If you need a woman business leader with the ability to get a crowd fired up, in their emotions, and connected with the topic, look no further than Dr. Shellie Hipsky. She has keynoted in front of scholars at The University of Oxford in England to United Way Key Connections for Women. Dr. Shellie Hipsky’s ability to engage an audience and lead by the thousands is the right choice for you whether you need a keynoter on the big stage or a small group leader for a virtual mastermind. Dr. Shellie is who you need to book to profoundly inspire and empower your clients, audience, and customers!
Transcript of the Show
Bryan Hyde
Welcome to the Janine Bolon show, where we share tips from around the globe. As we guide practical people with their finances using money tips, increase their incomes through side businesses, and maintain their sanity by staying in their creative zone.
Janine Bolon
Hello Janine Bolon here and welcome to today’s show where we bring you high quality content on saving your time , saving your money, saving your knowledge and staying sane in this topsy turvy world of ours. This is the Janine Bolon show. It’s a syndicated program of four podcast shows that were combined in October of 2021. Three Minute Money Tips, The Thriving Solopreneur, The Writers Hour Creative Conversations and The Practical Mystic show were programs that have been running since 2017. We’ve produced over 300 episodes interviewed over 250 guests, and today we will be spotlighting one of our authors that is contributing to our 12th book, The 99 Authors Project. We have with us today, Dr. Shellie Hipsky. She is the 53rd author we have interviewed and she is one of those incredible authors that is a multi-book author. She is also the CEO of Inspiring Lives International, the Executive Director of Global Sisterhood, and the editor in chief of Inspiring Lives magazine. Now what’s incredible about this woman is she has been featured on over 55 magazine covers. That’s right, check out her Instagram if you want to see all those covers. She has been on all major television networks. She frequently writes to Forbes and serves as their expert panel for coaches. Her signature keynote can be seen on Amazon Prime called Speak Up. And she recently did a docuseries called The Making of an Entrepreneur. Now the thing we’re really want to focus on, though, is her 13th book, which is Ballgowns to Yoga Pants, Entrepreneurial Secrets to Create Your Dream Business and Brand. And I think she has one or two things to say about that. But wait, just when you think that’s enough, there’s one more thing we’ve got to focus on. And that is her nonprofit organization. As you know, I am big into nonprofits. And she has a 501 (c)(3), The Global Sisterhood, which charity partnerships and acts of hashtag pop up giving to help women around the world from Pittsburgh to Pakistan, who are challenged by issues ranging from domestic violence to homelessness. So, Shellie, thanks so much for waiting as we went through that incredible biography of yours. It’s wonderful to have you on the show today.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Thank you, it’s a delight to be here. I appreciate the time and, and the energy that goes into one of these.
Janine Bolon
I appreciate it. You know what it means to have to do a compilation. But at the same time, I know, I don’t have all the wisdom that there is, Lord knows we need more people like you who are running around making it happen presenting yourself oh, by the way, she’s a mom, guys. It’s not like she’s doing this as some single woman who has a whole team behind her in that regard. She’s also running the race of keeping up with the kids. So thank you for coming to us today. I appreciate you.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Thank you.
Janine Bolon
So we’re just gonna launch into the normal 12 questions we ask everybody and that is what is the story behind ballgowns, to yoga pants? I mean, why on earth write that book when you have all of these amazing other books to your name? So what was the inspiration for that?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Well, the title really came from my daughter, she noticed that when I was a tenured professor, that I was getting up every day and putting on a full suit, you know, suiting up and, and getting ready to go and teach in front of the classroom all day. And then when I transformed into a mompreneur, an entrepreneur, I was either in a ball gown at a charity event, or I was running around in my yoga pants on the cell phone, making the deals, you know, with the kids in tow. So it just became sort of my branding. Part of my branding was that I was either in a ball gown or I was in yoga pants, and that was the end. So many women have those multiple sides, particularly when they’re entrepreneurs. So I just really wanted to dive into that with that particular book.
Janine Bolon
And like you were sharing with me, you and I both have children that are in musical theater, so they understand about, how sometimes mom has to do the quick costume changes as we’re zipping in the car.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Absolutely, absolutely. I’m all about the costume change.
