I still remember what it feels like to be in that literal fog of grief. The kind where you can’t hardly function, where even small things feel overwhelming.
That’s exactly why I chose Shake Yourself Free: 81 Somatic Practices to Let Go of Limitation for our July Better Self Book Club pick.
Because the people who need this book the most are often the ones with the least capacity to take on one more big, heavy thing. And this book meets you right there.
The short version:
Shake Yourself Free: 81 Somatic Practices to Let Go of Limitation by Melanie Smithson is the July 2026 Better Self Book Club pick.
It offers 81 short, body-based practices, most a half page or less, for releasing stored emotions and letting go of limitation.
Because Melanie is a member of our WIP Society community, the book club membership is free for the month of July.
Meet Melanie Smithson
If you’ve spent any time in the WIP Community, Melanie may already feel like one of ours. Because she is.
Melanie Smithson is a licensed somatic psychotherapist, a business owner, a certified spiritual integration hypnotherapist, and the award-winning author of Stress Free in 30 Seconds and her newest book, Shake Yourself Free. She’s been a student in our courses, and she led a somatic session at our most recent Women in Publishing Summit that people are still talking about. She shows up for this community and she pours into it, which is a big part of why I wanted to put her work in front of you.
Her whole premise is something I wish I’d understood years ago. We hold our unprocessed emotions in the body, and the body has wisdom to share with us once we learn to listen to it.
As Melanie puts it, “Feelings are designed to move. The word emotion is energy in motion.”
Why this book found me
A couple of years ago, I had never even heard the word somatic. Now I think everyone should understand it.
My own road here ran through complex PTSD, anxiety, depression, and a whole lot of hard. What I learned along the way is how much movement can shift all of it. After my daughter Kathryn died, I threw myself into service and work and staying busy, and it took me a long time to realize I was doing it so that I wouldn’t feel.
And if our feelings are never moved they wait in the body.
What I love about Melanie’s approach is that she doesn’t ask you to relive everything or sit in it for hours. She reminds us that we cannot let go of who we are. We can only let go of what we’ve accumulated, the beliefs and the heaviness we picked up along the way that were never really ours to carry.
And she makes it doable. The practices in Shake Yourself Free are short, most of them half a page or less. You can pick the book up the moment a feeling hits and find something to actually do with it. It works like a guide in real time, not a textbook you have to study.
It also teaches something a lot of us were never taught. If you’ve ever had a therapist ask, “Where do you feel that in your body?” and had no idea how to answer, you are not alone. I’ve been there. Melanie walks you through how to start listening, gently, one small step at a time.
A practice you can try right now
Here is one from the book that I will be using on repeat.
Picture every single thing you’re carrying as its own spinning plate. The business. The book. Parenting. The dog. The inbox. Each one up on a stick, spinning, spinning, spinning, and you racing between them so none of them crash.
Now, in your mind’s eye, let them all fall. Let every plate drop and shatter on the floor.
Notice what happens in your body when you do. That release is the whole point. As Melanie says, where the body goes, the mind will follow.
What is the Better Self Book Club?
Every month, I take one book and really sit with it in my Better Self Book Club. I read it, I break it down, I analyze it, and I share the stories and ideas inside it and connect them to real life. So if you have time to read along with me, wonderful. And if you don’t, I’ll do the heavy lifting and bring the book to you.
July’s book is Shake Yourself Free.
I decided to do something special with this passion project of mine. When the book of the month is written by an author from our own community, I will open the membership up for free for that month. It’s just another way to celebrate our people and show them off to all of you.
Come join us
This is what better together looks like. One of our own writing a book that can genuinely help, and all of us gathering around it.
We’ll also have a Q&A with Melanie inside the club, so you can bring your questions and learn these practices straight from her.
And if you want your own copy to mark up and return to, you can find Shake Yourself Free on Amazon here.
Your wellbeing matters to us. I can’t wait to move through this one with you.
Frequently asked questions
What is Shake Yourself Free about?
Shake Yourself Free: 81 Somatic Practices to Let Go of Limitation is a book by licensed somatic psychotherapist Melanie Smithson. It offers 81 short, practical somatic exercises, most a half page or less, that help you release emotions stored in the body and let go of beliefs and limitations you have accumulated over time.
