Your Write Life Coach | Motivation and Momentum for Heart-Led Authors

Alice Crider | Book Editor, Author Coach, Certified Life Coach
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Welcome to Your Write Life Coach! A podcast where heart-led authors of non-fiction, fiction, and memoir go from stuck and overwhelmed to aligned and unstoppable. Each week, I bring you real stories, hard-won lessons, and secrets from bestselling authors, so you can avoid costly mistakes and move forward with clarity and confidence. With my 30 years of experience, I'll help you shift from confusion and burnout to purpose and momentum. Because book publishing success doesn't have to mean selling your soul. I'm Alice Crider, and I'm so glad you're here. Learn more at alicecrider.com.

  1. 5d ago

    Rethinking Imposter Syndrome for Writers: Why You're Not a Fraud | Ep17

    You may have already called yourself a fraud at least once this week. Not out loud, but just that quiet voice that shows up right before you hit send, right before you speak up, right before you finally share the thing you've been working on. We've been told for almost fifty years that this feeling has a name — imposter syndrome — and a cause rooted in self-doubt. In this episode, I — author coach, book editor, and certified life coach — question whether that story is actually the right one. Drawing on an author who sat on a finished manuscript for two years and her own imposter moment at the launch of this very podcast, I make the case that what is often called "imposter syndrome" might really just be your nervous system doing exactly what it was built to do.   In This Episode Why the science behind “imposter syndrome” isn't as settled as we've all assumed Where the term actually came from — and how it drifted from “phenomenon” to “syndrome” The story of an author who sat on a finished, good manuscript for two years, convinced it “wasn't ready” My own imposter moment at the start of this podcast — and what actually moved her through it Why your nervous system, not a personality flaw, is behind most of your self-doubt The important difference between real barriers (bias, gatekeeping) and internal doubt — and why they deserve different conversations A simple, four-step practice for noticing doubt instead of obeying it The invitation: one small, true step you can take this week   📗 From the Episode 📗 “That wiring never got the memo that wild beasts are no longer eating people for breakfast.” “A rejected query doesn't make you a fraud. It makes you a writer who queried. That's the whole game, friend — not zero rejection, just zero surrender.”   ✍️ Your Invitation This Week Four small steps: Notice the thoughts that make you doubt yourself — without judging them Thank your nervous system for trying to keep you safe Remind yourself of your calling, and ask: “What is one small step I can take?” When the answer comes — take that step It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be true, and it has to be yours. Then give yourself a high five — you just expanded your own comfort zone, and that's worth celebrating.   Links & Resources Mentioned Grab some free resources for writers at alicecrider.com /your-write-life-coach-podcast   Work with Alice one-on-one: alicecrider.com or email admin@alicecrider.com The term “impostor phenomenon” was coined by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in their 1978 paper, “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention,” published in the journal Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice Definition referenced from Merriam-Webster   Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review!   ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit. *********************  About Your Host Alice Crider is an author coach, book editor, and certified life coach. She has edited hundreds of books and spent decades helping writers move from stuck to published — with their voice, vision, and sanity intact. Her podcast, Your Write Life Coach, exists to give heart-led authors the motivation AND the momentum they need to do the work that matters. Find Alice at alicecrider.com

    Rethinking Imposter Syndrome for Writers: Why You're Not a Fraud | Ep17

  2. Aug 31

    What Actually Moves a Writing Career Forward - Laurie Davies Interview Part 2 | Ep16

