Paulette Harper With Elevate Your Story

Intro: [00:00:06] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in the Bay Area. It’s time for Bay Area Business Radio. Now here’s your host

Lee Kantor: [00:00:17] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Bay Area Business Radio and this is going to be a fun one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Leah Davis, coaching inspiring women of color to claim their wealth legacy today in the Bay Area Business Radio. We have Paulette Harper with Elevate your story. Welcome, Paulette.

Paulette Harper: [00:00:39] Hello, Lee. Thank you so much. I’m glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:42] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Elevate your story. How are you serving, folks?

Paulette Harper: [00:00:48] Yeah. So as a published author of 12 books and a certified creative coach for aspiring nonfiction authors, my business model really is reaching and serving those who want to write books. Those who are coaches, thought leaders, faith based leaders and entrepreneurs who want to tap into their creativity and turn words into stories so they can accomplish those dreams of becoming published authors, but then also taking it a little bit further and showing them how to create a thriving business from that one book so they can become a better coaches or more entrepreneurs, or even create businesses that they haven’t yet tapped into.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:38] Now, can we talk a little bit about your back story? How did you get involved as an author and as a coach?

Paulette Harper: [00:01:46] Yeah. So my back story is I wrote my first book years ago, and when I wrote my book, I wrote it just because of being nudged by the Lord. And then I had gone through emotional trauma and from the emotional trauma and coming through that I realized that my story was powerful. I realized that there were other women who had gone through emotional trauma and losses and setbacks in life and divorce, and I wanted to be able to offer them a platform to be able to share their story without fear, share their stories without being intimidated to just really own their truth. And so for me, being able to write my story. It really opened up the opportunity for other women to say, You know what, I want to write my story, but I just don’t know how. And that’s where, you know, my business is. My business became an opportunity for me to just really showcase other authors or aspiring authors to be able to share their stories as well. So through my own pain, I began to write my story, and from that, it just opened up up opportunities for other women to say, You know what? I have something to share. I have a story, but I want to share with the world. But I just don’t know how and how can I get it out? And that’s where my back story started from. Just being able to share my own story with with other people as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:16] Now did something happen where you were able to connect dots to the power of storytelling? Did where story’s important to you growing up that you were able to kind of see the power in them and you were able to say, You know what? I have a story too. That’s worth telling.

Paulette Harper: [00:03:32] Actually, I when I first started sharing my story, I didn’t know any other writer, any other author. So for me, it was just really me learning that, you know, my words had power. And then for me, taking that journey and walking through the steps to become a published author, I began to be connected with other writers who helped me along the journey, and I was able to gleam off of them. But realizing that there is so, so much power in storytelling and that the connection really does come when we can be real, authentic, when we can tell the truth, when our truth really can resonate with other people who are going through similar experiences with us and that our stories matter and that our stories are really meant to be that creative force that really does propel other people to have the freedom to say, You know what, I don’t have to be ashamed about my scars, my bruises, what I’ve gone through in life, and that I can use what I’ve gone through to really propel me into destiny into purpose, and that there is a better place or a better purpose for me in life. And that really is sharing my story and letting other people hear the truth and the genuineness of what I’ve gone through.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:50] Do you find that folks who maybe tell you their story, they don’t see the value or the worth in it as much as you like, you’ll hear and you’re like, Oh, that’s fantastic. This is a powerful story. And for them, it’s just they almost take it for granted that they don’t see kind of all it could be.

