SPECIAL: Author Interview - Autumn Shields

Today we have a special Author interview. I worked with Autumn back in 2015 and reconnected with her today in a new series of shows where I will be interviewing a few of the authors I’ve worked with over the years…what their book is about, how the book has helped them…what it has done for them, and where they are now.

So let me introduce you to Autumn Shields…

Bio:

Autumn Shields is a speaker, author, podcaster and entrepreneur. Autumn was a police victim advocate in Colorado. During her career she was able to assist thousands of crime victims. While she was working in this field and helping raise four children, Autumn started to build a business in social marketing with a health and wellness company. Within a few years she was promoted to the top 1% in her company. She now lives a life by design and helps others do the same. 

She published a book called, “Living Your Life Alive” and hosts a podcast called “The Living Alive Show.” She has a passion for helping others achieve a life that they dream of by learning how to follow life’s nudges and step into their purpose. Autumn guides people to truly live their life alive. 

You can connect with her at www.AutumnShields.com

Interview: 

Nicole: 

Today we have a special author interview. I worked with autumn back in 2015 and reconnected with her today and a new series of shows where I will be interviewing a few of the authors I've worked with over the years, what their book is about, how the book has helped them, what it has done for them, and where they are now. So let me introduce to you autumn shields. Autumn shields is a speaker, author, podcast, or an entrepreneur. Autumn was a police victim advocate in Colorado. During her career, she was able to assist thousands of crime victims while she was working in this field and helping raise four children. Autumn started to build a business and social marketing with a health and wellness company. Within a few years, she was promoted to the top 1% in her company. She now lives a life by design and helps others to do the same. So you published a book called living your life alive and hosts a podcast called the living alive show. She has a passion for helping others achieve a life that they dream of by learning how to follow life's nudges and step into their purpose. Autumn guides, people to truly live their life alive. You can connect with [email protected] and here is our interview.

Nicole:

Hi Autumn. Welcome to the show. I'm getting a call. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, so we, we met, uh, we both lived in Maui, Hawaii and uh, we worked together, I think it was about 2015 maybe when you released your first book, uh, in hardcover. And then I think you publish yourself cover, um, probably 2017. We worked together on your book, living your life alive. And just tell us what prompted you to write your book. 

Autumn:

Actually, I never, it was never on my radar to write a book. I was, I wasn't sitting around saying, you know what, I'd love to write a book someday. But a funny thing happened me, I was moving to Maui from Colorado and my ex-husband actually said, Hey, I have something for you. And he dropped off this book called how to write a book, which is by the way, not a great book, but um, I thought, I don't know why he's giving this to me.

And I kind of brushed it off. And then I got to Hawaii and I had several people in a very short amount of time saying, Oh, you're writing a book, right? And I'm like, no, I'm not writing a book. Why do people keep asking me this? And then all of a sudden I felt like the nudge, I call it the nudge. And you know, in life I believe it's more of a divine thing. And I just kind of felt this nudge, like I need to write a book. And I kept thinking, that's silly or what I write about, I don't have any resources to be able to do this. I don't really have the time. And I have ADHD off the charts, so it's really hard for me to hold still a lot alone. Like, sit down in, write and focus my thoughts and I've kept brushing it off and brushing it off and I started writing and I, uh, and I was all over the place in my writing and I thought, well, I don't know how I'm going to do this and I don't like to spend the time researching on how to get a book out.

Um, that's why I think you know, what you do is an important thing for so many people because I would've gotten hung up there and just stopped. Um, but it's so nice when you're able to connect with those resources. And so I started just writing and then I started writing and I started writing some more. And, um, as the book evolved, I changed it a lot of times and I had to allow myself for the book to kind of, you know, it's, to me it's like its own little thing and I had to allow it to evolve into what it was supposed to be. 

Nicole:

Um, so what, uh, what was it that really inspired you to write the book in the first place? 

