Carlyn Montes De Oca

Jarie Bolander 15.Dec.2021

The Animal-Human Connection with Author Carlyn Montes De Oca

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Summary

Hey everyone. Stay tuned to the end of the interview where I’ll give you some actionable insights that I learned from my guest. These insights are also in the show notes. As always, thanks for listening.

Now on to my guest for today, Carlyn Montes De Oca, author of Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse: An Animal Lover’s Guide to a Healthy, Happy, and Extraordinary Life.

Carlyn had previous careers as a film editor and then as an acupuncturist and nutritional consultant. While these were satisfying jobs, she kept having a nagging feeling that there was something else she was supposed to be doing - namely, writing. So one day, she finally decided to hire a coach to help and she started writing.

Carlyn has embraced the concept of the authorpreneur.* In addition to making time for writing, she schedules in time for marketing and for learning as much as she can about the craft of writing, marketing and promotion. She didn’t just leave the promotion for her book up to her publicist; instead, she and the publicist split up the country. As a result, Carlyn got herself out there, by talking to as many people and organizations as she could and presenting at conferences and giving a TedX talk.

Now, let’s get better together.

Actionable Insights

Don’t ignore that voice inside you. Montes De Oca says she “spent a lot of years not doing what she really wanted to do.” However, she takes what she learned in those experiences, like being really organized and self-disciplined, to keep her on track.
Be of service. Montes De Oca has connected with numerous animal welfare organizations and given back a portion of the proceeds from her book to help animals. The connections she’s made has also given her a network to tap into for speaking engagements and events.
Strive for balance and joy. Find other ways to be creative and be physically active. This can help you get out of your own head and come up with ideas and solutions you might not get to otherwise as well as help keep things in perspective.