Paulette Harper: [00:05:11] Yeah, in fact, I get it a lot. A lot of people are afraid to share because they don’t feel that there is anyone out there who will listen. There are people who won’t, you know, they feel that there’s other people who, you know, they feel like there is no value in what they’ve gone through or they don’t think anybody is going to read it. Or it sounds like somebody else’s story. And that’s, you know, that’s contrary to the truth. Because even though there are other people, for instance, that have gone through emotional trauma and divorce, no one has gone through the same experiences that I’ve gone through. No one has are going to be able to, you know, pull the lessons that I’ve learned out of my experiences. And so people, a lot of people stop at sharing their stories because they don’t feel that their story has value. But it does. You are the you don’t have to be certified to be able to share your story. You are an expert in the things you’ve gone through. You are an expert in the trauma because you learn to get out of it. You’re expert in the circumstances that life brought you because you were able to overcome those difficult situations, you were able to overcome and build a better life for yourself. And so whatever that looks like. So people feel that. But on the contrary, I tell people, you know, know your story matters, your voice matters, your experience matters. And let let let us share that with the world so that you can be able to connect with other people who are just like you.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:44] Can you share a story, maybe where either yourself or one of your clients was able to share their story and then the impact in the ripples that that caused where people were coming up to them and saying, Hey, you know, your story made a difference? And now because of this, I do that or now because of hearing you, I know I can do this as well.

Paulette Harper: [00:07:06] Yeah, you know. You know, for for me and then I’ll share a couple of my clients, but for me, it’s really being able to connect with other women. And once they read my story, my first book that was then this is now was written years ago, but I have people still, you know, reading it and coming to me and saying, You know what? I resonate with that. And it helped me just really identify where I am, and I’ve taken the the lessons you’ve learned. I’ve taken the tools that you’ve given. I’ve taken the suggestions and the steps to, you know, have a better life and get clarity on, you know, what my purpose is and then for my clients to be able to write their own transformational stories and self-help books. They’re people that read their stories, seeing the authentic see that they’re being so genuine and authentic in those stories because those are stories of triumph. But to get to that place, you had to go through very, you know, different struggles in life. And so their readers or, you know, really resonating with them and finding that there is hope that there is a place of, you know, a genuineness that they can be open to to be able to share their story. So it’s transformational. The readers are being transformed by the stories, but I’ve written stories that my clients have written and that’s really what it’s about, offering the transformational process to get you from where you are to where you need to go.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:49] Now, now that you’ve kind of created a business that’s around writing a book, is there any kind of tactical things that you would recommend someone who aspires to kind of follow that same path? There are things that they can be doing today that would help them build a business around writing themselves.

Paulette Harper: [00:09:12] Yeah, you know, if if somebody is aspiring to write a book, you know, the first thing I say, you know, make sure you get the clarity on which story that you want to write because there’s so many experiences that we have in life and you don’t want to take the reader on a journey where they’re confused when they get done reading your book, so you get clarity on that one story. And then once you get the clarity on that one story, then you’re able then to outline how it is that you want the story to flow, what it is that you want readers to know about you and then taking the readers on a journey. And that journey as the chapters unfold should be, you know, not only resonating with the reader but transforming the reader as they walk the journey with you. And then, you know, building the business side of it. For me, it was people coming to me and asking me, How do I do this? How do I write a book? How can you help me publish my book? And so the the demand for me was people asking for help. And so, you know, people will tell you what they need and you’re able to fill fill those needs because of your gifts, because of the creativity that you’ve been able to to show in your writing your story.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:35] Now, do you think that everyone has kind of do you think everyone could be a writer or is this something that you know you either have it or you don’t? Is this something that can be learned?

Paulette Harper: [00:10:49] Yeah, everybody has a story and everybody can be a writer and you develop the craft as you write more stories. And so, you know, for a lot of people, they think, you know, what stops a lot of people is they say, you know, well, I’m not a writer. And so the thing about it is, you have a story and you write it. And then there’s, you know, editors that help make your story polish and make it look really good. So you know, everybody, you know, as I mentioned, they have a story. It just depends on if they want people, you know, to publish it, if they want to publish their story, or maybe they just want a journal about it and let you know just family members read it or just, you know, have it in a in a diary. But everybody, you know, has the ability to write a story and you just have people that help craft it for you and make it better.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:46] Is there something that how do you know kind of your story is? A business as well. Is there some clues that when you’re writing a story that you know, you know what? This is something that can evolve into a business if I take certain steps.

