SAMIA: Hello, Salam, Shalom, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Aloha, Holah, Ciao, Bonjour, Buna and Privet!It's really really good to be with you again today And I have a very special guest joining me that I'm very sure you'll be very inspired to hear from... And that is Jasmine J. R. Tilman... Jasmine is a life-purpose coach and transformational speaker and self-published author... I'm so excited to be talking with you today Jasmine Welcome... 

JASMINE: Thank you so much for having me today I appreciate it... 

SAMIA: Yes I'm so excited about everything we'll be talking about... Will you actually before we jump into all of that will you just start us off by telling us more about who you are and what you do… 

JASMINE: Oh yes absolutely... So my name is Jasmine... well as you introduced but I'm from Toledo Ohio small city... from Ohio… And my main purpose is to help everyone that I can… I know it sounds… it might sound cliche but I actually like to help teens such as both genders or like even adults where the you know with the generational gaps… I really want to help get an understanding of people with themselves so they can understand you know and to better the world... I really want to change the world… I really am going to change the world...Yeah so thank you for having me I appreciate it... 

SAMIA: For sure you're on the right show because this is a show for changemakers... And we for sure have a passion for creating massive positive change in our lives and the world...

JASMINE: I love that…

SAMIA: Yeah... cool… Okay so tell me more... One of the most cool things about you that I know about you is that you are self-published author and... yeah tell me more about that... Why have you published... What's it all about... And how did you get around to doing that… like how did you become a self-published author… 

JASMINE: Oh yes… So my journey with self-publishing… I'm all about like being self… like entrepreneurship.... like my mom really gave me choices growing up so you know she just let me do my own thing... So it's like when somebody tells me what to do I’d just be like urrg… you know like…but like except for mentors and things like that… like I listen to that …but when it's like jobs or things like that it's really not my thing... I'm really not into jobs that much... So this is why I took the self-publishing route because I like to have ownership and control of my work... And I'd like to bring it out in a way that I… myself... I want to bring it out with myself… 

SAMIA: Right... 

JASMINE: Yeah… What brought me to self publishing was... I was seeing that… I have a book coach and she really helped me and taught me a lot… a shout out to Renee…she is so awesome... And she really like you know really guided me into self-publishing my journal... So my journal is “You Matter”... It's the women’s empowerment journal and it's a guided journal …self-help …to really help women you know really get to know themselves and put themselves first…

SAMIA: Nice... I love it... I… you know... what makes you so passionate about women's empowerment…

JASMINE: Yeah... So it's like you know it's I feel like that a lot of times women get like pushed to the side... It was like wrong from men to treat like a lot of women like they don't matter and then they like you know they want the homeboys like just... Oh yeah you know I was with the guys... just wait but I was the one taking care of you making sure we are good and same level …but it's like a lot of like some guys you know that I dealt with before …like I believe could have been they were intimidated by me and how I… my passion... It kind of makes me… I want to say that it kind of makes me infuriating to others because I'm so passionate about everything that I do and everything that I speak and everything that I go for because I really want to …like when I do something I get it done... 

SAMIA: Yeah… 

JASMINE: Yeah… So it's just like a lot of men you know push the women down due to their own insecurities …some don't know and some do know... So you know that's a little bit of the reason… 

SAMIA: Yeah... You know I relate to a lot of what you're saying in that context and I think it's unfortunately just part of the reality of the culture that we live in that you know both men and women we’re brought up with certain expectations of how they're supposed to be... And in that set of expectations women are not expected to be out loud and assertive and you know just taking charge... That's a role that is expected of men but not of women... And so you know when we choose to step up when we choose to take charge it definitely ruffles a lot of feathers and not just for men a lot of women get bothered by it too... So I really appreciate you know those of us who are able to sort of challenge this kind of status quo that we do it and help other women along because there's… I mean there's just so much diversity you know among us there's no way all women can fit into one mold or for that matter even all men can't fit into one mold... So it's really quite quite ridiculous that we are expected to… 

JASMINE: Yeah yeah… that's true…

SAMIA: Okay... So tell me a little bit more... What is it like …what are some of the big lessons that you've learned …problems that you had to deal with in the context of book publishing that you are helping to solve through being a self-published author and so forth…

JASMINE: Oh yes... So one of the things that's …what’s getting in the way of people is that it's like the income you know …they have to build up their organization or build up their fan base to get these books out and get them self published you know and promoting and things like that... So it's like you know I really want to help with you know getting people to understand that you have to take these steps in order to build yourself …because you have to build up …because if you don't build up with that if you build up with if you go out and then you try to build but you don't have any character you are gonna get ate up... you know the world is wolves… you can't go on out in the world as a sheep… you're gonna get ate up… you know it like that with everything …you have to build that up you know …so that's the main thing that I really want to you know help and get to other authors that are trying to get their work out there... And some of the things that I've faced it's like you know I kind of came with the face with that same thing with self-publishing and things like that so it's like you know I had to take that time out and build up my fan base and get everything in order for it to be successful you know I'm still building right now... 

