276. How to Turn Your Book into a Movement with Jennifer Jane Young

Author and life coach Jennifer Jane Young discusses how she created a movement, what a movement is, and how you can make your book into its own movement.
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Giveaway info:
Message her on any platform, including email (jenniaedits@gmail.com), about the giveaway!

Read Jenn's bio and check out her links below:
Jennifer Jane Young is a Canadian speaker, author, Intuitive Life Coach and Intuitive Leadership advisor to entrepreneurs and business leaders around the world.

Since 2011, Jenn’s leadership roles have spanned several continents, from leading a community of 5,000 entrepreneurs for the International Trade Centre as a United Nations Consultant to advising startups and multi-million dollar businesses.

Jenn is the Founder of the School of Intuitive Leadership, a hub and online community where heart-centred, impact-driven entrepreneurs learn to embrace their intuitive wisdom, experiencing deeper transformation, alignment, and growth in their path towards success.

Through her workshops, talks, and her signature podcast, “Finding your Flow”, Jenn has helped global entrepreneurs change the paradigm in how they lead their lives & business.

Today, Jenn is living her dream life between Mexico and the Canadian countryside, with her two rescue dogs Bailey and Johnny.

https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/

https://jenniferjaneyoung.com/store/ 

https://jenniferjaneyoung.substack.com/ 

https://instagram.com/jennifer.jane.young

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jane-young 

Transcript

Jennia: Hello, I'm Jennia D'Lima. Welcome to Writing and Editing, the podcast that takes a whole person approach to everything related to both writing and editing. Author Jennifer Jane Young has years of experience in coaching, advising, and managing startups. She understands how to push past our self-imposed limits so we can benefit not only ourselves and our businesses, but also so we can better bring our messages to a wider audience of people we could be helping. And this is something she's doing with her own book, which is called Say Yes to Your Yes. She's a perfect example of how your book's message can extend beyond the book itself and lead to further transformation. This is "How to Turn Your Book into a Movement."

Jennia: Thanks so much for coming to the show, Jenn!

Jennifer Jane Young: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here!

Jennia: Yeah, I'm excited to hear that everything you have to say and share with us too. When you were writing your book, did the idea for a movement come to you originally, or was that something that developed over time?

Jennifer Jane Young: It developed over time. As I began to see—I don't know, there's something happens when you're writing the book and then when you reread it, like, you start to feel the impact it can make. So the initial vision was just, like, I knew intuitively that I needed to be an author. I knew I needed to write many books. I always have the intention of creating impact in my work, but it came kind of closer to when I was about to publish it, I would say.

Jennia: Oh interesting. Can you think of any pivotal moment that led to that decision, or was that also gradual?

Jennifer Jane Young: I think it was gradual. And when I was getting ready to put the book out into the world, I just remember feeling like, my wish is for this book to take on a life of its own and really create, like, the biggest ripple effect that it can. And the more people started to buy it and then share feedback about the book and how it had impacted them, the more it kept confirming that, like, this is a movement, this is a movement, this is a movement. And that's when I really kind of started to get even more creative with what I built around the book so that it's like, "Okay, well, how can we make an even bigger ripple effect and then an even bigger one?"

Jennia: What are some of these things that you created around the book? Can you explain those a little bit, and even what led to them?

Jennifer Jane Young: Yeah, totally. So one of the things I think is the most exciting one for me right now is the new season of my podcast that I just launched, which is called "My Intuition Made Me Do It." Yeah, so I'm interviewing people who are sharing stories of a moment where they got an intuitive nudge. They trusted it, they took the leap. And then it's like, what did that look like? What did that feel like? So that feels like probably one of the most important pieces that's happening right now. And what I love about that is it's not all about me. Right?

Jennia: Yeah!

Jennifer Jane Young: Like, my story's in the book and I share my story a lot, but this is like, "Okay, these are all of these other incredible human beings who also took this path." So that's happening. We launched a merch line, also, around the book, so I've got one [of the] little water bottles here. And that was inspired by, how can we get people to really, like, embody their yes? Own yo—their yes? Wear their yes? I'm, like, a white T-Shirt girl. I love white T-Shirts. And I was, like, "I just see, like, a white T-Shirt." And then I was actually chatting with my brother, who has cerebral palsy, and we were talking about, like, how he surpassed his limitations in his life and how he's trusted in his gut and doing things that, like, normally someone with CP would not do or would not be able to do.

Jennia: Oh wow.

