As I am recovering from having my baby Flynn and as I work through this new transition in my life, I thought it would be nice to interview some lovely ladies who can provide expert advice about the transitions in their own lives.
Last week I interviewed Naomi Arnold from Project Healthy Happy Me. This week I have the incredibly talented Alana Wimmer, founder and creative director of mini digital publishing house Raspberry Stripes and digital publication Raspberry Magazine. She works with rad lady entrepreneurs to design eBooks that create positive change. Aside from working with clients, Alana also blogs about eBooks, running a business, and design tips on the Raspberry Stripes website. When she isn’t moving pixels, reading or talking about eBooks you can find Alana walking Rory and Roxy the boxers, with her husband in tow, probably on her way to pick up a green smoothie.
I originally found Alana through my coach Claire Baker of This is Lifeblood because she had mentioned Alana had designed her e-book “She is Radiant.” I signed up for Alana’s newsletter and one day she sent out a free ‘7 Top Insider Tips for Delightful E-Book Design.’ (You too can get it if you sign up to her newsletter.) Thanks to Alana’s super helpful tips I was able to finally get my opt in out to you girls! Before that, it seemed so overwhelming.
I then subscribed to her ‘Raspberry Magazine’ which is devoted to ‘curating insightful articles, amazing interviews and helpful resources for lady online entrepreneurs, freelancers, bloggers, digital nomads and those aspiring to be.‘ It’s a truly beautiful space.
As I read through another interview that she had done, (ok, so I’m totally fan girling over her), I learnt that she had once been a health coach so I thought it would be great for her to tell us all about her transition from being a health coach to running a digital publishing house.
WELCOME TO THE SISTERHOOD – ALANA WIMMER
+ Maya Angelou once said that “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” What changes have you gone through over the years that have shaped you as a person and have developed what you do at “Raspberry Stripes?”
My main change has been growing faith and trust in myself as a businesswoman. For the longest time, fear held me back and stopped me from taking charge of the direction of my career. It felt foreign and impossible that I, little old me, could actually start, build and accomplish something. It took a redundancy offer to make me seriously consider my options, and ever since, owning a business has been the biggest personal growth project I could ever undertake.
+ What industry areas were you working in before you made the transition to running a digital publishing house?
My background is in journalism and publishing, with a few corporate admin jobs thrown in there! In 2012, I took a redundancy from my cubicle and studied to become a qualified health coach. I knew I wanted to run my own business and thought coaching women would be the path to follow. I enjoyed it, but always liked the blogging and creating eBooks and products side of the business even more. Becoming a graphic designer followed quite naturally.
+ Have you incorporated any of the skills from your previous careers into what you do at Raspberry Stripes?
Yes absolutely! From my degree in journalism and print media, customer service and admin experience, to working for several magazines and book publishers, everything I’ve learned has added up to the skill set I use today.
+ What aspects of your transitions were the hardest?
Everything about going from working in a job to working for myself was tricky. Suddenly the responsibility for a whole business and everything that comes with that (clients, admin, money, computer skills, etc) is on your shoulders and no-one else can pick up any slack! It’s a steep learning curve. But totally worth it.
+ What is your number one tip for people who are making the transition from one thing to another?
Be as organised as you can. Make lists, put things in your calendar, plan ahead to make the transition as smooth and in control as possible.
+ How did you stay grounded or prep yourself for your transition?
I am someone who thrives on change and new, shiny things, so change is not a daunting prospect. If anything, I have to make sure I don’t get carried away with changing too much at once! So I am constantly prepped 😉
+ What surprises you the most about your current job?
The possibilities! It’s very exciting to know that you can steer your business in any direction.
+ What are some resources that you used that helped you with your transition?
I read a LOT about other people who had made the leap and started a business. Blogs, books, you name it, I devoured it. I also found that seeking friendships with bloggers and others who were building online businesses made all the difference. It made the whole thing seem more possible.
+ If my days had one extra hour in it I would…
Head to yoga class!
+ How is it possible to keep your body, mind, spirit and business healthy all at the same time?
I’m not sure it’s always possible to keep everything balanced. But as long as each area of your life gets attention and love at times over the longer term, it works out fine. Sometimes you need to work like crazy for a few weeks, then spend a few days resting and nourishing – that’s perfectly fine. Be gentle on yourself and drop expectations.
Thanks so much Alana for your beautiful and generous responses. I’m sure we have all taken something away from this. What’s the one thing you’ve taken away from this interview? Comment below and please share if you loved this post. Let’s get on board and support one another. You can also subscribe to Raspberry Magazine here.
Oh thank you so much for having me, Diana! Such a pleasure 🙂 xx
It was such an honour to feature you. Thank you for being so generous with your responses. I learnt something through your interview and I know the Butterfly House tribe will too xxoo