Meet lindsey glass | Author, Advocate, Subject Matter Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with lindsey glass and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi lindsey, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I am both a small business owner and a creative professional and I don’t think you can be either without taking risks. The key factor with risk is, what kinds of risks are you taking and are they thought-out strategic risks or are you throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks? To be clear, sometimes you have to throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, but it’s not a good strategy when taking risks comes into play. I’ll explain…

A few years back, we were stuck with Reach Out Recovery, our website and small publisher. We were trying to do too many things and it wasn’t working. We weren’t focused. Come to think of it, we were trying different things to see what worked but it was losing money. We worked with consultants and took six months to think about who we were as a business and what we really wanted to do. What’s our impact? What are we good at?

It became clear that we needed to stay in our lane with books and content and not try to reinvent the wheel in other areas. Books are our family business, so we decided to write a new book. It took about a year and a half to finish the proposal and sell the book but we did it. That book, The Mother-Daughter Relationship Makeover comes out next month with HCI Books. That was a strategic risk–there was a chance the book wouldn’t sell and we didn’t want to self-publish this one. But, we knew books are our area of strength and that if this worked, it would help our other line of books.

Truth be told, every time I post on social media I feel like it’s a risk. I’ve been trolled, we get tons of hate on recovery content, and putting a personal book into the world leaves you open to judgment and criticism. For me, knowing that people are helped by our work is what makes the risk worth it. The reward of spreading good mental health and recovery tools is worth its weight in gold. Maybe that’s the trick to risk, when the reward is that satisfying, it’s worth it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Being a writer is not for the faint of heart. I’ve written dozens of screenplays, many optioned, none made. I’ve written many book proposals over the years and ghost-wrote for others. My first big published book is coming out this year and I’ve been doing this for 16 years! So, you have to be realistic about your art and what you want. I have a recovery website and self-published self-help books because those are my main business.

I’m so proud that I have this new book coming out next month because I think what I’ve been able to do successfully is merge my passion for recovery and self-help with my desire to be a professional writer. That’s what my mom (who is a 9 time NYT bestselling author) and I have been able to do. When our writing wasn’t selling, we pivoted into something that was, and that’s the game-changer. Like, OK, my movies aren’t getting made and I actually can’t live with that, so I’m going to focus on books, which I know better, and see how that goes. Flexibility is important for some of us.

As far as overcoming challenges and sticking with it, you need lots of things in your life that make you feel OK when the creative work doesn’t. The non-profits, the service work, the rescue dogs–all those things kept me going when the movies failed and projects fell apart. I had other important responsibilities and ways of building self-esteem. A balanced and healthy life is important for creatives, especially if sobriety and mental health have been a challenge.

Here’s the funny thing about my brand, I’ve had people who told me I needed to rebrand, hook myself up to celebrities for exposure, etc., etc. Our highest purpose is to help people and we’ve been doing that since 2011. Since 2011, we have been bringing hope, recovery tools, our experience, and resources to the recovery and self-help community. My articles have been read millions of times, I have over 9,000 backlinks to my articles. I’ve made little money doing that. But, I know how many people I’ve helped. I’m proud of what we’ve done and do everyday to support people who need it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ah! I live in the South Bay of Los Angeles in Palos Verdes, which many consider one of the country’s most beautiful places. Some have said, Palos Verdes is the closest thing we have to the Riviera in this country. If you’re visiting me, we’re having out in the Beach Cities–Manhattan Beach for the shopping, Hermosa Beach for the food, and Redondo for walking. In Redondo, we have the best esplanade for dog walking and most days you will see dolphins and seals! Handels for ice cream is a must. Hit the trails in PV for some of the best views around. Terranea is gorgeous, Malaga Cove is a dream, just stay off the far side of PV, which is slowly sliding down the hill…

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are three organizations that have changed my life.

I’m a member of 12-step programs. Since they are anonymous and do not like people talking about it at the level or press, radio and films, I’ll put it like this– I would not be alive, much less running a business without the support, guidance, and inspiration of recovery support groups. I am mentored and I mentor. I attend recovery groups weekly and have service commitments in those groups. As a person in long-term recovery I know nothing would be possible without my sobriety from alcohol and narcotics.

SGI-USA! I am a practicing Buddhist with the Soka Gakkai. We are the nam-myoho-renge-kyo folks. We chant to bring out our own Buddhahood and inspire others to bring out their Buddhahood, which means be happy, live your best lives, and help others to do the same. I am also mentored in that program. I believe Buddhism helped focus me and my business by seeing what my “earthly desires” are and making tweaks so they became more aligned with a higher purpose. We meet in groups to study and learn bi-mothly.

Rotary International! I am the incoming president of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary, which is a service organization committed to improving their communities and has projects all over the world around education, peace, health, clean water, and more. Rotary has put over 1,750+ of my self-help books into learning facilities and programs. They have helped support my curriculum building and connected me to all the local non-profits. I am so grateful for Rotary’s commitment to teen mental health, recovery for all, and improved mental health in the community.

Website: https://reachoutrecovery.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reachoutrecovery/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-glass-368597110/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReachoutRecovery/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_mZhW8iA-pIF4eyIL9b9A

Other: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/385666-the-mother-daughter-relationship-makeover-4-steps-to-bring-back-the-lov https://www.pinterest.com/reachoutrecovery/