Whenever I meet someone who’s got a really cool job, who runs a thriving business, or who has completed an amazing project, I always want to know: “How did you do that?”

I’m always curious to hear the “behind-the-scenes story”—who they emailed, what they said, how they got their first client, how they got their foot in the door—the exact steps that they took to achieve their goal.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT? is an interview series where we get to hear the REAL story behind someone’s success—not the polished, neat and tidy version.

To see a complete list of all the interviews that have been completed to date, head over here.

Name: Danielle Cohen
Location: Costa Mesa, California
Profession: Photographer

You’re a photographer and you’ve done all kinds of photo shoots—weddings, engagement parties, portraits of families and kids, professional headshots, photos of books, jewelry, and food, and more. How did you become a professional photographer? Did you wake up one day, buy a camera, and start teaching yourself how to use it? Did you study photography at college? Walk us through the sequence of events.

My love affair with photography began sometime in the late ‘70s. I was about 5 years old and I’d watch my dad make magic with his Polaroid. From there, like many lifelong loves, my relationship with photography went through multiple phases and iterations.

There were years of avoiding, flinching, and even running and hiding anytime a camera was in my general vicinity. Also, there were years where I felt an insatiable need to document everything and everyone around me. There have been lots of moments of photographing myself in secret so I could catch glimpses of who I was or who I might be—using photographs to see my own curves, lines, and marks. There were the single mom years of self-timer family pictures in the kitchen, and bartering photography services for baseball team fees and private school.

And somehow, through all those years and all those expressions, it never dawned on me to declare photography as a “career path.”

I always thought of myself as a healer, not a photographer. Besides, I never saw myself as “creative,” and the idea of being in a studio all day long sounded suffocating at best. I simply didn’t “see” it. Oh, the irony—haha! And yet, I always had my camera near by. I was always documenting. And then “suddenly” (note the sarcastic quotation marks) after years of gestating, one day I realized, “It’s OK if I call myself a photographer. Because that’s what I am.” And my photography business was (officially) born.

You’ve been self-employed for quite a while. Let’s roll back to the very beginning of your career as a self-employed artist. How did it feel? Did you have clients right away, or was it difficult to find work? Did you feel excited and confident, or really scared? Or all of the above?

Here’s the truth: I’ve never seen myself as an “artist.” I see people as art, life as art, nature as art—and I am the voyeur, the documenter, the grateful witness.

As for how it felt in the beginning… I think the most challenging part was feeling so much doubt. Doubting my skills. Doubting my expertise. Doubting that I “have what it takes” to succeed. There’s always that whisper of doubt inside every human being, I think. It’s always there, but we learn how to manage it as we get older. At least, mostly.

The thing that always keeps me going is how good it feels to be with my clients—to connect with them, and see them, and reflect what I see back to them. It sounds hokey, but I’ve fallen in love with everyone I’ve ever photographed—and the love that I feel is so much bigger than all the doubt and mental chatter. Love is what keeps me showing up again and again.

Many self-employed photographers have busy seasons and then slower seasons. There can be a lot of uncertainty, at times, and intensity at others. Is that true for you, too?

In the last couple of years, I’ve had some very, very busy months that definitely pushed my energy limit. Since then, I’ve tried to shape the rhythm of my year more intentionally. So this year, for example, I cut back on how many photography sessions I put onto my calendar. I also raised my prices. I’m also teaching, mentoring and writing more, because I can do those things without needing to drive through traffic, haul my gear across town, or get on a plane. I do love to travel and see my clients in their spaces, so I certainly don’t want that piece to go away, I just need to balance it out with home-based work.

Self-care has to be a priority, always. If I’m completely worn out, then I can’t be fully present for my clients, my friends, or my family. It doesn’t feel good. That’s not how I want to live my life. Even though my heart often wants to say “Yes!” to every business opportunity that comes my way, I’m learning to say “Yes” to my own vibrancy first.

Imagine you could wave a magic wand and line up any type of client or project that you want. What would be your fantasy photography project?

My fantasy photography project would be a combination of documenting meaningful events happening in the world, photographing geographic romances, and writing well-loved books based on those adventures. Something involving international travel + love stories, basically.

