[00:00:00] Kevin Stafford: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Conversations with Coaches podcast. It’s me, Kevin, and I am beside myself with not quite glee because it’s a little too early in my morning for glee, but I am delighted to be able to speak with Honoré Corder again. Honoré is a breath of fresh air, a shot in the arm, a double espresso, anything that you might think of that gives you energy and vigor and purpose and passion.
That’s Honoré. I know I’m blowing a lot of smoke up your butt right now, but… It’s all genuine. I have the fondest memories of our first show, and I’m really excited to revisit some time with you again. Honoré, in case you forgot, which, how could you forget, but just in case you forgot, she is an executive and strategic book coach, TEDx speaker, and the author of literally dozens of books, including You Must Write a Book, and a whole series going on with that.
And she also co created the Miracle Morning series with Hal Elrod. Honore passionately coaches business professionals, writers, aspiring non fiction authors, who want to publish their books to best seller status, create a platform, and, you know, develop multiple streams of income, really get their career launched off the ground, flying high.
So, Honore. Thanks for being here again. I know you have a limited amount of time, but I am, I’m just, I’m very pleased that you have, uh, kicked off my, my Tuesday properly. I fact, I already have a feeling this is going to be a great Tuesday, which people don’t usually say that about Tuesdays, but you’re here, so I believe it.
[00:01:25] Honorée Corder: No, what Tuesday. So I am later in the day than you. So I do have. I am. I am. I am in the gleeful hours of my day and the feelings are mutual. Thank you so much for all of your kind words. It’s so fun to spend time with you. We really should do it more often. I
[00:01:41] Kevin Stafford: agree. Although one thing I do know is that you’ve been quite busy.
Lately, like you’re always pretty busy, but you’ve been quite busy launching your next book. So tell me a little bit about that. I mean, I know a little bit from looking around and reading up on it and being subscribed to your newsletter, by the way, which all of you should be, just in case you were wondering, but tell me a little bit about what that’s been like.
What’s going on. What’s the book about? Like dump on me a little
[00:02:05] Honorée Corder: bit. So the, um, I’m not sure what the time from recording to publication is for the podcast, but as we record this, I am. A little less, one day less than three weeks out from publishing. There is no such thing as writer’s block. That is the, that is the October book on my schedule this year.
And I’m very excited about it because since I published Prosperity for Writers in the teens, the 20 teens somewhere, 14, 15, 16, I have not written a book that is for all writers. I’m excited. I have written mostly for aspiring nonfiction authors who are business folks who want to write prescriptive or transformational nonfiction, but not a book that is for poets, screenwriters, songwriters, book writers, article writers.
bloggers, all the writers. So this book was for people who experience any type of writer’s block because it really is a thing. There is no such thing as writer’s block is the title. I’m a little, I’m a little, uh, cheeky there. Um, but, uh, but is it writer’s block is what you have writer’s block or do you have something else?
And so I explore where writer’s block came from the origination of writer’s block, how it came to be, and perhaps, um, Alternatives to what it might be, and if someone actually does have it, how do they
[00:03:38] Kevin Stafford: get out of it? I, I, I mean, I love this. First of all, because it’s, it’s so, anybody who’s ever tried to put words down on paper or on a document or on a screen or anywhere, have experienced something that they’ve called writer’s block.
Or they’ve, they’ve heard that term and they’ve decided to use it to describe whatever friction or difficulties or obstacles they’re encountering in their writing and their creation of words. And I love. You’ve really like you’re you’re right like in the in the twin the twin poles for me of what a good coach really provides is they ask really good questions.
Like, is there really such a thing as writer’s block? What if it were actually something else? And then also, coming in on those questions, you don’t just come out and like, I mean, you provide answers. But more importantly, you provide a new dictionary. New words, new language to describe what that is.
Thereby allowing people to understand it better. And rather than just dismiss it as, Oh, it’s writer’s block, I’m stuck. And then… Self fulfilling. And then what? You are. And then
[00:04:37] Honorée Corder: what? Once you go, well, I have something, then what’s the solution for it? How do you, how do you frame it differently within yourself?
How do you behave differently? How do you think differently? All the things. Yeah. What are the, what are all the solutions? Because if there, because if there’s a problem, there’s a solution. If there’s. If there’s congestion, there can be circulation. So, so how do you, how do you get there? So I just had a really good time writing it.