SAMIA: Yeah... Oh that's such an excellent point because I know one of the big problems that authors face is you get you know you put in so much time and effort into writing your book getting your book polished whatever way that you might do so... And then unfortunately it just sits there… I mean they're I think the industry average is that the vast majority like the vast vast majority like over 90% of books will never sell more than 250 copies and a lot of people feel lucky even if they get to 250 copies... So it's like okay like you put in all this time and effort into writing your book and publishing your book but if it's not getting out there then you know it's like why did you write the book… 

JASMINE: Yeah you know... exactly…. You know it's like people have to… their reason… their why has to be big enough… Because it’s not easy… like anything that you do is never easy... So you have to know the why... That is one of the main things that I like to stress is knowing your why… Because if you don't like even if you don't know …like I'm just going to do something maybe because you've seen it looks cool… or you're just doing something… you're not going to last… you have to really get in there and do your thing and do what you need to do... you know…

SAMIA: Now I see why you’re a life purpose coach... To help people figure out their why... That  is so cool… That is so cool... Yeah …so for you like beyond you know selling lots of books... Is there any other purpose for writing a book that you recommend... I mean… yeah... is there any other purpose for which people could write a book that would be beneficial…

AD HERE

JASMINE: Oh absolutely… Like besides my passion of helping people I love writing… like it all started from writing a book... It all started for me writing a book… and it's like it's soul opening because you get to tell your story to the world you know with people like… and let them know like what you're really thinking from your point of view... And you got… you have fans and people that have like oh I related to that you know …so it's like you know you're just getting your word out there and being yourself and it's just magnifying and it's absolutely amazing to be able to get people to know who you are just from writing a thing from your perspective and that is so great do… I really love doing it…

SAMIA: Yeah yeah… you know you're making me think about like I know so many authors now who just started writing for themselves and then over time you know they're able to sort of look back at all the stuff they'd written just for themselves and then be like oh maybe this can be turned into a book… and but when they first started writing it was just really for the purposes of experiencing the joy of writing... And there really is something I think magical in the writing process for those people who have a love for writing because it can really help you process things and understand things at a way deeper level than if you're just trying to think about it without writing...

JASMINE: Exactly…

SAMIA: Yeah...

JASMINE: Oh I love that... That's the part I love the most… 

SAMIA: Do you have any tips that you would like to share today... When it comes to …for people who do want to build up that fan base and get their word out you know to a larger audience… like how do you do that …like what are one or two key aspects of making that happen... 

JASMINE: Oh yes I absolutely have some... So the first one is consistency… You have to stay consistent on your work you know just to let people know that you're serious and to get your work out there... And that you were serious about making it happen... You know when you're serious about letting people know like okay this is this… this is that you know… it is entertaining… this is what's going on and I got you... Yes... So another thing I want to speak on is being in tune with yourself... I love speaking on this because if you're not in tune with yourself you can't …nobody's gonna take you serious… they want to know the real you... Who are you… You know …they want to know who's behind this work... That's why you know a lot of people have huge fans and take off because when they write their work people are like Okay who is this you know …but you can’t if you're not being yourself or you don't know who you are then no one's gonna take you serious...

SAMIA: Oh my gosh... you just made me think about… I was watching this show on TV and it was basically in that episode they were focusing on this one author right and basically the author …it was a guy and he was writing these novels that like a lot of people …like fiction novels romantic novels… under a fictional name... and a lot of people assumed that the author was a woman… 

JASMINE: Oh... 

SAMIA: So basically stuff happens and his books become like super popular and then someone offers him like a huge amount of money to show up for an in-person author book signing event kind of a thing... And so he's like well pretty much everyone thinks I'm a woman… like he didn't want to like reveal his true identity... So he convinces one of his friends to pose as him as the author and show up to this event …but what happens is that when people start to ask questions about oh what about this character and what was the motivation... And what was your motivation... And you know… and so the friend who was posing as author like she had done some prep but then when people started asking unexpected question that they hadn't prepared for you know she started making stuff up… but people in the audience like there were some super fans right and they were like there's something wrong here… we don’t believe you… 

JASMINE: Right... 