What was one of the scariest, most stressful, or most humiliating moments of your career, and how did you get through it?

I mean really, it’s ALL scary! Whether I’m sending out a newsletter to my mailing list, inviting folks to check out a new project, or submitting an article for possible publication somewhere, it’s all pretty unnerving at times. And also it’s not. I mean, it’s all relative right?

But putting yourself out into the world can feel scary and vulnerable. This is one of the things I love so much about my clients. Most of my clients are creative entrepreneurs of one kind or another. The courage, intimacy and vulnerability of their work is so beautiful to me, and I know that part of my personal work is to try and grace myself with some of that same perspective. So, I don’t know if I actually do “get through it” but I am definitely devoted to staying in it.

3 Things

If someone is interested in becoming a professional photographer like you, what are the first 3 things they should do?

1. Figure out why you want to do this.

Why do you love photography? Why do you think it’s important to document the world? Why are you drawn to this work? Are you passionate about animals, city landscapes, love stories, or…? Explore your “why” and then build your business around that theme. Figuring out why you want to be a photographer is wayyyy more important than defining your aesthetic, in my opinion. Knowing why you’re doing this work keeps you anchored.

2. Do the math.

When you’re figuring out what to charge for photo shoots, consider everything that goes into it: time spent scouting for locations, equipment, insurance, education, consulting, the actual photo session time, culling and editing and delivery. Figure out how much time goes into each client project, and charge accordingly. It’s dangerously easy to underestimate how much goes into a session. Then you wind up undercharging your clients, you get burnt out and resentful, and it’s not possible to sustain your business. Which ultimately serves no one.

3. Keep taking pictures for pleasure.

Never let photography become “just a business” or “just a way to make money.” Especially as you get busier and busier with client-related projects, it’s so important to make time to play and enjoy yourself. Take yourself on photo walks, or create still life’s, or self portraits. Let yourself continually be fed by the magic of your camera.

ONE MORE THING…

Do you have “one more quick question” that you’d like to ask Danielle? Email me and tell me what you want to know! I might choose your question for my ONE MORE THING… Podcast (Coming soon!!!)

YOUR #1 CAREER GOAL: ACHIEVED

Do you need some encouragement to help you achieve a big, daunting career goal? Would you like to have a career coach/strategist in your corner—feeding you ideas that you’d never considered before, helping you figure out who to contact, and what to say, and checking in to make sure you don’t procrastinate? If so… click here to find out how we can work together. I’d love to coach you!

Whenever I meet someone who’s got a really cool job, who runs a thriving business, or who has completed an amazing project, I always want to know: “How did you do that?”

I’m always curious to hear the “behind-the-scenes story”—who they emailed, what they said, how they got their first client, how they got their foot in the door—the exact steps that they took to achieve their goal.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT? is an interview series where we get to hear the REAL story behind someone’s success—not the polished, neat and tidy version.

To see a complete list of all the interviews that have been completed to date, head over here.

Name: Lisa Van Ahn
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Profession: Kickboxer, fitness trainer, and founder of the I AM Initiative for Girls

You’re currently on the US National Kickboxing team and you’ve fought on an international level. That’s so impressive! How did you become a kickboxing champion? Did you always dream about competing at a pro level? Were you always an athletic kid? Or did you discover kickboxing later in life? Walk us through the sequence of events.

When I was 19 years-old, during a particularly volatile run-in with my boyfriend, I was pushed out of a Bronco and landed on the curb of a kickboxing studio. It sounds surreal, but it’s true. I walked up to the entrance of the studio and decided to go inside and try a class—and it changed the course of my life. That was the day that I decided to stop feeling like a victim and start moving down the path of confidence and self-love.

Up until that point, I’d been involved in a series of unhealthy relationships, and I was holding so much trauma and pain in my body. I started kickboxing to get out my anger, bitterness, and hurt, and to find my strength and confidence again.

After a year or so, I decided I wanted to try fighting in competitions. My first fight was a shock. I won, but I got hit so hard in the head that I thought, “I’m never doing this again.” But then three days later, I had a change of heart. I was soaring from the excitement of that first win, and I decided I wanted to move forward and keep training. I’d never felt so sure of myself and proud of what I could do.

