Writing a transformational book: The 5 why’s behind the 40 year old success story
A soul in sync with its power can change the world one heartbeat at a time.
In August of 2020, Natalie Farrell turned 40. To celebrate she decided to write a book. One year on and Light The Way is now ready to be birthed into the world. In this exclusive blog for My LYS Life, Natalie shares with you the motivation behind her 40-year-old success story and the 5 why’s to writing her first transformational book.
Connect with community
The story to birthing my book actually starts a few months before my 40th birthday in June during our lockdown or lock-in should I say here in the South of Spain! We had been in a full lockdown for 2 months, walking the dog was the only time we got to breathe in some fresh air. Despite this, a beautiful community spirit was created by friends and fellow communities to keep our morale high.
I was running zoom seminars to help friends build the skill set needed to run their businesses online. This sparked new connections for people. And in June I joined a mastermind group run by a master coach and very good friend of mine, Christine Widdowson who had been participating in the seminars.
Always open to challenge!
I remember saying one day I want to write a book. To which Christine replied “I've heard you say that quite a lot Natalie! “What you're going to do about it?”
Always open to a challenge I saw this as the time to set the ball in motion. I had the time for sure! And I could really feel the book itself waking up within me. The ideas were becoming clearer and coming faster to me every day which meant that I could start to see the format of the book beginning to take shape.
Gain Clarity
The initial skeletal idea for the book came to me in a download one evening. I was presented with 10 words that represented the 10 steps that people go through when starting a spiritual awakening. I wrote the 10 words below into my notes on my phone and then forgot about them!
Realisation
Resistance
Knowing
Listen in
Blind Trails
Trust
Soul connections
Sitting in Silence
Reconnecting
Rising
Until a month later. When a fellow presenter at Wellbeing Radio sent a message asking if anyone knew of a publisher. They wanted to publish with a small publishing house rather than self-publish.
Iona Russell replied and mentioned she was a mentor for a publishing house called That's Guy's House. I saw this as an opening for me to put my thoughts into action. I arranged a chat with Iona that week and she loved the concept of the book.
Iona sent me over a proposal to have a few coaching sessions with her but something wasn't sitting right for me. So I went back to her and had an open conversation and said it was not right for me. Iona suggested that I connect with Nicola Humber, author of Heal your inner good girl, and Unbound and founder of The Unbound Press - a soul-led publishing imprint, committed to working with female authors whose writing activates a feeling of deep connection and transformation in others.
I just knew as soon as I started chatting to Nicola that this was the container for me to start writing my book. Nicola offered me a space on her Unbound Mastermind. Within the Mastermind, I had access to 4-5 hours of writing in a circle with other women who were also being called to create a transformational book.
As I started to write each week I began to gain clarity on the deeper reasons for writing the book. It was a chance for me to:
Understand my thought
Express my philosophies
A platform for all my ideas to be together and laid out in a succinct way
Clearly laying out a path so I could help. Not just one client. But open the work up to many different people.
Develop Deep Trust
It took me over 2 months to finally step fully into the mastermind. I wanted to gift it to myself as a 40th birthday present. It felt like I was showing the universe energetically that I was ready to fully expose myself and become the teacher and leader I was born to be.
I then spent seven glorious months writing in a circle with my unbound sisters. The writing was not what I expected. It's so much easier than I expected due to the Unbound way founded by Nicola. I cherished the nourishing way I would use to enjoy the process, allowing myself to write in a timeframe that suited me and my lifestyle.
Each week I would join a 1.5-hour writing circle which opened with a meditation. Followed by check-in to express what we desired to create. Keeping each other accountable turned out to be one of the most efficient ways of keeping the momentum moving in the devotional task of writing my book!
I’d be writing with journal prompts to begin with and going into the offerings of the Mastermind, enjoying the online retreats, mini-courses, and workshops hosted by soul-led women guiding us within all aspects of birthing a book from PR to Visibility to publishing processes.
I got into the groove
I made a time and space each week for my writing. In the first 3 months, it was 2-4 hours a week. In the last month, it turned into 25-30 hours a week. The whole experience of writing in the Unbound way was right for me because it allowed me to follow the cycles of my body and life.
During this period I started to realise how much of a hold my perfectionist traits took on tasks I’d set myself. Slowly, I let go of this way of being. Creating new rituals to keep the zest and momentum flowing in an integral way between writing and living.
I learned to stop and drop to my mat and zen out on a bolster to give my back the rest it needed. Or make a cup of tea to reflect and get a new perspective on a word that wasn’t quite coming to the front of my mind. I took my computer to the sea to write or to my favourite cafe to add an essence of Viva la Vida and realness into the book.
