Meet Rusti Lehay | Book Journey Coach & Empathic Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rusti Lehay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rusti, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I believe the pen is mightier than the therapist. There are so many positives that can come about through discovery writing to heal past traumas; some that we don’t even know about can all come out on the page.

The more processed and healed of our traumas and triggers, the more light we can bring into the world. Thinking globally and acting locally applies to the quantum world of the self. Most people have heard you need to fill your cup before you can fill the needs of others. The same goes for healing and self-discovery. Not the hidden violence in the multi-billion dollar self-improvement industrial machine that continues to tell people they are not enough.

I also am convinced and have read that it is the poets and the creative writers that bring science, politics, and culture to the masses, making it accessible in ways that matter most.

Everyone has a story, though not everyone can write theirs or know the way out of it. Those who write often provide regular signposts on the path forward for others.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When things were less than rosy in my childhood home environment, I played memorization games in my head to take myself out of my body. Little did I know then that this skill would instill in me an almost eidetic memory for the content, phrases, pet words, and subject matter of the authors I work with.

Then, being singled out to be the victim of bullying for all 12 years of school and teachers who didn’t believe in me, I developed my empathic intuition and compassion for others. I am driven to stand up for the underdog to believe in others until they can believe in themselves. As a result of working with me, writers become authors, retain their artistic control, feel heard and acknowledged, and learn throughout the whole process as a partner in their book journey. Clients find me incredibly loyal and find we become friends by the end of our collaborative ghostwriting/editing process. The collaborative editing is guided by my empathic intuition to be certain what lands on the page is in the author’s voice and meets their strategic objectives for their book and their audience. The audience is the real boss more than the writer or editor will ever be. Books are written for the reader.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the oldest libraries, the best secondhand bookstores, and the best thrift stores (making sure I told them to come with an almost empty suitcase).

In summer, I would plan picnics, bike rides through the river valley, a canoe trip from Devon to Edmonton, hiking some of the hidden quiet trails, and as I am a foodie, we would have gourmet snacks on the trails and cook amazing meals at home to be followed by tea and amazing free trade organic dark chocolate. Switch that up some nights with a cacao elixir with medicinal mushrooms, coconut milk, and dried mango for sweetener, good books, and good conversation.

One night of dancing with local friends and a board game club on a Sunday afternoon.

I’d rather be outside in nature or chilling at home with a friend for most of the time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My University professors who believed in me when I didn’t yet believe in myself: Anne LeDressay, Gail Lavender, Debbie Laporte, then Eunice Scarfe’s Saga Seminars and the Athena Sisterhood Writing Group took up the cheering section. Every Thursday night for years, I would share what I wrote to their inspired prompts, often writing them in Mary Knippel’s Writing Room on Tuesday mornings to revise on Thursdays to be ready for group. My poetry writing group, The Magpies, have always been there for decades.

Website: https://www.rustilehay.info/events

Instagram: https://ewww.picuki.com/profile/rustilehay

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rusti-l-lehay

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RLehay

Facebook: fb.me/heartwonwisdom

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/RustiLehay?sub_confirmation=1

Image Credits
Kersti Niglas