And the people who have had the chance to read it, um, I call it an opportunity. They might call it a mandate. I don’t know. I’ve enjoyed it and the feedback so far is is is beneficial. I just love writing so much. And I don’t. I don’t have writer’s block and I want everyone who wants to be a writer to feel like they can just be a writer and they can write as easily as they breathe that they don’t need to be facing East at sunset on a, you know, a Tuesday and a month ending and are after they’ve eaten potato chips.
Right? It’s like, because some people say, well, I can, I can do this, but I can only do it within this framework. Thereby putting limitations around themselves, but if you can adopt the belief that you can write whenever you want to write. And you can remove the things around you that are inhibiting your block.
Then you can write as easily as you breathe whenever you have the time to write. And then you get to have the fun that the prolific writers are having. I,
[00:06:11] Kevin Stafford: I really, really do love that because I so often like how I hear jokes, like jokes that writers write about how difficult it is to write. And I’ll hear jokes like one of my favorite things about being a writer is.
I get to clean my apartment every day or you know, like all of these external things or it’s like I go for a lot of long walks and do nothing or like they’ll make all these little jokes that are actually getting at this sort of like this sort of issue where it’s you try to when you try to only fix what’s around you and alter your environment in order to address something that you’re experiencing as writer’s block.
You’ve only got part of the puzzle. Obviously, you know, sometimes, you know, if you have a mess around you and there’s chaos, or there’s just a lot of noise, or maybe you’ve got kids and you’re trying to write and they’re just like, you know, their, their voices are pitched perfectly to like, make your heart kind of go up into your throat or down into your stomach, depending on what they’re getting up to.
Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Or whatever it happens to be, you try to, you try to go outside of yourself to fix whatever’s wrong and it’s like, you know, obviously there are some things that can probably be improved about your environment, however, that is not the total package, that is not the complete picture and there’s some, there’s some tools you can just develop and stuff you can let go of internally.
Yes, yes. That will just free you up to write as freely as we’re speaking now.
[00:07:29] Honorée Corder: That’s right. And, and you can engineer circumstances so that when you are able to write, there’s even more good mojo on your writing. So there are certain songs that are going to help you to write faster, certain drinks that are going to help you to write faster, right?
No judgment, alcohol or caffeine, right? Writer’s choice. There’s choice awards, right? So you can have whatever you want. I just wanted to write something that was for, um, everyone who wanted to get rid of anything that was stopping them from writing prolifically so that they could write prolifically and if they wanted to make a living from their writing.
[00:08:06] Kevin Stafford: And I love that it’s like, it’s basically you, I love, I love the way you frame how this, how this book came about from out, from, from out of your heart. It’s like, I, Don’t struggle with writer’s block. I write like I breathe. I write like I drink water. I write like I eat, like I live. And the, the coach in you, the person who wants to serve is like, okay, so how can I, how can I give that to other people?
Everybody who wants to should have this freedom, this ease. How do I, how do I get people? And so that’s, I love, I love that that’s where the book comes out of because then it comes out of the exact right place. Thank you keep blowing smoke up here, but I keep complimenting you, but I just keep
[00:08:42] Honorée Corder: keep it coming.
It’s we’re only
[00:08:47] Kevin Stafford: 10 minutes in such thing is too many compliments. I mean, maybe maybe we’re about to find out. I don’t think so. Oh, man. Okay. So obviously you’ve got so much. That’s Okay. On the precipice of happening has been happening for quite some time and I mean it’s October right now when we’re recording this 2023 this episode will probably come out a couple weeks after we’ve talked so it’ll still be right in the pocket and I can’t believe we’re already very near.
It feels like we’re very nearly done with 2023. We are. And 2024 is like, it’s already knocking on the door, ringing the doorbell, leaving notes, you know, leaving packages on the doorstep. Yeah. What’s coming up for you? Because you, I know you’ve always got like, even as you’re in the midst of executing the present awesome thing, I know you’ve always got at least one eye on what’s next.
So talk to me about what’s coming up.
