For Your Twenties w/ Anna Rodin

In this episode, I talk to Anna Rodin. She’s a nonfiction author, yoga teacher, and wellness enthusiast. Her upcoming book to be released on January 2023 is called “For Your Twenties”. 

We talk about the struggles of people in their 20s, the process of publishing your book, yoga poses at home, and so much more.


Show Notes: 

  • (01:30): Wellness, and writing 
  • (03:03): Struggles in your 20s
  • (11:05): Importance of communication 
  • (19:39): Yoga workouts and poses at home
  • (30:50): Interest in writing 
  • (36:25): Marketing and promoting your book
  • (44:02): Unexpected support from people  


Quotes: 

“You just have to go in and do your best.” – Anna

“People are always much more supportive than you expect them to be.”

“Social media is something that needs to be utilized. It’s a new marketing tool” – Anna

“Everyone wants to support you and wants to be with you on it.” – Anna

“Imposter syndrome is something that so many of us deal with, so people get it, people can appreciate doing something and taking on a big goal like because they are probably struggling with it themselves in some capacity.” – Anna

“I have always loved writing ever since I was young.” – Anna

“Writing a book is learning how to tell stories in kind of an informative way.” – Anna

“Reading is still the fastest way to consume something because you can scan you can go through.” – Misbah

“When you’re forced to slow down, you have to pay attention to what is going through your mind, whether you like it or not.” – Anna

“20s is a time of our life where so much is changing at the same time, whether we’re in school or not, we’re figuring out what we like in terms of career, we’re probably in and out of relationships, we’re moving cities,  it’s just everything is kind to GO GO GO!” – Anna


👋🏽 Connect with Anna: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisforyourtwenties/
Website: https://foryourtwenties.mailchimpsites.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annasrodin/
Book: “For Your Twenties” Book Release Jan 2023

Bite-sized action items to go from dreaming to streaming your podcast.


    Transcript:

    Misbah  00:00

    Anna, thank you so much for joining me all the way from Connecticut. And you are somebody who is very well versed in a couple of different areas of mental health, and wellness. And you also like, for me being creative I admire kind of the fact that you’re writing a book and how difficult of a task that can be sometimes, and how passionate you probably are about some of the subject matter if you even choose to write a book about it, right. So I’m very excited for you to share some of that with us today, in particular, really resonated with me with your work is just how it’s a little bit more catered towards people in their 20s. And I think, right now, if anybody who’s not in their 20s, they don’t have to tune out, I think there’s stuff that I’m sure you have that crosses over into the 30s. I mean, I’m kind of like, a few years away from not being able to say I’m in my 20s now, but like, I still feel that way So yeah, thank you so much, Anna, for joining me, I really appreciate you doing this.

    Anna  01:00

    Thank you for having me. I’m excited for this conversation.

    Misbah  01:03

    For people who don’t know, you aren’t familiar with your writing or your work? Could you give us a quick background on like, how you got into some of these areas? I mean, I know, you probably could be studying it but is there a specific set of moments or experiences for you that kind of was like, okay, not only is this book, something I want to write but take us back before that, to where the interests in the stuff even kind of began?

    Anna  01:30

    So I am, I’m a college student now, and I’m a yoga teacher. And now I’m an author. So really, for me, the whole thing started with my own mental health journey. And I have struggled on and off for since I was 11, like, it’s been part of my whole entire life. And I went through these really hard four months, bout a year ago now, where I basically took a break from everything took a break from school, moved back home, I like, just spent those four months really focusing on myself and getting better. And on the other side of that, I really was like, everything that I learned in those four months, people need to know, and I had never had this intention of writing a book until then. And it just it fit well. And I could tell that the things I was learning and the changes that I was making, in my own life, were resonating with other people in my life who were in their 20s. And I just thought other people need to know about this stuff.

    Misbah  02:37

    What is it that you think makes it different? I guess for people that are in their 20s versus maybe 30s, or 40s or 50s. I mean, I know different life stages, may be a different sets of problems. But what have you found since you obviously get to speak with a lot of people who are experiencing this? What kind of the data tell you around the main key differences, maybe between the tenure gaps there?

