You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Cheryl and Eileen explore different topics around the limited time we have on this earth to create a fully layered life. Because...You Only Go Once!
You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Creative Journeys and Sabbatical Insights with Cheryl and Eileen
We also take a deep dive into Cheryl's creative journey, highlighting the release of her poetry book "My Stay with the Sisters," and previewing her upcoming works "A Place No Flowers Grow" and "Barry and the Big Jump." A heartfelt thank you goes out to our supportive community, especially Shelby Lee's Poetry Club. Cheryl discusses the joys and challenges of book marketing and the importance of fostering creative connections. As they bid a temporary farewell, they promise to return brimming with renewed energy and fresh perspectives. Enjoy your summer, and they can't wait to reconnect soon!
hello, hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to you only go once. I am here with my lovely, delightful, charming co-host, eileen grimes, and we are here today with a special announcement. So this is going to be a one-off episode because we are announcing that we are going on what we are describing as a summer sabbatical. Eileen and I are never ones to sit and chill out at any given time, so we have quite a number of things in the fire, so to speak, and we're very excited and passionate about all of the things that are happening and we want to just kind of allow for that space, and sometimes you have to do that. We believe in you Only Go Once podcast, we believe in the stories that we've been able to share and we want to come back with that same passion. But there are some things we kind of need to, you know, get out into the universe first before we can do that. So we'll probably see you again at the end of September or you'll hear from us again from the end of September, but we're going to spend the next few minutes just kind of sharing what we've been working on in our little world. So, eileen, I'm going to ask you to kick it off. Oh, my goodness, yes, so one thank you for such a lovely introduction. It's one of my favorite things when we introduce each other, just to hear the different adjectives we gotta get to describe each other, and and they're genuine, they're completely genuine, and so sweet and I love it so much, yeah. So, oh boy, oh boy, this summer is going to be jam-packed, for, I mean, it has been.
Speaker 1:Let's just be really honest here. It's been pretty, pretty busy with a lot of different things happening and I mean even one of those, including finalizing my divorce. I've been, you know, kind of going through some of that and finding that space for me and learning what that looks like. And then, within that, I applied to this amazing program here in Spokane. This Terrain is this wonderful group supporting artists in the Spokane area and they had a creative enterprises program and I decided that with that I wanted to start my own new podcast. So excited, so excited head on. And you know we joke that I always bring in these people that are psychics or have these like intuitive abilities and different things like that, and there's something that I'm drawn to within that space and with people like that, and that's really sort of some of the avenue of where I'm going with this new podcast is really diving deeply into that. So it's called Mystical Mayhem Makers and we're really digging into those things which, as many of you know, back in 2020, I wrote my own eulogy and have also been on my own healing path since then with a lot of the things I've dealt with in life and you know this finding amazing intuitive therapists that I've gone to and doing somatic work and having amazing teacher my dance teacher that I go to that has taught me so much.
Speaker 1:And I'm actually enrolled in a psychedelic practitioners program with the Synthesis Institute and actually finishing that up and finishing that program up in July and have started my own somatic coaching program and work specifically with women. So all of those things combined really wanted to make headway there and really put in the time outside of the million other things that I'm doing to really get this up and running, because I really feel like sharing these people that have been amazing in my life and have supported me through my journey of healing and wholeness lives and have supported me through my journey of healing and wholeness and then learning from others that I have yet to even speak to is really worth the time to bring out into the world, because I know that it's something that gives other people an opportunity to find their own wholeness, and that's what I want to do with. This summer is really kicking that off. I have an intro episode out now and we'll have full episodes out starting in July. So, yeah, so a lot of things going on, and I'm just grateful for you, cheryl, because you know I've talked about this too, and that this doesn't mean this podcast is over, because there is so much that happens here that is different from what I'm sharing in that space.
Speaker 1:And this is not an end to this either. There are still so many more stories. I know that we're meant to share and just having the space together, like we've been creating spaces together for years at this point, and this one feels like a really good one that I certainly know we can continue to grow and continue to foster, and having the break to be able to get some of these other things together. I know you'll share in just a minute too, but really getting these other things up and running so that we can then step back into this just makes the most sense right now. So, and then, alongside that, I'm going to be going out to the river. We have some great rivers and pools and stuff here, and being able to have that time with my kids is really one of the priorities as well.
