Title: EPISODE36 - Nancy Christie, Author of "The Gifts of Change"

Nancy Christie's notes from Professionals with Impact, July 14, 2008
Listen to the show for additional information and great dynamic stories about change.

Episode Notes: Nancy is a freelance writer and author of The Gifts of Change, e-host of the Community of Change and host of â??Take Charge of Your Lifeâ?? Internet radio talk show premiering August 5, 2008 at 10 AM (EST)

Nancy Christie
330-793-3675
Websites: www.communityofchange.com and Make a Change blog at http://communityofchange.blogspot.com/.
www.nancychristie.com and The Writer’s Place blog at http://nancychristie.blogspot.com/
E-mail: nancy@nancychristie.com
Talking points
My profession: I’m a freelance writer for magazines and companies nationwide, workshop teacher on both motivational and writing-related subjects, author of The Gifts of Change and host of “Take Charge of Your Life” on VoiceAmerica network.
About The Gifts of Change: This book came about as a result of my mother’s battle with cancer and focuses on how to make the most of the changes that come into our lives, even when they are ones we don’t want, are afraid of or feel unprepared to handle. Change is neither good nor bad, it just is. It’s how we interpret the change, how we allow it to affect us that makes it either a positive or a negative force.

What the stories in The Gifts of Change illustrate is that those times when our life is not going according to plan is when the most potential for growth exists. We can either throw in the towel or look inside ourselves to find the strength and ability to persevere. This approach not only gets us through the difficult time but also rewards us with a new appreciation of ourselves—the gift brought by the change.

The book is published by Beyond Words under Simon & Schuster’s Atria imprint, and it’s available through Amazon at bookstores nationwide.

About my workshops: I teach both writing-related workshops and motivational ones, including my “Rut-Busting”™ workshop series. But what I have found is that all my classes have elements of proactivity and self-development. It is so easy to believe that what we have accomplished is all we can accomplish and that whenever things don’t turn out the way we wanted, that is a precursor of future outcomes.
Self-doubt is so pervasive and so damaging. We are so quick to give up, to believe that we can’t, that our belief becomes reality. And we are equally quick to resist challenging ourselves, doing what I call exercising our “change muscle.” We like the status quo and we are afraid of trying something new, of pushing beyond our self-imposed boundaries. The problem with that is that we become weaker, not safer, and then when a challenge comes along, we are unable to deal with it as effectively as we might wish.

About the concept of failure: Failure just means the outcome isn’t the one you wanted. Like a weed is simply a plant that surfaced where you don’t want it. It doesn’t mean you are stupid, incompetent or destined to be a failure forever. It just means that, for whatever reason—and there can be a lot of different ones—what you tried didn’t work. What you need to do is figure out why it didn’t work and what you have to change to get a different outcome. Or perhaps it isn’t what you need to do but what you want as an outcome that needs to be revised. You need to be open to change. Sometimes those obstacles or roadblocks can be the best thing that happened to you!

Upcoming projects: My “Take Charge of Your Life” radio show will premiere August 5, and I’m quite excited about the prospect of bringing top names in various fields—health, finance, career and life planning and self-development—to my listeners.
I’m also working on a new book, with the working title of Say “Yes!” for a Change: Change your response to change your life! The book’s title, Say “Yes!” for a Change, can be taken two ways: say “Yes” instead of always saying “No” and say “Yes” to bring into being the transformation.
Each chapter focuses on a way to say “Yes” to change, beginning with a reflective approach that encourages readers to look inward to evaluate their own responses to change, closing with (in marketing terms) a “call to action”: three questions, suggestions or points to consider, giving readers the chance to put their understanding to the test by making a measurable change.
Say “Yes!” for a Change uses a combination of personal stories and practical suggestions to help readers approach change from a different perspective. Both experts in the field of change and individuals who have experienced personal challenges offer their comments, views and experiences about how saying “yes” ultimately enhanced and enriched their lives.

Pro bono activities: I have done a number of motivational speaking engagements and mini-workshops for community organizations and non-profit groups. I developed my Community of Change web site as a way to offer even more encouragement and support to those who are struggling with change. The site includes my Make a Change blog and my monthly Change-A-Gram—my way of doing what I can to reassure those who are under stress or unsure what to do when faced with transition.


As a professional writer, my door is open (figuratively speaking) to writers who either want to enter the freelance field or make a shift in their writing career. I offer them what wisdom and knowledge I have gained in my 20-plus years of writing and learning about the writing process. I have also expanded my Nancy Christie site to include The Writer’s Place section, where I offer information on upcoming conferences, books for and about writing and writers, and The Writer’s Place blog, covering a different writing topic each month.
Why I do it: While both my sites and my other activities require a lot of time and a fair bit of money to do, I feel that it is important to give something back to the universe without requiring compensation. Through the years, so many people have helped me professionally and personally that it is my way of “paying it forward.”

Most enriching moment: There have been quite a few but what keeps me going is when someone says reading my book or attending one of my motivational workshop gave them the courage to pursue their dream or overcome their problem. Or when a writer says that my words encouraged him or her to keep pushing forward, despite the mounds of rejection letters or the mountain of self-doubt.

What is your life goal: To use my writing to make a difference in someone’s life. To help another person view life a little differently, a little more positively. To encourage others to try something that stretches their abilities and changes how they think about themselves.