When I first started out as a coach, I was fascinated by what I thought were the many ways smart people seemed to keep themselves feeling unproductive, sluggish and stuck. I thought I could spend my career discovering and remedying all the many ways we humans can stand in the way of our passion, purpose […]
Every day on the way to my daughter’s school, we pass by three horses in a field. When my little one was younger, we’d stop on special mornings and hold out chunks of bright-orange carrot on our open palms. The horses ambled to the fence where we stood, blinking long horse eyelashes and eating […]
In the blush of a new year, many writers push themselves and their lives so hard. Getting back to writing becomes a stressful effort, not a joy. Another obligation, not a daily, life-giving hour of retreat and focus. There is another way! In my experience it takes busy high-achiever-types less than 3 months to rebuild […]
I’m rocking a crisp new planner, and a fresh wall calendar, a holiday gift from a client, hangs nearby on the wall. It’s a brand-new year. It’s a brand-new year and like me, you, dear writer, have a decision to make: Will this be the year you allow yourself the resources, support and structure you […]
Warmest holiday wishes to you! Click below for a holiday greeting, and a special year-end exercise you can do next week. So many of us are planning and setting intentions for 2016. This simple practice will help you step into the new year feeling more grounded and confident and happy: Thanks for allowing […]
Last night I stayed up late, researching Christmas presents online. I bookmarked items and filled my shopping cart. I made mental lists and discovered a few items I might like, too. Quite a lot of mental energy and time can go into holiday gift-giving, yes? As this year’s season of celebration and generosity unfolds, I […]
“You’re imperfect and wired for struggle,” says Brene Brown, “but you are worthy…” You are worthy. Stop for a moment. Pretend you believe “I am worthy, just as I am.” Pretend you believe it down to your bones. Now will you show up differently in the world? More confident? Visible? Unapologetic? For those of you […]
One blustery afternoon in Asheville, North Carolina, while walking to lunch with friends, I turned a corner and encountered a gust of wind so strong that I had to grab a nearby street pole to keep my feet on the ground. I was freaked out! Afterwards, I got to thinking… That wind I experienced was […]
“To fear is one thing,” says Katherine Paterson, author of Jacob I Have Loved. “To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.” Isn’t that the truth? The Many Faces of Fear I coach a lot of different writers in my practice. Many writers I work with are degreed, self-aware […]
Sometimes we writers forget that it’s our own responsibility to believe in the power of our voice and message and writing. (Especially if you come from an “allied profession” like business or law or technical writing, and you’re trying your hand at fiction for the first time. You’re likely not used to failing, right?) Whether […]
c. 2015 Marla Beck I’m on a 6am flight out of San Francisco, headed to D.C. as I write this. Tomorrow my 8-year-old daughter and I will visit my mom on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. For now, my little one is drifting to sleep on her tray table with a squishy travel pillow under […]
If you want to fire up your writing career and fall back in love with your life again, you don’t need a writing coach. You need an expert mentor and intuitive catalyst who’s completely invested in helping you honor your talent and become more YOU in the world. Someone who will: challenge you to think […]
This image is one of the few I took when I flew back home to DC and Maryland recently. c. 2015 Marla Beck It’s haunted me a bit, since I took it. Every time I gaze at the bird and the hotel in the background, I feel more alive and awake. Here’s why. 1. Seeing […]
May I be candid? One of my favorite parts of the coaching process is helping a client turnaround a recent mistake. Perhaps he took a risk. And failed. Perhaps she waited too damn long to respond to an opportunity, and her fear or indecisiveness pushed that great new chance right out the window. Perhaps he […]
Ready to begin your next writing project? Congratulations! Let’s make sure you’re pursuing the best writing project for you, so you can avoid the malaise and burnout that can happen when you forget to honor all of who you are. Watch below to learn a new kind of decision-making for your writing career: Remember: when […]