Speaker 1:It was funny I was talking, my son recently was saying oh, mom, they just got out of school a couple weeks ago and oh well, don't you? What do you get out for summer break? Well, oh, buddy, I know, so sweet, so sweet, exactly like, well, that's not happening. Um, but, uh, you know just the, they want to spend time and so being able to once I finish my leadership development work during the day, during my full-time job which is amazing also in getting to support human-centric leaders and culture and organization doing that and then being able to go to the local pool or going over to the river before we have smoke season, which is a season here now with all the wildfires that happen, right. So trying to just enjoy that and, every once in a while, even though it doesn't sound like it, trying to sit and breathe for just a little bit, um, but yeah.
Speaker 1:So those, those are the things I'm up to and I'm super excited about it and, like I said, ever since 2020 and writing that eulogy, I just have been moving in a way that makes an impact in the world that I want to see and I want to be a part of and I want to leave behind for my kids, and that's that's what I get to do with this podcast. That's what I'm getting to do in a different way with the other podcast and, yeah, I just it's just really incredibly important to me and so grateful for you and our listeners that are a part of this and our guests that we've had and just really amazed to continue being able to do this with everyone. Yeah, with that, I'm going to pass it to you, cheryl, because you have some really cool things going on that I cannot wait and I've been so lucky to have some sneak peeks into but really want you to share the work that you're doing and what's happening for you this summer. Thank you, eileen, and thank you for sharing everything.
Speaker 1:I feel like your son is a bit of a trailblazer in how we need to be as adults, as grownups, because there is something to be said about rest and recharge and then rejuvenation, right, and he has constantly been the one that's kind of smacked us about the heads and said what about this? And it's just very. You know it comes from a very childlike practical sense. And yet there he is kind of going, hey, like when do you get your summertime off? And it's like oh, oh, buddy, listen, I'm an adult. And then you realize you're right, I'm an adult, I can do stuff, I can do this kind of stuff right. And before I get into my stuff, I just want to say we're going to be putting out a resources sheet for this and what I would do is anybody that is in the creative or intuitive space that Eileen's solo project is podcasting and having adventures on. We're going to ask you for this bit of a call to action here. If there are people out there who have a story, who would like to have these wholesome discussions with Eileen, please, please, please reach out to her. You know she's on social media. We'll make sure that we give you the links to her new podcast and it's going to be an exciting time and Eileen is a she's an intuitive conversationalist, so you will feel right at ease when you have these conversations with her. So I highly encourage you to do this. All right, thank you, you're welcome.
Speaker 1:So Eileen did lead up to a couple of things and I think my I'm in my writing era. I guess you could say I started off last year trying to process, or the year before. Now it's been yeah, it's been a while. My mom died in 2022 and it had a profound impact on me and how I deal with grief and gratitude, because people came out in droves to make sure that my family and me were okay during that time and I will be forever grateful for that. And in response, I had penned a book which I never in a million years thought I would be writing poetry. But hey, here we are and that book was called my Stay with the Sisters and that's been.
Speaker 1:I've heard so many stories from people about how they connected with the words. They felt like they had a sense of community around all of the different emotions that come with the loss of a loved one. With that I kind of been, I've been inspired to continue writing. So on September 24th of this year, I have a new book coming out and it's called A Place no Flowers Grow. This is a departure from the community piece and this is more poetic folktale. The three main characters, octavia, rowan and Fox, and their fates collide. There's a lot going on with it and I'm very excited to have people read the book and kind of connect back to the days where people would kind of sit around campfires and tell stories, whether they were ghost stories or just fun stories or things like that. That was always the sense that I had in my brain when this book came out. So it is available for pre-order on Amazoncom and I just released the pre-order for the e-book version as well. So that's coming.
Speaker 1:I fought the e-book, I'll be honest, for a while, because I had a Dickens of a time with formatting the first book, my State with the Sisters, as an e-book and I thought, well, I'm never doing that again. And then a couple people asked like where's the e-book for this? And I thought, often, good at that. So I retained the help of a professional who was also the book cover designer and the book designer itself, the interior format and whatnot. So I'm excited about that. September 24th.
Speaker 1:Then, in addition to that, I also have my very first children's book coming out and that will be out in November and I'm working with the lovely illustrator, nicole Elwood on that and it is called Barry and the Big Jump. And Barry is a jumping spider and I know people's initial reactions to spiders are like the charmers of the spider world, like they dance, they have big expressive eyes, they tend to be curious and I think that for kids that are saying I can do this, I can do this, there is the power of family in that, there's the power of believing in yourself, in that, and there's a power of accomplishing things. So I'm also very excited to have that come out into the world. And then, who knows, for 2025. But for right now, my brain can only handle two books because, to be frank, I am exhausted. For anybody who's ever published a book or have seen Bookstagram, you know that the marketing piece of that is no joke and I've been doing most of it solo.
