Author Interview: Nonfiction Author John Neral

Our guest today is John Neral, author of the nonfiction book, Your Mid-Career GPS: Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next.  

John Neral, MA, CPC reawakens, energizes, galvanizes, and innovates the mind think of employees, corporations, associations, and systems. A celebrated executive/career and professional development coach and in-demand, mindset-shifting public speaker, John’s professional walk included a 25-year career in education and a longstanding corporate consultant for Fortune 500 giant, Casio America, Inc. He now leads John Neral Coaching, LLC, one of the most progressive, mindset-shifting professional and organizational coaching and public speaking firms in the U.S. He is the author of Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next and SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career and the host of “The Mid-Career GPS Podcast.”

As a Master Practitioner in the Energy Leadership Index, John’s experience has made him an impactful and valuable coach to his one-on-one and group coaching clients and organizations. With Energy Leadership™, John identifies where people perform at their optimal levels and when they are under stress. Combining the Energy Leadership™ principles, a client’s workplace strengths, and their “unique professional value,” John helps his clients create their career GPS so they can take action toward achieving their professional and personal goals.

A former church organ prodigy, John is an avid traveler–having sojourned to 5 of the 7 continents, a professional bowler and the winner of a Professional Bowlers’ Association Regional Title (2010), and a game-show fan, having appeared on previous episodes of GSN’s Chain Reaction and Make My Day. John is happily married and lives with his spouse and their rescue cat, Amy Farrah Meowler (named after the Big Bang Theory character), in the heart of Washington DC’s Dulles Technology Corridor, Tysons Corner, VA.

You can visit his website at https://johnneral.com or follow him at Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

About the Book

Title: YOUR MID-CAREER GPS: FOUR STEPS TO FIGURING OUT WHAT’S NEXT
Author: John Neral
Publisher: LLH Publishing
Pages: 281
Genre: Job Hunting/Business Mentoring and Coaching

Are you considering a career change but doubt yourself or get easily overwhelmed by the entire process?

Are you a mid-career professional ready to level-up, but unsure of what steps to take?

What if there was an easy and supportive way to plan your next career destination?

Your Mid-Career GPS will guide you to create your own professional roadmap so you can find the job you love or love the job have. John Neral, Certified Professional Coach, will help you strategically position yourself in the marketplace while teaching you how to leverage your unique skills from a place of value and service for any organization.

Learn how to prepare, position, and promote yourself as you create a tactical and strategic plan by building Your Mid-Career GPS. Let this book be your guide to answer many of the current questions you have about creating your next advancement opportunity.

INTERVIEW

What made you decide to become a published author?

It’s about serving my audience. I know I have a story to tell and provided a book to help some people navigate their lives and careers. For me, the best way to do that was to write my books and get them published.

Would you consider your latest book, your mid-career gps – four steps to figuring out what’s next, to be a one of a kind?  How so?

Yes. My book is one of a kind in that no other book looks at any career transition in these four steps the way I have outlined them. The most intriguing part of my book is the section on what it means to SHOW UP in your career. I’ve created six steps to help people SHOW UP to make the impact they want in their lives and careers. These six strategies are unique to my coaching practice and how I specifically help my clients.

Where is your writing sanctuary?

My office. I love my home office. It’s comfortable and allows me to be super productive. After a 25-year career where I was always on-site, I wasn’t sure how I would like working from home. It turns out I love it!

What do you believe a writer should not do as far as getting his or her book published?

Hire an editor. I treasure my relationship with my editor, Richard Lucey, Jr. because his critical lens is excellent. He isn’t afraid to tell me what sections need improvement or where things don’t flow smoothly. As authors, we are too close to our work. That’s why it’s crucial to have someone you trust to give you the robust and critical feedback you need to publish a quality book.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by everyday people who do extraordinary things. We are curious creatures, and by nature, we love a great story. Everyone has one! I get energized by people who’ve taken a risk, found the love of their life, earned a degree later in their lives, traveled somewhere most people don’t, etc. I love learning about people and getting inspired by what they have done.

What is one thing you learned about your book after it was published?

Not to look at it with too critical of a lens because I’ve already done that. If I go searching for a mistake or an error, I’ll want to go back and re-write something. I’ve invested so much time and energy into getting this book published that I’ve done all of that agonizing and stressful work. What I’ve learned after it’s published is just to enjoy it and celebrate that I’m a published author.

Why do you love to write self-help/career books?

I’ve always been interested in self-help books growing up. As I started my career, I quickly invested in various professional development books to help me be a better leader and professional. I don’t know anyone who wakes up each day and says, “I’m going to do a horrible job today.” People care about what they do. It’s part of who they are. If my books can help them be a little better in some way, I’ve done my job and touched a life or two.

You’re concocting a recipe for a best selling book.  What’s the first ingredient?

Build a community of people who are going to champion your cause and promote your book. Whether you self-publish, use a hybrid publisher, or are lucky enough to secure a major publisher, you need a community that will help you organically spread the word about you and your book. Your community will give you input, guidance, feedback, and buy your book. The quicker you get them on your side and fans of your work, the more people your book will reach.

What’s one fun fact about your book people should know?