    In Part 1, Laurie Davies got honest about the decade of inner work — and self-rejection — behind her debut book, Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck. In this second half of the conversation, Laurie and I turn to what actually moves a writing career forward: staying authentic instead of chasing platform tactics, why writers' conferences matter more for relationships than for strategy, and how Laurie has come to define success in a way that has nothing to do with bestseller lists. Laurie also shares a laugh-out-loud story about the day she accidentally made her first impression on her future acquiring editor, plus a moment with a reader that she now considers the real measure of whether her book is hitting the mark. About Laurie Davies Author of Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck (Moody Publishers, 2026)Writer, speaker, and lay counselor who helps women let go of emotional "clutter" — regret, grudges, bitterness, and shameBackground in journalism; has written professionally for 35 years and added speaking to her work over the last 8 yearsWriter for Proverbs 31 Ministries devotionalsLives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her husband of 30 years Connect with Laurie Davies Website: LaurieDavies.comInstagram: @lauriedaviesauthorFacebook: @LaurieDaviesAuthorBook: Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck — available wherever books are sold What You'll Hear in This Episode What actually kept Laurie going through self-rejectionWhy chasing platform tactics never felt authentic to Laurie — and why that's okayThe unexpected "kindness" Laurie now sees in her platform not growing fasterThe belief Laurie had to let go ofThe two things Laurie says are pure gold about writers' conferencesThe story of how Laurie accidentally met her acquiring editorWhy no one in the Bible went from zero to serving overnightHow Laurie defines success in book publishing — and it's not the bestseller listWhat "success" really looks likeLaurie's advice for writers just starting out 📜Quotable Moments “I think you have to just stay in love with writing... So much of the business side of all of this can just suck the life right out of that.” — Laurie Davies “I can't find one person in the Bible who went from zero to serving the kingdom overnight.” — Laurie Davies “Man looks at the outward man, but God looks at the heart.” — Laurie Davies Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review! ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit.

    What Actually Moves a Writing Career Forward - Laurie Davies Interview Part 2 | Ep16

  3. Aug 24

    The Inner Work of Becoming a Published Writer - Laurie Davies Interview Part 1 | Ep15

    In this first half of a two-part conversation, I sit down with author, speaker, and lay counselor Laurie Davies to talk about the long road to her debut book, Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck. Laurie and I met ten years ago at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and in this episode Laurie gets honest about what it actually took to get from "rising star" (as I called her) to published author — including the pride she had to let go of, the season when speaking opportunities outpaced her writing career, and the surprising moment her manuscript finally sold. We also dig into comparison, platform-building, and the real story behind Laurie's own rejection — which, as she puts it, was mostly self-imposed. Part 2 continues the conversation with practical wisdom on what actually moves a writing career forward, including how to get the most out of writers' conferences and staying connected to your "why." About Laurie Davies Author of Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck (Moody Publishers, 2026)Writer, speaker, and lay counselor who helps women let go of emotional "clutter" — regret, grudges, bitterness, and shameBackground in journalism; has written professionally for 35 years and added speaking to her work over the last 8 yearsWriter for Proverbs 31 Ministries devotionalsLives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her husband of 30 years Connect with Laurie Davies Website: LaurieDavies.comInstagram: @lauriedaviesauthorFacebook: @LaurieDaviesAuthorBook: Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck — available wherever books are sold What You'll Hear in This Episode How Laurie and Alice met at the 2016 Mount Hermon Writers ConferenceThe "back of the house" personal growth that happened over Laurie's 10-year path to publicationWhy Laurie had to let go of pride — and what she learned from watching speaking doors open before writing doors didThe moment Laurie "laid down" her attachment to platform, and what happened eight weeks laterLaurie's take on comparison, and why it never leads anywhere goodThe real story of Laurie's rejection — and why she says it wasn't imposter syndromeThe "three-legged stool" of publishing: writing, idea, and platform — and how Laurie sold a book with only two 📜 Quotable Moments 📜 “Sometimes there's some pride that has to go, so we can adopt a posture of humility, which is essential in this space.” — Laurie Davies “I was my own rejection.” — Laurie Davies “The best way for you to show up as a writer is to be absolutely you.” — Alice Crider Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review! ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit.