Janine Bolon
And it’s like, okay, my kid was telling me the other day, she was like, oh, my God, I feel like mom now because she had like four bags, and she was walking out to the car, depending upon what was happening. So thank you for modeling that for the next generation. I don’t think they understand truly, how multifaceted you just have to be to be a mompreneur.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Absolutely, absolutely. It’s, it’s a juggling act, and it’s a balancing act. And I get into a lot of that, not only with my books, but also with my courses that I teach through the Empower You masterclass.
Janine Bolon
Right. Thank you so much for sharing that. So the other thing we’d like to ask people So, how many books did you have to write before you could call yourself an author?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Oh, that’s a great question. So I think that once you put you know, pen to paper or tapped on the keys to get a book out, then you’re an author. I, my first book I wrote while I was actually writing my dissertation for my doctorate, so I was doing it at the exact same time while I was also running a school for kids with emotional behavioral needs. So it was, you know, a, it was sort of a part of the process of becoming an author, you know, seeing myself with an author hat on and see myself as the mompreneur and seeing myself as a businesswoman, seeing myself as a professor, like, all those different hats. You know, they’re multifaceted. You have to be in this day and age, you have to have multiple hats, say you put on and take off on a daily basis.
Janine Bolon
So one of those things I like to ask though, is, were you able to call yourself an author right off the bat? I mean, was that an easy label for you to integrate into?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Yes, author was because I was going for tenure as a professor, and it’s very much publish or perish. So I had written hundreds of articles already. So the moniker of author was something that I, I took on pretty readily.
Janine Bolon
Fabulous. Yeah, thank you so much. Okay. So out of curiosity, then with all this expertise that you had, in everything, what most surprised you then about the book marketing process and actually publishing a book?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
So I think that you have to really step into the marketer role, I think that you have to be really conscious of the promotion and the marketing and the branding. I think in the beginning that sort of surprised me, because I think authors think that, you know, the publisher is going to do it all. And that’s not the case, as you know.
Janine Bolon
Yeah, there was a little bit of a sea change in 1999. With that aspect. Yeah. Well, we like to ask what worked best and what was epic fail? So let’s go with the positive first, what worked best for you? What was something that you did where you sold the most books?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Okay, well, I have to be honest, I think I mean, I’m still getting royalty checks for the textbook that I wrote for Pearson Education 11 years later. So I think that having a major sales force that goes into colleges around the country and the world and sells your book, I think, hey, if you could do that, go for it. So that was the win. I mean, every time I get another check another year, I’m like, really? Fantastic. I’m so happy that I still contributing to the education of the differentiated instruction is what I taught on through that book. So it that was definitely a win.
Janine Bolon
So the win is AKA, write a textbook.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Well, but it’s hard. Okay, so I’m gonna say that that was also the hardest book that I had to write, because every single chapter was proofread and audited, line by line by experts around the world. So there was a professor, you know, in India that was, you know, an expert on my topic, and he and 20 other people had to go to chapter by chapter and tell me what was wrong with every chapter. So that, your ego could take a hit. And it’s a daunting task. It was a three-year task. I birthed two babies and one book, during that process with that textbook.
Janine Bolon
Exactly. And that’s why I always giggle when somebody says, oh, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, or I didn’t mean to offend you. And I’m like, sweetheart, I’m an author of 12 books. I have a very thick skin and like you, hey, I’ve written a textbook. You there’s nothing you can say. Yeah. I hear you on that one. Well, if you don’t mind sharing with us, what was a process or something that you tried, and it was an epic failure when it came to selling your books?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
I think some of the, the pay to play type of promotional things, I think that those can get messy. I think that when you’re really putting it out there, and they are coming to you and saying, you know, we want to give you this award or we want to you know, do this magazine cover, we want to do this type of thing. If it’s really truly genuine and it’s truly going out to the right places, I think that that can be great, but I think that authors can burn through some money. And I don’t think authors realize that when you’re particularly if you’re doing the self-publishing, which I haven’t done very much of that I’ve gone with multiple different well known publishers, but I think they, we don’t realize that you have to have like capital, it’s like starting a business, you know, it’s like, you have to have money to make money, and you have to put it out there. And so I think that a lot of people can get really burned with that, I think that they can get like, jaded. And, and there’s a whole comparison thing that’s out there, you know, so everybody’s got, you know, Amazon bestseller of XY and Z, you know, and those type of things and it’s so much harder to get on some of the different bestseller lists. So I think that, that if there was any discouragement, I don’t know that there have been any epic fails in my, now I’m working on my 15th book, I don’t know if there’s been any epic fails but I I know that there were some missteps, I would definitely say that. That if I would have been able to utilize those funds or time or energy for other methods, I would have done that. Looking back on it.