Paulette Harper: [00:12:04] Yeah, I think anyone that is a storyteller can really create a business around it. For me, it’s coaching other people how to write books. It’s it’s helping other people pull out their creativity. And so depending on what the story is about, the book is about can really you can really tailor it for coaching. And so me, I have my other business is also my life coach and my empowerment coaching services that I also offer. And that helps the, you know, that deals with the internal struggles that women may have and how to help them get out of that. So, you know, there’s a niche for every story. You just have to find out what niche your story fits and then definitely as an audience to to service them

Lee Kantor: [00:13:05] Now, is that how you help your clients as you help them kind of hone in on what is the the story that that maybe is the most productive for them to be sharing?

Paulette Harper: [00:13:16] Yeah, I do. Just because there’s so many stories that we have so many experiences that we’ve gone through and you know, as a, you know, first time author or, you know, they want to write about everything. And so I help them get clarity on that one story. And from that one story, for instance, one of my clients wrote a book on on on forgiveness. And so it was centered around her, you know, her struggle with unforgiveness and how she walked, you know, her way through that process to live in an area of forgiveness. And so now from that, she could spring off to be a coach that helps other people in those same predicaments because she’s lived it. She she she know the process, she knows what it’s worked for her and she can apply those same tools and gifts, things and abilities to help her create a coaching business surrounding forgiveness. And then she can reach other people in that in that space as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:20] So now how do you kind of describe your ideal client who is the perfect fit for you in your practice?

Paulette Harper: [00:14:28] Yeah, my ideal client is a is thought leaders, faith based, faith based leaders as well. And then those who are really aspiring to write a story. It’s those who are ready to take action, ready to move, ready to say, You know what? I want to write a story and I want to. I need a coach. I need somebody who’s been there that’s going to help me. You know, along this, you know, along the journey that’s going to show me how to do it and do it correctly, that’s going to be there for me to be accountable. And so I’m looking for people who are ready to say yes, and they’re confident in the story that they want to write and they need a coach to help them along the journey to become a published author. And the thing about me is that I empower my clients to become the publisher themselves, so I empower them with the with the tools and the resources and even my literary professionals that will help them achieve those goals of becoming published authors

Lee Kantor: [00:15:40] And about how long does it take from when they begin working with you to when they have a book in their hand?

Paulette Harper: [00:15:46] Yeah. So there’s two types of people that I that I work with, depending on the stages that they’re in their writing journey. And so some people come to me and they have a manuscript already. And so for me, it could be a three month journey from that period on. I take their manuscript, I read it through. I make sure that it’s outlined correctly. It’s, you know, it’s it’s sharing what they’re what the author wants it to share. And then I moved them on the journey of edit. So that’s about a three month process. Now, those who have never written before, they don’t have a manuscript, they don’t not they’re not clear on their story, and they need help from the conception of it. Then that’s a three. That’s a six month process because it’s three months to really write the story, get the clarity right, the story and outline it. And then I have to allow the the author to be able to write the story in the designated amount of time and then the other three months, the other 90 days. It’s for the. Development of the of the product itself to produce the book.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:56] And if somebody wants to learn more and get on your calendar, maybe have a more substantive conversation with you. What is the best way to do that? You have a website.

Paulette Harper: [00:17:05] Yeah, I do. They can reach me. I call it Harper as Paulette Harper, and they go to my website. They can get a free gift from me, which is the Storytellers Story workbook, which is going to help them outline their story and pick the exact story that they want to write first. So they’re welcome to grab that copy of the Free My Free PDF that I offer as long as they join my mailing list.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:33] And then can people learn more about all the books that you publish on your website as well?

Paulette Harper: [00:17:38] Yeah, I have a section on my website that list all of my books. They’re more than welcome to go and read a little bit about more about me and the books that I’ve written, and then they can also purchase my books on Amazon as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:54] Well, Paulette, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work, and we appreciate you.

Paulette Harper: [00:18:00] Well, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate the opportunity.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:03] All right, this is Lee Kantor Lusail. Next time I’m Bay Area Business Radio.