Meet Jon Paul Spurling | Screenwriter & Life Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jon Paul Spurling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jon Paul, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Without a doubt the number one habit I have cultivated since moving into the entrepreneur space is taking action. People don’t often think of this as a habit but it is. As with any habit, it doesn’t always come naturally to people but it can be developed with practice until it becomes the default response. Taking action is about as close to a cure all as it gets. Taking action provides rich feedback, improves mental health, and brings a higher degree of clarity.

There are other habits that help me to take action, such as going to bed on time and waking up on time (overall sleep hygiene is important), and focusing on consuming whole foods and minimally processed foods. Getting regular exercise is very important as well. But a lot of people do these things (because they’ve heard someone on social media talking about them), thinking these habits alone will lead to success. You can absolutely nail these habits, if you’re not taking action every day as well, the best you can hope for is an admittedly healthy life of treading water.

The other side of the “take action” coin, is surviving the boredom. Again, it’s not something most people would consider a habit but if you want to be really successful at anything in life, you’re going to have to practice and develop your ability to do the work over prolonged periods of time, even when that work becomes boring to you. Of course there are moments of joy and levity and passion and all that good stuff. But most days are just an average f**king Tuesday and it’s not going to be all thrills and spills. If you can stay focused during those times and delay your gratification, you’ll be in good shape.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Write in the Head is a wellness-focused community for screenwriters, where we have conversations around the mindset required to turn the passionate pursuit of writing into a thriving career. The business started as live events, which I held on Zoom and invited some fellow writers to attend. We have since expanded to a podcast and a newsletter. Everything that makes up the community is free and writers of all levels are very welcome.

This business is the result of spending many years working as a life coach, and a marketing consultant, and a screenwriter. As a marketer, I noticed a gap in the screenwriting market, with many people talking about the craft itself but not many people talking about the mindset needed to survive and flourish in such a tough industry. Using my coaching background, I was able to piece together some early meetings and give some advice that helped other writers. The goal is to expand our reach, build our community, and eventually help writers to find paid work doing what they love.

I’ve worked with and for many businesses over the last two decades, including many exciting start ups. The key lessons I learned that I brought to Write in the Head is that (a) everything takes longer than you think it will and (b) if it’s not about something bigger than you, you’ll likely burn out (or at least become demotivated and maybe even depressed). Write in the Head is all about helping writers to play the long game and have some fun along the way. We’re in this together.

If you’re reading this and you’re a screenwriter, please do head to the website (www.writeinthehead.org) and join our free community. We’d love to have you join us for free hangouts, podcast episodes, and our weekly newsletter.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Funnily enough, I have family visiting from the UK at the end of October, so I have an actual itinerary for the week:

Day 1: Local spots to get them settled. They’ve never seen things like an American grocery store, or a shopping mall, so we’ll visit a few of them and stop at some local eateries for food and good coffee.

Day 2: Drive the PCH to Malibu or possibly as far as Santa Barbara, where I hear you can get “the best burrito in California.” Plenty of photo ops along the way.

Day 3: Universal Studios. Spend the day at the park and, because it’s Halloween, the evening too.

Day 4: Academy Museum. Brits are, in general, fascinated by the history of American film, so this will be a real treat for everyone.

Day 5: Airbnb/pool/BBQ day. We have our limits. We need a more relaxing day once in a while.

Day 6: Tourist Traps. As cliche as it is, we will see Hollywood Blvd, the sign, probably The Grove, Griffith Park, etc.

Day 7: Open to suggestions (always good to leave the final day open, I think).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is kind of cringe but it’s the truth… I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to the legends of podcasting who inspire me on a daily basis, both with their information and with their ability to keep creating impactful content. To name a few specific podcasts and people, I am a huge fan of Tom Bilyeu @ Impact Theory, Chris Williamson @ Modern Wisdom, Steven Bartlett @ Diary of a CEO, and Andrew Huberman @ Huberman Lab. Between these four I have learned more about business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and how to live a good life, than I can ever repay them for.

Website: https://www.writeinthehead.org

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonpaulspurling/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jonpaulspurling