Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Walerak.
Hi Mary, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I have always wanted to write a book. When retirement hit I started taking classes at the Loft and when the pandemic hit I knew I had no more excuses. My background is in psychology, coaching and performance enhancement, so I decided to use my knowledge to write a book for my grandchildren: sort of a grandmother’s loving guide. Watching my grandchildren, and remembering back to my own experiences, I tapped into that time in life where you are leaving your childhood behind and entering into that intimidating world of middle school and beyond. I used fantasy, some unusual friends, and a formidable nemesis, to teach about trusting your instincts, believing in your abilities, listening to your intuition and the importance of following your own path. I hope the book is a fun guide to building confidence and it leaves the reader with a feeling of empowerment.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I had never done anything like this before, so it really was a matter of getting my footing and direction. I told myself I needed to have an outline and plot everything out. Once I realized I was more of a “pantser,” things started flowing much more smoothly. I always knew where I was going and what I wanted to accomplish, but I just allowed myself to write and let ideas flow. I let myself have fun with it and I often surprised myself where the twists and turns in the story took me. Other than that it was more a problem with discipline and keeping focused. I was very lucky though, when the pandemic hit I took a week long on-line writing class. In that class I met 2 other authors that were also on their 1st book. We decided to form a writers group and it has been over 5 1/2 years now that we have been meeting every Friday morning. It is all on Zoom, and we met in person for the 1st time at a writers retreat on Madeline Island in WI a year ago last summer. They manage to keep me in line and get me back on track!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am kind of like the main character in my book. I never really followed a straight path. In college I became interested in psychology. The college I went to also had a degree in dance. I had always been active in dance and gymnastics so when I heard about using dance combined with psychology as therapy, that is the direction I headed. It was very much in its infant stages and you needed a master’s degree. By the time I graduated, I was engaged and there were only two schools in the country with dance therapy. That didn’t work out for me. I went on to work in health clubs and I even owned my own aerobics studio for a few years. Then I started to hear about sports psychology so I looked into a masters in that. The problem was there were no sport psychology programs in the Twin Cities area and I had a husband and 2 elementary aged children. This was also before internet and online classes. I managed to find a “human development” degree, it was in the psychology department of a local University. I was able to create the program around my interests by taking the classes that would apply and creating my own program through independent study and taking classes at other Universities. As luck would have it life coaching was just beginning to get started and that is the direction I headed. I have been trained in various forms of health and life coaching and the last 15 years of my working life was spent as a life and health coach.
What matters most to you?
My family. I just celebrated my 50th wedding anniversary in August and am lucky to have found a partner that loves to explore as much as me. He is also very tolerant and lets me be me. I have two wonderful kids that have remained very close both physically (they both live in the Twin Cities area), and personally. The closeness with my children has allowed me to have a wonderful relationship with all four of my grandchildren. As I said earlier, they are the reason for “Finding Alineade” in the first place!
Pricing:
- The book is $17.95 and can be found on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes and Noble and the Kirk House Publishing sight.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.authormarywalerak.com