What are somatic practices?
Somatic practices are body-based techniques that use movement, breath, and physical awareness to process and release emotions. The core idea is that we hold unprocessed emotions in the body, and gentle movement helps that energy move and complete instead of staying stuck.
Who is Shake Yourself Free for?
The book is written for anyone carrying stress, grief, or overwhelm, and it is especially useful for authors and creatives who spend long hours at a desk. Melanie also designed it with therapists and coaches in mind, since the practices work well to use alongside clients.
What is the Better Self Book Club?
The Better Self Book Club is Alexa Bigwarfe’s monthly book club focused on personal growth. Each month features one book that Alexa reads, breaks down, and discusses, so you can read along or simply let her bring the key ideas to you.
How do I join the Better Self Book Club for free in July?
July’s membership is free because Melanie Smithson is a member of the WIP Society community. You can claim your free month at womeninpublishingsummit.com/shake
Where can I buy Shake Yourself Free?
You can find Shake Yourself Free by Melanie Smithson on Amazon here.
This post contains an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Guest Blogger for the Overcoming Adversity with Collaboration Series
Who do you know who’s survived seven toxic marriages and is now thriving?
I began writing my first book before knowing that I would leave my seventh husband. By the time the divorce was final, we’d been together for twenty-five years; married for twenty. I realized that our marriage was one-sided and my needs were not being met, but I didn’t realize that he was a narcissist until eighteen years had passed. I moved out-of-state, found a therapist, and kept writing.
Midlife Magic told of the first six toxic marriages, lessons learned, and some good things about the seventh. The Prince Was Wrong was all about husband #7. Using quotes from his letters to me made it easier to see and share examples of narcissistic behavior, helping my healing process and providing material for the book. Writing helped me gain clarity on what I wanted for my life. I found my voice. Inspiration came and the words flowed. Writing that second book helped me regain personal peace. I remembered who I was again. The roller coaster ride came to an end.
Wisdom from My Grandmothers: How Messages from the Past Shed Light on Your Life is the capstone of my “From Toxic to Thriving” set. An unconventional memoir, it contains stories of resilience and advice from several female ancestors long passed that I obtained through a channeler. I wanted to know specifics of what it was like to be a woman in their lifetimes from the late 1700s to the late 1990s, and how they used their voices. I discovered that we shared both troublesome patterns and lovely gifts.
Through the interview and writing process, more healing happened for all of us. We rejoiced about the talents and gifts passed down through the generations. I felt able to break the cycle of repeated negative patterns. By recording our conversations through writing, I pass on their wisdom and stories of resilience to future generations.
Many have helped me during my writing/publishing journey. A friend planted the seed for writing my first book. Erin Lund (Sunshine Editorial Service & Book Coaching) suggested that I write The Prince Was Wrong, and Sara Latourneau (Heart of the Story Editing) was my book coach when writing it. Women In Publishing has been instrumental in making my publishing dreams come true. I have learned so much about being an author and book marketing that I’m really enjoying marketing Wisdom from My Grandmothers. Plus, I’m part of a fabulous community.
Through this journey, I’ve learned the importance of sharing our stories, whatever they may be. Words have power. I’ve remembered my self-worth. Wounds have healed. I feel free to be creative in ways I hadn’t expected, and that brings me great joy!
Jo Ann Fawcetttransformed her life after seven toxic marriages. Writing is an important part of her journey. Author of Midlife Magic and The Prince Was Wrong: Leaving the Narcissist Behind, and Wisdom from My Grandmothers: How Messages from the Past Shed Light on Your Life Today. Mother, grandmother, and cat-mom to Winston. She loves knitting, walking, and spending time in nature. Jo Ann lives in Portland, Oregon.
Jo Ann is a member of WIP Society, an annual membership community for authors and publishing industry professionals to learn, grow, scale, and collaborate in a welcoming environment.
Guest Blogger for the Overcoming Adversity with Collaboration Series
I used to hesitate when people asked how I got to where I am in the publishing world. My story didn’t feel dramatic enough to qualify as “adversity.” I wasn’t a victim of abuse or overcoming a single catastrophic event. Instead, my adversity snuck up on me, through a season of financial hardship, identity loss, and starting over as a mother and entrepreneur all at once.