     

    Anna  03:03

    I do think a lot of is applicable to anyone of any age. Because of course, everyone struggles with most of these things, but particularly in your 20s is this is decade and of course give or take a few years, but it’s really this time of our life where so much is changing at the same time, like where, whether we’re in school or not, we’re figuring out what we like in terms of career, we’re probably in and out of relationships, we’re moving cities, like, it’s just everything is kind of like, go go go. And there’s always been this pressure, at least among most of the people that I’ve talked to of like, figuring it out, like everyone’s just moving through the motions and like hoping things will work out. And there’s just this common sense of feeling lost a little bit at this time. For most people, of course, there are going to be people who feel like they are on the right track and know what they want to do. But for a lot of us, it’s trial and error and, and experimenting. So with those challenges. And then of course, with the pandemic, I think that this is just a really unique kind of situation that we’re in at this time in this specific age group.

    Misbah  04:17

    I think it’s also you’re right, there’s just that change, I got to experience that. When I moved, I moved across the country to do like a internship for free and was hoping a lot of things would work out in a span of like, two, or three months. And I also got out of a relationship at that time and you’re in a new environment. No, none of your friends are there. This whole shift of like, feels like you went from like middle school to high school or like elementary to middle school. You’re like, oh, man, I’m like, You’re not like the big dog in the area now. Yeah, I have to like start over. So that was a lot I remember to handle and when I was talking to somebody about it, they mentioned something similar to what He said where it accelerated change, hyper change whatever you want to call it just like a lot of it at once. That does inevitably like you do. At some point, there is another side to it, hopefully. But it’s, it’s, it’s usually like, there’s just a lot more of that going on. I think in this like he said, this period of our life versus maybe when you’re less like you’re older, you’re not taking as many risks, you’re like, alright, this is what I’m doing. This is who I am, right? So that’s fascinating. Now, when it comes to the kind of like, let’s say the things that you experimented with, or tried to help with your own mental health journey? What was kind of something you found that actually works that you were surprised by? Not that it’s reframing it as like, Hey, this is the one thing like meditating and everything will be fine, right? But like, Was there something that you were really shocked that was like, wow, this is something that’s helping me a lot more than I expected. And I’d actually like to keep doing this.

    Anna  06:06

    For me, it was yoga, which I had never done. I will practice on and off, but I was never like fully into it was seen as a workout in my eyes. And I have always been this busy. Need to stay an active type of person. So when I took those, I took a semester off of school. So when I took those four months off, I had literally nothing to do for the next four months, which was terrifying for me. So I and I needed to figure out something to do that wasn’t going to completely overwhelm me. But that was gonna give me at least some structure that I knew I needed. And so I signed up for yoga teacher training, which was not something I thought about doing previously. But I was like the timing aligned, it was four months, it just worked. I had absolutely no idea what was kind of required for the process or what it would look like. And it ended up being just a completely transformative experience, and just ended up being much deeper than I think I expected it to be when signing up.

    Misbah  07:17

    What was it the physical part of it for you? Was it the people you got to meet? What do you think made it feels so like, transformative?

    Anna  07:27

    All of the above. So it was also unique because it was all online, it was during COVID when I did it. So the group of us was a little smaller, there were only about 15 of us, whereas I think if it were in person, it would have been a lot bigger. But so I mean, I formed connections with those people quickly since it was a small group. And it was really about fostering that mind-body connection for me that I hadn’t focused on previously. Of course you’re learning how to choose certain poses, and you’re learning about anatomy and all of the kind of like, tangible things. But in addition to that, you’re doing all of this self-reflective work, and really having to dive into how certain things feel. And like noticing all of the effects that certain things have on your mind and your body because you need to be able to offer that to your students in the future. So I would say the physical and mental community was huge. We all the other interesting thing was that I was definitely the youngest in the room by far. These people that I was with were, it ranged I’m I was 21. I took it and the oldest woman in the group was in her 70s. So it was this huge range of ages. And with that, of course, so much stories and wisdom comes from each of us. And having that open space where we could talk through things and kind of just allow things to come up as they come up was very valuable for me, especially considering the space I was in at that time in my life.