I spent a number of years competing at an amateur level before taking on my first professional fight. After winning my first professional kickboxing match, I moved to Las Vegas. I boxed there for 3 years before moving back to Minneapolis and joining the US kickboxing team. My time fighting on the US team has been incredible. They’ve unlocked opportunities for me to fight all over the world, and it’s been one of the best experiences of my life.

You run LVA Fitness in Minneapolis, and you offer personal training, nutrition, and weight loss services for your clients. Take us back to the “early days” of your business. How did it feel to start a completely new business? Did you have clients right away? Or did things feel “quiet” and “empty” and discouraging at first? Describe what those early weeks and months felt like for you. (Also, describe how you got your first 3 or 4 clients, if you can remember.)

In 2003, I moved from Las Vegas, where I’d been boxing professionally, back to Minneapolis. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew I was skilled at fitness and athletic performance. Also, years of training camps and cutting weight for fights had given me a great basis of understanding for proper nutrition and fat loss.

The first incarnation of my fitness company was called Santé Fitness. Santé is the French word for health. When I think back on it now, I laugh because I thought choosing a French word sounded so “fancy” and “official.” These days, I believe that simplicity is best, which is why I changed my business name to my initials: LVA.

Back in ’03, I created a website and found a local fitness studio that I could rent by-the-hour to teach classes and work with clients individually. In the beginning, I was bartending part-time and teaching fitness the rest of the time. Working in that studio really helped to build up my confidence. The studio owners introduced me to new clients and I taught some of their bootcamp classes, too. After awhile, I stepped into more of a “partnership” role with the studio, which also helped me further my client reach.

My first long-term client found me through my website. She contacted me on the phone, we chatted, and I invited her to come to one of my bootcamp classes. She was really unhappy with her body. After taking my class, we talked again. She had a lot of weight to lose, and I gave her an achievable plan that promised better fitness, nutrition, and comfort in her body.

Over the course of one year, she lost 75 pounds with me. She also left her marriage and stepped fully into the light of being herself. Working with that client gave me so much confidence in my abilities as a trainer. It also helped me to see, very clearly, that I want to help people truly love their bodies—and that means working on more than just fitness and nutrition. It requires taking a deeper dive into people’s beliefs and stories, and helping people to release the emotional weight of past trauma and pain.

In addition to working with grown-up clients, you also run the I AM Initiative for Girls. You work with girls to help them build self-esteem, confidence, and a positive, “I CAN DO ANYTHING!” mindset. What inspired you to start this program?

I was exploited, bullied, and victimized when I was growing up. I didn’t know what it felt like to have confidence and belief in myself. It wasn’t until I was 19 years old and started kickboxing that I was able to start releasing the trauma and false beliefs that had haunted me.

I met two women in the kickboxing community who could see my strength and power, even when I couldn’t see it myself. With their support and encouragement, I was able to grow into a confident young woman. Eventually, I knew I wanted to pay it forward and share that same type of encouragement with the next generation of women.

My mission with the I AM Initiative is to teach girls how to love themselves, believe in themselves, and protect themselves from negative influences—people who want to hurt and take advantage of them, as well as their own inner critics.

What did it feel like to start the I AM Initiative? Did you have lots of interest and sign-ups right away? Or did it take a lot of effort and patience to get things in motion?

The I AM Initiative is my passion project, and from the moment I first presented the 3 rules of self-protection to a group of forty 10-13 year old girls, I knew it was my purpose on this planet. After that first class, I sat in my car shaking and crying because I knew with such clarity that the reason I went through the trauma I did was so I could teach girls how to navigate their teens with a different result.

It took me a couple years of refining the curriculum, branding the company, and leading events before it started to grow. My first big break was becoming an approved resource for the Girl Scouts of America. Once that happened, I began booking more workshops. I realized I wanted to offer more than a one-off workshop for girls. I teach girls that self-protection is a daily practice, so it became important to me to be a continued voice in their ear, rather than someone who motivates them once and then disappears. I started leading longer retreats and traveling to speak at other retreats.

