Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! My name is Darcy Luoma. I’m the founder and CEO of Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting. As a Master Certified Coach, I’ve worked in forty-eight industries with more than five hundred organizations to create high-performing people and teams by helping them solve their people problems, thoughtfully.
If you find me without my coaching hat on, odds are I’m training for my next triathlon. After twenty-three seasons competing, I’m having more fun than ever in the over 50 category.
I’m thrilled by the opportunity to collaborate with AwesomeGang because as of June 1st, 2021, I’m officially a published author (and the crowd goes wild!).
But my most challenging and rewarding role is being mom to two spirited teenage daughters who somehow convinced me to get a foster dog at the start of the pandemic lockdown in 2020. Since then, we’ve fostered eight. It’s been ruff…but fun! And I’m sure there’ll be more wagging tails and potty training in the future.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my latest book is Thoughtfully Fit: Your Training Plan for Life and Business Success (check it out here! https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtfully-Fit-Training-Business-Success/dp/0785244824) which was published by Harper Horizon. It was inspired by my Thoughtfully Fit coaching model that I developed over years of extensive research and thousands of hours coaching individuals and teams.
If my two passions of physical fitness and life coaching had a baby, Thoughtfully Fit would be that love child.
If we train our minds the same way we train our bodies, we’ll be better fit to take on life’s challenges, big or small. That’s the spark behind Thoughtfully Fit.
The book shares my personal story of how I became ground zero to test drive Thoughtfully Fit to overcome Mount Crisis when my husband and stay-at-home father was arrested for sexual assault of a minor he’d met online.
I’m excited to share it with other leaders and individuals working on improving themselves or navigating their own Mount Crisis, through concrete strategies, tools, and case studies.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual it is, but I’ve been writing in a journal regularly since I was in fourth grade. I still have my very first red Hello Kitty diary from 1979. Writing free-flow in the moment helps me process tough situations, curb negative thoughts, and explore different perspectives—without worrying about grammar or punctuation or even if it makes sense. There’s something therapeutic about writing down all those thoughts in my head that keep spinning—thousands of pages of them.
When I started to work with Eliza Waters, co-author of Thoughtfully Fit, those journal pages were invaluable. I went back many times to re-read what I’d written the year following my husband’s arrest to get back to the emotional intensity of the moment. It made the stories in the book richer and more vulnerable.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many brilliant writers out there. If I must pick a few, I’d start with Brené Brown and Angela Duckworth. Their books align with my work and philosophy, and I find so much inspiration in their writing.
Oh! And Viktor Frankl. His book, Man’s Search for Meaning, influenced me greatly when I first read it for a leadership class in college. I’ve re-read parts of it a hundred times over since then, and my thirteen-year-old daughter and I are currently listening to it together.
What are you working on now?
My team and I are working on a number of fun projects. Writing-wise, I’m working on a companion workbook to Thoughtfully Fit: Your Training Plan for Life and Business Success.
My first book dives into how the practices of Thoughtfully Fit helped me tackle the hurdles in my life. The workbook will be all about the reader and how they can implement the Thoughtfully Fit practices to overcome the hurdles in their life.
We also have a new exclusive Facebook community, Thoughtfully Fit OnCore, for those who want more Thoughtfully Fit—right in their newsfeed.
We’re putting the final touches on The Intentional Team Player, an online training program with a series of asynchronous videos for employees to be more effective in the workplace. It provides a game-changing playbook to clear the hurdles—in and out of the office.
Last, we’re launching the Thoughtfully Fit Gym, where you can go to workout your thoughts—without breaking a sweat. These 45-minute virtual workouts will give you support and accountability to build your core confidence. A subscription to the gym gives you the opportunity to train with certified Thoughtfully Fit coaches and a community of like-minded leaders.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Quizzes! I know that may take some of us back to high school, but I promise there’s no studying involved.
I wanted to promote Thoughtfully Fit in a way that’s engaging and gives people a taste of what the book’s about—clearing the hurdles that get in the way of success.
So, I developed a Thoughtfully Fit quiz that’s fun, intuitive, and motivating. The quiz identifies which of the six hurdles is their personal biggest struggle, so they have the self-awareness to start to train to clear it. Take a look: http://thoughtfullyfit.com/
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Gosh, I’m still learning myself, so I don’t feel qualified to give advice! Okay, let me give it a shot. From one new author to another, if you’re writing non-fiction, I’d say to make sure you have a strong proposal. That will force you to think through the scope of the book, outline the flow and sequence of the chapters, research comparative titles, define your target audience, and create a compelling marketing plan.
We spent an inordinate amount of time on the front end of the process developing a solid proposal, and let me tell you, it paid off tremendously.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When I first started my business, I had a lot of people giving me unsolicited advice. You need to have a podcast. You should hire a virtual assistant from overseas, they’re super cheap. Never work from home. But none of it seemed to sit quite right with me.
The best advice I ever heard was to check in with myself—whenever I hear advice—and see if it feels right for me. If not, graciously thank the person and continue on your own path.
What are you reading now?
Two books that I’ve recently read are Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear and Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking by Jon Acuff. As you can probably tell, I’m certainly drawn to books that encourage self-awareness and self-management.
I think Atomic Habits provides a stellar framework to building endurance and discipline into your life, and reading Soundtracks is valuable for when you’re learning how to better navigate your emotions and make conscious choices.
I highly recommend them both!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Outside of continuing to write in Hello Kitty journals, I’m working on my companion workbook to Thoughtfully Fit. And of course, I’m always writing in my blog: https://darcyluoma.com/blog/ I post new blogs every Tuesday. Naturally, each post ties into engaging our Thoughtfully Fit core and training to clear the hurdles in our way.
If you’re interested in getting the latest blog sent your way, I offer weekly Thoughtfully Fit Tips. Subscribe and get Thoughtfully Fit through personal stories, helpful tips, and one-minute workouts—minus the sweat: https://zc.vg/YtzXL
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
This is a tough question. I’d say anything by Malcom Gladwell. The guy is a journalistic genius. His book Outliers: The Story of Success is incredible.
As far as other books that I wouldn’t mind reading to a volleyball named Wilson, I’d probably bring Becoming by Michelle Obama and Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Becoming is so beautifully written, some of its sentences read like poetry, and Untamed is simply an empowering read for women, especially mothers, and has some invaluable, vulnerable insights into the power of being true to yourself.
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