’ll unlock a whole new level of performance, energy, and enjoyment!
Susan Treadgold is a holistic high-performance coach, speaker, and multiple #1 best-selling author with nearly two decades of investment banking experience at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup. She empowers women to have more energy and success with the use of science-backed high-performance habits, executive presence, training, and a personally curated longevity portfolio of cutting edge biohacking products. She is an award-winning artist, host of The High-Performing Woman talk show, and on the leadership committee of 5050 Women on Boards. She is a proud mother of two teenagers, and family is her love language. As a board member of Roots of Promise, she is passionate about helping less fortunate kids.
Are you an author that’s tried to get radio, TV, or podcast interviews and had little or no success? You may be doing what every other author is doing. Let me share from the view of the decision maker.
Suzanne Lynn Cheesman has been in radio for over 25 years, in New Jersey, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, and Florida as well as having hosted her own nationally syndicated show. She now runs a digital media company that helps authors sell more books and build their brand with video and radio interviews. She currently hosts the Triangle Spotlight radio show on WQBQ 1410-AM, a Central Florida radio station that has a coverage area of half a million people. On this show, you can hear authors from around the country and around the world share their heart behind the writing of their books.
I’ve never met Kori Nelson or Paul Leblanc in person. But, thanks to the power of the internet, I recently introduced them to each other. Now, Paul is financing Kori’s trip from Minnesota to New Hampshire, so that she can attend her college graduation ceremony at 
Ashley Henyan is a digital marketing consultant, a freelance writer, and the executive director for the American Red Cross of Lowcountry South Carolina. Previously, she held leadership roles in digital communications and media relations with the Red Cross (the 2017 Harris Poll Non-profit Brand of the Year). Ashley has-developed curriculum and trained hundreds of staff and volunteers across the United States in courses like Leveraging Your Story on LinkedIn and Social Media Story Telling. She has been invited to discuss social media marketing and brand visibility on various podcasts and with local and national associations. Ashley has played an integral part in award-winning social media campaigns including honorable mention recognition with the PR Daily Content Marketing Awards and numerous Silver Telly Awards for Branded Content. She holds a B.A. in government and politics from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in English and creative writing with a concentration in screenwriting from Southern New Hampshire University. Ashley’s work as a ghostwriter has appeared in national and international publications including Yahoo News, China Global Television Network, and The CEO Magazine.
Today I took my dog Chilly, a white miniature poodle, to a brand new groomer named Sally. After I dropped Chilly off, I ran two blocks down the street to pick up a prescription from CVS. I was expecting to wait at least an hour and thought I’d get one errand done in the interim. Less than 20 minutes later, when I returned to Sally’s shop, Chilly was already finished! I laughed, because staring at me through the front window was Chilly and an identical dog. Well, identical except for one big difference. This dog was two feet taller than Chilly! I even joked with the cashier, stating, “I thought for a moment you transformed him into a giant!”
Mikhail Bakhtin was a 20th century Russian philosopher who expanded upon Marxist thought to define the social function of language. His work, forever ahead of its time, stumps scholars to this day. In fact, much of what Bakhtin wrote aligns with poststructuralist thought, a movement that didn’t emerge until just before his death, in 1975. In his 1935 essay “Discourse in the Novel,” Bakhtin draws attention to the way a variety of diverse discourses work together, to explain, “a concrete socio-ideological language consciousness . . . where consciousness finds itself inevitably facing the necessity of having to choose a language” (677). To quote my favorite professor’s favorite Bakhtin, “When we stare at each other, two different worlds are reflected in the pupils of our eyes. Dialogue, the give and take of language, completes these two worlds” (Salyer). But what if the person you are staring at isn’t physically there? What happens to language when pupils are replaced by a message board, a photo, or a post? Is there a virtual give and take between dialogue and reflection in our digital world? Have we become blind to authenticity, communicating now through only that which is implied? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in-between, in the virtu-verse of social discourse.