Years ago in Castle Rock, Colorado, during the 2009 recession, my husband’s work became unpredictable, and the wellness center I had poured our life savings into began to unravel just as I was pregnant with our third child. I still remember the day my son asked for milk, and I stood in front of an empty refrigerator, realizing I could not afford to buy any. That moment marked a quiet dividing line in my life: before asking for help, and after.
We closed my business, lost our home to a short sale, and made the unplanned decision to move to Temecula, California, with no guarantees and only a small trailer of essentials. The early months were lonely and uncertain. My husband traveled back and forth between the two states for work while I stayed behind with three young children, trying to rebuild stability and purpose for myself.
The turning point in that season was not a paycheck. It was a community. I joined a local Mom’s Club simply to make friends, and what I found was collaboration in its most human form: encouragement, shared resources, emotional support, and eventually connections that helped our family regain stability. At the same time, I began teaching stroller fitness and yoga classes, which helped me rediscover my voice and sense of identity after losing my business.
Looking back now as an author and writing coach, I see that season differently. What felt like survival at the time was actually the foundation of my storytelling. Experiencing shame, resilience, and reinvention firsthand gave me the courage to write my first book and later mentor aspiring authors who feel unqualified to share their own stories.
Attending the WIP Summit last year became another turning point in my journey. Until then, I saw myself primarily as a book author. Being surrounded by writers, mentors, and industry leaders helped me realize my role was bigger than writing alone. I wasn’t just meant to share my own story—I was meant to help others tell theirs. The summit gave me the clarity and confidence to step into coaching, where I am now developing a program to support aspiring authors through storytelling, accountability, and the belief that their story matters because someone, somewhere, is waiting to hear it.
My role in the publishing world today—as an author, speaker, and coach who helps others tell their hard stories—was shaped by both quiet adversity and collaborative communities that encouraged me to grow beyond authorship.
Adversity does not always look like rock bottom. Sometimes it looks like starting over quietly, gathering strength through community, and transforming lived experience into stories that help others feel seen and less alone.
Jamie K. Enfield is an author, speaker, and founder of Pages to Platform, where she mentors aspiring non-fiction writers in turning their lived experiences into meaningful books. Drawing from her own journey through grief, reinvention, and quiet adversity, she helps authors overcome self-doubt and share the stories they once felt unqualified to tell.
The 2026 Women In Publishing Summit virtual conference will open on International Women’s Day and run March 8–11. Tickets are on sale and available at https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/tickets/.
Winners revealed at the Awards Ceremony concluding the 9th Annual Virtual Women in Publishing Summit—Wednesday, March 11, 2026
The Women in Publishing Summit is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Women in Publishing Awards, recognizing women who are shaping, elevating, and transforming the publishing industry through leadership, innovation, and community.
Meet the 2025 Winners
WIP Indie Publishing Woman of the Year
Celebrating an industry leader who embodies empowerment, innovation and consistent impact in the publishing world.
Sherry Ward | Square Tree Publishing & Productions, CEO & Executive Producer There are publishers who help authors make books—and then there are publishers who help authors find their voice, step into their mission, and build something that outlasts the page. Sherry Ward is firmly in the second category.
As the CEO and Executive Producer of Square Tree Publishing & Productions, Sherry has spent more than a decade doing what few publishers do: treating every author’s vision as something worth protecting. Her authors have landed on CNN, Fox News, the Dr. Drew Show, Good Morning America, The Home & Family Show, and at the United Nations. She is also the founder of Christian Creators 360 and a published author herself—her book Launching You: Igniting Writers, Propelling Authors reflects the philosophy that drives everything she builds: your book is the beginning, not the destination.
In recent years, Sherry has expanded her reach into film production, serving as executive producer on Infinity System and Forsaken Mercenary—proof that she understands what it means to help a story find its largest possible audience.
Outside of her professional work, Sherry opens her home to young adults, offering mentorship and the simple but powerful reminder that every story matters.
The WIP Woman of the Year award recognizes an industry leader who embodies empowerment, innovation, and consistent impact—and Sherry Ward is exactly that.
Women in Publishing Lifetime Achievement Award
Honoring a woman whose long-term commitment to publishing has shaped and elevated the industry.
