In a few days, my book TRUST YOURSELF: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, celebrates its one-year anniversary.
So I thought it only fitting to spend a moment sharing my honest reflections on the last twelve months since publication.
First, Thank You to My Readers
There’s nowhere better to begin than by extending my heartfelt gratitude to you, the reader.
Thanks to you, the book has now sold close to 20,000 copies across the world (for context, the average book in the U.S. only sells 500 books) and it has been translated into multiple languages.
I’m so grateful to those of you who have taken the time to post reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads. Nothing means more than getting your emails and messages every day, sharing how the book has made an impact on you.
Here’s a quick glimpse of some of the messages I’ve received from readers like you:
Your book was life-changing for me. I’m actually reading it for the 2nd time. I felt like you were speaking right to me the entire time. Superbly written and insightful. – T.G.
Your book was very impactful for me, if only I had read it earlier in my career. Thank you! – Brandon
With my renewed energy after listening to your book, I was able to get serious about my job search, be authentic in interviews, and find a team who shares similar values while offering positive challenges for continued growth. I gave notice to the corporation, a tremendous weight has lifted and I could not be more excited for the next 20 years sharing my strengths as a Sensitive Striver with the world! – Desiree
Thanks Melody for your book and encouragement; I just started this week with a new company. I’m finally working just my regular hours – 40 per week and not 55 hours! Your book is amazing! – Lorena
The only times I was a “book reader” were the many years sitting on an airplane. My “go-to” book was the incredible “Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People” – Stephen R. Covey. To me, Trust Yourself rivals that timeless book. – Todd
And some fun photos of readers with the book:
You can’t imagine what these types of messages mean to an author. Writing a book is an incredibly difficult process. It’s lonely and can be isolating. I questioned myself and wondered if the book was any good pretty much every day of the five years I spent working on the proposal and manuscript.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. It means the world to see you enjoying, benefitting from, and sharing TRUST YOURSELF with others. Our community of Sensitive Strivers is unlike anything else.
Book Launch Burnout is Real
Writing a book is hard in and of itself. But promoting that book? That’s an entirely different challenge. Many of my author friends warned me that publication time would be intense, so my team and I worked tirelessly to front-load projects and prepare as much as we could ahead of time.
The launch was beyond exciting! I was incredibly grateful to have events booked with major companies like Amazon and McKinsey and also have dozens of television, podcast, and media interviews lined up. It was invigorating and satisfying to see so many outlets interested in the book.
At the same time, the thrill was not without cost. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I want to be honest about the fact that, while the book launch may have looked successful on the outside, I soon began crumbling within.
My body was running on adrenaline 24/7 and my highly sensitive nervous system literally couldn’t down-regulate. My stress was so high that I wasn’t sleeping. The anxiety really took a toll on my mental health.
I always say “we teach what we most need to learn,” so I was determined to transform my burnout into something positive. After the busiest weeks relented, I started making drastic changes, including:
- Introducing stricter criteria around opportunities I say yes or no to
- Reducing my private coaching client capacity by over 90%
- Protecting several “no meeting days” each week so I can focus on deep work
- Growing my team and delegating more responsibilities
I’m still recovering from my book launch burnout one year later, but these changes have gone a very long way to helping me feel like myself again.
Staying Open to Serendipity
As a first-time author, you’re often told, “you don’t make money from your book.” And it’s true. Most authors, including myself, don’t earn much in royalties from book sales. But a book does open new doors, and TRUST YOURSELF has led to some amazing career opportunities. Ones I never could have imagined a year ago!
One of those is my relationship with LinkedIn. I was lucky enough to receive early access to LinkedIn’s newsletter feature and within a few months, I had over 40,000 subscribers. I’ve also loved working with the LinkedIn Learning team on several courses, including Overcome Overthinking and Learning to Say No with Confidence and Grace. My next courses will be out this Fall.
Another relationship I treasure is with Harvard Business Review. Writing for HBR was a long-time career goal of mine. My first piece with them was published shortly before the book came out. I’m so grateful each time one of my articles charts their Most Popular list or is chosen as their Management Tip of the Day. It does wonders for helping the book reach a new and broader audience of leaders and professionals.
The Striver side of my Sensitive Striver nature hates ambiguity and always wants to have a plan – to know what’s coming next. But over the past year, I’ve learned to relax a little more into the unknown and to make space for serendipity to happen.
More Thanks Goes To…
The team at Chronicle Books. Lisa DiMona. Julie Mosow. Rebekah Rius. Sarah McNeal. My coaching clients. My family and friends. My fiance. Thank you! I couldn’t have survived this past year without your support.
Happy anniversary, TRUST YOURSELF! Here’s to many more years of helping Sensitive Strivers stop overthinking and channel their emotions for success at work.
