Coaching Sessions

The Potion Bottle is perfect for those times in your writing practice when nothing you try seems to be working, or when you’re faced with critical decisions that are stressing you out. 

Writers often reach for The Potion Bottle when they’ve been struggling with writer’s block, motivation, or impostor syndrome. I also walk authors through strategic writing challenges like identifying the right audience for a book, deciding on a structure, or choosing an approach to publishing (self-publishing, traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and beyond). 

I have three degrees in writing, including a BA in creative writing, and an MA and PhD in rhetoric and writing studies. I have designed and taught university writing courses, coached and judged writing competitions, written and published a book and peer-reviewed academic articles, ghostwritten several books, and completed a Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing. 

I coach authors working on nonfiction books (thought leadership, business books, and memoir), academic and academic crossover texts, and novels. Writers I work with have gone on to land contracts with major and indie publishers and pursue self-publishing and hybrid publishing. 

I read and write extensively on writing practices, creative development, magic and creativity, and the publishing process. I regularly attend industry conferences and trainings to provide the best support and advice to the authors I coach. 

There is no guarantee that coaching will produce any specific level of success in your writing practices or provide a particular outcome, including publishing. I wish I had access to that specific type of magic! 

Numerous factors contribute to your publishing results and, as with any class, training, or coaching relationship, your results are determined in part by how you apply the lessons, material, and feedback. When it comes to traditional publishing, luck is also a component! 

I do not take on coaching clients who are using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, etc. to produce writing.

I believe that storytelling is a uniquely human act. Using generative AI to output text strips the work of your voice, thoughts, and perspective. Content produced by generative AI is not eligible for copyright, which also presents a significant problem for thought leaders, academics, and all writers who care about ownership of their work.

Generative AI products are built on stolen creative labor (including mine!). Generative AI is environmentally destructive, produces endless amounts of slop and deliberately harmful content, and is linked to state surveillance and violence. 

For these and many other reasons, I do not use generative AI in any capacity and will not provide coaching for people using generative AI to produce text. Read my full AI policy.

Magic and strategy play equally important roles in cultivating a creative practice that can sustain you through all the ups and downs of writing a book. Building an energetic relationship with your idea is as important as writing an outline or setting a schedule.

If there are specific practices you’d like to lean on (or avoid!), we will honor that preference in our work together. Intuitive work is not intended to supplant or stand in for therapy, self-care, or religious belief. There is no dogma here; only exploration. 

The Potion Bottle is $250 for a one-time session. You can book up to three Potion Bottle meetings in any given three-month period.

If you find that you want deeper, more regular coaching support, I recommend checking out The Grimoire.