    Misbah  09:03

    Yeah, I think there’s there’s one. Sometimes it starts out with the physical aspect. I know for me, like when I started doing some yoga, I loved how I felt from it. I loved how it was so opposite of like the gogogo stuff that I would do in workouts like I like more of the slower half of style of yoga, not like power stuff, but I found that like, it’s kind of like a massage every time you get you’re like oh, I should do this more and then you don’t like six months, you know? And it was like certain poses where you realize oh my gosh, like my hips or my groin never feels this way. I didn’t even know like, like I was unstable here. Oh, this is the different side to side. So I think that part of it alone, even if it’s purely physical, there’s no mental thing that you’re putting into it because a lot of times if you’re coming from a go, go go thing like it’s hard to settle your mind in that room, especially in the first probably couple classes because you’re like, you’re looking at yourself, you’re very self-conscious and yeah, all that stuff. But I did find that like that, you’re right that pointing out or that taking a beat to notice or point out like, Hey, this is how this feels or like just mentally making that connection. Whether you are in the weightlifting world, or you do  Spartan Races, or you’re just somebody who wants sharper focus throughout the day, there’s something I’ve always I didn’t know how to explain it or what that is, really. But I’ve always felt that mind-body connection to be very valuable. How would you describe that to people like a successful state? When do you feel like you are a little bit in sync? Because when you don’t do it for a while, I mean, I haven’t for a while I, you do forget about it, you’re like, man, like, I haven’t gotten into pigeon. And I know, I don’t know how long. And I’m sure my hips are really tight. But I’ve almost gotten like desensitized to it until like, it really matters, you know?

    Anna  11:05

    I have noticed over time how things kind of transfer from on the mat to off the mat and into our daily lives. And for me, the biggest thing was in my communication, because once I started to pay attention to it, that mind-body kind of connection, and just became more self-aware, I ended up evil in a much less reactive way. Because I could understand the ways I was feeling if I was triggered by something, someone said, I wouldn’t just kind of talk back with whatever came up immediately, I was able to take a beat. Because I learned how to do that in the yoga class, I was able to take a beat, pause, and kind of talk to myself in my head and say, Is this something that I need to take a step back from so that I can kind of gain my composure? Or is this something that I can continue within a conversation that’s going to be productive for both parties? That is like, the biggest thing that I’ve seen in like transferring, forget about the physical and like just being in the other class, but just in, in life day to day?

    Misbah  12:14

    Oh, I’m sure that is like, especially when you’re not feeling that great. And it feels like your communications off, or like you’re not able to fully maybe express what you want or how you want or like, there’s just like a fog in the way when you are able to it feels amazing, right? It feels very like, the same way. There’s this, how we’re talking about like mind-body presence, I think of this. Like, when you’re, let’s say on a podcast, you’re on stage or something like that, right? There’s almost like a brain-to-mouth presence that you want to kind of develop, right? That is like, yeah, all the filters are gone. But it’s also like so connected to like, what you are actually accurately thinking or feeling that it’s a certain flow state that you’re almost describing. That is surprising. You don’t expect that to kind of come from yoga.

    Anna  13:11

    And I think the other thing that was surprising for me was that I was able to learn more about myself through the whole process. Because when you’re forced to slow down, you have to pay attention to what is going through your mind, whether you like it or not. And committing to that for months in the training, I went into it just thinking that I wanted to build, develop my practice for myself and just understand it more, I didn’t go in with the intention of becoming a teacher. But I learned that I loved it. And that’s what I do now. But learning how to respect me. And notice the self talk that goes through our heads all day long. was a game-changer. And I will say when I first started, I went to like yoga classes here and there when I was in high school, but I found it in just so boring. I hated that. First, I remember being like, I can’t I don’t understand why anyone would like this. And it wasn’t until I was kind of like doing it regularly that I can see the development there.

    Misbah  14:20

    That’s my next question is How long did you do it? Or, and or do you see other people when they start out? What’s kind of like the average amount of time where you start to feel a difference, like not just physically, but how for you it was kind of a pursuit to help with your started as a pursuit to help with your mental health and just feeling better maybe like, when did you start to notice that is that the first day is it a weekend? Two months in because you said you did four months or so, in that training?

    Anna  14:56

    I practice on and off For a long time, probably four years before I went through the training, I was not going consistently. So I will say it took probably a year for me to really appreciate it and enjoy it, my biggest thing that I promote in my classes is being present. Because I think that’s something so many of us struggle with today, since we’re, there’s just so much noise in our world. And being able to be in the present moment is hard, number one, but also, it’s just something that most of us aren’t given the space to be able to do. So that’s the biggest thing that I promote. And I see that, once I see it kind of click for a student in my class, they can see beyond the physical aspect of it, and they can see how they just gave that hour for themselves, and how big of a gift that was. And so it kind of depends on the person, it depends on the spot you’re in, in your life, it depends on on on a million things. But um, there are just kind of slight changes, it’s not going to be this whole revelation, it’s normally not like that. It’s these small little things that you notice. And you’re like, Hmm, maybe this is something worth doing more or like thinking about. I remember for me, I It’s a very stupid example. But for me, I was in high school and I like was stressed with so many things. And like, my eye was twitching for like a week straight. And it was making me go crazy. And this was at the time when I really was not practicing consistently. And would go here and there. And I remember, I stepped into the studio that I used to go to. And immediately like my twitch stopped, the second I step out of the studio came back and I was like, hmm, maybe it’s something Wow, more here that I need to be doing more often. And, and that really for me was that little shift where I was like, this is something that I should be doing more.