[00:09:30] Honorée Corder: Yeah, I’m already, I’m already writing, uh, 2024 on things. I have a production schedule, so last year at this time, I sent my assistant the books I was going to write and publish in 2023 and her response was. You crazy.
And I did. I did. I, I will have written all of the books, not published them all exactly on the right timeframe because I like to have the production schedule that I have in mind. And then when I can take a left at Albuquerque, I do it when I have a suggestion or something that comes up and it just feels like the right time to do it.
So I have over there on my wall, the January books, the March books, the June book, the right, so I have the whole schedule and I took one out and I said, I’m going to put this for later, this is not the time for this book because as I was writing, I had air quotes, writer’s block, which I didn’t have, but I just wasn’t able to wrap my arms around the content that I wanted to write.
for the book. I didn’t feel like I was ready. I’m not the person that writes a book while I’m figuring something out. I’m the person that writes the book when I’ve figured it out and it’s worked for me and I’ve shared it with other people and it’s worked with for them. So as I was talking through some of the ideas, I was realizing there were some holes in my hypothesis.
So I took a book that I’m going to write later and I put it aside and then I just moved up some books. So I just turned in the Manuscript for my January book to my editor yesterday on time, but by the skin of my teeth, let me just tell you, um. There were some, there were a couple of weeks in there that I was not well, and I was not able to write, right?
Like sick, like lost. My voice was not able to be functional. And I’m on a pretty tight timeframe, clearly my editor messaged me when my editor messaged me and said, how are we looking for? For October the 1st, I said we’re on schedule. I was lying, Kevin.
[00:11:37] Kevin Stafford: October the 1st is certainly a day that’s going to happen.
It’s
[00:11:41] Honorée Corder: October 1st will come. Yes, the sun will rise on October 1st. I’m not sure if my manuscripts will be here, but I really have to make a decision. And I think this is important for anyone listening is that you have a point in your process when you have a goal where you can say. I’m going to take what we call it in coaching the chicken exit, right?
I’m just going to go. Oh, well, I have a perfectly good reason for not doing this, or I have a perfectly good reason for downshifting into 4th and punching it and seeing how close I can get. And so I set a goal of instead of writing my 2 pomodoros every day. Which was within an hour. So two 25 minute focus times.
I said, I’m going to write one chapter every day until I’m done. So that’s different. That’s different than part after that’s different than 250 words of a chapter. It was a chapter. And by writing a chapter a day. Including a Saturday, I was able to finish the manuscript on time and have a couple of days left over to go through the manuscript a couple of times before it went to my editor.
So, it went to my editor with confidence on time, but I really, I got to a fork in the road where I could go, well, I was sick, you know, editors are used to their clients missing their deadlines and not me. Because my editor’s like, you’re the only person that ever has a schedule and meets the schedule. But I certainly have enough goodwill and influence that I could say, well, it’s going to be a few days late this time, or just fit me in the next window that you have.
Like, that happens with editors all the time. In fact, they’re more used to people missing their commitments than holding them. Right? But I got to the point where I had to make a decision. Am I going to make it happen? Or am
I going to?
[00:13:32] Kevin Stafford: I was just gonna say, like, I just can’t, I can’t get over how, how perfect, how perfectly you’re exemplifying your values, even as you just described this very specific circumstance, because you had an opportunity to let yourself off the hook, but that same opportunity to let yourself off the hook was also an opportunity, like you said, to shift it into fourth year, to take the governor off the engine and gun it.
And so, and I love how, because your framework, your process is so well established, That everything is so well built out. It doesn’t lock you in to that path. It doesn’t put you on rails. It gives you flexibility to say, you know what, because I have this framework and I can see the path and some stuff happened and I can see things diverging, I’m going to make a change.
I’m going to shift my approach, my focus. And that’s a, that’s a big. That’s a significant shift of the way you go about doing things, to go from that time based, where I’ve committed to a certain amount of time per day, per week, per however long it is, to results based. I’ve committed to producing this unit of work, this unit of writing, this unit of book, per day, per week, however, that’s, that’s significant, and I think it’s, it’s your process and your commitment to it.
That enables you to be that flexible and I don’t think people understand that well enough that that’s their framework. Let’s them be dexterous. Let’s them. Yeah, well,
[00:14:49] Honorée Corder: I always say the structure sets you free, right? It’s like people resist structure because like, I don’t want to be so regimented. I don’t want to be.