    The Inner Work of Becoming a Published Writer - Laurie Davies Interview Part 1 | Ep15

  4. Aug 17

    Why Are You Writing? Your Reason May Not Be What You First Think It Is | Ep14

    Most of us never actually stop to ask why we write. We assume we know — and often, we're wrong. In this episode, I take listeners back to my own teenage assumption that being good at English meant I was meant to be a writer, and the adult detour that followed: chasing the idea of making money as an author, before realizing that wasn't my real why after all. That realization led me to editing instead — and, decades later, to writing a book of my own for reasons that have nothing to do with a royalty statement. I walk through the real reasons writers write — to communicate, to be heard, to be noticed, to contribute, to leave a legacy, or because they simply feel called — and name something many authors carry quietly: the shame of wanting to be paid for their work, and the fear that admitting it makes them less "legitimate" as a writer. I ground the conversation in real numbers from the Authors Guild's 2023 Author Income Survey, and close with a simple, layered writing exercise designed to help you find your own most honest why. In This Episode Why being good at something isn't the same as being called to itThe real reasons writers write: to communicate, to be heard, to be noticed, to contribute, to leave a legacy, or because they feel calledWhat the Authors Guild's 2023 Author Income Survey actually reveals about what published authors earnThe quiet shame many writers carry about wanting to be paid — and permission to let it goMy own story: from a teenage assumption about being a writer, to chasing a money-driven dream, to becoming an editor insteadThis week's exercise: the seven-layer "I write because..." question to find your most heartfelt why 🌟 From the Episode "Fog doesn't carry you through a revision at eleven o'clock at night. Clarity does." "Wanting to be paid fairly for your work is not a character flaw. You're allowed to want the deeper reason and the paycheck. Those two things aren't in competition. They're supposed to work together." 💎 This Week's Invitation Take a blank sheet of paper and write, "I write because..." — then fill in the blank with your most honest answer. Underneath it, write down why you answered that way ("I write because I love to write" becomes "I love to write because..."). Keep asking the next why, based on your last answer, seven times through. By the bottom of the page, you'll have landed on your most heartfelt reason — the one that was underneath all the others the whole time. Links & Resources 📒 Free resources: alicecrider.com 📒 The InkWell Collective: https://www.alicecrider.com/inkwellcollective 📒 Coaching inquiries: admin@alicecrider.com Source for author income statistics: Authors Guild 2023 Author Income Survey (authorsguild.org) ✒️ Join the Conversation What's your honest answer to "I write because..."? We'd love to hear where your seven layers landed — share it with us inside The InkWell Collective, or tag Alice when you post. About Alice Alice Crider is a book editor, certified life coach, and author coach with nearly thirty years of publishing experience. She hosts Your Write Life Coach and leads The InkWell Collective, a community for heart-led authors. Her first book releases next year.

    Why Are You Writing? Your Reason May Not Be What You First Think It Is | Ep14

  5. Aug 10

    From Unpublished to Multi-Published: Angela Ruth Strong on Rejection, Resilience, and Writing Rom-Com at 35,000 Feet | Ep13