    Misbah  17:02

    And it’s probably that environment switch, because I noticed this too, like good studios are set up in such a way that does cut you off and make you feel like you’re just in that room. And that’s the only thing that’s there. And it’s a little darker or whatever the vibe in the room might be. And so I think what you’re describing is like for me when I first or second time felt like after savasana like at the end where you’re laying down and you kind of fall asleep but you don’t you’re like still awake, that like relaxed feeling is or like that’s also similar to Asana, like we were in the sauna for like 20 minutes and whatnot, and then come out and you just feel so like, fresh and relaxed. You’re let’s say like a hot tub or something like that as well.You don’t realize how tense your body was until like, yes, you do that. Because you’re also sometimes doing it in a lying position, I guess a lot of times is doing that specific one in a lying position. And after you do like a bunch of movement stuff, you just don’t realize how that like your body kind of melts and you feel your spine like laying on the floor and everything kind of just like there’s just a very strategic awareness, I think to do that. I guess at the end, even though it’s as simple as like, hey, just like lay down, right? How do you find people react to look because a lot of people do yoga for workouts as well? Right? Not just like, I want to disconnect and kind of like, this is my time. And you’re doing power yoga, or just other forms of it, maybe that are a little bit more intense. Have you done that? Do you teach that? How do you find people who do that? I guess, is there a difference to like, the slower style, we’re gonna sit here for a while, like 10 breaths in each pose, or however it works, right? Versus like, Alright, let’s go and you’re like doing plank jacks and like jumping up and down. And it’s like, wow, okay, and there’s bumping music, right? I’ve been in some of those classes to where you’re like, Okay, this is like, not the vibe I wanted. But I’ll take it for now. And you want some, for me, at least I wanted the counter, like opposite of what I am normally doing in the gym. But for some people, it’s like, you can tell they come here six, seven times a week and they go hard in the power yoga class. So how would you describe or differentiate the two styles there? For anybody who’s maybe not familiar?

    Anna  19:39

    There’s definitely a huge difference. And I have done both. I still do both. And I love them both for different reasons. I personally teach more of the HOFA slow practice, but I think they’re gonna work out and both of them just in different ways. And it’s interesting because I used to I started going really for the, for the physical aspects and I would go to those power classes or those hot yoga classes looking for a good workout. And, and I got it  you get a good workout. But also in that you still get the,  you still get some of the awareness, I’d say that you’d get in a hot yoga class, because by the end of it, you just, you still have the time in, in shavasana, to lay down and really like, soak in the point of that time is to really just like, take note of the differences that you feel and like, give your body the time to absorb everything that you just did. Instead of just moving on to the next thing like most of us would normally do, that in the slower practice, there’s more room for creativity and exploration, I’d say because you can make it more of your own when you’re moving slower, you can lean into what feels good. And like, forget what doesn’t, it’s more of a flow, I guess I’d say. And there is something really special in making it your own. And the sense of autonomy there that I think most people find, empowering, and when you when you can kind of, especially when you go like week after week, and you can see your improvement in these things that maybe it’s the like vinyasa flow that you find really difficult. So physically, you’re seeing the improvement. But it could also just be you see that you’re getting into the centering at the beginning of class a lot easier. So there’s that mind shift, I think you can get, you can see both of those changes in both classes. But both are kind of primed for for one of the specific ones. 

