If you’ve ever fantasized about becoming a published author, but you’ve let fear get in the way - this one’s for you. I’m sharing a live workshop I delivered at ALIGN - an powerful annual conference geared towards helping you step into your Higher Self. I dive into the top 4 writing and publishing myths I’ve seen in my career, breakdown the truth of the process, and dispel beliefs that stop people before they ever begin.

We talk identity before mindset as your greatest asset because no amount of tools will help if you don’t believe that your story matters. I cover why impact matters more than optics and how becoming an author is less about talent and more about conviction.

This is about letting your heart lead, trusting your message, and finally giving yourself permission to be heard. After all, I’ve personally helped over 35 authors publish and become best selling authors at Landon Hail Press, so I’ve seen the massive impact a book can make time and time again.

Highlights:

(02:13) Why identity matters more than mindset when you want to evolve

(05:40) How childhood beliefs quietly shape what you think is possible

(09:45) The belief that keeps most people from ever writing their book

(14:08) The four biggest myths about publishing, debunked

(18:55) Why you don’t need a big platform or book deal to make impact

(23:55) Writing as a legacy, not just achievement

Follow Brooke Hemingway & Align Events on Instagram to stay in the know of future events!

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

Come back with me to 2018 to revisit my first book, The Less Effect: Design Your Life for Happiness & Purpose. I’m reading an excerpt from Chapter 4, “Like Attracts Like,” - a real snapshot of who I was then: a cluttered mess with questionable friendships and a little too much Netflix…oh, and anxiety I kept brushing off as “that’s just how I am.”

We talk about why this work never ends and how to keep your peace living on this earth, aka full-time distraction machine. I get into how your stuff, your habits, your people, and your environment all have a say in your energy, your mood, and what you keep attracting (or repelling).

Highlights:

(01:55) Why I’m revisiting The Less Effect, this work “applies forever”

(03:10) My 2018 reality check: misaligned job, cluttered apartment, and “cursed merchandise”

(05:45) The quiet truth: I wasn’t just dealing with chaos, I was creating it

(07:20) The “crap trap” - how we end up overwhelmed without noticing the red flags

(09:36) Energy talk, but make it science: vibration, color, sound, and why it affects your mood

(12:15) The big takeaway: everything around you matters, so guard your energy like it’s rent money

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

This is a VERY special episode…why? Because we just hit one year of the show! Episode 52, hallelujah! And I thought what better topic to dive into than the theme that has stretched me the most: Vulnerability - the real kind.

I share why I didn’t launch right away holding episodes and marketing for months, how safety and vulnerability actually work together, and the hard truth I had to face about hyper-independence and emotional availability.

And this episode isn’t without me taking off the mask and dropping the armor for a behind-the-scenes look at how I’m personally challenging myself to explore deeper vulnerability in my own life. Because we’re all just works in progress figuring it out together.

Stay tuned to the end for a special offer!

Highlights:

(04:35) – The real reason I froze on launching the podcast for eight months

(5:55) – The symbiotic relationship between vulnerability and safety

(9:11) – Revisiting a five-year relationship twelve years later and the shocking truth it revealed

(12:25) – Hyper-independence as a trauma response and how it quietly kills connection

(17:45) – What my new relationship taught me in real time about true vulnerability

(22:00) – Showing up before you’ve perfectly figured it out & closing the gap

(27:05) – A behind the scenes note from my producer; plus an invitation to explore vulnerability even deeper

Resources:

Join SJ’s Winter Writing Retreat: WRITE THE DAMN BOOK! 1/29-1/31 in Denver, CO (Discounted Room Rate ends 1/14/26)

• Follow SJ on Instagram
• Download the Free Identity Workbook
• Grab my SLAY YOUR STORY⚔🔥 Storytelling Masterclass here.
• Buy The Less Effect on Amazon
• Follow Landon Hail Press on Instagram
• Download the Free Writing Guide for Aspiring Authors
• Book A Free Consultation with Landon Hail Press

This Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio