Beyond Better with Stacy Ennis

When you first enter the world of book writing and publishing, the options can feel overwhelming. That’s why I’m excited to welcome Karen McNally of Girl Friday Productions (GFP) to talk all things publishing. Karen has been with GFP for eight years. Prior to joining, she worked for Amazon Publishing, as well as Amazon’s retail division. She’s passionate about helping authors achieve their goals a...

In this week’s episode, I get to pull back the curtain on the elusive world of writing for television and movies with my guest, Katiedid Langrock, and share some behind-the-scenes on what it’s like to write for major animated series, including Barbie , Paw Patrol , and Hello Kitty . Katiedid is a screenwriter, television writer, longtime syndicated humor columnist, adjunct professor, author, and w...

For this first episode of season 5 (!), our team got to record in person! For the first time ever, three of us were in the same room—normally we work from the U.S. and Portugal. Our time together inspired us to record an episode all about our work. We cover: What it's like meeting for the first time in person The pros and cons of remote team dynamics  What it's been like for me (Stacy) to...

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I'm excited to share this week’s episode with my good friend Amanda Turner (writing as AK Turner). In this episode, she shares how her family travels two to four months a year—all while running a business  and  writing  New York Times  best-selling books. Amanda's  Vagabonding with Kids  series was inspirational for me as we were dreaming of movi...

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I'm excited to share this week’s episode with author David Morales. His book, American Familia: A Memoir of Perseverance , was released in February 2022 and already has dozens of five-star reviews and has impacted readers across the US and beyond. In this conversation, David shares the inspiration behind the book and his larger vision of impact, incl...

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I’m excited to share this week’s episode with Michael Zipursky, CEO of Consulting Success®, a consulting business that specializes in helping entrepreneurial consultants grow profitable, scalable, and strategic businesses. We talk about Michael’s journey through multiple businesses and how he transitioned from burning the midnight oil to structuring his...

As part of my summer podcast replay series, I’m sharing a replay of a powerful podcast episode with a past student, May Lam Rocco. May’s memoir , Confi-Dance: Memoirs of an Asian Businesswoman’s Journey from a Traditional Upbringing into Unconditional Love , has been endorsed by an impressive list of people, including the former president of Gucci China; the speaker-elect of the US House of Repres...

About five years ago, I sat down in my home office in Thailand to record the first episode of my podcast, which I called The Stacy Ennis Show . The little show I started with my iPhone has reached 100 episodes! It’s been a delight to see how my expertise in public speaking and interviewing—the latter developed from ghostwriting so many books—has translated into hosting a podcast. I share more in m...

This week’s podcast guest (one of my former students!) has learned how to capture attention, grow an audience, share her opinion, and use her platform—now hundreds of thousands of people—to influence for good. Giovanna Gonzalez is not only a TikTok influencer and financial educator, but she is also a soon-to-be author. During the Great Resignation, she quit her ten-year corporate career in financi...

Megan McCaleb is a masterful improv trainer, comedian, author, and the creator of Improv Team Culture, with a specialty in coaching executive leadership and their teams to adopt the simple and effective principle of "yes, and," the core rule derived from performance improvisation. In this podcast episode, we discuss: Megan’s journey as an author and what it was like to publicly share a p...

This Ask Stacy episode is full of writing and publishing-related questions from my listeners. Topics covered in this episode include: What to do if English is your second language and you’re finding it challenging to write. Whether traditional publishing is better than self-publishing. If ChatGPT is an ethical route to write a book. The average word count for a nonfiction manuscript and what to do...

I’ve collaborated with Reedsy on a few learning resources over the years, including a course and webinar, always working with Martin Cavannagh, Head of Content. He does a fantastic job running their content and has been successful positioning the company at the top of search results, helping drive a steady stream of leads to the marketplace. So when he agreed to come on the podcast to share some B...

I get emails every week from listeners and readers who want to know about life abroad. Questions cover: What is it like to uproot everything and move somewhere new? What is the visa process like? What should I consider when deciding on whether to move abroad? These questions get more specific when it comes to dating, raising a family, and everything in between. That’s why I loved this conversation...

