Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a certified midlife women’s life coach, author, speaker, girlfriend guru and founder of the Whole YOU Retreat. I love helping women connect, find success, and discover joy through friendship. My mission is to support women who have lost themselves in their roles as wife, mother and professional and help them connect to their passions, purpose and people. Through coaching, workshops, retreats, and podcast ~ Find Your Lady Tribe, I help women connect and communicate with respect, love, and trust. I hold an MA in human resources and have spent decades cultivating my own Tribe. A Colorado girl at heart, I live in the Carbon Valley area with my husband, Parker, two adult children, Parker Jr. and Gillian, and pooch, Perry. I enjoy hiking and have conquered Longs Peak and several other 14’ers.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lady and the Tribe, How to Create Empowering Friendship Circles. It is based on my own experience of “letting myself go” and how I was able to “find” myself again through intentional connection. I love to share this with midlife women as I have found that my story is not unique, although at the time I felt very alone. Surrounded by people and lonely because my friendships had all become superficial, a casualty of a busy life. The book is a blueprint for reconnecting and becoming whole.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have designated our home’s parlor ad my Zen-Create space and that is where I wrote Lady and the Tribe. In this sacred space I have collected and display family heirlooms and photographs and antiques. It stores my meditation provisions: mala beads, pendulum, crystals, candles, comfy blankets and shawl. This is where I come to feel energetically connected to the universe and all that makes me unique within it. The parlor has become my retreat where I meditate and write. Here I feel as if the words come through me to this page, and I am not just an author but a scribe.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Eckhart Tolle, Abraham Hicks, Dale Carnegie, Og Mandino, Neale Donald Walsch Louise Hay, Vishen Lakhiani and many more.
What are you working on now?
I am currently writing my next book, And She Lived ~ Ignite Your Life’s Purpose and Save the World. It is for and about the midlife woman stepping into her divine feminine spirit so she can create her legacy of impact, influence and joy.
And She Lived is my most provoking work to date, and writing it brings to life my own passions and purpose. As I help others clarify and actualize their life’s purpose, I hope to change the world with the messages and tools within.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
www.brendaridgley.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Someday is not a day of the week or a deadline. Set small do-able goals like 500 words a day and start today! If you miss a day, it’s ok just get back to it the next day. It may seem slow but in 100 days your book could be written & your life will change forever.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don Miguel Ruiz’s 4 Agreements – and most specifically ~ Don’t take anything personally.
What are you reading now?
Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss
What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to publish “And She Lived” by the end of 2024 and keep writing!
What is your favorite book of all time?
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
Author Websites and Profiles
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