    Misbah  21:59

    What’s crazy about that is like, every time I experience a really good pose, like let’s say, triangle or something like that, where you’re in kind of this like lunge, but like your arm is on the inside of your leg. And it feels like it’s just opening up your hips, and also your upper back. And if you’re just tight feeling really like, wow, I should why don’t I get into this? When I’m at the gym, or like when I’m at home? Or it’s not obviously the same fight because like, it’s heated, there’s a build-up to it. There’s like a whole ambiance to the experience that makes it feel so awesome when it does. But I do think I’m like, Oh, why don’t I, I always intend to, like, oh, I should take this pose back off the mat. But like, I for some reason I forget about it. I’m curious for you. I’m sure there’s tons because so many poses, but what are some for a lot of us that we could do off the mat. That is both, let’s say a great physical thing like, oh, maybe it relieves your tight hips or whatever. But it’s also a great like, mental centering, type pose, what I mean? Like, for me, pitching sometimes can be that because I’m just like, I can like, put my head down and just, like sink into it. Totally. I’m curious, do you have any of those in mind.

    Anna  23:21

    Triangle is one of my favorites. I mean, it’s like this sense of like just opening up and releasing so much in this like form that you don’t expect it to happen. And so that is definitely one of my favorite poses. But I also find balancing poses are really good for physically, especially as we age, you lose some of that balance. So working on it kind of consistently. But also just like it teaches you these skills are so important in life too,  you’re gonna, chances are you’re gonna, when you’re in tree pose, you’re going to fall out if you try to, like go for the higher leg position, or whatever it is. So it’s kind of like finding and what we say we find, try to find your drishti point, which is kind of like your focus point, that’s not moving. When you’re in those balancing poses, which is just as applicable in real life find that focus point, whether that’s like the goal you’re going after, or whatever it is because chances are, you’re gonna get swayed and knocked over. You just gotta go back to it. So whether it’s true, whether it’s Warrior Three, all of that kind of challenging, balancing poses that you can work up to and kind of build upon are easily done at home. Even just like balancing when you’re doing the dishes on one foot like just practicing like those little things can be so easy to work in.

    Misbah  24:53

    I’m so glad you brought that up because my one of my favorite poses is it’s this One more like you’re holding your, the back of your foot, right. So like you’re kind of getting this quad stretch, right, and you’re standing on one leg. But then you’re also like one arm is out like this, right and kind of like kicking into your foot. But you’re also like balancing on one leg, and you’re reaching. And it’s like this crazy, quad stretch. But it also becomes insane, like shoulder and tech stretches, you just kick hard. And then it’s like, it’s one of those things where it feels good. When you hold it, you’re like, oh, wow, I can’t believe I hung out here for the whole time before the switch or whatever, right? That is so funny. I’ll say that because like, when I hurt, I hurt my back when I was like 19, or 20. And I herniated this disc that like really put me out of commission more than I thought it would for a while. And so that was my thing of like, I became really aware of like, oh, how do you everybody should know how to, like prevent this or manage it a little bit, because it’s very fascinating how complicated it is. But how you like for me doing the single leg balancing poses during the back injury. Bike was something I wish I found way earlier was because for whatever reason, it was like this light stretch. Without it being like an intense stretch, let’s say like a single leg like a Romanian deadlift, right? Where you balancing on one leg like that, where you’re three, I guess two, and you feel like this in the back of your hamstring, you feel like you’re all goes all the way up to your glute. Like if you haven’t touched your toes in a while. It’s pretty intense. You’re gonna feel and yeah, and it’s nice, because like, for whatever reason, I found that side to side. Like I’m finding this actually right at this moment where I started longboarding a little bit recently, and my ankle and my Achilles on my, like, the side I’m kicking with, is so disproportionately sore. To my other side. There you go, wow, okay, yeah, there’s those are the little things I think, as you get older, that motivate you to like work on some of this stuff, is like when it really gets in the way of something you actually want to do, right? Or else you don’t care. It’s like, I know, I don’t want to like longboard like crazy, it’s like, I do want to be able to not feel like I broke my leg after just going up and down the block, right? So it’s, it’s, that balancing thing really, really resonates with me, because I think you’re right, there’s an element you lose it, if you really don’t use it for a while. And that stillness, or whatever you want to call it is sometimes what makes you feel like, you’re in control, you’re in the zone like I’m locked in. So sometimes when you’re having a bad day, or a bad practice, or whatever, that pose is not fun, because you’re falling out of it and all this stuff. But again, it’s kind of like an anchor, in a way. If you kind of use one of these poses, you mentioned or I mentioned, that you’d like, and keep coming back to it. I’m sure that’s something because like, the more you do pigeon, or whatever your favorite poses, you know, you’re like, Oh, this is deeper than that last time, or, wow, I can’t even I’m so surprised how tight I am today. So it just makes you like a little more inquisitive. You’re like, Oh, I wonder why I’m a little tighter, I didn’t sleep, maybe that’s why you know, or I’m dehydrated.  I really love that. Anything else on the yoga? Like, I want to ask you a little bit about the writing side of things with this book. But when it comes to yoga, and anything you would suggest to people listening who haven’t taken a class, maybe they’ll do class, maybe they want it to. But even if they don’t, I love how you gave something that was like, Hey, you could try. So these poses at home and it’s like it is nine times out of 10. Any yoga pose is more like creative and feels good than a lot of stretches we traditionally do in the gym, you know. And so I’m surprised that there’s not more communication and crossover between the two worlds. So thank you for doing that. But yeah, anything else on that front? That that would be useful for somebody that they could take away from yoga without maybe even going to a class?