A book launch party is a special moment for an author. After many months—often years—of working on a book, the launch party is the moment to celebrate the incredible achievement of authorhood. But here’s the thing: while a launch party can be fun and exciting, a successful party requires planning and execution. That’s why I’m so excited to get to share this week’s episode, a conversation with Virg...

I’ve been in the publishing industry for more than thirteen years. And while I don’t claim expertise as a publisher—I anchor heavily to the writing side of the industry—I’ve been around long enough and seen enough to know things are not as they should be. In 2020, I was cautiously optimistic that things might change. As racial protests broke out across the country, big publishers sought out more v...

In this week’s podcast episode, I share an update on our life here and what we’re thinking through as the kids get older. I talk through some of the cons of living in the Algarve and the pros of the life we lead. I talk through the balance we’ve been able to achieve here and how intertwined our everyday life is with nature. And I share the challenges we’re facing as we consider life beyond our kid...

Jeffrey is often described as an advocate for self-employed business owners. His journey began with selling eggs door-to-door at fourteen years old to becoming one of the most sought-after portrait photographers for affluent families in the U.S. in his twenties, a business he ran for more than three decades. Today, Jeffrey is an author, the host of The Self-Employed Life podcast with nearly two-mi...

Amy Mangueira experienced the full range of life’s wild ride, all the way to rock bottom, when she hit such extreme burnout that she permanently lost hearing in her left ear. On the pod this week, we talk about what led her to this moment—and what she’s done to find her way back to balance. Amy is a 4x entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker on a mission to rid the world of burnout. Amy’s g...

Looking to build a platform to establish yourself as a thought leader? I've got you covered. This week's solo episode dives deeply into both the experience of building one (mine) and nine practical steps to build yours. Whether you're an aspiring or published author, entrepreneur, or looking to build a powerful personal brand, this episode is for you. Best of all, I’ve created a free,...

Jovelle Fernandez is the author of The Expat. She’s also an obstetrician gynecologist with a subspecialty in reproductive endocrinology, infertility, and oncology, as well as a multi-award-winning and highly respected health care executive. In this conversation, we talk about her unique experiences of an expatriate, including various challenges living and working as a foreigner in academia in a ma...

This week, I’m answering some of my guests’ latest questions about the book-writing process. From refining and clarifying your book idea to how to properly cite others’ work, this episode is highly practical. I also discuss some behind the scenes about ghostwriting, including different ways you can engage a ghostwriter and how I structure fees. Show notes: Nonfiction Book School Self-Study Program...

In this episode, we talk through how to transplant your career—essentially, how to do the same thing you’re doing now, but in another area. We discuss practical steps to move abroad, how to set expectations, and the mindset needed to successfully move to another country. We also cover Vanessa’s fifteen income streams (!) and how she is working hard now to secure her financial future. Vanessa and I...

In this podcast episode, I speak with Plottr’s founder, Cameron Sutter, and education lead, Troy Lambert, about their powerful outlining software. I am a planner . I build a vision, strategy, and tactical plan for nearly everything I do. And that includes book writing. In my own work, I create detailed book outlines. And in my self-study book-writing program, I spend the first four lessons teachin...

This week, I’m sharing a conversation with adventure coach and Nonfiction Book School alum Mike Green. Mike is currently living his dream life leading Alaskan Leadership adventures. He says his life today in large part is a direct result of writing and publishing his book,  Wandermust: A Hero’s Journey to Seven Truths . In this episode, we talk about the ways publishing Mike’s book positively impa...

I’m excited to share a conversation on my podcast with an individual who has had a profound impact on my career: Tim Vandehey. = Tim is a friend and business mentor—not to mention a renowned writer. A freelance writer since 1995, he is an award-winning New York Times best-selling ghostwriter of more than sixty-five nonfiction books. In this week’s episode, we talk about why we humans are notorious...