Soul’s Purpose
I started to realise that although the words and the philosophies were from experiences I had lived and learned from, they were also teachings that I had been through and experienced for many lifetimes. A glorious magical symbiotic exchange was occurring as I wrote. I was evolving.
As I evolved my perception became clearer. Keys were being activated within me to share new information and teachings. The knowledge within me was finally being fully expressed.
Natural Open Being
I saw very clearly my capacity to be natural and be open. These attributes are very attractive in this world right now as more and more people are beginning to develop a want and passion for simpler living. The exchange was electrifying, gripping, compelling for the more I wrote the more I began to see these skills as gifts. Gifts that would unlock the intuitive mastery within others who are ready right now to discover their soul purpose.
Finally, I was being the full expression of myself. I could express more clearly in my work as an author, presenter, and light leader. Four months into the writing and I would say that the book began to write itself. Many words and messages were being delivered to me.
Some words I didn’t even know the meaning of! But I trusted that they were right. It was such like I was playfully piecing together a large jigsaw puzzle!
Then one day it became really clear this book was to be in three parts. Leading people from a spiritual awakening into a soul awakening. To clear themselves of old soul-destroying habits and wake up to discover their soul’s purpose.
The first part - Unlock Your Intuitive Mastery is a guide to navigating the unknown and exploring the 7 stages of wake-up calls which are often ignored around the subject of change and transformation.
The second part takes the reader through the Soul Hustlers’ journey. Deepening their understanding of how to transform, unify and bring into balance the parts of life which are still playing out from past stories.
Part Three is called Cosmic Dancer and in this section, the reader begins to find their own activation keys to all the tools needed to bridge the gap between being human and cosmic. Finally, they can step into being a mystic in a modern world with confidence and own their own out-of-the-ordinary soul story.
Full Expression
This last reason is one I can only express now after completing the book. The experience was intimate. I fell in love with the book. And the book writing process.
I longed to be with her. At points, I really didn’t want to face her. After I submitted my first draft to my publisher I was nervous and relieved. Phew! She was in someone else’s hands for a few days and I could rest.
On the 13th March Nicola sent me an email:
I've SO enjoyed diving into Light The Way over the past week - what a magical companion she has been! Well done! I loved the fluid structure and the poems at the beginning of each chapter in the second part of the book are genius.
I burst into tears standing on the streets of Malaga. A momentous moment of celebration. For in this process of free writing and allowing myself to rise into the full expression of who I was born to be. I could relax into knowing that the words and messages were impactful.
What happened next is truly phenomenal.
I set up a call with Nicola to go over the notes she had created from the first draft rad through. In this call, Nicola said, "Natalie it is time for you to GO ALL IN.” This was the activation key I needed to move even deeper into owning my out-of-the-ordinary soul story. To share even more intimately with the readers and create a truth-filled visceral experience.
I remember meeting with Estelle one of my dearest friends and founder of Liverpool Yoga Studios and my LYS life. She said in her delicious Liverpool accent…
…it’s time Babe to really dig deep….
And that’s what I did…
Dig Deep
It took me 3 more months to complete the book. Initially, I exclaimed “What! I have to go back in and write more!” But you know what? This really was where the writing, storytelling and channeling started to get juicy, more real, and even more vulnerable.
On the 14th April, I sent the final draft to Nicola. I had my period this day it was also a full moon. I smiled to myself for this gentle reminder and joke almost from mother earth reminding me that the cycles of life and nature are there for us always to encourage and nurture.
On the 2nd July, the book was fully formed. During those 3 months, the book spent time with
Em: The editor whilst I was busy collating quotes from readers.
Lynda: The book designer who created the front cover and also the layout of the book.
The readers: Whilst Lynda got creative I set up the first Light The Way bookclub
It felt strange and wonder-full at the same time to know people were reading the book for the first time. The response from the readers was radiant. Then finally in July, the book was uploaded for print.
Nearly one year later and I have just approved the book to go to print. I feel that my 41st birthday present will be getting to hold the first printed version of Light The Way in my hands.
What a gift!
What a year!
Here is a little taster of the book and one last dose of cosmic love to you. Think beyond the dream for the dream could be holding you back. Know that you are always and in all ways more than you think you are. Find the right tribe, community, soul connections and you will thrive. Because darling one the choice to open doors is yours and the chance to open and step into new ways of being is always much closer than you think.
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Get a chance to read Natalie’s first book: Download the first chapter of Light The Way for free here
Ready to purchase? Order your copy here