So it’s like, well, the structure will, the structure will set you free. And I will tell you what I’ve a couple of things that I think were important. Moments for me that might be helpful for other people is I try to behave in such a way that future on array is going to be like, good job. Not what were you thinking I was walking up the stairs this morning to start on the next thing, right?
Start the next project. I was really proud of myself for getting it done. I had a moment of like, you did that you couldn’t, you could have. Made it up somewhere else, or you could have right. Good job. Good job. Honorary is like really proud of today’s honorary because she did. She did a good job. The other thing is I proved to myself I could do it because there’s always a doubt that we have.
It’s like, well, what if I what if I. Downshift in fourth gear and I really try and I miss. What if I fail? Like, what does that look like? And I’ve learned to reframe failure from sometimes I win, sometimes I learn. It’s like you win some and you learn some, right? Or what does that movie Megamind where he says, sometimes he wins, sometimes I almost win.
Mega Mind is full of these wonderful, wonderful one liners. As a writer, I really appreciate the writing. So, I proved to myself once again that I could do something when I set my mind to it, which is really important. Set an intention and achieve it, and you build that muscle. So, I’ve done that before.
different circumstances. I’ve done that before where I’ve said, you know what? I’ve like, I’m either going to make it happen or I’m going to wish it happened. So I’m going to make it happen because I’d rather have the end result than go, well, it didn’t happen because, because, because.
[00:16:41] Kevin Stafford: Right. That your voice changes like, Oh, I’m making excuses now.
[00:16:46] Honorée Corder: Whatever happened with that. Did you get your book finished? No. It’s like, if you’ve ever told someone you were going to do something and then they circle back and go, did you get it done? And you have to go, no, like that’s, that’s not the powerful place to be in. Right. That’s not the, and also I run a mastermind.
I have to lead by example. My whole group is looking at me going, what did she say she was going to do? If, if I’m, if, if the mastermind is this, this, and this, and I show up at the kickoff meeting, I’m like, okay, what’s everybody doing this year? Okay. Leading by example. Eating my own dog food. This is what I’m gonna do this year.
And then I’m like, Well, that’s okay for you people. But I’m just over here like, Filing my nails and counting my money. Right? And everybody goes You practice
[00:17:31] Kevin Stafford: what I preach.
[00:17:34] Honorée Corder: Yeah. Yeah. You, you, you, you practice. I preach. You do I watch. It’s not like that. I’m a player coach. I’m on the field, right? So even as I’m coaching the team, I’m also out on the field doing it at the same time.
And I think that really, that it seems to work with my group of people. They seem to really like that. When I, when I fall and skin my knees, I’m always like, fell and skin my knees, screwed up. This is what didn’t work. I weathered it so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.
[00:18:08] Kevin Stafford: Well, that’s, that’s, that’s legitimately inspirational to watch someone who refuses to accept failure as the end point of any experience.
It’s a lesson. It’s the learning. And so it’s, it’s when people stop in that, in that moment of failure and that’s where they choose to stop the story. It’s where they choose to stop writing the story. That’s, that’s a lot of people get stuck there. They get lost there, whether through learned behaviors or through accidents of environment or life or, or, you know, deliberate choice because it lowers the bar on expectations.
It kind of shrinks the room in which you’re dwelling. So you’re basically like volunteering for that middle seat. I’m the coach on the coach section of the plane where you’re like, you know, I’ll just tuck my elbows all the way inside of my rib cage. And you know what? It’s fine. It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s the way I want it anyway.
And you know what? I wanted to be here in the first place. And like, I’m doing the same thing that you did with your voice, a little downtick.
[00:19:02] Honorée Corder: Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar, liar. All the lies live in a throne of lies. It’s contrary to. Something I’m practicing and I’ve become more and more aware of. The fact that I want to see how good it can be. Yeah. Yeah. I want to see, like, what am I made of? What can I do? How much can I write? How many people can I impact?
You know, what can I do? And that’s a different question from, I’m just going to settle. For the middle seat in coach, I call it the very sexy middle seat because the last trip I made, I ended up, um, in the very sexy middle seat and I’m a giant. So I’m like a daddy long legs. So I’m like reeling everything in so I can fit into the small space.
