Collaborative Confidence: How women leaders can activate self-awareness, amplify their authentic talents and accelerate workplace change received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Heather Backstrom.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Collaborative Confidence: How women leaders can activate self-awareness, amplify their authentic talents and accelerate workplace change. It was published on March 10, 2023
What’s the book’s first line?
“Sophia, a successful, highly regarded senior vice president of finance, loves her work.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Collaborative Confidence, a non-fiction piece of work, is a women’s leadership book. Through stories, research and examples from my experience coaching women, it encourages and inspires women to build their confidence and to do the same for other women. The book is built on three pillars: Activate, Amplify, and Accelerate. Activate centers on self-awareness, core values, inner-champion and strengths. Amplify focuses on executive presence, seizing opportunities and highlighting the talents of other women. Accelerate recognizes the role organizations play to leverage women’s leadership and create more human-centric workplaces through providing sponsorships, addressing burnout and offering a flexible schedule. The definition of Collaborative Confidence, “I’m responsible for my own confidence and I’m responsible for helping other women with theirs” is woven throughout the book. Practicing Collaborative Confidence creates an enduring bond among women that propels them forward together.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I’m an executive coach and over the years have seen first-hand how women doubt themselves. Even the most talented, experienced and admired women question their confidence and doubt their capabilities. I’ve seen this across the board with women from all industries and levels of leadership. Doubting my confidence is something I can relate to, as well. I wrote this book because I want women to own their talents, capabilities and confidence. I want women, with full self-assuredness, to feel confident in themselves. I also believe that women are relational and collaborative by nature and I want to remind them that they can rely on each other to boost their confidence. They can be a support system to mutually foster each other’s confidence and self-assuredness. This gets at the heart of what Collaborative Confidence means, “I’m responsible for my own confidence and I’m responsible for helping other women with theirs.” The reciprocal nature of it allows women to rely on each other and be a source of mutual inspiration. The nurturing support and power that blossoms from practicing Collaborative Confidence brings women together.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The book has been described as a brilliant guide for women to pave a successful path for themselves and other women. It encourages women to step into their authentic power while encouraging other women to do the same. The book underscores how women can champion each other through embodying the very definition of Collaborative Confidence, “I’m responsible for my own confidence and I’m responsible for helping other women with theirs.” This mutual reciprocity lies at the heart and center of what it means to live a life of Collaborative Confidence, and serves as the backbone of the book’s narrative.
When did you first decide to become an author?
While I’ve written a handful of articles, this is my first book. I decided to start writing it in mid-2021. I already had the concept of Collaborative Confidence and had developed an executive coaching program for women. I was also inspired by a friend who had recently written her first book. So those two things combined spurred me to write the book, coupled with the need I saw for women to own their confidence.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Yes, this is my first book.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m an executive coach and workshop facilitator. My coaching clients tend to be leaders inside organizations who are respected and valued, and who want to enhance their effectiveness. My niche is coaching high-achieving women leaders to take charge of their internal strength and power so they feel balanced and in control.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
When I was writing this book a lot! Since it’s publication I don’t write as often as I once did. When I was in the throes of writing I wrote nearly every day. Somedays it was for an hour or so, but more often it was for a half-day or more. I can recall many occasions when for several days in a row I wrote for the majority of the day.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Among the best things is the ability to be creative and having the latitude to write about what you want. There’s a sense of fulfillment and freedom that comes from that kind of creativity and independence. The flip side is that its all on you, or at least mostly on you. I hired a self-publishing company so I had the benefit of a writing coach/editor and a team of people I relied upon. They were terrific. Their expertise, advice and guidance was incredibly helpful. They led me through the process and I don’t think I could have written the book without them. I definitely know my book is better because of them. At the same time, there were still things I had to figure out on my own. There were also times when I didn’t even know to ask a question because of that truism, “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Take breaks from writing and do things that feel good to you. I often got caught up in my own self-imposed pressure to keep writing. I rarely let my foot off the gas. Even though intellectually I knew it would be good to tend to my self-care, the critical voices in my head kept telling me that I had to keep writing and had to get the book done. More often than not I succumbed to those critical voices and kept pushing myself. In retrospect even simple things like taking short walks, sitting outside to enjoy my morning coffee or exercising regularly would have benefited me. I think I would have felt more relaxed and those pesky critical voces would have quieted down.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
As this is my first book, I suppose I’d at least entertain the idea. I’d need to learn more about the ins and outs, the pros and cons, before making a decision. If it were to happen it would be worth considering.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I’m motivated by helping other people and inspiring them to truly step into their own. To embrace who they are, pursue their passions and take risks. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see another person fall in love with themselves by embracing and showcasing their talents and traits to their fullest extent.