Autumn:

I definitely just felt that nudge to do it. And I thought, you know what, it doesn't hurt to start writing. It doesn't matter what really ever happens to the book.

The biggest thing is just starting and I'm a kind of person that I don't want to start something unless I finish it. So I knew eventually I would finish and it probably did take me about a year. Um, but I really enjoyed the process. Once I got into do I, you know, I would go to different places all over the Island and write for the day and I just allowed myself to write at 15 minutes maybe or two hours that I just, I knew that it had to come out of me. Mm. Yeah, I felt the same when I wrote mine and, okay. 

Nicole:

So what advice would you give to somebody regarding how you would organize writing or you know, how you would move through the process of putting a book together? 

Autumn:

That's a great question. I would love to give credit to who taught me this.

And I remember taking a, um, a workshop on Maui, and I cannot remember, um, who actually shared this in the class. But, um, I learned not to write from like the start of the story to the end of the story. And if you think about how movies are, movies never go from like the beginning. And like I was one years old and I died at 76, you know, there's always pieces in chunks and then you go backwards maybe in your story and then you go forward. And that's kind of what keeps things interesting and it doesn't have to be in order. And then my thoughts are all over. So let's say I thought of a story about my childhood and I think, Ooh, me, that'd be in chapter two or the topic, you know, that would like fit the topic of chapter two or maybe it would fit the topic of chapter five.

And then, you know, you're in writing in a word doc or it's all over the place. And I, I lose stories or lose the flow. And so what I learned to do is I had a big office on a wall in my office and I had sticky notes. So instead of putting things in order, I wouldn't label something like whatever. I think, uh, let's say a chapter titles like take the leap. So I would put, take the leap and I would think that that would be chapter one. Well, I learned not to worry about chapters or order. I would just put the title up there, put a quote in. Then as I started writing and thinking about a story or I saw something or I saw a quote or I remembered something, I would write that on a sticky and like as a bullet point and you just put it where I think it would go under that chapter.

Now I would write that in a separate area. So let's say I have a story about my childhood when I was five years old, I would write that out. So maybe it's a paragraph, maybe it's six pages long. All of it doesn't matter. It's just that chunk. And then if you are going to go to move that chunk, it's easy because it's just a sticky note. You move over and then the flow started happening. I had to see it on a wall and I had to have it in chunks because as I started writing I would get lost on where it was and it was just, there was no flow to it. So that really helped me visually see that, you know what? That actually makes more sense to move this entire chapter two chapters later and it was okay to do that, you know, because as you write, there's those things that, you know, it evolves and it was an easy way for me to move things around and not get lost. And you know, 300 pages of some of or dock somewhere.

Nicole:

Absolutely. Absolutely. I know it's, it's always a war zone when I write and I pull out my big, you know, whiteboards and I've got sticky notes everywhere and everybody knows, just don't come in there. Yes. So, uh, your title of your book, living your life alive, what does that actually mean for you? And how does that transfer into what your author gets out of the book?

Autumn:

Well, I wanted the title to be, you had the power all along my dear. And I just wanted that to be the title. And then I realized, um, I liked the word year and a title because it doesn't, you know, unless you're Oprah, unless you're like, have a, a story, nobody really knows autumn shields or the story or the stories behind my it, you know, people pick up books because it's about them. They're looking for something that they need fulfilled or that they find interesting. And so that's why they pick up the book. And so I want him to be about somebody who could really live their life alive. And I believe that people can live their life alive. I following life's nudges and through these little nudges where other little ones or big ones that that's how people really step into their calling. Um, and, and a big way.

And that is important to me because it's, it causes a ripple effect. And if people don't step into their best life and where they're called to be, it, um, it affects the ripple effect for all of us. And so, um, I believe in little tiny nudges that help us live our life alive. And it might just be like, I'm taking a yoga class and I'm nudged to go over and talk to you. And I think, Oh, that's silly. She's probably in a hurry or you know, I don't, I don't know where that, well, well there's a nudge. You have to pay attention those nudges because there's a reason why I was supposed to connect with you. Maybe it was just to say hi or maybe it was to make you feel better about your day. Maybe it was to connect to write a book we don't ever know.

