Writing & Livelihood Coaching
Work with me one-on-one on writing (poetry, fiction, memoir, essays, or non-fiction), creativity at large, facilitation, or right livelihood (making a living from your gifts and callings). Coaching sessions are individualized for your needs, goals, and timelines.
Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given to you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”~ Rainer Marie-Rilke
Why Coaching?
We all have our callings: the work we’re meant to do. I help shine a light for you — on your writing, creativity, facilitation, or livelihood — to help you see your innate imagination and courage. I have experience, presence, tools, and tips to help you:
-
Learn What Wants To Emerge: Start with an idea, then listen for what else is ready to emerge, deepening your capacity to listen to yourself and the art or livelihood possible.
-
Create With Your Whole Self: Glean wisdom from all of you, and listen to what signs and wonders emerge.
-
Strengthen Creativity Resilience: Whether you’re writing a novel or planning a community workshop, cultivating resilience awakens your widest and wildest creativity.
-
Set and Reach Goals: Clarify your intensions, set benchmarks, develop specific and do-able tasks, and make adjustments as needed.
-
Embrace the Journey: Creativity is often a winding path through surprise tangles of trees and unexpected giant parking lots where you can’t find your car. Find more peace, gifts, and insights in the process.
-
Redefine Blocks Into Opportunities: Reframe “writer’s block” and stuck stretches into opportunities to replenish your creative spirit.
-
Balance Work and Life: Sustain spaciousness for your creative process in concert with your day job, family, and community.
Coaching Specialties
-
Jump-Start Your Imagination: Unlock your creative potential through evocative prompts and practices so that you can bring break-through thinking to your art, work, and life.
-
Discover What and How to Write: Find what works best for you, whether you’re just getting started, returning to writing, or deepening your practice. Explore the ins and outs of writing poetry, novels, memoir, non-fiction and more.
-
Fall in Love With Revision: Bring your strongest writing to the surface, and ready your work for publication, readings, and presentations;
-
Get Published and Find Readers: Prepare book proposals for agents and publishers, connect with local sources, and consider other strategies to promote your writing. Reach readers in new and rewarding ways.
-
Benefit From Book-Whispering: Listen deeply to what a book wants to be and turn walls and blocks into opportunities. Unearth the best structure for a poem, story, novel, memoir, or article (my coaching superpower).
-
Facilitate Meetings and Workshops: Make and sustain welcoming atmospheres, work with diverse people, engage with conflict effectively, and design and assess vibrant sessions. See more here.
-
Embrace Your Best Livelihood: Make a living in concert with your callings, community, and experience. Caryn has extensive experience in marketing, websites, promotional campaigns, and sorting out what to do when
I also offer custom coaching packages to help you write — and finish! — your book of poetry, fiction, memoir, or nonfiction. I have decades of experience in both guiding people toward their best books and writing (and having published) my own in many genres. I can help you find your book's focus and best organization, as well as help you set accountable timelines, break through barriers, and explore publishing and outreach. Please contact me for a Discovery Call to talk about what works for you.
How It Works
Sessions: Sessions are 45 minutes, followed up by notes, resources, prompts and/or readings. Coaching may be done by phone or Zoom (in-person sessions available for locals). We work with Google Docs so that we're literally on the same page together.
Your Investment: I offer a free 20-minute Discovery Call to talk about how coaching can best support you. Once we determine we’re a good match, we can arrange payment through Venmo, Square, or by check.
-
10 session package: $830/ Special "Give Yourself Your Writing This New Year" rate: $790 until 12/31/23
-
6 session package: $540
-
3 session package: $290
-
Write Your Book package: tailored to your goals, budget, and timeline. More here.
-
Websites: customized plans for websites on WordPress or Wix, including writing & editing copy, design, and some graphics. Contact me to learn more.
-
Individual sessions: $110
Testimonials
“I have loved working with Caryn! She has helped me get what is in my heart onto paper. In addition to being a midwife for my messages, she is an expert guide for the craft of wordsmithing. Along the way, she helped me write two books and numerous articles. ~ George Thompson, MD, psychiatrist, educator, and writer.
"Caryn has been a treasured editor for several of my best-selling books, and other writing projects. I can’t imagine the writing life without her.” ~ Harriet Lerner, bestselling author of The Dance of Anger and Why Won’t You Apologize?
“Caryn’s gift is her intuitive ability to pull your vision and desire for your business out of the cloudy thoughts in your head and translate them into something concrete and clear. There have been times in the last few years Caryn has held my vision strong and encouraged me during times of fear and doubt.” ~ Dr. Laurie Fickle
“Never the critic, Caryn’s always the consummate partner in the creative process. Her skill, talent, wit, and wisdom have shown me the way to begin writing again, which is a restorative healing process. Caryn has taught me to reach deep within and unabashedly, without apology or shame, to tell my own story. She also helped me complete, then publish my first collection of poetry.” ~ Julie Flora, artist and writer
“To my delight, I consult with Caryn on larger life issues and decision-making as she is a perceptive sounding-board and brings her years of experience to bear. Caryn is a great communicator and a straight shooter. She is organized, empathetic, and energetic. Caryn’s creativity and entrepreneurial spirit are a source of inspiration and encouragement.” ~ Erin McGrane, writer, musician, and entrepreneur
“Caryn is unfailingly fully present with her clients, gently offering wisdom or direction or knowledge or her trademark humor. When you meet Caryn, you realize you’ve encountered a truly unique human being, someone you’d fully trust learning from or being mentored by. I can’t recommend another person in my own line of work more highly than Caryn.” ~ Joy Roulier Sawyer, poet, educator, facilitator
“When I first started running writing workshops, Caryn gave me tremendous wisdom and guidance. I don’t know how I got so lucky! She was a powerful mentor and teacher at a moment when I was soaking up everything I could possibly learn. I have enormous trust in, and gratitude for, this powerhouse woman.” ~ Chris Fraser, owner and writing coach at Firefly Writing
“I’ve witnessed first hand the positive results of her one-on-one coaching and the creative, compassionate way she brings out the best in others. Working with Caryn is one of the joys of my life.” ~ Kelley Hunt, singer-songwriter and international touring artist
“I brought to Caryn a 30-year project, not sure whether I had a book, or series of articles, or both, or neither. Her questions and suggestions take root and live within me. Coaching with Caryn is fun, mind-blowing, and compassionate.” ~ Nomi Redding, retired clinical social worker and active researcher
“To work with Caryn is to open your mind to the creative power within, and to show and better appreciate the creative power of others.” — Tracy Million Simmons, publisher, Meadowlark Press