Janine Bolon
Thank you for sharing, because that’s one of the things I like to talk to people about, not only in my courses, but on my radio shows. And that sort of thing is, if you partner with me, I can save you seven years and $35,000. And they just look at me aghast. And I’m like, you talk to any professional author, and you will find the same story over and over just like you were saying. And so I always say to folks, if you want some help, make sure you’re going to somebody who is a multi-book author and actually can give you, oh, yeah, I’ve made some mess ups, like you were just talking about right? It can get messy. You have to invest.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Yeah, totally agree.
Janine Bolon
Okay. Well, tell us a story about you that gets the most laughs from your target audience?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Oh, my gosh, it gets the most laughs. Oh, um, I mean, if it’s about me, I also have a performing side and I’ve had many snafus on stage. There was a moment where I was starring in Kiss of the Spider Woman and singing and emoting in full costume with a Spider Woman dress on and long cape and six-inch heels and no railing on the steps. And I was emoting and singing and you really into this major song, and I’m belting out the song and then fell down the steps. And it was, I just, it was just silence. And somebody from the audience just said, Oh, Jesus, and I got myself back up. I got myself back up. I finished this though. I went to the emergency room after the cast party and got it all taken care of. But those snafus that happen on stage, and you know, I keynote around the world as well. So there’s been lots of those, like, literally missteps, that have happened on stage that have gotten some laughs when I when I talked about them in in my talks.
Janine Bolon
And that’s one of those things that I like to share with authors, our debut authors, that everything happens, everything that can go wrong does and it’s your grace under fire, like you said, you stood up. You just kept going. In my case, I had the fire alarm, they evacuated the hotel that I was in. But you know, we all have every speaker I’ve ever talked to. Like, tell me your story. Tell me one of your favorite stories, just because I know you’ve got it. I know you’ve got one, right? Always, there’s always something funny going on. So what is the biggest change that you’ve seen in yourself since you’ve started marketing your first book? Now your first book was a textbook. So I’m talking about the book that you wrote, as a passion project for yourself.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
So that would have been Ordinary People Extraordinary Planet. And since then, I’ve been able to interview over 1000 women internationally, really do some transformational work through my nonprofit due to the work that I did back with that particular book. And internally, at my core, I have been transformed via the inspiration and empowerment of women around the world. I think that I’ve seen just my ability to help these incredible ladies has really made a profound impact on who I am at my core.
Janine Bolon
Fabulous. Thank you so much for the nonprofit.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Thank you very much.
Janine Bolon
Yeah, as a philanthropist myself I always am so grateful for people like you who you see a problem, you go after it, not only as a business woman but also as a philanthropist. So starting a charity. That’s incredible. So as we, as we go on here to debut authors and learning from the mistakes people like you and I have made, what are the top five tips that you would give a new author that’s getting ready to start selling their books?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Um, okay, so the first thing as a new author, make sure that you are having it edited to the nines to the nth degree. I think that’s hugely important. You have to make sure that that is done correctly. I would make sure that you have a real true author marketing platform in place, even before you hit the you know, hit the ground running, absolutely. Got to get that in place. I would make sure that you had, you know, people that are going to hold you up sort of as a champion and an expert in whatever you’re writing about. So testimonials are going to be very important. For sort of the beginning of the book, I would make sure that you have your media aligned so that you know where you’re going to be able to place book excerpts, get book reviews done, those type of things. I think we’re on five, is that correct? Yes. So and then I think that the fifth one would be to make sure that it’s something that is really a passion of yours and a part of and aligned with your mission. So that when you become the expert, because you will become the expert in whatever it is you’re writing about, when you become the expert that you can live with that. And you can be excited about that for an extended period of time. I always told that to my students that were doing their dissertations. When I had my doctoral students and instructional management leadership, you’re going to become the expert on this, make sure it’s something that you can live with and love for a long period of time.
