Wow! Ten years of Make A Way Media. It is hard to believe. I started this dream in 2014 after a long career working with children and families. I was also inspired by the extreme lack of diverse characters and stories. I remember sitting in my office and having the dream to write a book. I also remember being really afraid.
Who am I to write a book? Who cares about what I have to say?
Many people who want to write have these same thoughts. I am so glad I did not listen to this little voice that made me feel as though telling stories was not for me. I often tell people about the words that floated to the top of my brain the most. They were not a lot of words. Just 73 words. Those words called to me and begged me to put them down on paper. So I did. Next issue? This is a kid’s book. I needed an illustrator. I put out the call to several people that I was looking for an artist and lo and behold, a family friend connected me to a young budding artist named Erika Busse from my hometown. My words and Erika’s art formed my very first picture book. A beautiful, simple poem about how special Love Is….
The most important lesson I have learned over these ten years is that you do not always have to have all of the answers figured out. You just have to listen to what is calling you and then be brave enough to take the first step. Over the past ten years I have led some pretty massive projects:
- The publication of seventeen books.
- Formed five companies.
- Held a Kickstarter that raised more than $40,000.00.
- Employed dozens of people.
- Founded a book festival!
All just to name a few things that have kept me running for the last decade. I am talking to you when I tell you that there is no magic formula for doing these things. It really happened solely because I took a deep breath and took one step toward making a dream happen. Then I took a deep breath and took the next step. I am a firm believer (and a witness) that the universe will reward you for taking that step. As scary as it is, it is real.
In 2024, we are going to be celebrating an entire decade of this dream: Make A Way Media. I’ll be sharing my story and how I did it over on our new platform Make A Way Mindset. We will also be having massive giveaways all year long so make sure you are following us on Instagram to stay up to date! It’s been a magical 10 years and I just want to say thank you to every single one of you who has been a part of our journey. Whether you bought a book, left a review, attended one of our workshops, or just liked some of our social media posts- it took all of us to get here. That is the power of forward momentum. Thank you so much for loving Make A Way Media. Happy New Year to all and watch what we do in year ten!