Align yourself with your truth! This lets you write from deep within you — where your magic IS.
As part of my series about “How to write a book that sparks a movement” I had the great pleasure of interviewing Jacqueline Pirtle.
Jacqueline Pirtle serves her clients as a holistic practitioner, a healing arts teacher/mentor, and author, with a unique passion as an ambassador for mindful happiness. Her best-selling book is 365 Days of Happiness — as seen on ABC 7 Chicago. She has helped thousands of clients shift into a “high for life” frequency — a unique experience that calls clients into their highest potential in their NOW!
Jacqueline has been featured on NBC News Better, Women Inspired TV, The Sunday School Radio Show, International Health & Wellness summits and podcasts, Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, Bustle, and Buzzfeed, and her article “Are You Happy?” is in print in The Edge Magazine.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you share the “backstory” about how you grew up?
Thank you so much for having me Sara!
I was born and raised in a city in Switzerland, went to school, loved to study but did not like the school environment, pursued degrees in holistic health and wellness, and travelled the world as a young adult.
My biggest pain came from being a red-haired girl living in a time and place where that was still a huge teasing and bullying reason. So what I did as a little girl is I created a very happy life bubble inside of me that was fun to be in. Which, come to find out, nourished my biggest power I possess today — my strong and greatly rooted happiness. NOW, my bubble has been popped since a long time as it was not needed anymore and my inner happiness flows out and about, uplifting myself and others.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life?
My biggest favorites were the books of Pippi Langstrumpf, known here in the US as Pippi Longstocking. I mean think about it, we had so much in common — Pippi and I — the red hair, the freckles, and the knack for being crazy silly and joyous — but to not mess with us.
She inspired me to stay true to myself and to live life to the fullest and silliest. At least in my unique inside — my happy bubble. She made me laugh, giggle, and smile. Living with her — reading her books — in her world saved me many times and kept me happy.
What was the moment or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world?
New Years Eve of 2016–2017 was that initiating moment for me.
We sat around the table with friends and I blurted out the inspiration that just hit me. “I decide to devote all of 2017 to my own happiness by consciously studying how to BE and live my happiness, by practicing it and then writing about it — every single day of 2017.”
Top that off with remembering how many times people said “How do you live your life so vividly Jacqueline? I want a chunk of that!” That sealed the plan!
I started writing these daily passages for myself and soon put them on my blog, with a little sneaky intent to touch people’s hearts every day and initiate new learning, understanding, knowledge, and wisdom for them to get closer to their true, authentic self.
I used these writings to create my book 365 Days of Happiness; Because Happiness is a piece of cake — A step-by-step guide to being happy. In March of 2018 it was born.
What impact did you hope to make when you wrote this book?
My intention was that my book meets and touches people in that gentle space of “waking-up to” and“remembering” mindful happiness — by teaching and reminding them to open up their heartsso that they can shed their limits.
Did the actual results align with your expectations?
Oh yes! Absolutely!
365 Days of Happiness has already touched many hearts and is continuously shifting many people to betterment as we speak — right NOW!
It has been read and reviewed by a broad spectrum of different people — women, men, teenagers, young adults, business people, doctors, professional practitioners, coaches, single people, moms, dads, religious and non religious people — all in various life situations; mental health conditions, traumas, overwhelm, illness or simply feeling uninspired, tired, hopeless, helpless, or disconnected to themselves, life, and the world.
The overall feedback IS that it touches and guides people right where they are at and supports them in a way that is unique for them. That it is an easy, fast read and easy to practice every single day. That a shift to feeling better takes place immediately and is long-lasting.
I could’t be more grateful for that!
What moment let you know that your book had started a movement?
When I wrote 365 Days of Happiness, I felt that this book actually found me to be written, not the other way around. I felt in every single cell of my being that letting the words flow through me, and allowing myself to be the tool to put these words on paper, will light up the world — that this book is something the world really needs and desires.
Looking back, I knew all along that this is powerful. I just did not realize it on a conscious level.
Consciously I knew how powerful my book is when readers started to contact me, telling me how much it helps them to see life through different lenses — and helped them to feel happy and happier.
What kinds of things did you hear right away from readers? What are the most frequent things you hear from readers about your book now? Are they the same? Different?
The immediate response — without them even reading a word yet — was “I have your book, I hugged it, that made me happy!” Or “Just looking at the cover of your book makes me happy!”