Elizabeth Ducie | Chudleigh Phoenix Publications, Publisher Some careers are measured in titles published. Elizabeth Ducie’s is measured in the writers she has changed. Elizabeth spent more than thirty years as an international manufacturing consultant and technical writer before turning to creative fiction in 2006—and what followed is a masterclass in what indie publishing, done with intention, can look like. Under her own imprint, Chudleigh Phoenix Publications, she has published more than twenty titles including the Jones Sisters international thriller series, the Coombesford Chronicles cozy mystery series, and six collections of short stories. Her debut novel, Gorgito’s Ice Rink, was runner-up in Writing Magazine‘s Self-Published Book of the Year Awards in 2015.
But the achievement that defines Elizabeth’s legacy is arguably her Business of Writing series—a practical, no-nonsense toolkit that gives indie authors the business systems they need to actually sustain a creative career. It is the work of someone who believes that writers deserve to understand their own industry, and who has spent decades making sure they can.
Elizabeth is a founder member of Chudleigh Writers’ Circle, a former Director of Exeter Literary Festival, and a long-standing member of ALLi (the Alliance of Independent Authors) and the Crime Writers Association. She has taught and lectured at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School and writing communities across the UK. She has been a member of the Women in Publishing community since 2020.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors a woman whose long-term commitment to publishing has shaped and elevated the industry. Elizabeth Ducie has done that—quietly, consistently, and with the rigor of a scientist who never forgot she had stories to tell.
WIP Publishing Trailblazer of the Year
Honoring a woman forging new paths in publishing through bold ideas, platforms, or strategies.
This year, the committee made history with its first-ever tied award in the Trailblazer category. The decision reflects what the committee saw clearly: two women, working in parallel, who are fundamentally reshaping what publishing can look like—and for whom.
Renita Bryant |Mynd Matters Publishing, Founder & CEO; IBPA, Board Chair Renita Bryant founded Mynd Matters Publishing in 2012 with a conviction that has guided everything since: that diverse voices deserve a professional, supportive, and sustainable home in publishing. More than a decade later, Mynd Matters has published over 200 titles across 150+ authors, spanning business, adult fiction, children’s books, and self-help.
In 2025, Renita was elected Board Chair of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)—an organization representing 3,000+ publishers—after serving as vice chair, membership committee chair, and IBPA Executive Committee member. She holds an MBA from Florida A&M University and executive education certifications in Entrepreneurship from Dartmouth College, and she brings that rigor to her vision for an indie publishing industry that is equitable, data-informed, and built to last.
As Board Chair, Renita has been direct about her priorities: structural equity, inclusive BISAC codes, and giving independent publishers the tools and clarity to run profitable, sustainable businesses. She is not interested in incremental change. She is interested in shifting the architecture of the industry itself.
Tamira Chapman | Storehouse In A Box, Founder & CEO; Storehouse Voices (Crown/Penguin Random House), Publisher Tamira Chapman’s path to publishing ran through entrepreneurship, intellectual property law, and a conviction that Black voices deserve more than a seat at the table—they deserve to own the table.
As founder and CEO of Storehouse In A Box (SIAB), Tamira built a global e-commerce company recognized as the 8th fastest-growing woman-owned business worldwide by J.P. Morgan Chase and the Women President’s Organization, and honored as E-commerce Firm of the Year by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. Under her leadership, SIAB has generated hundreds of millions in revenue with a 97% customer retention rate.
In 2024, Tamira launched Storehouse Voices—a publishing imprint in partnership with Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House—built on the foundation of the Women & Words program, which connected over 10,000 Black women authors with agents and publishing professionals. Storehouse Voices exists to bridge the representation gap for authors of color with the full infrastructure of a major publishing partner behind it.
Tamira holds a JD and has represented Fortune 50 companies and entertainers in intellectual property matters. She is, in every sense of the word, building something that didn’t exist before.
Together, Renita Bryant and Tamira Chapman represent the kind of trailblazing WIP has always sought to celebrate: not just doing the work but changing what the work makes possible for everyone who comes after them.
Publishing Professional WIP Partner of the Year
Recognizing a publishing professional (publisher, strategist, coach, consultant, etc.) for outstanding work supporting author success.
