30: Trusting a Non-Linear Career Path & Writing a Book About It With Kim Wensel
Multi-passionate, portfolio career, lots of commas after your name?
However you describe your non-linear career path, know that you're not the only one (and your experience is gold).
Really, having a diverse list of professional and personal experiences makes you more interesting.
—> And it makes for great book content.
While many of the guests you'll hear from on the How Women Write podcast have a finished book out there, I intentionally want you to hear from my book coaching client, Kim Wensel, who is in it with her first book.
She's in the middle of book drafting.
No one talks about this phase. Until now.
She set out to write her first book at a literal cabin in the woods, and while she got lots of winter hikes in (in Maine 🥶), she ended up completely reworking the material a couple of times.
I love that Kim came on the podcast to talk candidly through her writing process, because she set out to write her book, thinking it would be a linear process — draft, edit, publish. When really, it's more like drafting from many transcripts and notebooks, and then the fluidity of draft, edit, draft, draaffffttt… is actually a better description of the book writing process.
She initially had an ambitious self-publishing timeline, and while she could have stuck with it, she trusted the process and pivoted on purpose — not out of boredom.
Here's what you'll discover in this episode:
How we were taught to write in school isn't how we write nonfiction books or for business
How to balance your personal passion projects with the need to make a living
A fresh perspective on the value of past experiences, even the ones you think are "failures," is actually shaping a distinctive career journey
Why you should take your reader more seriously — there's no need to dumb your writing down to a list of bolded bullets. Let them wander and get lost in your world of words.
What to do when you bump into self-doubt in your career, and while you're writing your book
What IS a book draft, really?
The importance of creating "white space" in your business and life to spark new ideas and projects
Kim's perspective on the evolution of her book's direction, from a "teach-y" business book to a more personal, question-driven approach
How to write your book when you're not completely clear on who you're writing it for
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction to Kim Wensel & Her Book Writing Process
03:21 Embracing a Non-Linear Career Path
05:26 The Journey to Entrepreneurship & Personal Branding
12:46 Beginning The Writing Journey
19:12 Navigating the Book Drafting Process
21:30 Finding the Spark for the Book
27:10 Balancing Openness and Professionalism in Book Writing
28:21 The Evolution of Writing a Book
29:26 The Challenges of Writing and Editing
30:48 Transforming a Business Book into a Memoir
33:29 The Emotional Journey of Writing
40:15 Shifting the Book’s Focus to Reader-Centric Questions
45:03 The Book Writing Process and Personal Growth
50:19 Final Thoughts
About Kim Wensel:
Kim Wensel is a writer, champion of the non-linear career path, and founder of The Bench, a community for women who love their work but want it to come at less of a cost. For ten years, she ran Pattern of Purpose, a solo shop supporting small businesses in brand development and copywriting.
Early in her career, she learned to do the most with the least, managing fundraising and communications plans for various national and global nonprofits. She earned her Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan and her bachelor's degree in communications from Virginia Tech. A native Washingtonian, she recently relocated to Pittsburgh, where she never takes a sunny day for granted.
Connect with Kim on her website.