Readers that then dove into my words said, “From the first page on I realized that there is more to living my life than I am aware of.” Or “It felt silly at first until I realized that I love being silly,” or “This gets me out of a funk and shifts me into feeling uplifted every day and that adds up — result being, I feel happier.”
It initiates something different in each and everyone, depending on where people are in their life path and their openness to allow. Meaning that some take it as an easy uplifting read and others take it deeper to connect with themselves — and the world — as a whole energetic being — body, mind, soul, consciousness.
What is the most moving or fulfilling experience you’ve had as a result of writing this book?
Writing this book changed me immensely, I am not the same person anymore. For one whole year I focused — consciously — to BE and live my happiness mindfully. It shifted me to connect deeper with myself and to feel phenomenal in every way and with that my surroundings shifted too because we are all energy, connected as ONE, and sharing our energy — how we feel — with everything and everyone at all times.
An added bonus is that I got very comfortable with the English language — German is my mother language.
Have you experienced anything negative? Do you feel there are drawbacks to writing a book that starts such colossal conversation and change?
Not at all. In the contrary, I am NOW addicted to writing and the growth that comes with writing. I am already working on writing my next book — can’t wait to see where that takes me and the world.
Can you articulate why you think books in particular have the power to create movements, revolutions, and true change?
Books are energy!
Words are energy!
The writer is energy!
Let me explain…
Everything and everyone is energy, connected as ONE, and sharing their energies with everything and everyone at all times. We are all energies living in an energetic universe.
When I wrote my book, I had a specific feeling and used specific words to write my book — feelings and words of mindful happiness. Since feelings and words are energies too and all energies are shared and exchanged, every person encountering my book is drenched in that same energy my book was created in — and with — given that the reader is open and allowing.
Every book out there carries the energies of the writer and the words used, and with that shifts people by sharing that exact energy — creating movements, revolutions, and true change for whoever it resonates with.
What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a bestselling writer?
Open-ness!
I allowed myself to BE open and fluent with the writings that moved through me. I did not question them, instead trusting that whatever this is, is necessary and perfect right NOW.
That this is my calling initiated by my deepest knowing and my true graciousness.
This behavior brought to the surface that taking excellent care of myself on every level — body, mind, soul, consciousness — was of utmost importance because not feeling good meant not writing good.
In short — how else other than being mindfully happy could I possibly write a heart-touching book about mindful happiness?
What challenge or failure did you learn the most from in your writing career? Can you share the lesson(s) that you learned?
Writing blocks are nothing else than me not being aligned with the writings that supposed to move through me. The misalignment being me not feeling well physically, emotionally, or energetically — soul and consciousness.
So…
Instead of focusing on my writing blocks, I shifted to pinpoint and acknowledge my wonky-ness, then accepted, respected, appreciated, thanked, and loved it for what it was — a nudge to take better care of myself. From there, I did whatever I was in need of to feel better as a whole being, resulting in an immediate open-ness for words to flow freely through me and onto the paper again.
Many aspiring authors would love to make an impact similar to what you have done. What are the 5 things writers needs to know if they want to spark a movement with a book?
1. Go for it! Start your book! Don’t wait until you are ready, know that you are already ready — as IS. If I would have waited to write a book that is not even in my mother language, it would probably never even have gotten started.
2. Align yourself with your truth! This lets you write from deep within you — where your magic IS.
3. Let it flow and don’t overthink! When your mind says “it’s not good” feel into your writings, if they feel good then you are on the right path for you, no matter if your minds says differently.
4. Don’t give up! Rather take a break. Fill yourself with new life experiences, then, all filled up get back to it — it will flow again.
5. Expect for you to BE and live in a “high for life” frequency once you hold and hug your own finished paperback copy. It is quite the feeling!
The world, of course, needs progress in many areas. What movement do you hope someone (or you!) starts next?
A movement of connected-ness, of WE-ness, of all being ONE and the same — and as that ONE we can create a kinder, happier, more lovable, more passionate, and more holistically harmonious planet to BE and live in, and on.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can find me at my home:
And on any of these social links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-pirtle-a-k-a-freakyhealer-a1412134/
https://www.instagram.com/freakyhealer/
https://www.pinterest.com/freakyhealer/
Thank you so much for these insights. It was a true pleasure to do this with you!