Jynafer Yanez | Archimedes Books and Wolfpack Entertainment, Co-founder & CEO The publishing industry talks a lot about building author brands. Jynafer Yanez actually does it—and then she takes those brands somewhere most publishers never think to go.
As co-founder and CEO of both Archimedes Books and Wolfpack Entertainment, Jynafer has helped build an independent publishing operation that has sold over one million copies, expanded into foreign markets, launched graphic novel adaptations, and crossed into film production. She serves as producer on Forsaken Mercenary (2025) and Infinity System (2022)—titles that began as books and became something far larger.
Her background in advertising and marketing gave her a foundational understanding of what it takes to build not just books, but audiences. Over the years, that expertise has expanded to serve authors beyond her own publishing house, positioning her as a strategist who understands the full lifecycle of intellectual property—from manuscript to multimedia franchise.
Jynafer is a bestselling author in her own right, and she brings that dual perspective of creator and publisher to everything she builds. She is proof that indie publishing, at its most ambitious, is not a fallback. It is a platform.
The WIP Publishing Professional of the Year recognizes outstanding work supporting author success. Jynafer Yanez does that—and then she builds the stage they perform on.
WIP Editor Partner of the Year
Recognizing an outstanding editor who uplifts authors through exceptional skill, insight, and collaboration.
Judy L Mohr | Black Wolf Editorial Services, Developmental Editor & Writing Coach Great editors are not hard to find. Editors who combine deep craft knowledge, technical fluency, genuine investment in their clients’ success, and the rare ability to see a manuscript exactly as it needs to be seen—those are harder to come by. Judy L Mohr is one of them.
A New Zealand-based developmental editor, writing coach, and author, Judy holds a Ph.D. from the University of Canterbury and brings a scientist’s precision to story structure. Through Black Wolf Editorial Services and her platform at judylmohr.com, she works with writers around the world across genres including thriller, crime fiction, science fiction, and fantasy. She is also a co-founder of Canterbury Writers, an online network for writers in her region and beyond.
What sets Judy apart is her whole-person approach to editing. Her clients describe someone who sees not just the manuscript in front of her, but the story underneath it—the one the writer is actually trying to tell. She is a three-time mentor through the New Zealand Society of Authors Mentor Programme. Her own writing includes Hidden Traps of the Internet, a guide to building an author platform safely in a complex digital landscape—because she believes that getting your work into the world requires understanding the world you’re publishing into.
The WIP Editor Partner of the Year recognizes an outstanding editor who uplifts authors through exceptional skill, insight, and collaboration. Judy Mohr does all three.
WIP Community Champion of the Year
Celebrating a standout author who exemplifies generosity, support, and active participation in the Women in Publishing community.
CC Robinson (Cristy Robinson) | Award-winning, Bestselling Author Some writers write because they have something to say. CC Robinson writes because she believes the right story, in the right hands, at the right moment, can actually change how people see each other.
CC is the award-winning, Amazon bestselling author of the Divided series—a young adult dystopian series set in a racially divided future America that she wrote, as she has said openly, out of genuine concern for the divisiveness and racial hatred she was witnessing in the world around her. The series has earned a Silver Medal from the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and First Place in the Firebird Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction, and readers consistently compare it to The Hunger Games and Divergent—not for style, but for the way it makes you feel the stakes.
What makes CC’s story remarkable is what she brought to the page before she ever sat down to write it. She is a medical doctor with more than two decades of experience working in cross-cultural settings—bringing healthcare to post-civil war nations around the world—and an Associate Pastor at a multi-ethnic congregation in Cincinnati, the city that became the setting for Divided. She has lived, professionally and personally, in the spaces where division is most visible and where community is most necessary.
That’s what the WIP Community Champion of the Year award is about: a standout author who exemplifies generosity, support, and active participation in the Women in Publishing community. CC doesn’t just write about people choosing collaboration over division—she lives it.
The Women in Publishing Awards exist to shine a light on the women doing the work—the publishers, editors, authors, and advocates who lift others as they rise. To read about all 11 finalists, view this release. Visit the Women in Publishing Awards Page for more information.