SAMIA: are who you say you are… you’re not the real author... Because you know what you're saying doesn't resonate with the voice of the author in the books... And I was Whoa… I mean it just really made me think about you know what you were just saying right now about knowing yourself and being authentic... It's like even if you're writing fictional works there's something of you that is being reflected in that work and readers can pick up on that …like they can tell that it's not your voice that's coming out anymore... And I just remembered like another thing …one of my favorite authors is Jane Austen you know… and she died before some of her works were published and there's one particular work of hers that was mostly finished but it wasn't completely finished before she passed away …and some other author actually finished the book and then they published the book and I actually read I read it …but I could totally tell …like the moment the new author …even though in the book… in the published book no one made any announcements or any notes about when the transition happened from Jane Austen’s original writing to this ghostwriter person… I could totally tell… 

JASMINE: Right… 

SAMIA: Yeah… 

JASMINE: Yeah... you can you know… that's why I think what you just spoke on about you know that even with fiction work you're still you're gonna be in the book that is so great because my upcoming novel it's a five-book series... And I'm just so excited to announce… it's not out yet but once I bring it out in store it's gonna be so exciting… I'm exploring the lines between love and war… that is just… it's a supernatural fiction novel and it's so great… like it’s gonna be so awesome... And I just can't wait to bring it out...

SAMIA: Awesome... Will you tell me more what it is about… like what’s the theme…what are some of the themes you're exploring in the story…

JASMINE: Oh yes absolutely... So it's just so exciting because it's like… so this girl …her grandfather and her brother goes missing you know… and then also after five years her first love comes back... And she starts to get suspicious about her detective working on the case because the first love you know he starts pulling her hair and you know she's just trying to figure out like oh my goodness like did he have anything to do with you know my family's disappearance... So she just is lost... So this is where she was finding herself …but after five years of being on her own in solitude and just really trying to discover who she is... she has to choose between her family or you know taking care of herself…

SAMIA: Oh my gosh... I can just see… like that will be a very deep story... That is so cool... 

JASMINE: Yes I just can't wait to bring it out... You know everybody you know I'll promote my book and my journal …but you know people just like where's the book... They'll be alright about the self-help journal but well we want this we want this fiction …we want to escape... 

SAMIA: Yeah... you know I must say my favorite genre of books to read is fiction…nice… fiction novels... because honestly I got into reading when I was still a kid and it was like my escape …you know I had all kinds of not-good stuff happening in my life... Mostly just my own trauma that I was trying to deal with... And reading was what allowed me to cope because it allowed me that escape …and you know being a kid I wasn't going to be reading deep like deep philosophical books or other very intellectual kind of books... I was reading kid novels you know young adult novels that kind of stuff …and it was just still …not just only fun but the stories… like if you are reading a novel written by a good author who you know writes with that sense of purpose just like you are writing... My gosh you learn so much from reading these fictional stories… because they are really really… oh my gosh… such an amazing way to sort of convey… convey important life lessons…

JASMINE: That's absolutely true... Like and I'm just so excited like this is great... So excited…

SAMIA: Oh yes... I'm for sure going to be keeping a lookout to see when your book gets published... And I'll be in line to buy it… 

JASMINE: Yeah Thank you... 

SAMIA: Nice... Cool…Okay so is there anything else that you're feeling really called to share with us right now…

JASMINE: Well absolutely... So I'm in the making of launching my enterprise... I'm so excited about it…  like I just I get butterflies thinking about it... So with this enterprise is going to be my life purpose is going to be life purpose coaching our own publishing company and a speaking agency altogether… and I'm so excited to help everyone in the world you know really bring out their work by moving people by speaking the truth and what not you know everything that went through in my life and people that can relate to me and helping authors bring their work out into the world you know nonshady you know I don't know when people go through at other publishing companies but this is most definitely not going be be anything shady… nothing but to help them love and cherish in light... And I'm just excited. Yes! And I'm also going to be publishing my own book so be on the lookout for “Incursion: Thin Lines Between Love & War”... I’m gonna be publishing my first book through my own publishing company... So the next... Yeah the next six months you should be expecting it...

SAMIA: Oh that's great... and I'm so glad that you will be combining …so we already talked a little bit about why the life purpose coaching piece is so important for authors to work on... And I'm so glad you're also going to be helping people become better speakers because like you said oh my gosh if you're going to get your word out there I mean you are the best voice for your own work for your own book... And oh my gosh I imagine you'll be helping people like maybe do book tours or something like that where you know they could like really you know like sort of tap into that… tap into that speaking skill that they will be building with you and so forth... 

JASMINE: Yeah... Like I'm just so excited it's you know and I'm also looking I'm thinking about it you know thinking about helping people write their own books within a publishing company... Like I got a lot of things in store that's coming out soon and I'm excited like I just say I'm excited... Okay I want to stop smiling but I can't…

SAMIA: No no... do not stop smiling... I will encourage and support you as you keep smiling... I love smiling too... And it just makes everything actually more fun and easy… 

JASMINE: Yeah…

SAMIA: So stay smiling... yeah… 

JASMINE: Thank you... 

