A voracious reader, Valerie Saul grew frustrated with the way women her age were portrayed in fiction. Mature women can be more than caregivers, grandmothers, and book club aficionados. They can also ride motorcycles, use chain saws, rescue drowning people, and chase bad guys on occasion. Her debut novel, The Badass Widows, is about women doing all those things while also dealing with love and loss.

In your bio, you mentioned that you were tired of the way older women were depicted in media and fiction. How do you challenge the domestic older woman stereotype in your work?

(VS): I’ve shown 4 women from different backgrounds being daring and bold with their life choices. They are kind and helpful like the stereotype, but also they chase bad guys, go back to school, found companies, race boats and chop down trees.

What books, movies or other media inspired you when writing this book? Do you have any recommendations for books with badass older women? 

(VS): There are lots of good ones right now; I think it’s a trend. There is Matlock on CBS starring Kathy Bates, The Thursday Murder Club, the best selling book by Richard Osman which is being made into a Netflix movie with some huge stars. Check it out here!

But probably my favorite is a more obscure book I love, Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn.

Did you face any challenges while working on your story?

(VS): No more than most people do. I started writing this thinking it would be a fun romp about older women. But then COVID happened, my mom passed, then her husband passed… and pretty soon the book was also about grief and how we deal with it in different ways. So I guess it became a more thoughtful book along the way.

What does your writing process look like? 

(VS): I guess I am a semi-plotter. I make a vague outline. Having that plan gives me confidence to keep going when it gets difficult but then I ignore and revise it as I go along.

How does your background in psychology influence your work? 

(VS): Studying psychology helps me understand people who are different than I am. Unless you are writing memoir/autobiography, you have to understand people before you can write good characters, right?

What was your favorite moment during the writing of The Badass Widows? 

(VS): I wouldn’t know how to pick one moment. I realize now that I wrote it as escape and as therapy. The last few years have probably taught a lot of us not to take anything for granted. There were just lots of moments with my husband and family that were extra sweet because I had the time and the freedom to write what was in my heart.

Valerie Saul has a psychology degree from Stanford, a master’s degree in special education, and a doctorate in audiology. She has been a clinician, a college professor, and a cochlear implant representative in four countries. Valerie now lives just north of San Francisco with her husband and two rowdy golden retrievers.

Goal-strategist, Debra Eckerling, joins us today, sharing her experiences with helping people achieve their goals, her thoughts on writing, and news about her new book, 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting.

You’ve been coaching people for many years now. Did you, when you were younger, imagine that you would be working in the field? 

(DE): I always believed that whatever I did in life, I wanted to have an impact. 

It amuses me that I ended up in the world of nonfiction: I write business/inspirational books, host podcasts, and offer workshops and consulting for individuals, teams, and organizations on goal-setting simplified, networking, and book proposal development. 

Growing up, I was very into creative writing. I even took a screenwriting class when I still lived in the Chicago suburbs. I have also done NaNoWriMo – National Novel-Writing Month – a few times. 

I got my freelance writing break less than a week after I wrote that first screenplay. Nonfiction/interviews/slice-of-life writing just came naturally to me, so I went with it. I ended up in the right place.  

What is something unexpected you learned as you began to coach people? 

(DE): More than anything people need cheerleaders – a community of supporters. I actually learned this when I began running writing groups, focused on setting and achieving goals. People would come in and be like, “No one in my family understands my desire to be a writer. You get me.” Can you imagine not getting encouragement to pursue what you are passionate about?

My business background is communications and project management. As I led these groups, people would come up to me and say, “You’re good at this, can you help me write my book. I have been trying to get it done for years.”  We did it in three months. Or “You’re good at this, will you speak at my event?” That’s how my career evolved from creating this group that I loved to developing a system to help people set the foundation for their goals.

A little encouragement – along with practical advice – can go a long way! 

Sometimes all people need is a little encouragement and support, someone who tells them that if they focus and set aside time to work on the things they love, they can do it!

What is one common question you get during your sessions and what is your answer? 

(DE): A very common question is: “How do I find the time to work toward my goals?” It’s more about prioritizing your goals and gifting yourself the time. This is especially important with writing projects, where there is usually not an immediate benefit. 

The whole point is to set goals that set you up for success. 

