Today’s post is courtesy of Yael, one of the 28 authors in the Roar project’s first publication, “Hear Us Roar! 28 Stories of Everyday Women Leading Extraordinary Lives.” While Yael’s original Roar story was placed in the Authenticity chapter of the book, her subsequent blog tells a compelling story of perseverance as well. In fact, most of the 28 Roar stories fit into more than one of the four key themes (Perseverance, Authenticity, Faith, and Generosity) that are the heartbeat of the book. It’s part of what makes them extraordinary.

Here’s Yael’s update and inspiration for today:

In my heart I have always been an entrepreneur. In my mind, I’ve struggled with self doubt, inexperience and lack of education.

When I first submitted my story for “Hear us Roar”, I was riding the wave of living out my life’s dream. As the CEO and operator of my Nanny business I brought in thousands of dollars in profits.  Month after month, I diligently paid bills, ran my business and managed and loved my family. Unbeknownst to me, the bottom was falling out of the economy and my clientele pool dried up along with the profits. I fought as much as I could, but eventually after 11 months of being in business I had to close my doors. Heartbroken and unsure of my next step, I took a job offered to me from a former client, and worked as an assistant in a Day Care / Preschool center.

Three months after working as an Administrative assistant in the daycare, I found out that I was pregnant. Fortunately, my boss was also my friend and she helped me to realize that this was the place I needed to be at this time. I had a place to work and bring my baby. Although I struggled mentally with these changes in my life, CEO to assistant, independent mother to two preteens to mother to a newborn, I finally accepted that my dream was also changing and evolving along with my life.

My daughter is now three months old and my husband, sons and I couldn’t imagine life without her. I am still working at the daycare, but I am also pursuing my certification as a Personal Trainer. As a hobby, I have always embraced physical fitness and I always had people that wanted to work out with me. With the certification, I will soon be able to work legitimately in a field that I love.

By following the road to my dreams I have become happier and more fulfilled that I ever imagined.

Thank you, Yael. May we all have the courage to see the silver lining in every cloud and make way for the possibility that unexpected twists and turns often lead to far greater rewards than we could possibly envision for ourselves.

Here’s what our Early Adopters have to say. Even the men are inspired!

The fact that this book celebrates my mother, sisters, daughters and most of my friends is enough. But beyond that, it is simply a celebration of life – in the face of everyday circumstances. These 28 women are the unsung heroes we all have in our lives but we don’t fully know what they’ve endured. Reading their stories moved me and inspired me to see that there’s always more and I never need give up on my dreams!
I’ve already given Hear Us Roar! away 3 times and plan to continue to do so.

This book, about ordinary women achieving the extra-ordinary, is inspirational! How wonderful that the author put this together and the proceeds support the causes that are near and dear to the women who told their stories. Maybe the little meow inside of me will grow into a roar someday…and if it does, I will have this book and these women to thank.

A friend gave me this book. It’s a book that contains short stories about women overcoming adversity. I was blown away at who these women were and what they accomplished. Truly inspiring.

Take a moment to post your review today, and ask friends and family to do the same. Buzz –> sales –> charitable donations!

WASHINGTON, DC – May 15, 2010 –

The Hear Us Roar! project began in 2008 when a small group of entrepreneurial women in the United States used the power of the Internet to offer an invitation to women around the world: “Tell us in 1200 words or less about a time in your life that you realized you were powerful.” Within four months the team received 84 stories from three continents, of which 28 were chosen for this introductory collection. Each contributing author identified a charity to benefit from proceeds raised by book sales.

Andrea Howe, the catalyst behind “Hear Us Roar!,” was inspired to create the project after “coming out” at the age of 38 as a rape survivor and realizing the healing power of telling her story—for herself and others. Howe also is the creator of a program called Living Out Loud that offers improv comedy workshops to survivors of sexual violence who are ready to laugh again.

“It’s one thing for female celebrities and Fortune 500 executives to use their star power and clout to change the world, but ‘Hear Us Roar!’ is not about them,” says Howe. “This project provides an opportunity for ‘ordinary’ women to share themselves so that other ‘ordinary’ women will catch a glimpse of their own reflection. By buying this book, together we celebrate the strength and power of women across the globe while simultaneously raising money for charity.”