SAMIA: So actually that makes you think about …do you have any tips you'd like to share with us for people who are budding authors …or in… or new authors... how they can make the process of their book writing more fun and easy… or if someone is ready to begin to publish their book how can they make the book publishing process more fun and easy…

JASMINE: Oh absolutely... So you know with that it is just like keep going...You know as times get hard everything gets hard everything is hard but you know once you stop you're going to be like oh I wish I didn't stop … why did I stop... You know… and another thing to make the book easier to write it's like write every single day even if it's two sentences a day... because this is something I struggled with my third… I’m sorry… it was my first book… my first book… that was the hardest to write... So it was like you know I've made sure I write even if it was a few sentences a day… I'll be at parties and I'm writing my book in my phone …like you know I'll just sit down and just write… and I'm like I gotta get this done like this is my first masterpiece you know because first I had it on paper... Because I didn't know yeah like I wasn't I'm not tech-savvy you know I'm young but I'm really not tech-savvy like that so it's like you know I was just I didn't know about the phone or computer …so I wrote it down on paper first and I did that… then I took it off the paper and wrote it in the phone… then I had to go back and put it on the computer... It was like it was an extremely long process my first book… but once you get it you got it... Because my third book I flew through it …you know like I wouldn't even expect me to have my third book done by now… So it's like you know I got all these things done... And it's because consistency and I want it that bad …you know it's all about you wanting it that bad …and that comes from knowing your why… when you discover your why then nothing can stop you not even if you're struggling …you can be inspiring people even when you're struggling and that's just the perfect thing about it... And it's so good to stay consistent as well you know still the same thing stay consistent... It's the same things over and over in life with everything…

SAMIA: That is so true... Oh my gosh… that is so true... It's like if you have been successful in any area of your life if you really look at what allowed you to have success in that area of your life …like look at it from the perspective from like a bigger picture perspective of what habits did you use to help you what values were you living by that helped you succeed in that context …and then you apply those same habits those same values to whatever your now venture is... Ultimately it will be the same same keys to success that will lead you to success... That is such an excellent point… 

JASMINE: Yes that's exactly right... You know and to make the self-publishing process a little more easier you know it's just like just keep going… like you know you might have to do your research ….do that research… get that research done… you can self-publish your work and get it though …you know most people self-publish on Amazon you know some people self-publish other places …but you know it's just all about doing research and networking… that is what has gotten me this far... Networking got me far within my career… it got me far…

SAMIA: Yeah yeah... Oh my gosh… So you know I will also recommend to everyone who's listening… if you're listening please go ahead click on the show notes because in the show notes we're going to be adding Jasmine's links... So if you are in the process of researching options for self-publishing Jasmine can help you with that …you know she has done a lot of research on that... So you can cut your process short make it faster and make it more easier by benefiting from her knowledge on this… so connect with her for sure.... And I'll also drop my links in you know in case anyone wants to get in touch with me... A few recommendations I can also make actually and maybe Jasmine you and I can do a little conversation after and compare notes... Yeah... about the self-publishing because I think it's really been a game-changer because the traditional publishing industry I mean my God the put up so many barriers to people being able to become authors like published authors… so for sure self-publishing… is like a huge game-changer …and at the same time it's like you… there is a learning curve to it …you do have to figure out how to do it right so that your book can actually not just get published technically but actually become successful and help you meet your goals... So for sure check out the show notes and connect with Jasmine so she can help you with this process... Jasmine any other last thoughts or last words that you would like to share with us right now…

JASMINE: Oh sure… yes I just want to encourage everyone to keep going with their dreams no matter what …you know I started from when I was in dark places you know …even with me reaching my potential …that reminds me that I have a “You Matter, Part 2” Journal coming out …you know just the first one was based on me you know and my story of how I got to where I am and my transformation from me growing up... And then the second one is just me with my entrepreneurial career and how I got through… how I’m getting through obstacles and just gonna keep going …and information and tips about being yourself …as you know I'm a self person... I'm just all about self …you know life purpose …so I’ll just go be all circled around so I'll go we speak a lot about being yourself because that's the main thing …that's something I had to learn the… I'm gonna say the hard… I'm gonna say the hard way… but in my way... 

SAMIA: Yeah... 

JASMINE: Everyone’s learning in their way... 

SAMIA: Yeah… 

JASMINE: I encourage everyone to keep going... Just keep going… That's my… that's the last word I'm gonna use… Keep going...

SAMIA: I love that… And on that encouraging and empowering note... I'm going to just wish you… our listener …a very very awesome amazing rest of your day evening night... whenever you happen to be listening to this …watching this... and until we connect next time I just wish you lots and lots of peace and joy... :).