The 2025 Women in Publishing Awards were determined through an open nominations process, blind review, and final selection by an independent committee of four women representing diverse backgrounds and publishing expertise. Winners were announced live at the close of the 2026 Virtual Women in Publishing Summit on March 11, 2026.
The virtual Women in Publishing Summit runs annually in early March. More information is available at womeninpublishingsummit.com.
About the Women in Publishing SummitNow in its ninth year, the Women in Publishing Summit is a global virtual event and year-round community dedicated to helping authors and publishing professionals build visibility, revenue, and lasting impact. Founded by Alexa Bigwarfe, WIP is home to thousands of women across the publishing ecosystem—united by the belief that we are Better Together.
Guest Blogger for the Overcoming Adversity with Collaboration Series
After I had my daughter, my writing life jolted to an abrupt halt.
Before motherhood, I had built my identity around poetry. I earned an MFA, published widely, and read my work at festivals with jazz bands behind me. I taught poetry in universities and private schools, guiding students through line breaks and metaphor as if these were survival skills. Poetry was not a hobby; it was how I made meaning out of the world.
Then came the baby—a twenty-seven-hour labor, the blur of night feedings, the hormonal fog that made even simple thoughts slippery. What surprised me most was not the exhaustion, but the way it fractured my interior life. The long stretches of uninterrupted thinking that poetry required simply vanished. I would sit in the dark, tethered to a breast pump or rocking a crying newborn, and reach for language the way you reach for a light switch in an unfamiliar room. Nothing clicked on.
Without poems, a low anxiety began to hum beneath everything. If I wasn’t writing, who was I becoming? And if I was going to stay home with a baby, how would we afford it? I needed work that could bend around nap schedules and pediatrician appointments. Just as urgently, I needed to feel alive on the page again.
I arrived at ghostwriting the way many new parents arrive at major life decisions: through research, spreadsheets, and a hard look at what was possible, despite knowing that my twenty-one-year-old, poetry-obsessed self would have bristled at the idea.
At first, it felt like surrender. The work would carry someone else’s name, and my sentences would disappear into another voice. After years of straining toward literary recognition and chasing the fragile validation of publication, it seemed like stepping away from the spotlight I once hoped to stand in.
But collaboration offered something the literary world never had: steadiness.
Instead of waiting for inspiration to return, I began treating writing as work. I showed up daily, drafted on deadline, and learned to shape other people’s stories. There was relief in that shift. Rather than guarding creativity as something fragile and elusive, I used it. I built books. I strengthened arguments and narrative arcs. Writing lost some of its preciousness, but it gained power.
In the four years since my daughter was born, working collaboratively, I have published more, earned more, and built a more sustainable career than in the fifteen years I spent trying to prove myself alone.
Motherhood did not end my writing life. It stripped it down and expanded it. I am still a writer. I am also a ghostwriter, a book collaborator, and a co-founder of a community for writers pursuing traditional publication. I got here, not by clinging to the version of myself I was in my twenties, but by allowing collaboration to carry me forward.
Kelsey Shipman is a ghostwriter specializing in cookbooks and memoirs, with over 15 years of experience as an educator. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and has published her own work in USA Today, The Austin Chronicle, and numerous literary magazines. As the co-founder of Write Up!, an online community for writers, Kelsey teaches first-time authors how to craft successful book proposals that connect creative vision with market viability. An avid food lover based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, she also writes the satirical Substack Cheese Toast with White People and eats way too many breakfast tacos.
The 2026 Women In Publishing Summit virtual conference will open on International Women’s Day and run March 8–11. Tickets are on sale and available at https://womeninpublishingsummit.com/tickets/.
Lisa Carrington Firmin, champion for women veterans and leader in promoting healing through writing, presented the keynote speech at the 2026 Women in Publishing Summit.
At the 2026 Women in Publishing Summit, our keynote speaker Lisa Carrington Firmin delivered a powerful and deeply personal message about storytelling, healing, and the courage it takes to reclaim your narrative.
Lisa is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, poet, and decorated U.S. Air Force combat veteran. Her work focuses on trauma, resilience, and the transformative power of telling the stories that are often left untold.
Her keynote reminded us of something we say often in the Women in Publishing community:
Our stories matter.
And sometimes, sharing them can literally save lives.