I also wrote a guidebook and created a superpower card deck for girls. It took me nearly one year after development to launch my Kickstarter campaign for these products. Though the Kickstarter was a success, this portion of my company is taking patience. I have a vision for empowering products that help girls practice confidence and self-protection daily—and programs that leaders can teach to girls in their community—but it takes financial resources to develop these things, and time to organize the business foundation so it will be a successful endeavor. I’ve been telling myself: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

I continue to be motivated by the incredible feedback I get from the girls and their parents. I really believe that doing this work is the reason I’m here on the planet, so giving up isn’t an option.

What was one of the scariest or toughest moments of your career, and how did you get through it?

When I was boxing, I had a big match at the Arco Arena in Sacramento. There were thousands of people in attendance, and I was knocked out about 30 seconds into the first round. It was the only knockout of my career, and it was extremely embarrassing. I had to pick myself up and move forward. It took me awhile to decide if my heart was even in fighting anymore. Ultimately I decided to retire from boxing and follow my first passion: kickboxing.

I see stressful times in life as an opportunity to test my dedication and commitment to the path I’m following. I believe that if your heart is fully engaged in the work you’re doing, you can get through any obstacle. If you’re not “all in,” then disappointment and frustration can become overwhelming. I realized that my heart wasn’t in boxing anymore, and I was able to let it go and focus on the things I truly cared about.

3 Things

If someone is interested in becoming a fitness trainer like you, what are the first 3 things they should do?

First, it’s important that you’re passionate about fitness and helping others. If that’s the case, and you have a history of being an athlete, you can probably start training clients without getting a Personal Training (PT) certification first. If you don’t have a background in athletics, then it’s usually a good idea to get a PT certificate so that you’ve got a basic understanding of how to train people effectively. Either way, if you’re considering a career as a fitness trainer, I recommend doing the following 3 things:

1. Connect with a trainer in your area that has a successful business and is well respected and skilled at what they do.

They might own a small studio, or teach at a studio, either way works.

2. Take some classes from them and make sure you enjoy their teaching style.

Then ask if you can shadow or intern with them. Study how they run their business and how they work with clients. Soak up as much as you can.

3. Offer your friends and family the opportunity to train with you free of charge.

Build up your confidence and develop your teaching style, and take people’s feedback. Continue to develop your style and stay true to your personality while training others. In the end, your clients will work with you because they like YOU—your personality, your story, your attitude about life—not because you’re really good at teaching squats.

ONE MORE THING…

Do you have “one more quick question” that you’d like to ask Lisa? Email me and tell me what you want to know! I might choose your question for my ONE MORE THING… Podcast (Coming soon!!!)

YOUR #1 CAREER GOAL: ACHIEVED

Do you need some encouragement to help you achieve a big, daunting career goal? Would you like to have a career coach/strategist in your corner—feeding you ideas that you’d never considered before, helping you figure out who to contact, and what to say, and checking in to make sure you don’t procrastinate? If so… click here to find out how we can work together. I’d love to coach you!

Whenever I meet someone who’s got a really cool job, who runs a thriving business, or who has completed an amazing project, I always want to know: “How did you do that?”

I’m always curious to hear the “behind-the-scenes story”—who they emailed, what they said, how they got their first client, how they got their foot in the door—the exact steps that they took to achieve their goal.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT? is an interview series where we get to hear the REAL story behind someone’s success—not the polished, neat and tidy version.

To see a complete list of all the interviews that have been completed to date, head over here.

Name: Anna Guest-Jelley
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Profession: Founder of Curvy Yoga

There are thousands of certified yoga instructors. But you’re not just an instructor. You created a completely new style of yoga—Curvy Yoga—and now, students can take Curvy Yoga classes in 10 different countries around the world! When you first started Curvy Yoga, did you ever imagine it would become the international movement that it is today? Was that your plan from the very beginning?

I had no idea what Curvy Yoga would become! I honestly didn’t even have a plan at the beginning, much less expect it to become a business.

Initially, Curvy Yoga was born out of my own personal search for a type of yoga that would “work” for me. I have a curvy body. I wanted to find yoga classes and resources designed for people with bigger, curvier bodies—people who looked like me. I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find anything! Eventually I realized, I need to create “curvy yoga” classes by myself, for myself, because this kind of thing doesn’t exist anywhere. So that’s what I did. I knew I couldn’t be the only person on the face of the earth who wanted this kind of information, so I wanted to share what I’d learned.