And so when I got there, the woman was like, and where are you going? I was like, I’m going to that very sexy middle seat right there. And I just choose, you choose to make the most of it, but it certainly isn’t the preference. Right. So there’s a couple of different ways to look at it. I’m looking at life now.
Like, um, I’m probably, hopefully I have as many years left on the earth as I’ve already lived. You don’t know, but I’m going to see what I can do. However long I’m here. I’m going to see what, what, what are the numbers I can put up on the board just for fun. I’m just having a good time and I’m enjoying it, but I’m not giving myself the exit anymore.
I’m not going to settle for anything anymore. That’s the, that ship has
[00:20:29] Kevin Stafford: sailed. I love it. That’s. As, as desperately as I want to keep this going, that’s probably the perfect note to end this part of our conversation on because it’s just like, again, the inspiration, all like, it’s like, I know, I know, but before I let you go, like, like, like you threatened, we’re doing this again, and we’re not going to wait however long it’s been since our first
[00:20:50] Honorée Corder: conversation.
Yeah, that’s what I did. I threatened you. Yes. Don’t threaten me with a good time. Don’t forget
[00:20:56] Kevin Stafford: it. Yeah. But before I let you go. Where can people learn more about you, the book, the books, the series, the everything, Honor Egg Quarter? Where can people go if they want to just learn more? And where can people go when they’re ready to have a chat with you, connect with you, hire you as a coach, have you help them write their book?
Like, where can people go to connect? Um,
[00:21:18] Honorée Corder: honoraryquarter. com, super, it’s kind of the hub for all things. You can go get a free copy of a book, see if we might be a good fit. All my courses are on there. My done for you book services are there. Information about my mastermind is there. All the things. Um, this is Matt.
This is the time of the year when I’m putting together the mastermind for next year. So I have a few spots left for the class of 2024 of the empire builders mastermind. And so I’m assembling all the things and sending out the gifts and that’s, you know, putting together all the. All the things, which is really, really fun.
It’s my favorite. It’s one of my favorite. I was about to say it’s my favorite thing that I do. But also, giving the gift of being an author is my favorite thing that I do. Helping people to write, publish, and monetize books is fun. And writing and launching books is fun. I’m actually having a legit book launch party.
for this book. Like in person. Well, I really wanted cake, Kevin. If we’re going to get down to why I’m having it because I’m a big fan of the buttercream frosting. So I like, I start with what’s the end honorary it’s buttercream frosting. Where is it? It’s on a cake. Well, what do you do? Why would one have a cake?
Well, we would have a birthday. Well, already had the birthday. Got to wait a year. Okay. New book. Book party, cake, buttercream frosting, you see what I did there?
[00:22:38] Kevin Stafford: That should have been my first question. So why did you write this book, Honore? And your answer should have just been cake, and then dead silence, no elaboration, just cake.
[00:22:45] Honorée Corder: Yes, ultimately I would like to have buttercream frosting, so I just keep writing books now so that I can have more buttercream frosting.
[00:22:54] Kevin Stafford: Books as a gateway to better and better desserts sounds, sounds like a great life to me. Yes,
[00:23:00] Honorée Corder: winning, winning.
[00:23:01] Kevin Stafford: Check. Well, Honore. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. A thousand times. Thank you. This has been super duper fun. This was like, like I said, like I said, it would be, this was a nice double espresso, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit of slice of cake on the side too, and that I’m just, now I’ve got the craving. I’m going to have to follow through on that.
So thank you for putting dessert in my head and in my heart. We’ll do this again soon.
[00:23:22] Honorée Corder: Yes. I hope so. Send me your link. Let’s do it again. Thank you so, so much.
[00:23:27] Kevin Stafford: And to the audience, there’s no doubt in my mind that you, you got the same vibe that I got from this conversation. Do yourself the tremendous favor of just learn more about Honore.
She is, this is, this is the real deal. This is her. This is everything that you heard is the genuine article. Do yourself a favor, connect, reach out. If, if you’ve got the time and if you’ve got the resources and you’re ready, the seat on that mastermind sounds like the best gift you could give yourself. So maybe think about that as well.
And here on the pod, we will talk to you again very soon.