    I sit down with author Angela Ruth Strong — flight attendant, breast cancer survivor, and multi-published, award-winning writer of Christian romantic comedy — for a candid conversation about the real road from unpublished to multi-published. Angela shares her “victim ladder” framework for processing rejection, the moment a rejection nearly broke her, how she kept writing through chemo brain, and what she's learned about redefining success on her own terms. About Angela Ruth Strong Angela Ruth Strong is a multi-published, award-winning author of Christian romantic comedy (rom-com). Her books have earned a TOP PICK in Romantic Times, a Christy Award nomination, and the Cascade Award, and she has landed on Amazon bestseller lists more than once. Her novel Finding Love in Big Sky was adapted for film (aired on UPtv). Angela writes while working as a flight attendant, is a breast cancer survivor, and founded IDAhope Writers to support aspiring authors in Idaho, where she lives. Her newest release, Claire Holloway Is Winging It, is book one in her High-Flying Romance series. What You'll Hear In This Episode The “victim ladder” — Angela's eight-step framework for moving through rejection, from denial and blame through acceptance, ownership, and forward motionThe rejection that “broke her” — and how that same publisher later became her publishing homeWhy her most enjoyable book to write, Husband Auditions, came together during breast cancer treatment and chemo brainHow Angela wove comedy into her romance writing after the chick-lit market dried upHer four examples of “spending styles” — enjoyment, stability, status, or control — and how each can shape what success looks like for a writerWhat she wishes someone had told her: that writing is more about the personal arc than the finish line 💎Favorite Moments "I felt like I had to prove myself. I felt like if I didn't become published soon enough, I'd give up on my dreams, and then they'd never happen." "Success for me is really enjoyment. I enjoy what I do. I enjoy meeting people. I enjoy the process." "It's more about my character growth, my personal arc, my personal story, than it is about success — than it is about getting to the end." 🔖 About Claire Holloway Is Winging It Book one in the High-Flying Romance series, Claire Holloway Is Winging It, draws on Angela's real experience as a flight attendant — including, by her own admission, at least one real-life rogue orange juice carton. Connect with Angela 🌐 AngelaRuthStrong.com 💌 Sign up for Angela's newsletter and join her reader group on Facebook (“Strong Readers”)  for updates on new releases. Connect with Alice 🌐 Website: alicecrider.com 📗 The InkWell Collective — A community of heart-led authors, including regular writing sprints on Zoom https://www.alicecrider.com/inkwellcollective 🐴 Coaching inquiries: admin@alicecrider.com

    From Unpublished to Multi-Published: Angela Ruth Strong on Rejection, Resilience, and Writing Rom-Com at 35,000 Feet | Ep13

  6. Aug 3

    Just Say Next — Seven More Ways to Navigate a "No" | Ep12

    Before Chicken Soup for the Soul became a bestselling franchise, the original manuscript was rejected 144 times. Jack Canfield's advice for handling a pile of no's? "Reject rejection. If someone says no, just say NEXT!" Last episode, I talked about why rejection hurts and how to hold it as information instead of a verdict. This week, I'm back with seven more ways to actually walk through a "no" when it lands — plus a piece of my own early career story and an old baseball phrase that's changed how I think about staying in the game. In this episode, I cover: Let Yourself Feel ItGet Curious Instead of Defensive"No" Often Means "Not Here"Reframe Rejection as RedirectionPlay the "What If Up" GameDon't Carry It AloneRecruit Extra SupportPlus: the bottom line on remembering who you are, even when the rejections keep coming. Links Mentioned 🔖 Mentioned in this episode: the story of Chicken Soup for the Soul's 144 rejections, as recounted by Jack Canfield (source: Literary Hub, "The Most-Rejected Books of All Time"). 🔖 Nervous system regulation list referenced from functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole (@drwillcole). 🔖 The "no hits, no runs, no errors" baseball phrase, referenced from the Baseball Almanac. Free Resources for You 📒 Free Guide: Reader Avatar Worksheet Reconnect with who you're actually writing for — a beautiful reset when you've gotten tangled up in what everyone wants instead of who really needs your words. https://www.alicecrider.com/reader-avatar   📒 Free ebook: Book Publishing Essentials A foundational ebook to help you navigate the publishing journey with clarity and confidence. https://www.alicecrider.com/book-publishing-essentials 📒 Free Download: Your First 100 Readers Roadmap A step-by-step path to your first 100 true fans. No ads, no big platform, no guessing. https://www.alicecrider.com/100-readers-032026 📗 Join The InkWell Collective — A community of heart-led authors, including regular writing sprints on Zoom. https://www.alicecrider.com/inkwellcollective ✅ Coaching inquiries: admin@alicecrider.com or alicecrider.com