Janine Bolon
Exactly. Yes, ma’am. That was quite right. I was a collegiate professor and it was one of those things that I would talk to. I worked at the master’s level. And so yes, once again, it’s like you’re going to be talking about this for a long time. So I would love to learn from you. What was the one thing that you most misunderstood about becoming an author?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
That I most misunderstood about becoming an author. Hmm. Just I think that I think that when it came to misunderstanding about becoming an author, I think that we just assume, we assume too much. We assume that the marketing is going to fall into place, we assume that the media is gonna come to us, we assume that the bestseller list are gonna happen, we assume it’s all this these assumptions. And you know, you shouldn’t make assumptions about things. And you should really do your research. And you should really know what you’re getting into before you get into it. So I think that that’s all about these assumptions.
Janine Bolon
I’m trying so hard not to laugh into the mic, but it’s so true. Sitting there rattling all this stuff off. I’m like, oh, yeah, I had that one. Oh, yeah, that one too. Okay, you’ve already kind of touched on this a little bit, but I’d like you to go into the time machine and go back a little bit further than what you did. And that is what is the primary thing that was the biggest reward about becoming an author, and I’m thinking about book three or four. Yeah, you know, before you started doing the 1000s of interviews and everything, can you think back to what was that big reward you got as an author?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
I think my big reward is always the same as when I’m teaching or when I’m giving a keynote. It’s always those aha moments. When you see, the you know, you see somebody in the audience light up, or you see them have a moment of relatability with you, or you get a message from a reader and those, that’s what fills up my heart is when I know that I’m touching and transforming lives with my words.
Janine Bolon
I totally agree. I couldn’t agree with you more. That was what made all the heartache and all the beating the keyboard against my head at 4am trying to get words to come to flow onto the Word document. And then you would see that moment in somebody’s eyes and then you were like, okay, this was totally worth it. Yeah. Well, anything else you care to share with us about being an author and you’re an internationally well traveled global woman these days and anything you care to share with people who are just starting off with their books?
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
I think really find that mentor or coach, somebody that can help lead you towards your dreams and your goals with your book and, and your books. Let’s let’s put it out there. I mean, the people that are listening to you are wanting to find out how to write those books, how to get those books in the hands of people, you don’t want it to just be a book on a shelf, you want it to be a book in someone’s heart. And so I think that you really need to find someone that has walked that path and walk alongside with them or just garner glean those, those little little informational things. And it could be a coach or it could be, you know, reading in Lamont or reading one of these other authors that writes about authorship so that you can find your own voice and deliver it to your right readers.
Janine Bolon
And then if somebody wants to connect with you, there’s it’s very easy to find you, but what’s the best path for us to connect with you.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
So I think if they just go to Shellie Hipsky.com, they’re going to see all the books and they’re going to see the you know, the the nonprofit and they’ll see the the Inspiring Lives magazine and and also if your authors want to be in Inspiring Lives magazine, I’m the editor in chief of that. And we feature a lot of different authors. So I think that that would be a wonderful route for them to go. So yeah, just get on get on Shellie Hipsky.com. Or you can follow me at Dr. Shellie on Instagram. And I would love to communicate with you and tell you about my Empower You masterclass and and see how I can help you on your author journey.
Janine Bolon
Thank you so much for your time today. Dr. Shellie, we really appreciate it.
Dr. Shellie Hipsky
Thank you.
Janine Bolon
And if you are an author or you know of an author that you would like us to spotlight, please visit our website at Author Podcasting.com where you will find the 99 Author Project listed. We’ve talked to all authors from all walks of life as we build up book number 12 which is Advice from Authors to Authors due out in 2023. And this is Janine Bolon signing off with you today and all of us here at the 8 Gates that produces The Janine Bolon show. We wish you a wonderful week and encourage you to get your message, your story or your knowledge out into the world and make it a better place just like these authors that we’re interviewing this year. We’ll see you again next week. And until then, keep sharing what you know with others, keep shining that light that is you and don’t forget to go out today and do something for yourself that is just plain fun. We’ll see you next week.
Bryan Hyde
Thank you for listening to the Janine Bolon show. Be sure to subscribe to our show notes by going to www.theJanineBolonshow.com, where you’ll find additional resources as well as the opportunity to sign up to receive our program in your email each week. Be sure to visit our sponsor at www.the8gates.com.