As a big proponent of being mentored and mentoring, I want to give you an opportunity to be inspired by a variety of successful women to be your best and boldest self. This, my first in the Interviews with Influential Women Series, will do just that. Lisa Tener recently won the Stevie Award for Mentor and Coach of the Year. She is a regular contributor to Huffington Post and one of my valued mentors!
Please give my readers a short background on your personal journey that brought you to today.
As a child, I wanted to be a writer “when I grew up.” I wasn’t an avid reader until high school, though, so I am still catching up! While running a nonprofit organization in Boston I got an idea for a book that had nothing to do with my day-job—a book about transforming anger by tapping into one’s creativity, inner wisdom and sense of humor. I teamed up with two authors with loads more experience than I possessed—an anger expert and a cartoonist. The media loved our exercises—Angerobics—and our national publicity included features in Glamour, WebMD, CNN Headline News, PBS TV, ESPN radio and more. Shortly after the book came out, I began teaching the steps I had developed for “Writing in the Zone.” Soon, people came to me not only for help with writing in a state of flow, but asking for help with their book proposals and getting published. It was a great fit with my business and marketing background (two management degrees from MIT), because a book proposal is like a business plan for a book. That led to an invitation to be on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course, where I meet many of my clients.
Who are your top 3 female role models, and what about each inspires you?
My role models are not necessarily household names but people who’ve had a strong influence in my life. My mother-in-law, the artist Anne Mimi Sammis, is one of my role models. She works in bronze, watercolor and acrylic, creating work that’s about peace, love and celebrating the joy of life. Many of her sculptures are in public spaces—at the Narragansett sea wall, children’s museums, atop a church in Aspen, CO. She’s super-creative and playful—and brings that creative energy and fun into all aspects of her life.
Another mentor and role model my friend Julia Griffin. Julia teaches about intuition and manifestation. Because of Julia, I meditate every day. She’s helped me see how to appreciate life more and create a life that’s joyful. And she’s a role model for spending time outdoors, drawing power from our connection with nature and God.
And another role model is Tama Kieves. In addition to being a life coach, she’s a writer who truly trusts her own voice and isn’t trying to be “marketable.” In this day and age, that takes a certain kind of strength to trust the muse and not try to make things happen.
All three women meditate regularly and consistently spend time on their creative endeavors.
What challenge (s) did you face & overcome to get to where you are?
There were health challenges, which turned out to be a huge gift. They led me to powerful healing and even to the idea for my first book. They opened me spiritually. The other challenge was just starting a business from scratch. At that time, self-publishing had not yet blossomed the way it has now. There weren’t many people doing what I do, so I didn’t really have models for it—I had to invent the business as I went. That was a challenge but also a gift, since it allowed me to create my book coaching business from my heart and soul.
What are the 3 most important things you do (or did) that contribute to your success?
Wow, there are so many things but I would say: 1) Stayed true to my vision. I didn’t make much money at first, and it would have been easy to take a “day job.” However, I trusted my intuition that what started out as “creativity coaching” and morphed into “writing coaching” and then “book coaching” could be a thriving and fulfilling business and vocation. 2) Invested in my business by hiring high quality professionals. When I finally hired a virtual assistant (the wonderful Geri Lafferty) who helped me with my newsletters and administrative tasks my business took up. Geri freed me up to do more of the work I love—coaching, editing and teaching book writing. If I’d know how freeing it was, I think I would have invested sooner. I also invested in business coaches to teach me what they knew about having an internet-based business. I hired professionals for services like copywriting and website design—people who were excellent at what they did. It’s easy to think, as a writer, “I can write my own copy” but my copywriter has done a much better job than I ever did. It’s her expertise. Having said that, you also have to know when not to follow another person’s advice. Particularly with business and money coaches, they may have something that works for them but doesn’t feel right to you. Trust me. 3) Wrote a book! A well-written book that captures your unique voice helps prospective clients get to know you. It provides instant credibility. It opens up doors for the rest of your life. I never could have guessed that writing a book about transforming anger would lead to an invitation to be on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course. And beyond the doors it opens, writing a book invites you to step into your own personal power—and own your voice—in a very powerful way. It’s perhaps the ultimate personal growth tool—just as a bonus.
Are there any obstacles specific to being a woman you have encountered?
When I worked in the corporate world, I did encounter obstacles, particularly sexual harassment. I was afraid to report it because I thought I might lose my job or make it harder for the next woman to get a job in that company.
How did you handle them?
I left that job as fast as I could! I had been accepted to MIT’s Sloan School of Management right out of college but had decided to defer and work instead. The two-year window was already over but I called them up and asked if they’d extend the offer for the coming year and they did. I love being an entrepreneur because the only obstacles to my business are ones I create—which I can un-create.
What do you consider the top issues women face today?
The thing I see most in the women I coach is that they are so focused on helping others that they will often put everything else before their biggest dreams. I think their biggest challenge is giving themselves permission to really go for it—whatever their “it” is. Having said that, as a mom, there are times to hold back and wait. Childhood is a precious time and so it may make a good deal of sense to curtail speaking engagements and business trips in order to have more quality time with family.
That leads me to the other huge challenge, particularly for moms— how to find a balance between work and home life. Work can be seductive. It’s easier to excel at work than at parenting. Parenting is so much harder! I have to set limits with work, especially working at home, so that it doesn’t take over. A third big issue is how to be a woman in an environment that is usually designed by males. Much of corporate life runs counter to the way we are wired. I suggest women find a workplace that feels more supportive or start your own business. Don’t let a soul-less workplace suck you dry. It can.
What are the biggest opportunities available to women today?
As an entrepreneur, I think the biggest opportunities are in creating your own thing—a “thing” that makes a big difference in the world, uses your gifts and skills in a maximal way, is fun and makes you grow. It’s less about a particular field and more about finding an arena that makes you shine your brightest and also nudges you to continue to expand and grow. You get to create your own “thing” from scratch—with your personal vision and values. You don’t have to squeeze yourself into someone else’s expectations or an environment that forces you to leave half of your personality at home. You get to be you and shine. And the sky’s the limit on your earnings.
What are the 3 most important things women need to do or consider when charting their next chapter of life, whenever that may be for them?
1) What gifts do you have that you are under-using or might like to explore more?
2) What makes your heart sing: what do you LOVE to do and how can you incorporate that into your vision for this next chapter?
3) What difference do you want to make for people (your clients, yourself, your family, the world)?
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Just that I’m excited to see your vision, Amy. You have this marvelous blend of savvy-business woman and soulful, feminine power that comes from a very deep place. Seeing you bring these two aspects together is exciting and a powerful invitation for women of any age to redefine success on their terms. It’s a powerful message that we can be women—and all that means to us—and also be very successful, particularly financially. I think there’s a myth that if we fully embrace our femininity, we can only earn so much. You bust that myth to pieces. For some of the women authors I have worked with, the business and money piece can be stumbling blocks. They can write an award-winning book but they resist fully stepping into their power when it comes to money. I’m so glad you are out to help women change that.
Award-winning book writing coach Lisa Tener merges a love of writing and business by helping entrepreneurs, health professionals, therapists, coaches and others grow their businesses and/or themselves by writing and publishing nonfiction books, mainly how-to/self-help. Her clients have been published by /signed contracts with major publishing houses; received five- and six-figure advances and major media coverage; and won top industry awards. She has appeared on ABC World News Tonight, PBS-TV, and in Glamour magazine, The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal, Family Circle, Body & Soul Magazine and many others. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and she currently serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing Course.