    Anna  29:26

    Yeah, I just say, slow down, you know, once in a while, slow down, take a beat and, and kind of just get do even just doing like a little body scan. Like noticing how you feel is much more beneficial than I think we talked about. So whether you go to a class or not, because I understand not for everybody. But slowing down is for everybody. Everyone needs that sometimes. So giving yourself the time and space to do that. I think everyone should be doing

    Misbah  29:57

    Yeah, it’s like not just cerebrally kind of being like, Alright, cool. I’m feeling angry because like, I can do that, too. I’m pretty like on the on a one standpoint, I feel like I’m pretty connected. And I’m like, oh yeah, this is how I’m feeling. But like, on the other standpoint where you’re like, you can’t. Yeah, like you’re not as clear actually, when you actually sit down and think about it. So it has a massive, just taking a moment can have a massive, massive value. So thank you for that. Now, when it comes to reading your book, this is something I’m so I love talking to anybody who is on this venture to take me back to like his writing, something you’ve always been into. Was the love for it similar to yoga, where it’s like, okay, I tried it. And now I’m in like, let me give this a whirl. How, what was the inception for the book.

    Anna  30:50

    I have always loved writing ever since I was young I just like English was always my favorite subject. It was something that I loved. But I never, I thought writing a book would be cool. But I didn’t have like an idea, or anything like that. I didn’t have any. I didn’t see it,  for me, just because I was like what would I write about? I have no idea. And it wasn’t until I had that, that experience, I was like, this needs to be shared. So for me, it was learning how to tell stories in kind of an informative way, too, that people can take because it’s my style. It’s kind of like, it’s like a self help memoir book, which is something that I’m not used to writing. So it’s been interesting, even just in the style to see the differences and see kind of what, what I need to work on. And like, what has come naturally for me?

    Misbah  31:45

    How long do you think went into the right? Because it’s a long time. It’s like a movie. It’s like, one of these projects like an album even right, where you’re like, putting together this thing that nobody can hear maybe for a while, and you care about it so much. And it’s like, you also hate it by that point. You’re like, ah, like, I hope people like this. And there’s, it’s just such, I’m sure it can be daunting at times. What was that span? Like? Was it a period? How long did it go from like, Okay, I’m ready to write this. Let’s make it happen. I don’t know how to like, oh, my gosh, we’re doing it. What did that timeline kind of look like for you?

    Anna  32:25

    Once I had the idea, I, someone had actually come to speak at my school when I was at a different college than I am now. But I’m about this program that she was in where they kind of take you through writing a book, and you go through the whole publishing process. And I remember thinking like, Oh, that’s cool. But still, at the time, I was like, what would I write about, I have nothing to write about. And so I remember this program, and I reached out to the director, and we had a call. And it was a time when I was still kind of in it. And it was right at the end of those four months where I was really struggling. And I remember saying to him, I was like, you know, I’m going through a lot right now I’m going to be transferring schools, I’m going to be like, starting this whole new chapter, I just don’t know if I can take this on right now. And he was said to me, he was like, there’s never going to be a right time to do this. And I was like, You’re right, I’m in. So it just kind of like, it really clicked that this is going to be I have a set amount of time to do this in my life and I don’t think anyone is, so you just kind of have to go in and do your best. And for me, I started writing all I had was the idea. So I just started writing probably in December, January ish. And my manuscript is due on Friday. So I was then nice, of, of just interviewing people gathering as much information as I can, and seeing where things fit of course, there will be a whole six months of publishing and editing. So, it is it’s a huge time commitment. And it’s hard because it’s kind of behind the scenes right now. Like  I’m not going out with my friends at night, because I have this publishing deadline. And once it’s out, it’ll be much more understandable, but they’re like, you can just write it tomorrow. And I’m like, No, like my editor said tonight so yeah like it’s a lot but when also since what I’m writing about, I’m so passionate about it makes it that much easier. And as I’m writing the people I’m talking to I’m getting so much information and wisdom from so it’s it’s been a really good journey so far.

