Daphne
Michaels is an author, speaker and licensed psychotherapist whose institute has
helped hundreds of women and men transform their lives through the
"gifts" every human being is born with. Daphne began her own journey
of transformation at a young age, pursued it fearlessly, and later studied
formally in the fields of social science, human services and integral psychology.
The
Gifted: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams launches both Daphne
Michaels Books and The Gifted series, whose goal it is to share with the
widest audience possible the principles that guide the Daphne Michaels
Institute. Daphne's earlier book, Light of Our Times, featured her
conversations with such international figures in the fields of spirituality and
personal development as Ram Dass, Julia Cameron, Dr. Masaru Emoto, and Thomas
Moore.
Visit
her website at www.daphnemichaels.com.
Can you tell us what your book is about?
My new book, THE GIFTED: How to Live the Life of Your
Dreams is about the nine “gifts” that we are all born
with. If we recognize and use these gifts, we can transform our lives forever.
Why did you write your book?
I have worked with men and women of all backgrounds and
personalities for over twenty-five years, guiding them to live the lives of
their dreams. In addition to having a long-term psychotherapy practice, my
institute offers transformational programs for people interested in living
lives of endless possibility.
My own journey, which led me to eventually write this
book, started when I was an angst-ridden adolescent. I smile today, because it
was such a dramatic time in my life with classic teenage experiences. And even
this was classic I’m sure, although I am still shaken today when I think of
the first time I really saw the world beyond my limited scope of
experience. I was devastated by what I experienced as a gut-wrenching discovery
of two worlds existing side by side: the world of love and the world of
despair. It was the world of despair - the fear and misery that I witnessed
robbing people of the beauty in life — that propelled my journey to understand
and help eradicate unnecessary suffering.
My personal journey took years and led to all sorts of
experiences for which I am grateful today. After earning my degrees in human
services and applied behavioral sciences, I launched my private practice in
1996 and my institute in 2001. Writing personal development books is a natural
next step in my journey to take my message to as broad of an audience as
possible.
What kind of message is your book trying to tell your
readers?
That it really is possible to live the life of our
dreams.
Who influenced you to write your book?
Every person that I see or know who is struggling in
life. And every person I see or know who wants to take their life to the next
level but doesn’t know how. And every person that I see or know wants
greater happiness. All of humanity - and the way we struggle - has influenced
me to write this book.
Is it hard to publish a nonfiction book?
I chose to launch the Daphne Michaels Books imprint and
self-publish for many reasons. First, it is great to be part of the personal
development genre as a long tradition. Our interest in self-help and personal
development is part of the American story, really. To make one’s life
better — to reach one’s potential and pursue happiness was the
intent of our declaration of independence. Many of the successes in the
personal development genre started out as self-published authors. It is great
to be launching my imprint in an era where POD publishing and ebook publishing
helps one reach an even larger audience … and it’s nice, too, that
this is the first year Book Expo America has invited self-published authors to
exhibit and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and other venues are featuring the best
self-published books. Being part of this new era in publishing allows
opportunities to help shape it. This means teaming in new ways with new people
and being free to see our projects all the way from conception to publication
and beyond.
What kind of advice would you give other non-fiction
authors?
Those of us who feel called to share a message - a how
to, inspiration, biography, humor, or guidance have an important role in life.
Celebrate it! Make developing and sharing your message a priority because it
truly is a gift to your readers!