Yesterday, I quit.
YESTERDAY, I QUIT . . . I quit thinking small. I quit thinking I need to do it all myself. I quit discounting my talent and services. I quit thinking I am supposed to know how to do everything. TODAY, I BELIEVE . . . I believe I only attract those people who are excited […]
Lukewarm vs. Pretty Cool.
Certain things are not meant to be lukewarm. Showers. Hot Chocolate. Eggs. Gravy. Relationships. . . . and why not “dougwarm” or “anniewarm”? Research shows the word “lukewarm” popped up around the 14th century as meaning “slightly warm”. “Luke” is derived from “lew” or “lewk” or “leuk”, in Middle English, which meant “tepid” (slightly warm). This […]
Your Golden Thread
If you are one of our clients, or have heard me speak, you’ve heard me talk about the Golden Thread. The ONE thing that matters most . . . your “WHY-you-do-what-you-do”. . . your reason for waking up in the morning with eagerness to help your tribe. Simply stated, your brand is a woven tapestry and […]
What is your MORE?
One of our vendors recently mentioned how much they “LOVE” our brand. She went on to point out how much it “appears to really irritate” our competition. HUH? When I asked her to explain, she offered, “You know you are a success when (your competition) is jealous of your brand. You provide MORE of all […]
The Law of kNOwing
Uh . . . No. No thank you. Not gonna happen. I’m busy right now. It basically all means the same thing. Whether it comes out of the mouth of a 4-year-old when you’ve asked them for help with picking up toys . . . OR out of my own mouth when stumbling for the […]
The Brand BLUNDERIES.
Sometimes I type too fast. Probably because I think too fast. I guess my fingers are just trying to keep pace with my brain. Add in the element of spell-check, and pretty-soon, I lose control over what I’m typing. Strange words appear as I’m typing and I’ve come to accept these words as “messages” . […]
L.I.F.T. : Author, Joe Castellano
If you are from St. Louis, you know the importance of high-school, as the question, “Where did you go to school?” rarely applies to your years in college. Local author, Joe Castellano, class president of his St. Louis University High School’s class of 1970, and co-captain of the football team, does more than reminisce in his first book, “Bull in the […]
ASK Cathy
1. What is “Publishing Myopia”? Also know as “shiny object syndrome”, Publishing Myopia happens when an author gets so excited about becoming a “published author” they lose sight of their priorities. Authors who fall prey to Publishing Myopia get caught up in completing the book, rather than maintaining a level of excellence . . . […]
Creating MORE positive ripples.
My personal mission in life is to “create positive ripples”, and I’m always thrilled when I hear a story about how one of our designs or books has impacted people in positive way. This past Saturday, I was giving a publishing workshop in STL, and I had my usual “free” items at the back of the room […]
Sprinkles on Cupcakes
“It’s not how well your book sells . . . It’s ALL about how well your book sells YOU!” I heard myself say it again, today, while on a call with another new author/client. Your non-fiction book is a MARKETING TOOL. Much like the old 3-panel brochure or sales-sheet, your book is a way for […]


