Kathy Sullivan is an innovative leader and educator focused on helping clients build organizational cultures that drive positive change through people, processes, and performance. Partner to small business owners and executive leaders, aligning business strategy with talent through effective OD strategies, to improve accountability and organizational performance. She is also a mom and author of a new book honoring mothers everywhere. Meet Kathy.

You are an author, but is it your day job? If not, what fills your days? Writing is not my day job – at least not yet!  I am currently the owner of Talent Principles; an executive coaching and organizational development consultancy specializing in leadership development and change management. My days are filled with work I find very rewarding as I help organizations, teams, and individuals drive positive change. This is often achieved through facilitating strategic sessions with executive teams, designing programs to develop leaders, and coaching teams and individuals to attain collective goals.

Did you always want to be an author? Not necessarily, but over the last ten years it is something that I have thought more seriously about. I remember when I was in elementary school I had to write a short story as part of a school assignment. The story was for a Mother’s Day writing contest, so I wrote about my mom and all she did for me growing up. My story was selected as the winner. I vividly remember being called up on stage to accept my award. I can still recall looking around the huge auditorium with all the other kids sitting there, looking at me. I couldn’t grasp how my story was selected from all the other submissions. When I finally got up on stage, I had to read my story in front of everyone. While I haven’t written much over the years since then, I have spent most of my career developing content and expressing my ideas through programs and presentations I have created. I guess in some ways, it could be viewed as writing. In hindsight, I realized the short story was a way to express my thoughts and feelings about my mom, which resonated with others. It was one of the most memorable moments of my childhood.

What is your most recent bookand what inspired you to write it? My first book, Moms Eat First: 5 Principles to Prioritize Yourself and Create the Change You Crave, was inspired by many of the stories I have heard from other women, many who are working moms and through my own experience as a single parent. Through those conversations, one primary theme emerged – moms are often “serving” the needs of everyone around them and, for various reasons, don’t prioritize themselves. The pandemic exacerbated the issue as research shows women were responsible for the majority of unpaid labor at home while also homeschooling their children. For some women, that was on top of working a full-time job. Women face unique challenges, particularly as working moms. I wanted to highlight some of those issues and provide a framework to inspire women to create the desired change related to what is important to them.

How do you hope your bookupliftsthose who read it? • What are you most excited about with this book? I hope my book uplifts women – regardless of what season of motherhood they are in. I want women to know they are heard, and to encourage them to take time to figure out what they want for themselves – and act on it. There are some complex issues that I believe contribute to some of the challenges women experience, like societal norms and expectations people may have of moms, which I talk about in the book.

How do you handle setbacks and criticism? I would say for me, it is a process. I feel things pretty deeply, which may cause me to initially internalize feedback. I know I need time to process the feedback and reflect on the situation. I look at things from other perspectives to learn and grow, and apply feedback where it makes sense for me. You need to be able to decipher constructive feedback that is intended to help you grow, from someone’s opinion that is more to boost their own ego in an effort to be right. I also try to keep the attitude, “this, too, shall pass” and know I’ll get through whatever challenges I experience in life. There will always be setbacks and criticism – what matters is how you respond and identifying what you can learn from those experiences to improve yourself.

Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage all your publicity, social media and keep your engagement up with readers? I am just starting out on the author journey, so will have new and challenging experiences ahead. So far, I have leveraged the wisdom shared by colleagues who have written books and have surrounded myself with great experts in the field who provide guidance and support as I navigate unchartered territory. I have also enjoyed trying to figure a few things out my own and learn as I go. As with any challenge, you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable and taking risks!

How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? I felt I started out strong when I began writing my book, but over time found my ability to stay focused was waning. To combat that, I engaged with a few different authors who served as coaches. Having collaboration sessions allowed me to process my ideas more effectively. Whenever possible, I tried to put systems in place to support my ability to complete the book. As I reflected on my experience writing my first book some key things had to be in place to prompt me to write. For example, I had certain times of the day I was at my best to write so I tried to block that time out as much as possible. I also needed to be inspired to write. Walking and taking that time to reflect allowed me to generate more concrete ideas and write with confidence. Last, there were two primary places in my house that I felt the most inspired to write, so I would get set up in those places to work at my best.

How do you structure your day and make time for writing? I do not write every day. I write when I’m inspired, which may come from an idea, an impactful story I experienced with a client, or a situation that I believe may help others learn from. It might be a bit unconventional compared to what I suspect most writers do, but it works for me.

What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen? I get to do work that I love, leverages my strengths, and challenges me every day. Most importantly, I have opportunities to connect with different people, helping them problem-solve and work toward their goals. I also think it is important to acknowledge that my career has evolved over many years, and each experience has prepared me for where I am today. I am grateful for all the highs and lows as both were a necessary part of my journey.

What bookupliftsyou? There are many books that I have found to be uplifting, so it is difficult to name just one!  Many years ago I read The Art of Significance, Achieving the Level Beyond Success by Dan Clark, which will stick in my mind forever. That is the one book over the years that had the most sentences highlighted, underlined, and pages dog-eared. I have read it numerous times and have given it as a gift to others.

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers? Take time to prioritize what is important to you – and include yourself!

Learn more about Kathy and her book via the PR by the Book LLC website.