But when we pay attention to those nudges, that's how I believe you literally are best life alive and on the big stuff. When something happened, like I was nudged to move to Maui, Hawaii and I thought that is crazy. I don't know anybody there that doesn't make sense. I have a child starting in high school like and I just completely pushed drop not knowing that the reason I was called a Maui is to start a cultural company to our company over there and to start a nonprofit for kids while I continued, um, doing my health and wellness business. A lot of times we get these big nudges and it has nothing to do with us, but that's how I believe people truly live their life alive is by following these nudges. Wow. And I didn't know you were doing all that on Maui. That's awesome.

Autumn:

Yes, it was fun. Busy time. 

Nicole:

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So with the book, what credibility did writing the book give you for your life's work?

Autumn:

Well, I think writing a book and actually completing it gives you credibility as a person in general because a lot of people say they're going to start, you know, write a book and they don't. And or I believe like if I was going to choose a doctor, right? Like let's say I was choosing between two OBS and one I saw the, like one wrote a book and one didn't. For some reason that OB that wrote a book seems like for some reason, maybe she's a better, I don't know. But what happens is it liens, that credibility that they're actually putting their work and writing to be able to share their information and our knowledge in a different way to help people in a different way.

And so, um, the book to me, I never even thought about that. I just wanted the book out there to do its thing. And all of a sudden people started asking me to coach them, coach them in business. Um, I started doing little workshops and retreats and it was phenomenal, the feedback and watching people grow into this, um, work and be blessed by this work. And so it was fun for that. Um, and then I, but I also have to admit that I have, I had conflict because it started taking me down a path of, well, should I build this coaching business and retreat? And I have been in, um, a social marketing company, our bond, uh, health and wellness company for 17 years now. And that is my primary focus. I love helping coach people. I love helping people with health and wellness. And then I thought, how are these two gonna fit together?

And I struggled with that and I think sometimes, and as I talked to other people wanting to write books, they have one career going on and are wanting to write a book that has nothing to do with the other career. And it just seems like it's a conflict. And like how do you bring these together? Well, I've learned you don't have to force it together. Let, let, let your work evolve. And you have to remember the base of my work is to inspire others. So like when I'm working on my health and wellness business, I'm inspiring other people to lead healthier lives. I'm inspiring other people to make choices in a life, whether it's supplemental income or to be part of a culture that's more and to live a different life and have more choices. But it's still part of my base of being inspirational and showing people that there's a way same with the book.

And so even though I felt like for a while I was conflicted, it ends up evolving together because one, I meet people, I meet people here that I can serve in this way. I meet somebody else and I can serve them this way and I get to meet so many people doing podcasts and it leads to, you know, business in this area, in business, in this area. So I think overall it's just building that network. I mean, that work to me or net worth is always worth, is equal to our network. And to me it's just expanding to meet more people and more contacts to really make a difference in the world. And so I think it's just, um, a greater way to do that. And then, you know, years later I had the nudge again to start the podcast. So I started my own podcast 30 days ago. Wow. Congratulations. Thank you. Um, called the living alive show. And I kept saying, well, how does this fit in to the book? And I'm coaching and, um, my health and wellness business, what's so amazing about it is you just, I got the nudge, I followed the nudge and I'm having so much fun doing it because you can lose so many different people and elephant. Um, so I'm having a blast with it.

Nicole:

That's awesome. So, okay, so did, did the book's message coincide with your career? I know you've kind of touched on that, um, or was it, was it completely different? I mean, it sounds like you kind of wrote it, um, in alignment, um, you know, just inspiring people. And, um, so can you talk a little bit about that? Maybe you've already touched on it.

