Permission to Upspiral

From Amy: Cara Pacific Campbell was the first person who took me up on my offer of a 1:1 Book Writing Mentorship and put her trust in me. I was grateful that someone so vibrant felt drawn to working with me, but looking back, it makes perfect sense. When we are paying attention, we're drawn to our people. Cara and I are both high-performing women who worked way too hard and paid a steep price with our health. As in, our bodies made us quit our careers when our minds thought that we could—had to—power through. Instead, we were sidelined. And why did we think we had to power through? Well... how else would we have any meaningful impact in life? How else did we have value? Which is a societal misperception that has needed addressing for a very long time. What we've been through, many are going through now. Also... we are both people who communicate who we are through our colors of choice. I think of Cara in vibrant yellows and reds. These lively signature colors are very much at odds with what Cara was living with in her battle with chronic Lyme disease. There's a huge silver lining. Cara finally connected to her dreams of work in Peru, tapping into ancient knowledge that now infuses this book. And hey, I taught beginning Spanish for a few years. I've always thought that teaching Spanish was a way station on the journey to something beyond that. This book was one of those meaningful stops on the journey. Oh, and also... Pretty sure that Cara and I are going to host a Writing Revival in Peru someday. Picture yourself there with us. How awesome would that be? Meanwhile, you can actively witness the culmination of her book journey if that's calling to you, or simply take courage from hearing how it came into being. Me? I got to help Cara infuse this book with her witty, deep, infectious wisdom. I feel profoundly proud and grateful to know that I was there at Cara's beginning as an author, and that she was there at my beginning as a book writing mentor. What a beautiful testament to my vision for Courageous Wordsmith. It's a full-circle episode and it feels like that. Enjoy! Cara Pacific Campbell is a top-performing sales leader turned author, coach, and resilience expert. After a medical collapse ended her high-achieving career, she began an unexpected healing journey—one that blends neuroscience, ancient wisdom, and the gritty reality of burnout recovery. Her upcoming book is part memoir, part roadmap for ambitious women ready to succeed without self-destructing. Cara helps high performers reconnect with their power, rewrite their patterns, and rise—on their own terms. Cara's Links: www.linkedin.com/in/carapacificcampbell https://www.instagram.com/carapacificcampbell/ https://www.facebook.com/carapacific Join the book mailing list Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats. Get Amy's Books and Audiobooks