I started teaching Curvy Yoga classes a couple times a week here in Nashville—and I started a blog because I like writing and thought it would be fun. I never thought that Curvy Yoga would grow into anything bigger than that. Back in those days, not many people were running “online businesses” or “online classes,” so it never occurred to me that Curvy Yoga could move in that direction.

Curvy Yoga eventually evolved into the business that it is today because of an ongoing conversation between myself and the community. People would ask me for things—like video classes that they could watch at home, for example—and I’d scoff and think I wasn’t the right person to do it. But then eventually, I’d realize that because I believe so deeply in sharing this info, I needed to figure out how to give people what they needed.

Take us back to your very first month as a yoga teacher. How did you find students? Did people come to your classes right away, or did things feel “empty” and discouraging for a while?

During my very first month as a teacher, I taught different small groups of friends as a way to practice and have fun. I didn’t start teaching in more formal settings for about a year.

When I first started teaching more formally, Curvy Yoga was a new concept, and I was able to get some publicity about the class because of that. I taught a few free classes so people could try it out, and after that, the classes were packed! We were in a huge garage, and there were around 50 people per class. I remember looking around the room and thinking, “What have I done?!” I didn’t feel prepared for that in the slightest!

As a yoga teacher, whether your classes feel “too empty” or “too full,” it can pose challenges either way. And of course, once you start charging money for your classes, it can be difficult to sustain a regular group of students, as well as keep inviting new people in. Growing classes is definitely a challenge for most yoga teachers, myself included. I think the main thing that helps with that is simply knowing that it takes time to “find your tribe” and build a strong, devoted community, and to embrace that, and be patient with the process.

Your company has been mentioned in some amazing publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post. How did those opportunities arise? Did you pitch yourself to those publications to tell them about your work? Or did a journalist approach you? What was the sequence of events?

I have pitched myself over the years, but all of those big name mentions came because a journalist approached me. In those cases, they were doing stories on people who were teaching yoga for curvy bodies—so in their research, they found me.

Sometimes, though, even for those big name mentions, I didn’t even know about it ahead of time. There have been situations where Curvy Yoga was mentioned as a resource, but I wasn’t interviewed, and the only way I found out was when someone said, “Hey, I saw you in The New York Times!”

You have a new book that just came out! Hooray! It’s called Curvy Yoga: Love Yourself & Your Body A Little More Each Day. How did you get a book deal? Did a publisher approach you and ask if you’d like to write a book? Did you write a book proposal and contact lots of literary agents? How did it happen?

I co-edited an anthology, Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body, that came out before this new book, so I was familiar with the publishing process.

For Curvy Yoga, I wrote a book proposal and got a recommendation from a friend for a literary agent. I was fortunate that she was interested and we connected, so she agreed to represent me. From there we worked on editing the proposal together, which took a couple months, and then we sent the book out to publishers. We had lots of interest, but it took about four months (and plenty of rejections!) to get an offer.

What was one of the scariest or toughest moments of your career, and how did you get through it?

2014 was a big year for me. I lead two 200-hour yoga teacher trainings, lead two rounds of my online certification for yoga teachers, lead three retreats, had the Yoga and Body Image book come out, and opened a local yoga studio—and that’s just the big stuff! It sounds like this would be the height of happiness and success, but it didn’t turn out that way. I burnt out. Big time. And I wasn’t sure if and how I’d be able to continue.

After some soul searching, I ended up pulling way back in 2015 because I knew if I didn’t make some changes immediately, then Curvy Yoga would soon be no more. So, what was one of the greatest times in my career also turned out to be one of the most challenging and scary.

As I reset my priorities, the ship began to right itself and I’m now in a good place. But for a while there, it was definitely very touch and go!

3 Things

If someone is interested in becoming a professional yoga instructor like you, what are the first 3 things they should do?

1. Develop your own practice.

By that I don’t mean “work on fancy poses,” though there’s nothing wrong with that. What I do mean is, “make yoga a regular part of your life.” This is important because it helps you see what yoga is teaching you—because creating a regular and sustainable practice is a challenge for pretty much everyone. So as you navigate that process, you learn so much about what yoga means to you and if / how you want to share it with others.