Jennifer Jane Young: And so we decided to actually launch the merch shop together and share his story about, like, how he didn't let his physical limitations limit him to what he wanted to experience. And so we have, like, some lines of merch that are more about him and his story. Like, you know, anything is possible and stuff like that, and then mine. And so we have this shop together that we're using to make an even bigger impact in the world.

Jennia: Yeah, I love that you have a podcast and that you have other people coming on because it's so easy for someone to pick up the book and say, "Well, of course it worked for you," because you're the one who was so inspired by what was changed within your life that you were motivated to write this book. That doesn't always mean that the same principles will apply to someone else, but then by having that variety of guests on there, you're showing that it can, and that your life circumstances can be extremely different and varied, but that these principles will still apply in some way or that they will still find benefit from them.

Jennifer Jane Young: 100 percent. And the other thing that the podcast is doing, is it's like showing people we are all intuitive. Even if you don't think so, everyone has inner wisdom and intuition. And, you know, it's helping, I think, people see that we're all on this journey together. The human experience is the human experience.

Jennia: Mhm.

Jennifer Jane Young: Like you said, it just looks differently for everybody. But we all have an inner compass that is trying to lead us towards what is in highest and best for us.

Jennia: Right. And it creates an ongoing conversation too, because so often we read a book we might be incredibly moved by it, or you might have the motivation that lasts for a week or two after you put that book down. But it doesn't necessarily have a longitudinal effect. You know, we forget about it over time. It's not still a reminder that we see cropping up, but that's different when we have a podcast or these other platforms we can visit so that we do have that little boost about, "That's right. That's why I'm doing this."

Jennifer Jane Young: Yeah. 100 percent, 100 percent. And, like, I can already see the next iterations of the, like, the impact wave. Like, the next things I want to do with it. And I think the most exciting thing, like I was mentioning, is that this feels like, bigger than me, right? So it's like, how can this, you know, one little book, you know, go out into the world and change people's lives? And I think that's why we need to write books, really. I feel like that needs to be the main intention.

Jennia: I love that statement just because, again, like, we all have our own unique viewpoint or something unique about us that we're contributing. Even if it feels like this idea has been rehashed over and over again. Maybe it has, but it hasn't been rehashed by you and with your experiences as the backdrop.

Jennifer Jane Young: Absolutely. And I've even heard fiction writers—fiction authors—talk about how they want their book to make an impact in the world, and we wouldn't think about that with fiction, right? Because we're like, "Oh, it's just, you know, made up story." But even fiction writers, they want their book to create, like, some sort of magic in people's lives or allow them to go on an adventure or on a journey. And, yeah, I just think there's a way for every book.

Jennia: Yeah, exactly. Because we can see ourselves in the characters, or it might even point us in a direction where we like to see our own life take us. No matter how fantastical that story might be, there's still going to be something in it that we can usually pull out and think, "But this is what I want. You know, maybe I do want to be a hobbit and have eight million meals a day." You know? I mean, there's always something.

Jennifer Jane Young: It's so funny because I was on Instagram the other day, and there was this, like, meme or reel of this woman, like, running out in nature, like, touching all of these rocks, and it was saying, "Me trying to touch all the stones in Scotland, hoping that I'm going to be sent to a portal to find a handsome Scottish man." (both laugh)

Jennia: It's like the adult version of checking closets for Narnia.

Jennifer Jane Young: Right, exactly.

Jennia: Well, so since you didn't come up with the idea to turn into a movement, necessarily right away, are there steps that you would have done differently if you had thought about it earlier? Or maybe things that were harder as a result of not thinking about it until after the writing was nearly complete or was complete?

Jennifer Jane Young: Yeah, I mean, I think more prep time would have been better for my mental health. It just all happened at once, and I still feel like, you know, we're moving into June, and so much has happened from January to June already. And I think I would have enjoyed the writing process in a different way—

Jennia: Mhm.

Jennifer Jane Young: —if I had really understood the impact that my book could have out into the world. It's fine, because when I—like, I'm writing my second book now, and I will have that kind of wisdom as I'm writing it, which is going to be a whole different experience. But, yeah, maybe a bit more time to think through things and not rush through the process of, like, "Oh my god, what are all the things we're going to create around the book now?"

Jennia: Ohh, yeah, I can see that. And that it's not just the structure for the book itself, but the ideas that you have that you'd like to put into play right as the book comes out, and maybe not have that wait period where, since you're just starting them, now you have that delay because they're not yet in motion.

Jennifer Jane Young: 100 percent. Yeah, 100 percent. It's such a journey, writing a book and publishing a book. It's really, really special, and you learn so much as you go. And one of the things that I didn't realize until after, when people started to read the book they were like, "Oh, I wish you would have gone, like, a little deeper into this story or told a little bit more of this story." And I was, like, "Really?" I feel like all I did was talk about myself. I was so tired of hearing my stories (both laugh). But they're like, "No, like, the stories are the part that really help us anchor, you know, the lesson." So.