I planned to write a very different book. I initially thought my book would be an updated version of my first book, SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career. Because of the pandemic and seeing so many people out of work, I decided to write a book specifically geared toward mid-career professionals to help them figure out what they wanted out of their lives and careers now. I remember the day I scrapped that manuscript. It was the right decision for that time. Things flowed easily once I got on this path to write this book.

Did any real life experiences find their way into your book?

There are plenty of personal, real-life experiences in my book, especially when it comes to interviewing. I have some great stories related to the entire interview process. My career path has been messy. I let the reader into those stories so they can learn from my successes and challenges.

Aside from writing, what’s your passion?

I’m a professional bowler and actively compete on the PBA Regional Senior Tour. I enjoy throwing a bowling ball, and it was the one sport my father taught me that I loved. I’ve met some of my dearest friends who’ve become family all because of bowling.

What’s next for you?

I’m spending a lot of time on my podcast, “The Mid-Career GPS,” and have plans to turn my book into a course. As an entrepreneur, I get to grow my business so I can fulfill my mission of helping mid-career professionals improve their job satisfaction by finding a job they love or loving the job they have.

Author Interview: Self-Help & Narrative Nonfiction Author Erik Lewin

Our guest today is Erik Lewin, author of the self-help nonfiction book, This is How I Spell Grief: A Guide to Healing From Loss and Finding Fulfillment.  

Erik Lewin is the author of three books – This is How I Spell Grief, Animal Endurance, and Son of Influence – as well as numerous essays published in Ponder Review, GNU Journal, David Magazine, Real Vegas Magazine &Literate Ape. Erik is also a stand-up comedian who performs in clubs and venues around the country. He formerly practiced law as a criminal defense attorney in New York City and Los Angeles. He is at work on a new one-man show loosely based on This is How I Spell Grief.

Erik lives in Las Vegas with his wife and their furry pets.

Visit his website at www.eriklewincomedy.com or connect with him on Facebook and Goodreads.

About the Book

Title: THIS IS HOW I SPELL GRIEF: A GUIDE TO HEALING FROM LOSS & FINDING FULFILLMENT
Author: Erik Lewin
Publisher: Jeffrey Park Press
Pages: 126
Genre: Self-Help/Narrative/Nonfiction

Erik Lewin shares how he turned the profound loss of his mother and father into life-changing growth, with intimacy, warmth and humor. He offers a no-nonsense, commonsense way to create your personal path to acceptance of your loss.

Lewin became an expert in his grief experience twice over, encouraging readers to find their own way, as no two lives or losses are the same. He eschews expert opinions and general analyses of grieving in favor of common sense, letting you know you are not alone in how you’re feeling. He shares how he turned his loss into an impetus to personal change. A former criminal defense lawyer, Lewin is now a full time writer and standup comedian.

This Is How I Spell Grief takes a counter-intuitive approach to self-help; there are no eight simple exercises to get over it. Instead, you gradually learn to address grief on your own terms, to make true and lasting peace with your loss.

PRAISE

“Generous, intimate and deeply personal, even funny at times. I believe this book will help readers work with their own grief.” – NOAH BRUCE, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director, Salinas Valley Medical Clinic

“Outstanding work. Everything I felt about my father’s recent death and my best friend’s death 14 years ago was articulated in this writing. It truly is a wonderful tome on helping one to manage their grief after the death of a loved one.” – Philip Peredo

“This is the book that I wished I had many years ago when first confronting the passing of my father. The author expertly navigates all of the issues that one encounters when grieving. It’s a remarkable book in that even for those who think we have a handle on their grief, the author helps us understand new ways to engage with grief. It’s definitely not a self-help book, but I found it much more profound and valuable.” – AKF

What made you decide to become a published author?

The alternative was working for a living.

Would you consider your latest book, this is how I spell grief: a guide to healing from loss and finding fulfillment, to be a one of a kind?  How so?

I do. Not in the sense that every member of the human race suffers deep personal loss at some point, but in the way I talk about it. I’m just a normal guy, a former lawyer and comedian, who shares in a (hopefully) warm and humorous way, how we must become experts of our own grief. No one can do it for us.

Where is your writing sanctuary?

It is wherever my mind and heart happen to be, but physically, they can be found at any one of several coffee shops near my home.

What do you believe a writer should not do as far as getting his or her book published?

Care what others will think about it. The true voice must be permitted to speak, in an unvarnished and uncompromised way.

What inspires you?

Life itself – its incomprehensible vastness, and how we are each a part of that.

What is one thing you learned about your book after it was published?

It may not resonate with every reader, and that is healthy and natural.

Why do you love to write self-help?

I don’t. I was inspired to write this book, and it happens to fall within a self-help purview.

You’re concocting a recipe for a best-selling book.  What’s the first ingredient?

If I knew that, I would tell you!

What’s one fun fact about your book people should know?

My sense of humor flourished after suffering deep personal loss. I discuss this in the book. There is a great humility we can tap into.

Did any real life experiences find their way into your book?

Many, including family relationships as well as ridiculous scenarios I found myself in during the course of being a caregiver.

Aside from writing, what’s your passion?

Stand-up comedy and performance.

What’s next for you?

A one-man show loosely based on this book, with a lot of humor!