2. Do your research.

There are so many different types of yoga teacher training programs out there today, which is beautiful! You can explore and find one that works for you. Spend some time thinking about what you want to learn, who you might want to teach in the future, and then talk with teacher trainers about what they offer. Choosing the right trainer is so important, because you’re going to be spending a big chunk of time immersed in that person’s perspective! You definitely want to find someone that you “click” with.

3. Trust that you are the “right” teacher for someone.

I hear from so many people who are interested in becoming yoga teachers, but who fear that they’re “too much” of something (too old, too big, etc.) or “not enough” of something else (not flexible enough, not wanting to teach a fast enough practice enough, etc.).

Of course, these fears are totally common and understandable in a culture that privileges one form of embodiment above all others. But the truth is that we need teachers with all different kinds of bodies and teaching styles, not just one body type and one teaching style. There are so many people who want to practice yoga, but who feel like they don’t fit in at certain types of yoga studios, and you can serve those types of students who are searching for something different. While you’ll never be the right teacher for everyone (because no one is!), you’ll definitely be the right teacher for someone!

ONE MORE THING…

Do you have “one more quick question” that you’d like to ask Anna? Email me and tell me what you want to know! I might choose your question for my ONE MORE THING… Podcast (Coming soon!!!)

YOUR #1 CAREER GOAL: ACHIEVED

Do you need some encouragement to help you achieve a big, daunting career goal? Would you like to have a career coach/strategist in your corner—feeding you ideas that you’d never considered before, helping you figure out who to contact, and what to say, and checking in to make sure you don’t procrastinate? If so… click here to find out how we can work together. I’d love to coach you!

Whenever I meet someone who’s got a really cool job, who runs a thriving business, or who has completed an amazing project, I always want to know: “How did you do that?”

I’m always curious to hear the “behind-the-scenes story”—who they emailed, what they said, how they got their first client, how they got their foot in the door—the exact steps that they took to achieve their goal.

HOW DID YOU DO THAT? is an interview series where we get to hear the REAL story behind someone’s success—not the polished, neat and tidy version.

To see a complete list of all the interviews that have been completed to date, head over here.

Name: Alex Franzen
Location: Portland, Oregon
Profession: Freelance writer, editor, and communication consultant

You’ve been a self-employed writer for a pretty long time—over 7 years. Think back to when you were just getting started. Can you remember how you got your very first client? How did you convince people to hire you, back when nobody knew about you?

A few days after quitting my full-time job in radio broadcasting, I got my laptop, I went to a coffee shop, I drank several shots of espresso, and then I started emailing every single person that I knew.

I emailed my parents, my college professors, friends from high school, former coworkers, anyone I could think of. I wrote a personal email to each person and I said, “Hey! I’m freelancing now, and I’m looking for projects.” I gave a little update on my life, and then I shared some info about the types of writing projects I was interested in doing.

I ended each email by saying, “If you’d like to hire me, or if you happen to meet anyone who’s looking for someone like me, let me know!”

I probably sent out 50 or 60 of those emails over the course of a week. By the end of that week, almost everyone had responded with encouragement and positivity (“Congrats on your new career, that’s so great!”). Several people had ideas for me—people I ought to contact, publications and marketing agencies that might need writers. Plus, 2 or 3 people wanted to hire me.

It wasn’t a huge amount of work—just 2 or 3 small projects—but it was a start! And of course, things snowballed from there. Happy clients wanted to hire me again, or they’d talk about me to their colleagues, and then those people would contact me. One project led to another. After a year or so, my calendar was pretty darn full!

You’ve had some pretty “fancy” clients over the years—big companies like Hewlett-Packard, for example. How did you get hired to do a writing project for HP?

It’s a really funny story. I booked a cabin for a weekend vacation with my boyfriend. Not a cabin, exactly, more like a “tiny house” by the ocean. I never got to meet the owners of the house in person—we just corresponded via email, and they left the keys for us in a lockbox with a secret code so that we could let ourselves in.

Anyway… it was such a beautiful house, and we had a wonderful, romantic weekend. At the end of the weekend, I wrote a little “thank you” note to say, “We loved your house. It’s so beautiful! Thanks for making our vacation so special!”