Jennia: Yeah, and it helps them see you as human too, and that, you know, where they're coming from. If they're facing similar struggles or obstacles in their way too.

Jennifer Jane Young: Yeah, 100 percent.

Jennia: So when you were deciding upon the key concept, the thing that would really be at the root of everything that you're talking about, how did you decide that?

Jennifer Jane Young: Well, this is an interesting journey, because this book took me about 10 years to write, which is really crazy, because I'm not a patient person, and I usually turn things around in about 24 hours (laughs). But the initial inspiration for the book... 10 years ago, I was walking outside. It was autumn here in Canada, and I was going through a lot in my life at that point, and it was, like, really sunny out. I was walking towards the tree with my dog, Bailey, and all of a sudden, right when I got to the tree, a gush of wind came and blew, like, a ton of leaves off the tree, and I just got, like, showered with, like, all of these colorful leaves. And I remember thinking, in that moment, 1) Life was sending me a message, in that moment when life was really hard, of, like, helping me see the beauty of life. And I remember just thinking, like, "God, life is so beautiful. It's so magical." And and  I don't know that people are seeing this—

Jennia: Right, yeah.

Jennifer Jane Young: —and  I don't know that people are really understanding. And so that was the initial inspiration And then that just developed into, like—as I developed and really started to strengthen my own—my relationship with my intuition. The more I listened to my intuition, the more my life got more incredible, like, more beautiful. It was, like that feeling that I got under that tree that day, it just kept amplifying every time I listened to my intuition. And so the core message of the book became, like, "Okay, we're all searching for this sense of, like, contentment and fulfillment and joy and freedom. The way to that is through our intuition." And that's kind of how it all developed.

Jennia: Yeah, that definitely does seem to be something that a lot of people are searching for, or it feels like they find it, and then they lose it, and it's this ongoing process of, "Well, how do I maintain that?" And I think it's exactly like what you were talking about. Besides the intuition, but even being able to see beauty in those little things around us, and that we so often tune that out. And we're looking for something like the next Netflix show, or the next podcast to binge listen to, or something else that just requires this quick turnaround in terms of attention—and not being able to focus on those small things that aren't going to immediately grab us unless we know to look for them.

Jennifer Jane Young: Totally. And, like, this is a whole other level. And people need to be ready for this. But I talk a lot now about actually even being able to see the beauty in the really challenging moments in life. Like, there is so much beauty in that darkness if you're willing and ready to really lean into the lesson that is trying to come through for you in that moment of your life

Jennia: So how do you prepare—maybe not even necessarily readers, but people who listen to the podcast or might visit one of your other platforms that are related to this—to even be ready to take in those harder messages or messages that might require more work on their end?

Jennifer Jane Young: I think it's a very intuitive thing that I do with people, especially if I'm, like, on a call with someone or something, is, I'm extremely empathic, highly sensitive, intuitive, little psychic abilities that pop in every once in a while. So I have a very strong connection to energy. And so I will feel the resistance really fast. And I believe in, like, nothing pushing people too fast into something that they're not ready for, you know?

Jennia: Yeah.

Jennifer Jane Young: So I think it comes from a lot of questioning people. And also, you know, creating different levels of content and lessons for people to be able to, "Okay, I can totally digest this right now, but this is, like, too much for me." So I like to create kind of a variety of teachings, I would say, for people at different levels. And, you know, when I share a concept and someone is not ready for it, like, I always encourage them to be like, "You don't need to do anything with this right now. Just let it sit. Let it sit and see what your intuition has to say about it." There's no rush to learn what we're supposed to learn or to move through what we're supposed to move through. I think we need to follow our own flow as we do that.

Jennia: So having these different levels sounds like you really understand the importance of accessibility. And is that something that you always were aware of and you wanted to make sure that it was able to reach a wider audience by having those different levels of accessibility? Or is that too something that ended up being sort of a work in progress?

Jennifer Jane Young: It's always been there for me. And I've been, I would say, like, sort of criticized in a way, in the online world of business, in the marketing realm sometimes, because they're like, "You need to choose a niche and you need to choose, like, what level of people you want to work with." And all of these rules around marketing, which have never felt good for me. Like, I love... I love for people to enter my orbit and see, like, all kinds of different doors that they can take, that they can step through based on where they're at in their life. It's really important for me to make all of my work accessible. And when I'm working with entrepreneurs, it's the same thing. Like, sometimes I'll be working with someone who's just, like, has an idea and they want to start a business, and they haven't even done anything. And sometimes I'm working with, like, six-, seven-figure business owners. So that's just how I've always functioned.