Look at your schedule, find pockets of time where you are available, and put those in as appointments in your calendar. One week you may have an hour total goal-time, another week you may have three. Little bits of time add up. 

Treat those appointments with yourself with the same respect as you would a meeting with someone else. Now, if something comes up and you have to move an appointment, that’s fine. Just don’t delete them. After goal-time, make a note about what you accomplished. That way, when you feel things are taking forever, you have a reminder of your progress to keep you motivated and moving forward.

You also write in the Jewish Journal and run a podcast on cooking in your spare time. What is one of your favorite topics that you’ve written about? 

(DE): I am a former non-cook, so the fact that I am a food writer and podcaster amuses me. I have met some amazing chefs, but I also love when I get to interview non-chefs on my food podcast, “Taste Buds with Deb.” I have interviewed authors, actors, executives, philanthropists, and community leaders. It’s a lot of fun! And many of these awesome people – chefs and others – ended up also being interviewed for 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting.

In your About Me section on your website, it mentions that you initially were an event planner at Barnes and Noble, before you shifted more into coaching and helping people with goal planning. Your most recent book event was also at another Barnes and Noble. How does it feel to have your career circle back to the same place where it started?

(DE): It’s really cool to have gone from arranging events for other people to being the featured author. It’s a beautiful, satisfying callback.

Whereas back in the day, I definitely imagined my own book signings, I probably thought it would be for novel-writing, rather than non-fiction. Things do work out the way they are supposed to. 

I was interviewed the other day and one of the co-hosts remarked that, even though I talk about goals a lot, I am still very enthusiastic. I say, when you love what you do, it shows. And, conversely, when you do not love what you do, it really shows. Why not love what you do?

Can you tell us a little more about your new book?

(DE): The secret to success is there is no one secret. For 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting, I interviewed achievers in business, tech, food, entertainment, and creative realms, including WNBASF president Brenda Knight, to get their best tip, along with an example and/or anecdote. The result: a menu of inspiration and advice designed to help busy professionals create the life they desire.

While the book can be read straight through, it’s organized so people can go to a specific section and get help/direction, whether it’s focus, well-being, action, networking, communication, productivity, or leadership and teamwork. They can also read through the contents, find a “secret” that resonates with them, and try it out. 

The idea is to try out these secrets, see how they fit into your life, and do more of the things that help you achieve your goals. 

What is the most unexpected response you have had to your book?

(DE): I think it came from me. As I wrote the book – I did 60 interviews, maybe 10 via email, the rest via Zoom – I pieced it together by section. I then wrote the intro, section openers, appendices, etc. The first time I read it cover to cover is when I received the galley for my review. I was surprised and delighted at how well everything flowed together. 

I have gotten that response from others, as well. This review says it all: 

“While I totally think 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting is a book that can be picked up and put down, I couldn’t put it down! I kept wanting to know one more nugget, one more idea! The fascinating thing about Deb Eckerling’s new book is that not only is it a guidebook that provides concrete, actionable steps for achieving one’s goals, but it also provides these actionable steps from a diverse set of accomplished individuals. And it is in this diversity of talent that you have an opportunity to find what clicks for you! Deb’s ability to bring together this wide variety of thought leaders across so many different disciplines makes for a truly informative and engaging read.”

—Beth Ricanati, MD, award-winning author of Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs

I am very proud and blessed to be able to bring so many awesome people together – Did I mention they are all 1st degree connections? people I know or intros from friends? – and share their advice with those who need a helping hand to create the life/business/career they want.  

Learn more at 52SecretsBook.com and learn more about me at TheDEBMethod.com/bookswithdeb!

Debra Eckerling is a goal strategist speaker, corporate consultant, and workshop leader who works tirelessly to help people achieve their goals. She has spoken on TEDx, VON3, DWEN, Innovation Women, Engaging Virtual Meetings Conference, and more, and is the host of #GoalChat, #GoalChatLive show, and The DEB Show podcast. 

Clare Simons was the press person and gatekeeper to the stories of the terminally ill patient-plaintiffs defending Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act at the U.S. Supreme Court, and worked for passage of assisted dying laws in several states. She is a member of PEN International, the Women’s National Book Association and a former cohort at the Pinewood Table in Portland, Oregon and the Ocean Beach Writers Collective in San Diego.

What led you to becoming a writer?

