I Got My Book Deal! But Here's Why It Felt Hard to Celebrate

After seven years of dreaming, planning, and showing up—I landed a traditional book deal with HCI Books (yes, the Chicken Soup for the Soul publisher!). In this heartfelt episode of The Next Step, I'm sharing the raw, behind-the-scenes journey: from setting the intention to write, overcoming deep emotional blocks, finding the right mentor, and finally getting signed. But what happened after I got the "yes" shocked even me. I open up about the emotional aftermath of reaching a major milestone—and the unexpected grief that followed. If you've ever struggled to celebrate your wins or felt paralyzed by success, this episode is for you. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The seven-year journey to my traditional book deal The mindset blocks and fears that kept me stuck How mentorship and persistence made the difference What grief and growth can look like after major success Practical ways to celebrate your wins with intention Timestamps: 00:00 – The announcement: I landed a traditional book deal 02:00 – The early vision: writing "author" before it was real 04:00 – From TEDx to stage to book demand 06:00 – Facing fear of success and self-sabotage 07:30 – Hiring the right mentor to get clarity and momentum 08:30 – Sending the query that changed everything 09:30 – The agent call that came just hours later 11:00 – Rejection, revision, and finding the right fit 12:30 – Recognizing the signs that it was meant to be 13:30 – The emotional block: grief after the "yes" 15:30 – Releasing emotion through yoga and reflection 17:00 – The importance of celebrating and modeling that for my family 19:00 – Ideas for celebrating wins that feel aligned to you 20:00 – My gratitude and next milestone: turning in my manuscript NEXT STEP OPTIONS: ✔️Join My Newsletter : www.corrielo.com/newsletter ✔️ Take the Overwhelm Culprit Quiz: www.corrielo.com/overwhelmculprit ✔️ Connect with Me on Social: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iamcorrielo Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/iamcorrielo Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iamcorrielo LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/iamcorrielo YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/iamcorrielo TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamcorrielo ✔️ Visit my Website: www.corrielo.com ✔️ Book me to Speak: www.corrielo.com/speaking ✔️ Enroll in Coaching: www.corrielo.com/coaching SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE: Don't miss future episodes where we dive deeper into topics like leadership, personal growth, and turning challenges into opportunities. Hit that subscribe button and join the journey to confident leadership! ✔️ Subscribe to the Podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify ✔️ Subscribe on YouTube Podcasts: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2iLLfzM7QKFoP2JFPE41hUl1SVHcH3IF&si=Fk3ZsBem6xBLRF1R