Autumn:

Yeah, that definitely the book was about living your life alive so anybody can pick it up. And I wrote it where there's a chapter and at the end of the chapter there's questions. So it's really interactive because I believe we all know what you know, we need to do. It's just having the right tools to bring it out of us. And then in the end I actually interviewed people that I believe, um, we're living in our life alive. And so I actually did interview people and um, and an out of my industry and social marketing. Um, because I do believe some of these people I've met through social marketing and live amazing lives and truly live their life live, not because of their title or because of their paycheck, but because how they choose to live their life. And so anybody can pick up the book.

But I think that, you know, if somebody is listening and are having a conflict of like, why would I write this book if it's not going to help my current career or it has nothing to do with this part of me, I believe that all parts of us are supposed to come out. And so if you're thinking about writing in a book and it just seems so off where you know what you've experienced already, there's a reason that you're getting that nudge and it's supposed to come out of you. And I have a friend who if you looked at his resume, it would look like he's five completely different people. But it's great because when you can bring all of you to the table, to me that's living your life alive because I don't want parts of me showing up in different places in the world. It's nice where you can bring all of you and say, this is who I am. All of me, you know?

Nicole:

Yeah, absolutely. I know that that's some of what I struggled with when I wrote my first book and you know, it was a more spiritual book, but I came from a business background and um, you know, it's always, it's always interesting when you write the book and how many different things you get involved with and you know, how you become known. It's, it's kind of like an actor in a role and you know, all of a sudden you're, you're pinned in at that role. And, um, but it's, it's fascinating cause you can, you can write a book to position you to and you know, if you want to start doing something completely and totally different, you can write the book to position you into that thing. 

Autumn:

And, um, so that's, I mean, that's all the politicians do it, right? Yeah.

It wasn't a lot of book coming out first anymore and nobody runs for, or there's always the book. And I do think it's a way for people to get to know you in a different way and, um, get more of the story instead of like, you know, a few minutes on TV or a few minutes in your, in your career that it can position you well because people can really get to know you better. Yeah.

Nicole:

Right. Well, certainly your book, living your life alive. I mean, the title of it just tells you everything. Like you're, you're living your life not only alive but positively, and you're doing some really wonderful things and you're an incredible inspiration. I mean, I, I've known all, you know, the things that you've been involved with since we've known each other, but you're truly an inspiration and um, so I want to know. Absolutely. Uh, so what is, what is next for you? Um, you know, how do people find you, um, you know, tell us about what's in your future and, and where we go to learn more.

Autumn:

Well, the future is definitely just building out this podcast. Um, I have about 25 shows already recorded, but moving towards more, um, and just asking my audience, you know, who they want to connect with and learn from. I do have a Facebook group that's really fun and motivational. It is called “Follow the Nudges” so you can find a good group there to be part of. And then my website, you can just put in autumn shields.com I actually have a free guide that you can download on seven steps to live your life fully alive. And that's probably a good time to download it right now. And practice. Rather you are living alone or you have a partner or kids. It's kind of a fun worksheet that you're gonna work through. We're quarantined. So that is good. And then the next big thing is I'm going to create some awesome retreats. Um, probably like two to three a year where we just do some deeper work.

Nicole:

Well, how exciting. And um, that's great. Uh, again, I mean you just, uh, you're just like a power woman. You just keep going and it's, it's awesome to see you so inspired living your life alive. Um, well Adam, it was really great to have you on the show today and as with all my clients, I am your biggest fan. I wish you great success on your book, your business, your retreats, your podcast. I mean, gosh, you've got so much going on and I wish you good luck in the future and I thank you so much for path and buy on the show today. 

Autumn:

Yes, thank you. And, um, you guys should go check out my book just to see the cover of it because Nicole did the cover and it's awesome components all the time and people just pick up the book just because of the cover. So check that out. 

Nicole:

Thank you. Well, that's a wrap on today's show. I will have all of Autumn's contact information over on our blog. We look forward to the next show.

Where to Find Autumn:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/738561083314286/

www.AutumnShields.com