Have you ever wondered what it really takes to write a book that comes straight from the heart? I had no idea where to start until Emily Tamayo Maher came into my life. I wasn’t even looking for a book coach, but there she was, and what a journey it’s been! In the latest episode of Hard Beautiful Journey, I sit down with Emily to reflect on how we met, the unique writing process we used, and the soul work that went into Dancing in the Rain.
The writing journey was spiritual from day one, as Emily uses the chakra system to guide the writing process. We started with the Crown Chakra, where those divine downloads come through (thank you, Universe!) and worked all the way down to the Root Chakra, where the real-world tasks like marketing and publishing happen. Each stage was a revelation, full of goosebumps, tears, and oh-so-many breakthroughs.
One of the things that stood out was how Emily encouraged me to write from a place of healing. Writing about my brother Cory, who I lost to addiction, was tough but necessary. Emily always reminded me of what I decided to do which was, "Love him through it," and that became a throughline in the book—loving even when it’s hard.
It wasn’t all heavy though. We had fun with creative techniques like writing workshops, staycations (yes, writing and yoga!), and bouncing ideas off each other. We even laughed about my tendency to include every story from my life to reach my word count goal. Spoiler alert: sometimes less really is more!
In this episode, Emily reads the beautiful foreword she wrote for my book. It’s a tear-jerker, and I’m not sorry for that! There were goosebumps and gratitude all around as we celebrated the culmination of this journey together.
So if you're curious about the behind-the-scenes magic of writing a memoir or just need a little inspiration for your own hard, beautiful journey, give this episode a listen. It’s full of heart, healing, and maybe a laugh or two!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- The chakra-inspired creative process
- How writing can be a healing journey
- Tips for staying committed to your writing despite life’s ups and downs
- Why it’s okay to miss deadlines (more than once!) and still succeed
- The magic of having a writing coach who just gets you
Check out the full episode and let me know what resonates with you!
Love Tiff