    Just Say Next — Seven More Ways to Navigate a "No" | Ep12

  7. Jul 27

    Why Rejection Hurts (and What It's Really Teaching You) | Ep11

    That email. That phone call. "Thank you for your submission, but it's not a fit for our list right now." If you've ever felt your whole identity as a writer wobble after reading one of those, this episode is for you. This week, I'm unpacking why rejection cuts so deep — and why it doesn't mean what you think it means. I'm sharing the story of an author I coached through rejection after rejection, who eventually found her audience in the most unexpected way. I'm also getting honest about a "no" of my own that turned into one of the best collaborations of my career. In this episode, we talk about: Why rejection is information, not a verdictThe very human reason rejection actually hurtsHow to build a container for the sting, without numbing yourself to itWhy your identity was never supposed to depend on anyone else's approval Whatever rejection you're carrying right now, friend, I hope this episode helps you set it down — even just for a minute. 🔖 Mentioned in this episode: Running on Empty Isn't Your Calling: A Whole Mom Reset for Mind, Body, and Soul (co-written with Tricia Goyer), scheduled for release April 2027 Free Resources for You 📒 Free Guide: Reader Avatar Worksheet Reconnect with who you're actually writing for — a beautiful reset when you've gotten tangled up in what everyone wants instead of who really needs your words. https://www.alicecrider.com/reader-avatar   📒 Free ebook: Book Publishing Essentials A foundational ebook to help you navigate the publishing journey with clarity and confidence. https://www.alicecrider.com/book-publishing-essentials 📒 Free Download: Your First 100 Readers Roadmap A step-by-step path to your first 100 true fans. No ads, no big platform, no guessing. https://www.alicecrider.com/100-readers-032026 📗 Join The InkWell Collective — A community of heart-led authors, including regular writing sprints on Zoom. https://www.alicecrider.com/inkwellcollective     Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review!   ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit.

    Why Rejection Hurts (and What It's Really Teaching You) | Ep11

  8. Jul 20

    What Horses Can Teach Writers About Winning Readers' Hearts | Ep10

    Readers don’t connect with your vocabulary — they connect with who you’re being on the page. In this episode, I break down three practical ways to help readers experience your writing instead of just understanding it: writing scenes instead of summaries, using concrete sensory detail, and letting vulnerability do the trust-building work that polish can’t. (There’s also a horse named Nugget involved.) In This Episode Why readers connect with who you’re being on the page, not your vocabularyThe real difference between telling your reader something and letting them experience itA careful, honest look at “mirror neurons” and what the science actually supportsWhy concrete, sensory detail does more work than naming an emotion outrightHow vulnerability — not polish — builds trust fastestOne simple, doable rewrite you can try in your manuscript this week(Plus: what my horse Nugget unintentionally taught me about all of this) A Line to Sit With “They’re not grading your vocabulary. They’re feeling for your pulse.” Mentioned in This Episode ✍️ The line that sparked this episode — horse trainer Pat Parelli’s “Your horse is listening. Just not to your words.” Free Resources for You   📒 Free ebook: Book Publishing Essentials A foundational ebook to help you navigate the publishing journey with clarity and confidence. https://www.alicecrider.com/book-publishing-essentials 📒 Free Guide: Creating an Ideal Reader Avatar Reconnect with who you're actually writing for — a beautiful reset when you've gotten tangled up in what everyone wants instead of who really needs your words. https://www.alicecrider.com/reader-avatar 📒 Free Download: Your First 100 Readers Roadmap A step-by-step path to your first 100 true fans. No ads, no big platform, no guessing. https://www.alicecrider.com/100-readers-032026 📗 Join The InkWell Collective — for monthly masterclasses, workshops, and writing sprints. https://www.alicecrider.com/inkwellcollective     Leave a review — it helps more heart-led authors find the show   ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit.

    What Horses Can Teach Writers About Winning Readers' Hearts | Ep10
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About

Welcome to Your Write Life Coach! A podcast where heart-led authors of non-fiction, fiction, and memoir go from stuck and overwhelmed to aligned and unstoppable. Each week, I bring you real stories, hard-won lessons, and secrets from bestselling authors, so you can avoid costly mistakes and move forward with clarity and confidence. With my 30 years of experience, I'll help you shift from confusion and burnout to purpose and momentum. Because book publishing success doesn't have to mean selling your soul. I'm Alice Crider, and I'm so glad you're here. Learn more at alicecrider.com.

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