    Misbah  34:55

    That’s so awesome to hear. What about because I know it’s like okay, writing the book is The beast, you conquer first it away, right? And then it’s like, okay, now how do we get this in the hands of people, more people read it, it’s like, it’s this thing that’s kind of built. That is nice, because it’s like it now exists, right? And it will always be there to kind of give people a very similar repeatable experience at its highest quality, which is what I love about a book, and how it’s still like, even though like, there’s video and audio and all that good stuff like reading, and text is still kind of the fastest way I think, to consume something because you can scan you can go through, like, some people can scan faster versus there is a limit. I listened to stuff on like, 2x speed, right, but like, you can’t go faster than 2x speed. Everybody maxes out at a certain point with that. And not that it’s all about speed. But I just mean like, yeah, being able to sit with a piece of like, oh, like, if the audio doesn’t keep rolling, you’re like, let me sit with this page for a second. Right? So I love that. How? Yeah, so when it comes to distribution, for the book, and marketing for the book, I’m very curious what your like, what have you learn what’s been tough, because there is that part of it in every industry, the distribution of whatever your main thing is, right. But I love hearing how it’s different in each one. And there are usually some similarities too, but anything comes to mind for you.

    Anna  36:25

    I’m also like a Marketing Communications major. So I find all this interesting in the first place. But first thing for me was just so nervous to tell people that I was doing this. Because it was, it’s like a vulnerable piece. And I also just, there is kind of like the stigma around certain things. And I had kind of built this image up of myself that was kind of shattered when I went through those four months. And so that was like a whole separate thing I was dealing with. And I really had to put myself out there and I knew that I did in order to spread the word and like, have people start talking about this. So that was kind of the first hurdle was to like, just fully embody what I’m doing. And like, proudly say, This is my new thing. And I hope everyone like will enjoy it, because I want to take them along on the process with me, I didn’t want to just kind of do it in secret, and then all of a sudden be like I wrote this book, go buy it. So I really wanted them to be there with me. So you know, on all my social media stuff, I kind of put an announcement out and of course, I feel like this is how it is people are always much more supportive than you expect them to be. Yeah, it’s nice. It’s just you have that support that I think when you’re when it’s just you, it’s so easy for the self doubt to creep in. But once you share it, you you kind of get some of the external validation, I guess. But it’s been hard for me to learn how to kind of promote this thing. Because if I just am normally not someone else to talk about myself, or like my own kind of things. And I think just in terms of other places, I’ve worked in kind of career paths that I’ve gone down, that is something that a lot of people deal with that first impostor syndrome, that’s basically what it is, and pretty much universal. So that was a huge thing. And the mixture of that. And then social media, because I think, now we know social media is something that needs to be utilized. And it’s kind of the new, the new marketing tool. So that’s been a whole other journey. And learning the ins and outs of that has been interesting and super informative, but also a whole other project alongside of this is it’s like it’s, there’s so much kind of, like Nuance within each of these things. That as you continue to, like put content out or talk about your book or even just have conversations with people about it. You learn as you go.

    Misbah  39:21

    You said that the thing that you were really afraid of at first was just even saying, Hey, I’m doing this because it is like you’re making a statement, right almost feels that way. Some things sometimes don’t feel that way. Like let’s say Tiktok or something. Right. But like if you’re starting a YouTube channel, you’re starting a podcast, you’re starting a writing a book or a website, all of a sudden it’s like there I think the vulnerable part is that the exact thing that we appreciate her one, which is hey, people can access this at any time and stream your stuff kind of on-demand or read your stuff on demand. But then there’s the fear of like wait, but I don’t know if I want had everybody to do that. That’s kind of the exact thing that also scares me. That is, I think, one of the, like you said, there’s a universe that like, it’s universal, the imposter syndrome thing. But it’s also, even though it’s universal, we all know it exists. Like, somehow we can all still fall into it. Right? And especially when it comes to stuff that you care about. So how did you tell me more about how you dealt with that going from kind of like private to public or whatever, right? Where you’re like, Okay, this is like, I could never speak about this to anybody, right, to flipping the switch to like, alright, like, I guess I can, and also timeline. So like, was it a month? Was it six months? How long did that take?