Storytelling as a Path to Healing
Lisa shared that for decades, she carried trauma that she never spoke about publicly. Like many survivors of difficult experiences, she compartmentalized it in order to survive and succeed.
It took 40 years before she spoke openly about the sexual assault she experienced during military training.
That moment of vulnerability changed everything.
During the COVID lockdowns, Lisa began confronting the experiences she had buried for years. Through therapy and writing, she started transforming pain into purpose.
Eventually, that journey led to her first book.
Her message to writers was clear:
Creative expression can save a life.
Writing helped her process trauma, reclaim her voice, and connect with others who had experienced similar struggles.
As she told attendees during the keynote:
“With every word I write, every poem I pen, the burden lessens.”
transcript
From Op-Ed to Impact: When One Story Opens the Door for Many
Lisa’s first step into sharing her story publicly was an op-ed about military sexual trauma.
She didn’t expect what happened next.
After the article was published, survivors from across the country began reaching out to share their own experiences.
That response eventually led to her book Stories from the Front, which amplifies the voices of service members who experienced military sexual trauma.
The book includes stories from veterans across multiple branches of service and generations.
Lisa described the experience as overwhelming but deeply meaningful:
“I started getting people writing me, calling me, emailing me, sharing their stories. I was overwhelmed by what that piece brought up.”
transcript
The book has since been used in educational settings and training sessions for military personnel and veterans.
Vulnerability Is Not Weakness
One of the most powerful moments of the keynote came when Lisa spoke about vulnerability.
For most of her military career, vulnerability felt impossible. The culture encouraged strength, resilience, and silence.
But writing her story changed that.
Lisa shared that the more she opened up about her experiences, the more powerful her voice became.
Her biggest lesson:
Vulnerability equals empowerment.
She explained that when we share our stories honestly, we give others permission to do the same.
Writing Through Trauma
Lisa also spoke about the emotional complexity of writing about painful experiences.
Writing about trauma can be healing, but it can also be difficult and triggering.
Her advice for authors working through personal experiences:
Work with professional support when needed
Set boundaries while writing
Take breaks when emotions become overwhelming
Remember that healing happens in different ways and timelines
One book that played a major role in her healing process was The Body Keeps the Score, which helped her understand how trauma impacts the brain and body.
Collaboration as a Force Multiplier
Another major theme of the keynote was the power of collaboration.
Lisa’s poetry collection Latina Warrior became a collaborative project with retired Army Major and artist Christina Helferich-Polosky. The book combines poetry and visual art to explore identity, trauma, and resilience.
Together they created a unique combination of poetry and visual art that explores trauma, healing, and identity.
Lisa described collaboration as a “force multiplier.”
When creators work together, their impact grows exponentially.
This message resonated deeply with the Women in Publishing community, where collaboration and mentorship are central values.
Owning Your Narrative
One of the most powerful poems Lisa shared during the keynote was “Invisible Veteran,” which highlights the experience many women veterans have of feeling unseen or unrecognized.
The poem eventually became so impactful that the Department of Veterans Affairs used it during a ceremony announcing a more gender-inclusive motto.
It’s a reminder that stories can influence real change.
As Lisa said during the keynote:
“Our stories really matter. They can save lives.”
transcript
Key Lessons for Authors
Lisa closed her keynote by sharing several lessons she has learned through her journey as a writer and advocate:
1. Your story has power
Even the stories that feel small or personal can have profound impact.
2. Healing looks different for everyone
There is no single timeline or path for working through trauma.
3. Community is essential
Support networks, collaborators, and mentors help amplify our voices.
4. Authenticity resonates
Readers connect most deeply with stories that are honest and real.
5. Writing can be transformative
For many people, writing becomes both a creative outlet and a path to healing.
Why This Keynote Mattered
Lisa Carrington Firmin’s keynote was a powerful reminder that storytelling is more than creative expression.
It is:
Advocacy
Healing
Leadership
Community building
For many attendees, the keynote was deeply motivating. In fact, one participant shared that they went on to write 20,000 words immediately after the session.
That’s the kind of spark powerful storytelling can ignite.
Watch the Full Keynote
Lisa’s keynote is now available to watch on YouTube.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your story matters, this talk will remind you that it absolutely does.