I left that note on the kitchen counter. I figured the owners of the house would find it there eventually. And they did.

A little while later, I got an email from one of the owners. She told me that she’d discovered my note. She said it was really touching—nobody writes handwritten notes anymore these days, and that note really made her day. Also, she had Googled me, and she was impressed with my website. She worked at Hewlett-Packard and she wanted to hire me for a project. I was like, “Whoa, seriously?”

And that’s how it happened! You never know how one email—or handwritten note—might change the course of your life!

What’s your favorite thing about your work?

Oh man, so many things! I am very quiet and introverted, so I love the fact that I can work at home, listen to whatever music I want, and that I don’t have to attend a zillion annoying meetings all day long. Or commute to work. Or wear “real” clothes! Haha!

I also love how much diversity I get to enjoy. One day, I’m working with a client on a book manuscript about gluten-free cooking. The next day, I’m working with another client on a podcast script about “what to say if a creepy guy approaches you at the gym,” or product descriptions for a new line of organic candles and scented lip balms. It’s always something different.

As someone with a million different interests, it’s really fun to “bounce around” and dive into so many types of industries and perspectives. I’m always doing the same thing—writing—but the subject matter changes with every project, and I love that.

What was one of the scariest or most humiliating moments of your career, and how did you get through it?

A couple months after starting my freelance writing business, I got a phone call—at 11pm at night—from a number I didn’t recognize. I answered. The caller introduced herself. I recognized her name, because we had met briefly at a conference awhile back, but I didn’t know much about her, and I had no idea why she might be calling me.

She proceeded to HYSTERICALLY tell me that I was “stealing her business model” and that she would “take legal action” if I didn’t stop. My heart started pounding into my throat. I’m not good in “combative” situations, and I felt totally paralyzed.

I asked her to explain why, exactly, she felt I was “stealing her business model.” She basically told me, “You work with clients on résumé editing projects, but that’s MY thing, and I was doing that first.” I remember thinking to myself, “Um, so you’re saying there can only be ONE résumé editor in the entire world… and that person is you? Huhhh?” Her explanation made no sense.

Afterwards, I called my dad, who happens to be a lawyer. He told me, “You’re not doing anything wrong—she’s being ridiculous.” He helped me put together a firm, sensible email saying, “You’re accusing me of something which isn’t true, and here’s why…” which I sent to this woman. She didn’t bother me again after that.

But OH MY GOD. It was totally stressful. For about 72 hours, my stomach felt like it was full of battery acid. And after that, I took my personal phone number off my website—I didn’t want people calling me out of the blue, especially at random hours of the night!

3 THINGS

If someone is interested in becoming a professional, self-employed writer like you, what are the first 3 things they should do?

1. Email every single person you know.

In each email, say something like, “This is what I’m doing now… these are the types of writing projects I’d love to do… these are some samples of my work… and I’m available! If you’d like to hire me, or if you know someone who might need someone like me, let me know.” Email as many people as you can. You never know who might want to hire you on the spot, or who might be able to make an introduction for you.

2. Talk about what you’re doing constantly. (Don’t limit yourself to “just email.”)

Meet people for coffee. Send hand-written letters. Schedule a walk to catch up with an old friend. Talk to people about what you’re doing, everywhere you go, all day long. Again, you just never know who might be able to hire you or help you out. The more people that know about what you’re doing, the better.

3. Put a website together!

If you’re trying to get clients to hire you, most likely, the very first they’re going to say is, “Can I see your website?” or “Do you have any writing samples that I can check out?” They want to get a little “taste” of what you can do. So, you’ve got to put together a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy—my first site was just a free WordPress template with a photo of my face that I took with my cell phone while sitting in my car! Seriously!

My first website didn’t look that great—but it was something. It was better than nothing. It got me started. You’ve got to take that first, awkward step and get things into motion. If you don’t take that first step, then nothing happens.

ONE MORE THING…

Do you have “one more quick question” that you’d like to ask Alex? Email me and tell me what you want to know! I might choose your question for my ONE MORE THING… Podcast (Coming soon!!!)

YOUR #1 CAREER GOAL: ACHIEVED

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