One could argue that film, the precise blend of dialogue, visuals, special effects, and music, is the ultimate form of communication. As a screenwriter (doing my small part to create films), appropriately understanding and applying the English language plays a huge role: especially when it comes to expressing character thought with accurate and realistic dialogue. As society turns to technology for everyday needs, the English language will continue to adapt and eventually become the ultimate universal language. As a professional screenwriter, I hope to blend the English language with technology and convey heart-felt stories to diverse audiences, worldwide.
Once you’ve completed your manuscript, you’re likely to feel a sense of accomplishment. Those months, or possibly even years, of hard work and dedication to your story have finally come to completion! You then go back to your manuscript and revise it, tinker with it, and maybe run it through a software program to check for issues with grammar and spelling. After those steps have been exhausted, you may realize there’s only so much you can do on your own, and you embark on the next step toward publication — finding an editor. But how do you find one, and more importantly, how do you find one who is trustworthy, skilled, and reliable?
Jennia Herold D’Lima
Not since the advent of the internet — or perhaps the printing press — have writers experienced as much turmoil as they have in recent years. The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 has spawned myriad “writing platforms” that purport to write copy in the blink of an eye. As this new technology has entered the market, Google has rolled out update after update, which has caused many websites that hired writers to craft search engine–optimized copy to slow their hiring or reduce writing quotas. The result is a shrinking freelance market at a time when writers need more and better-paying gigs just to keep pace with inflation.
Now comes the hard part: finding a profitable micro niche. How do you find a micro niche to specialize in?
Jeanne Grunert is the president and founder of Seven Oaks Consulting, a business-to-business content marketing agency. She is an award-winning writer and direct marketing expert with over 30 years of writing, marketing, and business experience. Prior to founding Seven Oaks Consulting, Jeanne led marketing for divisions of McGraw-Hill Education, Teachers College Columbia University, The College Board, and retail, publishing, and financial service companies in the New York City area. Known worldwide for her exceptional leadership and communication skills, Jeanne works seamlessly across cultural and corporate barriers to achieve outstanding results. She holds an M.A. in writing and an M.S. in direct and digital marketing (awarded with distinction) from New York University, as well as certifications in social media marketing, content marketing, and adult education. Originally from the New York City area, Jeanne currently resides with her husband, John, and many pets on a 17-acre farm in rural Virginia. When not leading marketing teams through her work at Seven Oaks Consulting, she enjoys gardening, reading, cooking, and writing mystery novels.
As a freelance writer or editor, you can broaden your business in two ways with new services: (1) niching into other writing/editing services or (2) stepping out into other freelance niches like marketing, video, or audio work, or administrative work.
Laura Pennington Briggs is the founder and CEO of the Freelance Coach. A two-time TEDx speaker on how freelancing is changing the economy and the host of the weekly Advanced Freelancing podcast, Laura has helped over 15,000 freelancers start and scale their business. She’s an expert on systems, project and client management, marketing a solopreneur business, delegating to team members, retainers, and developing multiple income streams for writers of all stripes. Laura is the author of five books, including the Six Figure Freelancer, How to Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business, and award-winning Remote Work for Military Spouses. She’s also the founder of Operation Freelance, a national nonprofit providing free entrepreneurship training to military spouses worldwide.
And, you should always keep in mind that the cover will be displayed on digital browsers at a thumbnail size, so it is important the elements are minimal. Including every detail from your story only serves to make your cover busy and confusing and gives away too much, too soon. Remember our little black dress and keep it simple and classic.
Tamian Wood, winner of numerous print and cover design awards, uses art, photography, typography, and digital collage techniques to create book covers that sell. She works with several publishers and a growing number of indie authors. Tamian’s most famous client to date is Pope Francis, whose Encyclical Letter won first place for cover design. With over 25 years in the design trenches, she is also a partner member in good standing with the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and a co-judge for a monthly cover design contest at Discovering Diamonds Historical Fiction Review site. Tamian has a weekly featured post (Critique Corner) at the Writers of Non-Fiction Facebook group. And she is the director of the LinkedIn group, Authors’ Resource. Tamian holds degrees in computer science and graphic design technology and is a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa National Honour Society.