Jennia: That leads into an interesting question, and I think it's one that, especially authors who are listening might have a hard time with. And that's just because they are told so often, "Know your audience. Who are you marketing to?" And that they should niche down. So what advice would you give them on choosing a market if they're put in the position of doing so when they have something that they also want to see become a movement?

Jennifer Jane Young: So I would say niche down on the transformation that you want to create for the person. So not, like, who it is, or how old they are, what color their hair is, or whatever that stuff is. But, like, get clear on the transformation you want to create and then that transformation, a lot of different kinds of people can be searching for that kind of transformation, right?

Jennia: Yeah so true.

Jennifer Jane Young: Exactly. Like, and some people do niche down more specifically because it's just so clear to them that they want to support, like, mompreneurs, for example. You know? So it's okay to niche down if it makes sense to you, but sometimes it just doesn't for people. So I think it's just really good to get clear on, like, what is the impact or the change that you want to create for people? And, like, what is their pain point? So the transformation is what they're going to get from your book or whatever. And then the pain point is, like, where are they suffering right now? Where is life hard? And what are they looking for to access that transformation?

Jennia: Well, that's great marketing too, because you always talk about, "What problem are we solving for the reader?" when we look at nonfiction, especially when it's anything seen as self-help help or that will lead to self-growth. So, yeah, you've totally gotten that down.

Jennifer Jane Young: Totally. And, like, when I initially put my book out, when I was writing it, in my mind, it was, like, this book was for entrepreneurs.

Jennia: Mmm.

Jennifer Jane Young: This book right now is, like, in the hands of, like, my mom and my mom's retired friends and, like, the nurse assistant from my doctor's office and, like, all of these people. So there are people who are getting their hands on this book and experiencing massive transformation that I could have never, with my limited thinking, have imagined, would have wanted the book.

Jennia: I think that really stresses the importance too, of not being too myopic when it comes to defining who that audience is, that we end up losing people. And that we've now narrowed it down so far that we've cut off this big section of the population that would really benefit from reading our book or that would be really interested in it. And then of course, you don't know who then they're going to tell about this book and so on, which leads to further ripple effects.

Jennifer Jane Young: 100 percent. And, you know, the question I always ask myself was, "Who am I to decide who should read my book? You know? I believe that books land in people's lives at the right time. And if an 80-year-old, you know, woman picks up my book and she has not trusted her gut her whole entire life, and she's like, "You know what? For the next ten years of my life I'm going to trust my gut." That's awesome. You know, it's not for me to choose, really.

Jennia: Yeah. I mean, in any change too, if you benefit, and let's say that you even have like 30 days left, whoever this reader is, if those 30 days are still increasingly positive compared to the days they've had leading up to, then, then they have still benefited from reading that book. So yeah, even being able to put a time marker on it doesn't even work either.

Jennifer Jane Young: No, it doesn't.

Jennia: Well, keeping this focused a little bit on marketing, and besides the podcast, what are some other ways that you've marketed this book? Again, not just so it's a book but so it's a movement? And do you think these differ than if it had been—I don't want to say, "Just a book" because we never have just a book, but if you didn't have that other component tied to it?

Jennifer Jane Young: So, for me, I had made a clear decision that book launch season, for me, is all year.

Jennia: Mmm.

Jennifer Jane Young: For me, this book launch is a whole yearlong long thing. So, throughout the year, I'm doing what we call book launch events, but I'm not calling them book launch events, I'm calling them "gatherings." And so for me, every single event that I do is a gathering around a theme that is in the book. And so it's becoming more of, like a workshop and a place for people to maybe get some sort of insight or transformation. It's not just, like, "Oh, celebrate me, because I published a book."

Jennia: Right, yeah.

Jennifer Jane Young: It's like, "How can we come together, connect, share, and experience something amazing?" So that's one way. I got these little cards made, these little business cards, which is like a mini version of my book. And throughout my book there's quotes of mine that I kind of channeled as I was writing the book. And so I got all of the quotes put on these little cards and so I carry them around with me, even if and  I don't have books, and I use them as like oracle cards. So I'll give people the pack and I'll say, "Just shuffle them up. And pick a card and whatever message you get, is the one that you needed to hear that today." So that's another way. And just a lot of collaboration, I would say, right now. You know, I'm really moving into a season of, like, speaking and teaching, which is, I've known for a long time, is where I need to be. Like, on stage. I'm doing a lot of, like, co-hosting events. I'm going to be hosting two retreats this year, one in Canada, one in Mexico.

