Why I Left a 10-Year Career in Medicine to Become a Book Coach
Today’s blog post comes to us from certified book coach Stacy Frazer. Earlier this year, Stacy was Author Accelerator’s 100th certified book coach! She’s sharing more about her journey to book coaching with us today.
Do you know that saying "everything you ever wanted is closer than you think?" For me, that could not be more true. Everything I ever wanted was inside me, but I didn't figure that out until I started writing.
But before we go there, let me tell you about before, before I found writing and the freedom that came with it.
If you’d asked me to define myself in a word 10 years ago, I would have said ‘searcher.’
I was always looking for something … a career, a job, a calling. I had so many side-hustles over the years and couldn't find anything that lit me up. I was an EMT, a dental assistant, and an office manager- blech. I did personal training and started several businesses, which went nowhere. Finally, I doubled down and went to U.C. Davis medical school to earn my degree as a Physician Assistant because I wanted an economically sound career that was important. I had never felt very important, and I liked helping people.
The truth is, I was an incredibly insecure human and needed something to define me. So, I became a PA. I was good at it. I loved helping people, and I know I made a difference, but it wasn't right. I wasn't excited about it. I didn't want to spend hours reading medical journals or researching the newest medication for diabetes. I did my job, started more side-hustles, and got lost in the books I had time to read again. I was still searching but financially secure.
Then my life blew up. I won't go into the dirty details, but I found the things that matter most, relationships and security, were slipping away due to my ego-driven actions. It forced me to look at myself and all my "doing" vs. "being." I got some clarity around who I was and what I wanted, and then the words started to flow. I wrote about my insecurities, my people-pleasing, the false persona I donned to save face or fit in, and what it cost me every time I chose to be dishonest. My drive to live authentically and honestly only grew more determined when I became a mother.
Writing gave me a creative release that led to stories.
Since I was little, I'd wanted to be a storyteller, but I'd buried that dream under "should do's" and "should be's." Buried it so deep I didn't remember it was there until I was forced to look inside.
Writing stories and helping other people write theirs became my mission. My passion. I let go of who I thought I was supposed to be and embraced the woman I was and the one I wanted to become. It was damn scary, but I stepped away from that secure job as a PA to start my own book coaching business, to help other souls find the way back to their creative center.
Has it been worth it? Hell yes. Every second spent living in my truth is worth more than a lifetime of stifling security and repressed creativity. I'm also in a very privileged position. My spouse is the primary income earner for our household. It's not comfy, but I don't have to work two jobs as my business grows, and I am incredibly grateful.
Don't get me wrong, money matters, and I'm here to make it. But I believe I can do that while being the captain of my own ship and helping as many people as I can. It requires faith, belief, willingness, work, and tenacity. Sure, it can be hard. But the payoff–seeing another person walk through their fear, overcome their insecurities, and put their story down on the page–it's too big, too emotionally moving to quantify. And the other payoff is time. I control my time and schedule. I can be there for my daughter, who will not always be so little.
Learn more about Stacy’s book coaching services at her website or on Instagram.
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