Speaker 1:I'm so grateful for the Poetry Club with Shelby Lee. Shelby Lee was my editor, was my primary editor on both books. Actually, my Say With the Sisters and A Place no Flowers Grow, and she's built this wonderful community and we really have a kinship and I just wanted to say I am so grateful to the women and men that were part of that community, to the people who were part of that community, and they've been very supportive and the support is always reciprocal. Again, this is our time. We are always very proud of our guests and we will shamelessly support whatever they have out there. And this is kind of our time to take our own medicine and self-promote. So for both of us we will provide links and everything like that to what's coming and we're just. We need this time to recharge.
Speaker 1:I think and I personally love you Only Go Once, because number one Eileen and I get to see each other on a regular basis because I'm in Philly. Number one Eileen and I get to see each other on a regular basis because I'm in Philly, the area she's in, the Spokane area, and that time to connect with a friend is so far and few between when you've got a long-distance friendship. So grateful for this space to be able to do that. And I'm also so always in awe of the people who are like yeah, we would be pleased as bunch to share our stories with you and we've had wonderful guests. And just always we walk away with something where we're like we did not know that or wow, that just felt good. And I hope, dear listeners, that you also get that sense when you listen to our episodes and we'll be back again with those stories. But now we are telling our own stories and we hope that. We hope that you enjoy those equally as much. Yeah, and I do want to say having the absolute pleasure of supporting you, cheryl, through through your writing journey. I've been so grateful. I've been so grateful.
Speaker 1:Outside of that, I, yes, and y'all, need to get these books because they're fantastic. I, I, have been able to read every single one and for those who haven't had a chance to read, my stay with his sisters. It's, I know, my friend, and this feels like a part, it felt like a part of you and it's. It was something that dove in so deeply and touched me in a way that just made me understand you more and was so universal to so many people who've ever experienced grief. And then this next book, a Place when no Flowers Grow, like you said, it's like that troubadour. I mean I know you're not going around singing it, but there is that feeling and I almost would love to have you do a reading of that for me with it, because anytime I read your work it's always in your voice and your words, because I can just hear you talking about them.
Speaker 1:But you need to get these books. They're beautiful and wonderful and so unique, and so you, even with them being in so many sort of different areas. They're so you and they're just beautiful pieces that anyone would be lucky to be able to have in their home. So I highly recommend you picking these up and pre-ordering where you're able to. Just quickly, barry, is that up for pre-order? It's not up for pre-order. No, it's not. It's not even in my print distribution item yet we're still working through the illustrations and everything like that. And yeah, even that this is exciting because I've never been part of a children's book before and it is. So. We've had our guests on right, we've had ground crew editorials Jackie and Arianne, right, and they, they really helped me put things into focus. And again, I always think of I think of your son, I think of my niece, I think of everybody who I've known who have had littles, their attention to play and interaction and is so important and especially during those formative years where the imaginations are just exploding right, and it's always important.
Speaker 1:What I'm learning is with children's books is you've got to make them part of the story, and I don't think I truly appreciated that until Jackie and Arianne kind of stepped in and were like try this, and it just enriched the story so much so now we're working on illustrations and Nicole is a force of nature, so she's she's given me storyboarding pieces and I'm like, just go like this all looks awesome. I'm super excited about it. Just go in that vein, if I can go, going to look like a graphic novel, I know I'm so excited. So I'm working right now. I'm finalizing details with the person that's going to do the artwork and my brain is kind of exploding, because it really was. We're just going to throw a Hail Mary and see what happens, and I was very fortunate that not only did this person respond, but they responded with such enthusiasm that it just felt like I can't not do it now, like I've put it out into the universe and I can't not do it now. So I'm very excited to see what he does with this. So more to come on that one in 2025. I hope to have that out a year from now. We'll see what happens then. I'm so excited for that. I can't wait.
Speaker 1:And please understand that the paperback edition of this is gorgeous. Islam Fareed was the artist for this and he did the book cover. It is so haunting and inviting and, like I said, gather around a fire pit, grab your pillows and your blankets, and I hope you enjoy reading this folklore because I really enjoyed writing it and in the format that it is. Okay, my friend, I think that covers everything and again, we'll send out resources when we get this one published and out for you to listen to.
Speaker 1:But on behalf of my lovely, lovely co-host, eileen Grimes and myself, this concludes our episode of you. Only Go Once and we'll see you. I hope everybody enjoys their summers, but again, our call to action to all of you are to check out some of the stuff that we're doing, because we're really excited about it and passionate about it and we hope you enjoy it, because we want you to enjoy it as much as we're enjoying doing these things. Oh, take care, friends, listeners and even prior guests, if you're listening. Thank you so much and we will see you in a couple months. Take care everyone. Bye.