(CS): My erudite English mother who read poetry to me at bedtime and my ex-boxer Slovak dad whose talent as a street-smart raconteur won him a trophy for Throwing the Bull, taught me to love the musicality of language and a rockin’ good story. I learned early the power of a library card that made me a citizen of the civilized world — for which I will always be grateful.

In my twenties, I studied method acting and sense memory with a famous teacher in Manhattan and learned scene structure reading plays by Chekov, Ibsen, O’Neil and Tennessee Williams. Becoming immersed in the emotions of the words and the silences that opened between them, made the drama come alive. Short stories by Flannery O’Connor, Dorothy Parker, Truman Capote, and Raymond Carver revealed the craft behind the work. Like Emily Dickenson, I love to tell a story…but tell it slant.

A lot of your writing centers around personal events from your life. How do you choose which topics to write about?

(CS): I think in pictures and feel sounds. Stories reveal themselves and lead me down roads with detours, potholes, dead ends and make me wish I didn’t care about following them to the end. On good days, my best lyric writing has color, music, and style and emerges fully formed like the glorious birth of Aphrodite. Most writing days, I’m a dog circling its bed, marking territory and trying to align my paws with the magnetic field of the earth.

Do you have a favorite work that you’ve written?

(CS): My first published story, The Greatest, won a writing competition and was included in the anthology An Ear to the Ground: Presenting Writers from 2 Coasts by Cune Press. I mailed a copy of the book to Muhummad Ali and requested an autograph. His wife read my braided essay about heroes and boxing and liked that it was written by a woman. She asked permission to post it on Ali’s website, where it appeared along with works by Joyce Carol Oats and Norman Mailer. I’d hit the bigtime — or so I thought. Thirty-years later this early work shows, I already had a “voice” on the page and was beginning to find my footing as a creative nonfiction author.

Can you tell me more about your memoir?

(CS): To Be Here Is Immense, my 80,000 word hybrid memoir is a big sexy epic, a heroine’s journey into the netherworld and a coming-out-of-the-tomb opus. I never knew how much love was available to me until the love of my life died, and another great love, my guru, Mata Amritanandamayi, Amma the hugging saint, called to say she was praying for my mental strength. The question of how to live another day began the retracing of my spiritual path — exploring everything I thought was true. A lifetime of reading and rituals went up in smoke, along with my husband’s body and burnt in the fire of transformation. What I found amazed me.

Were there any obstacles you had while writing your memoir?

(CS): If I’d known creating this book was going to be so hard, I would have taken up knitting. Early drafts went through coaches and critique groups who suggested I begin with my childhood stories. Those drafts are in a file box in my storage area, along with receipts for chiropractic adjustments, nutritional supplements, and acupuncture. The manuscript I am submitting to agents and publishers never would have come into being without my patient readers and friends who endured rants and muddled drafts and the unflinching support of my editor, the muse and poet Judyth Hill.

Lastly, what is something you have learned about yourself when working on the memoir?

(CS): Anyone who has been humbled by the death of a loved one…lost and found their balance somewhere between faith and doubt, learned to live with half-truths, cries in the night, blessed blue jays, jasmine tea and reality TV, and been called brave, resilient, the mother of reinvention, knows this tenuous territory of mourning. Mine is a seekers and skeptics story, a prayer for the road; for all who limp, lurch, tip toe, stagger down the path of imperfection, may we all cross paths, someone on the road to Elsewhere. My aim is to transport readers across time zones, off the map, behind the veil, beyond the void and into the mystery. For those who tend to grapple with ineffable, marvel at the sacred and mundane, may you find a refuge in this story and remember to believe in the healing power of love.

Simons has been widely published, her essays about Amma, India’s hugging saint, appeared in Parabola and Spirituality & Health, her essay, “The Greatest,” appeared on the official Muhammad Ali website alongside works by Joyce Carol Oats and Norman Mailer. Her work has also appeared on Anti-Heroine Chic, bioStories, Change Seven, Faith Hope & Fiction, Manifest Station, Persimmon Tree, Story Sanctum and The Write Launch websites. Publication of her memoir is forthcoming.

Debbie Hartung is a San Francisco, California writer and artist who enjoys traveling and live music.

What began as your motivation to write your memoir, The Factory of Maladies: Seven Days on a San Francisco Psych Ward?

