From Promise to Process: A Book Update and Special Preview

Six months ago, I made a promise. Behind the paywall of a September post about boundaries fuelling creativity, I announced my book would be published in March. Well, here we are in March, and I have a confession to make - the book isn’t published. Not yet.

But what a journey these six months have been.

Taking my own advice about structure and deadlines, I set myself an intermediate goal: submitting a book proposal for an agent’s table review with Byte the Book at the end of November. This deadline became a powerful catalyst, forcing me to crystallise what my book was truly about. I immersed myself in research, clarified the structure, and reworked the first three chapters with renewed focus.

But when the long awaited agent review came, it didn’t bring the validation and energy I had anticipated. Instead of propelling me forward, it planted seeds of doubt. I found myself trapped in my own head, questioning everything. As winter descended with its invitation to turn inward, instead of pushing through, I decided to let go for a while. Sometimes stepping back is the bravest step forward.

January was a welcome turning point. With the return of the light, came a return of energy. I travelled to Los Angeles (an adventure which I wrote about in another post) to attend a 3-day event on transformation - deciding for and creating a life you would love. And I reconnected with my vision in a profound way. Something shifted - not just intellectually, but deep in my bones. I recommitted to bringing this book into the world, not because of an external deadline, but because of what it means to me and what I believe it can offer others.

Since returning from that transformative trip, my alarm has been set for 5:30 every morning. In those quiet, dark hours before the world wakes, I’ve been writing. The process isn’t always easy - some mornings the words flow like grace, others they must be coaxed out letter by letter. But there’s an increasing joy in watching it take shape, in seeing progress unfold page by page. I cannot wait to share it with the world.

While my book won’t be published this March as I initially promised, I want to honour that commitment in another way. Today, I’m sharing the introduction of my book exclusively with my subscribers. For those of you who support this work as paid subscribers, you’ll find the full introduction behind the paywall - a thank you for your continued belief in this journey.

This introduction isn’t just the beginning of a book; it’s the culmination of a process of reconnection with my purpose and years of soul-searching and personal development work. It speaks to that moment many of us face in midlife - waking up one day to find ourselves yearning for something more profound than what conventional success has offered us. It traces my own journey from corporate exhaustion to spiritual awakening, and hints at the path I’ve discovered toward wholeness. It represents both where I’ve been and where I’m going. I hope it resonates with you, and I look forward to sharing the completed work with you all later this year.

With love and gratitude,

Nathalie

[For paid subscribers only: Continue reading to access the exclusive book introduction...]

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It’s 6h30 in the morning. My alarm rang like every morning and I stop it as quickly as I can to avoid waking my husband up. We’re in early January – it’s pitch-black outside and the room is cold. For a second, I find myself wishing that I could curl up under the blanket and go back to sleep. But I have work to do, clients to coach, articles to write, and lots of other things relating to running and growing my own business. I notice thoughts and feelings telling me that this day is a chore, that I don’t want to do it, and that I’m tired. They are trying to convince me that I don’t really like coaching and that I should give up trying to live my purpose. As I catch these, I remind myself that I have a choice and that I can create anything, including my own mood. I can either accept this narrative of ‘I don’t want to do this’ and ‘I’m tired’ as the truth, or I can choose a different truth.