Your Lion Inside, Tapping Into the Power Within was the winner in the
Self-Help category of the 2019 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Kimberly Faith.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Your Lion Inside, Tapping Into the Power Within – paperback was published in the Spring of 2018 Here is the link to a recent media interview about the book and to where it can be purchased.
What’s the book’s first line?
“The reality is that we have an enemy far greater than any regime, any organizational intent, any unconscious bias, and principle designed to keep us in our place.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The basic premise of the book is based on the question “Is the Glass Ceiling Also a Mirror?”
To create a culture that values what women bring to the table, what comes first – collective change or individual change? Do they have to change first? Or do each of us have to take the first step? As long as we believe “they” are the problem and the answer is “out there” – above us, below us, beside us – we will never fully embrace the real source of our power that lies within each of us.
How we see ourselves. That’s the leverage no one is talking about. Change your words – change your world.
In the book, Your Lion Inside, you will meet Kari, Ranee, Gabriella, Darsha, Avalene, Jalila and Nikki. Quite a crew they are: endearing, fun, outspoken, creative, and courageous. Together, they are the Sisterhood of Seven©.
Their mindsets will be familiar – I expect perfection. I need permission. If I work hard enough, I will be rewarded. Their stories will be life-changing. The Sisterhood of Seven is a light in the darkness for all women, a manual of truth, a manifesto of hope that transcends age, culture, economic status or leadership position. You can download an inspiration guide with all of the mindsets here
Let it prove that, without doubt, you are already enough.
That even in the midst of society’s drumbeat of BE more – DO more – GIVE more, life does not have to be so hard. Let it teach you new ways of thinking that will elevate your life, professionally and personally. Their wisdom will inspire you to rewrite your personal narrative, day-by-day, decision by decision.
The sobering reality is corporations can’t do it alone. It is imperative that we run parallel tracks focusing on collective AND individual change.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I was conducting workshops all over the world about executive presence, personal branding and communications. I was stunned to come face-to-face with an undercurrent of powerlessness that had seeped into the subconscious of women -individually and collectively. It was so insidious that we could not even ‘see’ it anymore. We were in the fishbowl with a narrative and we had become blind to it like a fish is to water. This book is about plucking us out of the fishbowl!
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The characters in the book are based on real people but are written to represent something deep inside of all of us.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
It is time for us to enter into a courageous conversation about “Is it the system or is it me?” For too long women have been carrying the burden of belief systems that were handed to us at birth. It is like every girl born in the world was given a book already half written by someone else. The time has come for us to #rewritetheNarrative and live a new story. Understanding how our individual story is connected to the larger collective narrative is an important first step to increasing awareness and bringing clarity to chaos.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
Reese Witherspoon of course.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I have known since I was in the third grade that someday I would be an author. I love books. I love the written word. I love the stories the words convey and the emotions they invoke. In elementary school I remember submitting a story to a weekend magazine that used to be included in the Sunday newspapers. They published an excerpt of my story. When I saw my words in print, I knew I was born to be an author!
Is this the first you’ve written?
This is the first book I have written all by myself, although I co-authored one other book. Hopefully the first of many! I already have two additional books in the works.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I am an expert in systems thinking, corporate consultant, master facilitator and executive coach. LOVE what I do and the awe of seeing transformation in real time!
I have had the privilege to train or coach over twenty-eight thousand leaders from companies including Amazon, American Airlines, BMW, DELL, GE, HCA, Microsoft, Nielsen, and Target, as well as worked on licensing deals with Warner Brothers and Disney. I have worked with leaders from thirty-three countries spanning twenty-one industries and led workshops in Canada, China, Dubai, France, Italy, Singapore and the United States.
Influenced early in my career by the discipline of systems thinking, my work in the field was included in Dr. Peter Senge’s follow-up book, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook. My executive coaching experience led to the development of BreakthruBranding.com, an online course designed to motivate leaders to jump in the driver’s seat of the career. I have been featured in articles for Women’s Entrepreneurship Magazine, Ladies Who Launch, the Wall Street Journal and was published in Women’s World magazine.
I am on a QUEST to inspire women and leaders around the globe. “The essence of this book is to magnify H.O.P.E. – Harnessing Our Power Everyday.” A new podcast called The Sisterhood Report is available on iTunes and Stitcher. It powerfully connects the dots to the larger story of a #globalsisterhood that impacts us all.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I write every week and sometimes every day. I have learned that writing is part of the essence of who I am; however, writing with the intent to publish is something else entirely. LOL It takes diligence to bring published works to life. Speaking my truth and overcoming the fear of how others may respond was the biggest obstacle I worked to overcome.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an Indie is knowing you have the power to bring your book to life. The most challenging part is navigating the “system” of distribution. The “system” can crush you if you allow it to. I have often felt like the little engine that could!
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Simply start the process. Motion begets motion. Move forward with a step towards your dream, any step at all. Don’t feel like you have to go in linear order. Start writing from a place of inspiration and trust the process. Ask the book “how do you want to be birthed?” and go with the flow. It is an amazing process and the journey is rewarding in itself.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune? more sex?)
I believe hope for humanity is trapped in the hearts of women. When women truly embrace the power they have deep inside, the world will experience a transformation unlike anything we have seen. The past has been defined by history – which is really “his story”. The time has come for “her story” to come forward which ultimately evolves into “our story” because that is how women are designed. Fighting for and protecting the collective is embedded within our DNA of thought.