Julie Cohen – 7 Keys to Worklife Balance
Q: What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it?
Author: I am most excited about my book topic as it gives readers concrete tools to make real change in their work-life balance situation. Over the past ten years as a Career Coach, I’ve encountered many people dissatisfied with their mix of personal and professional responsibilities. I wanted to provide real solutions that readers could implement that fit for them. I choose this topic for many reasons – my clients and network told me this was their biggest professional challenge and solutions to it would increase their professional and personal satisfaction; I personally struggle with these challenges as a business owner, mother, wife, community member with many professional and personal responsibilities, and I wanted to provide something different from what I was seeing ‘out there’ on the book shelves and on-line.
Q: How long did the book take you from start to finish?
Author: My book project developed in multiple phases. I created the content initially for a teleclass that I offered in 2007. After a few offerings, I kept expanding the content and created an in-person workshop. As interest grew in the topic, I saw that I could provide more value by continuing to expand the material and write a book. The transition from workshop/teleclass content to full book took about a year.
Q: What aspect of writing the book did you find particularly challenging?
Author: I found the process of working with my editor the most interesting, creative and challenging! She was the first person to look at the content of the book from a critical angle – looking at how to continually improve it for readers and for marketability. It made me look at the content differently too – and I had to let go of certain things that I thought were important to the book, and I also had to write more when I thought I was done.
Q: What surprised you the most about the book writing process?
Author: How emotionally connected I was to my material, and how all encompassing it can be. I learned more lessons about work-life balance while I was writing a work-life balance book!
Q: Did you have any favorite experiences when writing your book?
Author: When the completed books arrived at my house! I didn’t know they arrived and they were left in front of my garage. I almost ran my car into them when I left my house. It was a great surprise.
Q: What do you hope your readers will gain from reading your book?
Author: Tools and techniques to make real change in their work-life balance. And, a process that they design that fits for them. They won’t be getting a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach to work-life balance.
Q: What projects are you currently working on?
Author: I am now working on presenting the content of the 7 Keys to Work-Life Balance to various audiences through live workshops and online teleclasses.
Q: Is writing your sole career? If not, what else do you do?
Author: Writing is not my career. I am a Career Coach – I support my clients to achieve greater career and work-life balance satisfaction. Writing this book gave me another avenue to get my message out and provide value to my network.
Q: Did you do any research for your books, or did you write from experience?
Author: The book was written from 10+ years of anecdotal experience examining the challenges professionals face with work-life balance. I then applied a ‘coach approach’ to give readers tools and solutions to make real change in their professional and personal lives.
Q: How did you come up with your title?
Author: The main title, “Your Work, Your Life … Your Way” just came to me one day. The sub-title, “7 Keys to Work-Life Balance” evolved. My original teleclass was called “Overcoming the 7 Barriers to Work-Life Balance.” One of the many benefits that my editor added to the process was her input to find a more ‘positive’ focus of the title. So, I switched the “7 Barriers” to the “7 Keys” which required significant re-writing.
Q: What books have influenced you the most?
Author: As a coach, some of the most meaningful books around career and life satisfaction that I have found, and that I often recommend to clients include: Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman, The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander, The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, Getting Things Done by David Allen and Time To Think by Nancy Kline.
Q: Who was your publisher and why did you choose them?
Author: I choose to self-publish. After a lot of reflection and input from trusted colleagues and consultants, I decided that did not want to go the traditional route. I wanted to get my content to my audience as soon as possible. I also wanted to own and control the content. I may seek a traditional publisher in the future, but for now, this was the right decision for my business goals and my audience.
Thank you for taking the time to be part of this interview!
To learn more about the book and Author, please visit – http://www.7keystoworklifebalance.com/book/