(DH): The Factory of Maladies began as a stream-of-consciousness journal that I began writing after I was released from the psychiatric ward. I was experiencing intense PTSD and it was only when I began to experience relief from my symptoms; initially, my memoir was written simply for my own healing. I spent seven years journaling; in the beginning, the more I wrote, the greater the PTSD flashbacks became, due to the triggering nature of my experience. Channeling this trauma into my journal proved to be one of the greatest assets of my writing style and eventually, it also became the ultimate catharsis.

Awareness about one’s mental health and how one can help themselves has been more publicly discussed in the past decade, though it is still a work in progress. In what ways do you think that mental illness treatment still needs to be improved?

(DH): I believe that there have been many improvements in the overall treatment of mental illness, yet there are a  myriad of ways in which our current public funded treatment for mental illness can be improved. For example, I feel that adequate funding for psychiatric wards, increased staff (many of the staff I encountered during my institutionalization were exhausted and clearly overworked), and appropriate training to deal with patients who cannot always advocate for themselves. For example, a few years prior to my institutionalization, I was admitted to the same hospital for an issue with my ovaries. While there, I was given heated blankets, fluffy pillows, clean hospital gowns, round-the-clock care from knowledgeable and compassionate staff, and morphine for my intense physical pain. This was in stark contrast to my tenure of the psych ward, where I slept on a dirty bed with threadbare blankets and a pancake-thin pillow in a freezing room. I wore the same pair of scrubs for days on end and I received the bare minimum of care. I truly believe that patients suffering from a mental illness deserve to be treated with the same amount of compassion, care, dignity, and kindness as any other medical condition.

What is something you learned about yourself as you were writing this memoir?

(DH): I learned that although sharing my story can be scary and uncomfortable, being vulnerable is actually a form of strength.

Were there any obstacles you had while writing this? 

(DH): The most challenging aspect of writing The Factory of Maladies was on an emotional level, as I confronted the memoires that haunted me on a daily basis.

Out of this experience, what is something you hope others take away from your story?

(DH): The message that I hope for my readers is: a sense of hope. Although my story may seem bleak in the beginning, it is also relatable on many levels. Most people have struggled with mental health challenges to varying degrees and it is easy to feel trapped in a downward spiral. However, the fact that I am alive and that I was able to write a memoir while recovering from a brain injury sustained during my suicide attempt, means that I have overcome adversity – and so can the reader.

And lastly, do you have any other writing projects you have planned for the future?

(DH): I am currently working on a novel and a book of short stories that I hope to share with the world soon.

The Factory of Maladies is her literary debut, chronicling her healing crisis on a psychiatric ward.

Jonica Tramposch is originally from the Pacific Northwest and is a nomad by nature, although she has been based in Orlando for several years at this point (which boggles her mind). 

As someone who loves to travel, is this reflected in your writing projects?

(JT): Very much so. Location and nature are always characters for me. Traits from people and cultures around the world also weave in. I don’t think of it as write what you know as much as write what you love. I love the markers within different cultures and have been an immigrant myself, where visas and embassies are part of normal conversation. I’m polishing a book now that takes place on four continents and has characters from 9 countries.

What inspires you to write?

(JT): Life. I think eternity would be overkill, but I could easily keep myself entertained for a few hundred years.

What have you written about before? Do you have a favorite project?

(JT): For a year I ran and wrote an online monthly subscription service. Those stories focused on little moments that happen in daily life. Feelings of connectedness are real treasures, and it can be as simple as an inside joke. A whole story may build up to that priceless interchange. 

As for a favorite project, I told a local, true story onstage for a Story District project in Washington, DC, which was then turned into a short film. To say that people putting energy and love into a story I wrote was an honor is a drastic understatement. Then seeing myself being interpreted as a character on screen, responding to my unique name, was just short of an identity crisis. Catalog that under things you don’t see coming.

What is your favorite genre(s) to read and write in?

(JT): I studied literature in college, until I realized that I was being trained to critique instead of create. I also got sick of reading books by men who had weak female characters with no more depth than the shape of their breasts. When I complained about this, my male classmates told me I was wrong. I wasn’t. I stopped reading fiction and became a scientist instead. Now, far more female writers are published in a range of genres. I identify with many of their characters. They feel authentic and truthful, told from a range of perspectives. I love that.