Readers will find hope and inspiration throughout the book’s four key themes:

• The power found in meeting life and its challenges one day, one step at a time;
• The unexpected results of daring to follow your heart;
• The clarity that comes from placing deep trust in yourself or something larger;
• The infinite rewards available by making a difference for others.

“Hear Us Roar! 28 Stories of Everyday Women Leading Extraordinary Lives” can be purchased at www.Hear-Us-Roar.com for $24.95 US.

About Hear Us Roar (www.Hear-Us-Roar.com)

The Hear Us Roar! project provides an opportunity for “ordinary” women, as individuals and as a collective, to share their triumphs and victories with the world. Through the project’s first publication, “Hear Us Roar! 28 Stories of Everyday Women Leading Extraordinary Lives,” 28 women tell their stories and inspire others to roar while raising money for charity. All profits from the sale of the book are contributed to the authors’ charities of choice.

###

Contact: Andrea Howe

Email: info@hear-us-roar.com
Phone: 1-800-946-4395

Hear Us Roar! Coming Soon...

The Latest. Finally, the Hear Us Roar! book is about to be published!

It’s been a long road since we started collecting stories 18 months ago … and the past few weeks have been no exception. I am learning a lot about book publishing, that’s for sure! Did you know, for example, that with some book publishing programs, things like paragraph marks and italics can get lost — utterly and completely lost — when you convert from Microsoft Word? Yes, that’s right. I spent a good part of Thanksgiving weekend reviewing 140 pages of “final” content to be sure all the paragraph marks and italics had been properly restored. The term “labor of love” comes to mind LOL.

Of course, Ryan Lanigan of RL Design has been laboring with me. He’s done an incredible job with the cover (here’s the final one) as well as the interior layout!

And a special shout-out goes to Erica Rueschhoff for assembling some really great testimonials from extraordinary women at the 11th hour. You’ll see a great one on the back cover and the rest will be featured on the very first interior page.

What Happens from Here. I’ll have my hands on the proof copy on Monday, the 28th.  If (a big “if”!) all is good to go, then it’s a matter of switching a flag in the Roar account on www.createspace.com to say, “Take book orders now!” I chose createspace over Lulu and other self-publishing sites (all fabulous) because we can make bigger profits. For every book sold at $24.95 through the createspace eStore, we’ll be able to donate approximately $16 to charity (the rest goes to publishing costs, with a very small amount diverted to the 501(c)(3) that’s going to manage all the $$ distribution for us); each book purchased through amazon.com will result in approximately $11 to charity.

We’re almost there!

Andrea

http://www.rldesign.us/bossanova/HUR_book_cover4.pdf

We’re days away from having a proof copy and a couple of weeks away from having the final book in hand!

Here’s the latest since the last blog post:

- I did it; I put a stake in the ground and picked 28 authors;

- All 84 contributors who provided email addresses have been notified; we still have 2 of the 28 for this edition who are MIA but we’re closing in;

- We have 26 charities who will be benefiting from the sale of this book (two duplicates), and it looks like we can make profits of anywhere from $12 to $17 per copy (based on a retail price of $24.95) using a self-publisher;

- The book will be available on Amazon (although we’ll make more $$ if it’s purchased thru a specific web link);

- We’re aiming to get this thing published in time for holiday sales … with a special focus on those procrastinating shoppers like me.

Here’s a sneak peek at the copy from the back:

Women are making remarkable strides in the world, fully stepping into our natural leadership roles—as Moms, Volunteers, Politicians, CEOs, and everything in between. We also still downplay our own abilities and accomplishments. If you’re a woman, then chances are you struggle with some variation of this. Case in point: When was the last time you really let a compliment sink in? Or took the opportunity to toot your own horn?

This collection of refreshingly honest and motivational tales written by “ordinary” women leading extraordinary lives reveals the secrets to turning your whisper into a roar. Find out how these role models faced the obstacles placed on their path—from depression, date rape, and divorce to bankruptcy, burnout, and bootcamp—and found hope, love, triumph, and peace along the way.

Through Hear Us Roar!, 28 women share their stories and inspire others to roar while raising money for charity. All profits from the sale of this book are contributed to the authors’ charities of choice.

Join a remarkable community of women with a huge commitment to making a difference. Be moved by what you read. And discover yourself in the process.

“Testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial testimonial” <– this is where we need your help!

I’ve just put a stake in the ground by selecting 28 stories for the first Hear Us Roar! publication. It was really hard for me, gigantic Myers-Briggs “F” that I am who hates to exclude anyone and struggles to make simple, rationally-based decisions.

Why 28? Seemed like the right number — not too many, not too few. Plus my friend Kay told me that the number 28 represents new beginnings,  creative forces, and moving out into the world. That resonates.

These first 28 fit into four final categories: Perseverance, Authenticity, Faith, and Generosity. We could create a whole book on the Perseverance theme alone (and just might) as there were so many great stories to choose from in that category. Some of the others are in new piles, grouped by new categories that have emerged for subsequent books — themes like self-love and innate wisdom, and specific topics like motherhood and sexual assault.

All Roar authors will be receiving a personal email shortly about where we go from here.

The journey continues …

Andrea

I’ve just spent a few hours this morning on this beautiful day working on the Roar! book. Here’s a brief update. We’ve got some exciting things happening!

Rachel Roizen has joined the team and has drafted a terrific marketing plan while she simultaneously works on updating the website and more. She’s a recent GWU grad here in DC and she’s fabulous!

We’re targeting publication of the first book in a series (with 25 or so stories) by mid-November – just in time for the holidays.

I have finished drafting almost all sections of the book with the exception of the two tricky parts that remain:

• Crafting the introductions to each of the four sections (Perseverance, Authenticity, Faith, and Generosity). I’ve got one done. They’re not long, but I am aiming for “thoughtful.” Perhaps I’m thinking too much LOL.
• Making the final story selections. I think it’s fair to say I’m procrastinating this one because I hate the idea of excluding anyone! Time to push past that so we can get this book to press. My promise is to make final selections by the end of this holiday weekend.

Steady as she goes …

Andrea

]]> http://www.hear-us-roar.com/slow-and-steady-wins-the-race/feed/ 0 http://www.hear-us-roar.com/the-art-of-finishing/ http://www.hear-us-roar.com/the-art-of-finishing/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:31:33 +0000 howe http://www.hear-us-roar.com/?p=194 I have never been good at finishing things. Ever. I love starting things; imagining, creating, generating, sparking, kicking off, launching … much fun! But finishing? Blech! So is it any wonder the Hear Us Roar! book has been 85% complete for weeks now? LOL.

I guess what matters in life is knowing your strengths and finding ways to make up for your shortfalls. Vickie and Ashley, my writing partners, have been tremendously helpful. We’re all working on finishing our books, and we regularly schedule time to write together and check in with each other. Even when we all bail, we know we’re there in the background to nudge and support and encourage each other. It helps to have friends to keep your dreams alive with you.

Today my goal is to make my finishing efforts less daunting by completing the sections that only require a tiny little bit of work to be called “done.” I’m thinking the feeling of satisfaction and relief that comes with being complete on those small things will create some momentum for the larger sections that await. I should probably come up with some kind of reward to give myself, too, as added incentive! Hmmmmm … maybe a pedicure. Or dinner at my favorite little Asian cafeteria downtown.

OK, for now … back to writing!

Andrea

- A structure for the book — including key chapters to fit our first 25 – 30 stories into (Perseverance, Authenticity, Faith, Generosity … and the possibility of one more, Trust)

- Lots and lots of content at the front and back of the book — background about the project, quotes from contributors on why they chose to roar, and more (much of which was taken from our blog!)

- Support from Donna Kozik who created the Write a Book in a Weekend program – extras like her offer to do a thorough read-through of our draft before it goes to print and give us advice on how to raise as much $$ as possible for charity

- A graphic designer who’s on board to create our cover and interior design at a discounted rate

- All the info we need about self-publishing

- A plan to get the content from 85% to 100% by the end of July!

I’m sure many of you are dying to know which stories are going to be included in Book I. Me too LOL. That’s one part that isn’t quite finished yet. Sorry for the ongoing suspense — we will be selecting and communicating about that as soon as we can!

Immediate next step: regroup this coming Saturday to continue working on content.

Many thanks to those who have posted blog comments with words of encouragement. Please keep ‘em coming — it really helps when it comes to slogging through the tough parts!

With gratitude and appreciation,

Andrea