    Anna  40:46

    It was a very interesting process. For me, I think, because I really made the announcement kind of on the tail end of these four months. So I was. And even just not that I made an announcement, but just telling people that I was struggling first before this book was even a thing, telling people that I was taking time off from school and moving back home, like, these were things that I was, so there’s so much like shame around it. Because I think, especially when you’re kind of this go-getter, and you’ve always been known as that type of person, everyone’s kind of like, wait, what, like, what this is so not, it’s not the traditional path, or whatever you would call it. So I have kind of had these little like, prep hurdles, I guess, in telling people and having to have conversations about things that I normally wouldn’t want to have conversations about, like just telling people I’m struggling are telling people, this part of my life is completely changing, or just telling people that I have no idea what’s going to happen in four months. So when I was at the beginning of it, just the honesty and kind of vulnerability aspect was I was kind of working on in those four months. And then right at the tail end of that was when I jumped into the book, writing, and I didn’t I didn’t tell, I don’t think I told really anyone for the first I kind of like, I made the decision, I signed the contract, I put the deposit down. And like that was I was the only one who knew about it for maybe a month, then I was like, Okay, once I kind of got going and felt a little bit more, I had something it wasn’t just this idea, I was actually starting to write it, I was like, Okay, now, now let’s loop people in on it and see what they say. And it because the other thing was that for this, I really wanted to hear people’s stories, because it’s not just my story, it’s people who are just in my life, friends and family, but also these big some big people that everyone kind of knows their name and how they have dealt with certain things. So it’s like, I wanted this mix between it being kind of big level people, but also people that no one knows. And only I know, because they’re my friend, but they also have dealt with these things that everyone deals with. So I knew that in order to do that, I had to tell people about it. And I had to really put myself out there I ended up making I so I made my announcement. And everyone was very supportive. And then maybe probably two or three months later, I started having conversations with like my editor, and one of my coaches just about utilizing social media more. So I ended up making like a separate Instagram for my book that I told no one about for maybe two months because again, it was this thing that I was like, I don’t really want anyone to see it. 

    Misbah  43:57

    You let it build your like, once it builds, then I’ll let people know. 

    Anna  44:02

    I need to ask something. It can’t just be blank,  we got to give it some time right up and then and then I’ll let people know. And that’s exactly what I did. And of course, everyone’s like, Oh my God, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? Like everyone wants to support you and wants to be with you on it? Because I think because imposter syndrome is something that so many of us deal with people get it. People get that people can appreciate doing something like this and you know, taking on a big goal like this because they are probably struggling with it themselves in some capacity. So that’s really something that I’ve learned along this is that people are much more open and encouraging than I think we would expect, especially if they’re kind of levels above us. I think we think that they’re like unapproachable which in some cases they are but Generally, we think everyone’s like, they’re never going to pay me on the exactly like, and there were many instances where I was shocked at like, the just like generosity in terms of time and everything like that, where I was like what these people actually are humans and like, they get what we go through because they’ve been.

    Misbah  45:22

    100%. I love that. Well, thank you so much for sharing such a breadth of like, across yoga, mental health, diving into writing and creativity. I love hearing, because each of it is its own world, right? Like yoga is its own world that you’ve got kind of like the writing world. And then you’ve got kind of the mental health world. And it’s cool that you’re able to marry some of these things together. And I’m very excited to kind of watch this develop, where can we kind of support what you’re up to? So the book, the website, the social that nobody knows about? Or maybe they do now? Let us know. How can we how can we support you?

    Anna  45:59

    So my Instagram is @thisisforyourtwenties the name of the book is “For Your Twenties”. So everything that’s kind of my main hub, there is link to my websites there. And there will be a pre-launch campaign for the book at the end of July and all the info will be there too. So that’s, that’s the go to spot

    Misbah Haque  46:20

    Brilliant and anybody who’s listening or watching just tap the links in the description and you’ll be good to go. But Anna, thank you so much once again for doing this. And yeah, keep us in the loop. I’m excited for the same to come out and for it to get in the hands of a lot of people. And so I will stay in touch with you and be watching from afar.

    Anna  46:39

    Thank you. I really appreciate it. Great talking to you.



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