Jennia: How fun!

Jennifer Jane Young: Yeah. So it's not always directly, like, related to the book, right? But everything that I'm doing is inspired by the book and—

Jennia: Right, because it's the book in action.

Jennifer Jane Young: The book in action! It's like, "How can I get people to move through an experience that is going to help them have some transformation that I'm hoping they would have if they read the book?"

Jennia: These are all really good insights, and I think it just shows it doesn't have to be literally something from the book. You are taking those tenants and you're broadening them into that real-life experience and real-life atmosphere. Because I think too, we can get too bogged down in believing that, "Well, if I don't say this exactly like this in the book then I can't use it. Or if I can't reference a chapter and say, 'This is where it came from,' then it's no good for me in terms of marketing." But it goes so far beyond that when we're looking at a movement.

Jennifer Jane Young: Totally, totally. It's like, how can you keep bringing this thing to life in different ways that can create impact out in the world, you know? And I know that this is just the beginning. Like, I say, it's a yearlong thing, but I think this is going to be several years of just continuing to let—It's like when you, you know, plant a garden. You know, at first you have just, like, the little sprouts, and then the more you nurture it, the more it's like, it gets bigger and bigger, and then all of a sudden you can have tomatoes and cucumbers and all of these beautiful things, and it'll just keep going as long as you nurture it, really.

Jennia: Patience does seem like a necessary trait when it comes to something like this, because just, like you said with the garden, if you waited that month, two months, three months even, and all you saw were tiny little sprouts, and you thought, "Oh, this isn't working." And so then you ripped it all up. But you could have had this bounty if you'd waited a year and you just weren't patient enough to wait it out.

Jennifer Jane Young: I think it's really important what you're saying, to not have the expectations—expectation of any kind of quick success with a book because it's like a little baby that's just born. If you'd be like, "What the heck? How come you're not walking yet? Like, what's wrong with you?"

Jennia: (laughing) Right.

Jennifer Jane Young: You know, the poor little thing just came to life. The book is the same. If you're stuck on that expectation of, like, that quick success, you're going to miss out on so much potential of things that could become if you have patience, like you said, over time.

Jennia: And I think that also points back to the author's motives. So are they doing this and making a movement because they want to have success, more income, they want to be on the best seller list? Or is it because they really so wholeheartedly believe in what they're saying and they want to see that same information come to fruition in other people's lives? So, again, what's the motivation there? Because I think that can definitely lead to pushing for it a go harder and faster than it's meant to right away.

Jennifer Jane Young: Totally. And I feel like, make it about the people who are going to be getting their hands on this book that you wrote, and that's where infinite success and abundance and all the good stuff happens, I think.

Jennia: That's a great summary, really, because—and I think it just shows that, at least for you personally, it really is about touching other people.

Jennifer Jane Young: Yeah, 100 percent.

Jennia: Well, if you had to give our listeners one last piece of advice, what would it be?

Jennifer Jane Young: Don't look outside of yourself for any kind of confirmation or guidance. We have so much wisdom inside of us. We're so resourceful. And it's also not about taking the perfect step or the perfect leap or making the perfect decision. There is none. It's all about learning. And your intuition is sometimes going to guide you to the right thing. Sometimes you'll think it's your intuition and it's not. Even when it's, like, you take a wrong turn because you thought it was your intuition, but it's actually not. That moment teaches you something about, "Oh, okay, so that felt like that. That wasn't my intuition. That was actually my ego or whatever it was." So just, like, when you're trying to navigate life or make a decision or whatever, turn inwards first. And just trust that you will take the right step in that moment. And if it doesn't lead you to where you want it to go, then you'll just take another step or another decision. It's not a linear path, at all. So you have to be prepared to let things get a little bit messy and step out of your comfort zone into the unknown.

Jennia: Well, thank you. This has been really insightful and it's also been very grounding.

Jennifer Jane Young: Thank you! (laughs). I'm happy it was, and it was so nice to chat with you, as always.

Jennia: You too!

Jennia: Well, thank you for listening and make sure to check out this show notes for more information! Jenn is also very generously hosting a giveaway for listeners, where you're going to be able to choose one of three selected items from her shop. I'll have all the details in the show notes and I'll have descriptions and pictures of the prizes on my social media accounts. I look forward to you joining me next week as author Christopher Morris talks about the importance of vulnerability and memoir, and just what that entails. And if you enjoyed today's show, please subscribe and share the link with a friend. Thanks again!