How have your experiences influenced you as a writer?

(JT): “You’re not normal.” That’s been said to me enough times for me to at least play with the idea that I experience life in ways many others don’t. Through writing and photography, my goal is to share what I experience. Life is a collection of possibilities, and stories are the chronicles of what characters decide to go after.

Jonica has bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington in Comparative History of Ideas and Astronomy/Physics, and master’s degrees from Paul Sabatier III in Toulouse, France and the Lulea Institute of Technology in Kiruna, Sweden. Her day job is in the space industry. She used to be a personal trainer. Hobbies include languages, flamenco, surfing, hiking, photography, singing (she has a karaoke stage name), and yoga. Honestly, just about everything interests her.

As a dedicated writer, Scott Sallinger has a deep interest in personal growth and human behavior. He studied psychology in college and completed a transformative three-year program at MTT, where he coached students in personal development. He has shared his insights in his book, numerous articles, and a series of how-to videos focused on creating a home with purpose and meaning.

What led you to becoming a writer?

(SJS): Writing has always been a way for me to process my own experiences and understand the world around me. My journey started with my hands—building, designing, and creating—but over time, I realized that every space I worked on was also a reflection of the person living in it. In helping my clients shape their home environment, I started to see parallels in my own life. The way we hold onto things, the way our environment either supports or hinders us, it all became deeply personal. Writing is not just about sharing what I learn; it is about documenting my evolution and the insights I gained by seeing my reflection in others.

How do you explore human behavior through your writing?

(SJS): I explore human behavior the same way I explore spaces, by looking at what’s beneath the surface. Our homes are more than walls and furniture; they are mirrors of our inner world. Through my writing, I examine the ways we interact with our environment and how those choices reveal our fears, aspirations, and beliefs. As I work with clients, I see patterns in how they struggle to let go, how they create comfort zones that keep them stuck, and how small changes can lead to big transformations. In understanding them, I understood myself better, and my writing became a way to share these discoveries.

What is a common question you get about creating a meaningful home space, and what is your answer?

(SJS): A common question I get is, “What should I start on first?” I love this question because it opens the door to real change. My answer: start with countertops, corners, and closets—clear space to create space! Are you holding onto things from the past that no longer serve you? Avoiding those piles of papers on your countertop? Keeping clothes and shoes you haven’t worn in years? Corners often become clutter traps, collecting dust and distractions. Letting go isn’t just about tidying up—it’s about making room for what truly matters. Start by clearing and organizing these key areas, and you’ll immediately feel a shift in your space and mindset.

What is something unexpected you learned while helping people design their homes?

(SJS): One of the most unexpected lessons I’ve learned is that home design is not really about the home—it’s about the person. I used to think my job was about creating functional, beautiful spaces, but I quickly realized I was helping people work through their own stories, just as I was working through mine. Some clients held onto furniture because it represented a version of themselves they weren’t ready to let go of. Others struggled to create order in their space because they were in transition and unsure of their next step. I saw myself in all of them. I recognized my own attachment to the past, my own resistance to change. Helping others find clarity in their space helped me find clarity in my own life.

What topics do you usually delve into when writing?

(SJS): I write about the intersection of home design and personal growth—how our spaces mirror our emotions, our mindset, and our beliefs. But at its core, my writing is about transformation. I explore themes of letting go, reshaping our environment to support our future, and using home as a tool for self-discovery. My own journey has been one of constant reinvention, and I use my experiences, as well as those of my clients, to illustrate how we can all create spaces—and lives—that reflect who we truly are.

Where did your interest in personal growth and human behavior come from?

(SJS): It came from my own need to understand myself. I’ve always been fascinated by why people do what they do, but it wasn’t until I started working with clients that I saw my own patterns reflected back at me. I studied psychology, coached others, but the real lessons came from experience, seeing firsthand how our homes and our inner worlds are connected. I went through my own transitions, from rebuilding after financial struggles to navigating major life changes, and in each chapter, my home reflected what I was going through. That realization fueled my desire to help others make the same connection and to find home in themselves.

Today, Scott is a Home Life Consultant and owns a San Francisco-based business specializing in built-in cabinetry for both historical homes and contemporary spaces. He applies the Home Life Design process with each client to ensure every project meets their unique needs and lifestyle.