Me and My Work:
Jodi Chapman is a bestselling author, an award-winning blogger, and an inspirational community builder. She wears her heart on her sleeve and tends to attract others into her life who do the same. It’s her heart’s desire to help others reconnect with their soul and plug back into their life.
After experiencing a spiritual awakening in October 2010, she went from being a complete skeptic to a believer in miracles and the magic that is always occurring all around us. She now lives her life with love and faith in the driver’s seat, and she hopes to leave a trail of inspiration wherever she goes. She believes that we each have the ability to hear our soul’s whisper and create our best lives.
Jodi Chapman is the author of the award-winning blog, Soul Speak, the creator of the Soulful Life Sanctuary, and the co-author of the bestselling Soulful Journals series, which she wrote with her husband, Dan Teck.
She lives in southern Oregon with her beautiful best friend/soulmate Dan. They share their lives with three wonderful cats: Biddle, Buncom, and Elsie.
My top three values are:
Love, honesty, authenticity.
I do the work I do because:
My soul asks me to. It’s why I’m here.
If I could invite two or three people to dinner to discuss his/her life journey and career, I’d invite:
President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Dalai Lama.
The next big challenge for me around my work is:
Learning to find balance and downtime. I feel really blessed that I love what I do, and it’s oftentimes hard for me to stop doing it. 🙂
If my clients hold on to only one piece of advice from me, I hope it’s:
Bravely share your authentic heart with the world, and follow your soul’s whispers.
If I couldn’t do the work I’m doing now, I’d be:
Rocking baby chimps in a nursery somewhere in Africa.
I can never get enough of:
Love from my sweetie, Dan.
A person in my field I admire greatly is:
Again, I have to say Dan. He has such a beautiful heart, and is so wise, talented, and funny.
A famous person I admire is:
Oprah Winfrey. I love how she has always followed her heart and let it lead the way. I absolutely love how she’s made spirituality mainstream and brought deep conversations into everyday life.
My favorite question to ask people is:
What does your soul want you to know?
If an hour suddenly opened up in my schedule I would:
Take a nap! 🙂
The biggest compliment someone could pay me is:
That they feel seen and loved after spending time with me.
My biggest accomplishment so far is:
My relationship with Dan and how I’m showing up in the world with an open heart.
My top three bucket list items are:
Spend much more time on the beach, create a life where I have much more downtime, get back to Hawaii.
I would love my name to be synonymous with (or when people hear my name I want them to think):
Loving and Soulful.
My favorite work of fiction is:
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
My favorite nonfiction book is:
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Me and My Books:
What was the deciding factor that propelled you to write your book?
Several years ago, my husband and I had a gift business where we made journals (among other things). We focused on the outside of the journal – the pretty paper, decorative cover, etc. Our customers would say that they were intimidated by the blank pages – they weren’t sure what to write. We had always loved writing and thought it would be fun to create prompts to get them started. We loved focusing on gratitude and soulful living, and so we ended up creating a series of journals that reflected that. It’s called Soulful Journals, and it currently includes 13 books (www.soulfuljournals.com)!
What was your experience of the writing process?
I love to write. I have found that the words flow out almost faster than I can type. I get into “the zone” and feel sometimes that the words are no longer my own – that they are coming from something much bigger than me. It’s been a very humbling and beautiful journey to be on.
Do you have any advice for anyone struggling with the writing process?
I would say that whenever I have struggled, it’s because I was getting in my own way and not trusting the process. As soon as I allowed myself to step away from the outcome and let go of my need to control the words that came out, things flowed much more easily.
What has been the feedback from clients and your community since publishing?
We’ve received such beautiful feedback since our first books were published. It’s so heartwarming to receive an email from someone who shares how our journals are helping them change their lives. Our journals are also part of several universities’ curriculum and are used to help rehabilitate teens in detention centers. It’s really such a beautiful thing that I’m just thrilled to be part of.
How has your book affected or changed your business?
Our Soulful Journals were the start of my writing journey. After writing a few, I began to realize that I had much more to share. And so I began blogging. Doing this regularly helped me build a community, which has been a huge part of our success – both personally and professionally. Knowing that my words are inspiring others to embrace their lives and connect with their souls is something that I will always feel especially grateful for.
How has publishing your book given you a bigger voice as an expert in your field?
I do think that writing books gives you some level of credibility. But even more than that, I think showing up consistently and staying true to your message helps those in your community see that you really are authentic and are passionate about what you’re writing about.
How/where did you publish?
We self publish.
Why did you choose this route?
Because we started off as a gift business and were already making journals, adding the writing into them was a pretty smooth transition for us. We continued to sell them to our existing wholesale accounts and retail customers, and then expanded as our community grew.
Were there any obstacles along the way?
Oh sure. I think any entrepreneur will find that things don’t always flow smoothly, and my journey has had its share of twists and turns. We are constantly switching things up when we run into a wall or when something doesn’t seem to be flowing. But for the most part, following my soul’s whispers has been a really powerful journey filled with growth. I’ve found that what you focus on is what expands, and so I try not to stay too long in what isn’t working and focus on what is.
Do you have any suggestions or words of advice for others considering self-publishing (independent publishing) for the first time?
I would say to try different things and not have a preconceived idea of what your publishing journey is supposed to look like. Stay open and let your soul lead the way!
What is the best advice you can offer authors-in-waiting?
Keep at it. Keep writing. Keep publishing. Keep sharing authentically. Just keep at it. I think that’s really why I’ve had a certain level of success. I don’t give up. I keep going and keep writing and keep sharing. I can’t imagine not doing that. I think if you’re following your heart and writing because you can’t imagine not doing it, you’re already well on your way!
