#077 — A Kind of Freedom

It takes a great deal of courage to leave a lucrative career that feeds your self-esteem for an uncertain future—especially if it takes years for the new venture to pay off financially. How do you learn to live in faith over fear, giving yourself the freedom to pursue something you love?

Margaret Wilkerson Sexton was working at a prestigious law firm when she took that leap, leaving a job that garnered respect—and a lot of money—to try her hand at writing. Four years in, she had a novel that still hadn’t been published and her insecurity was growing. 

At a networking lunch, Margaret was invited to participate in a Djerassi year-long novel program, and that opportunity spawned A Kind of Freedom, a 2017 National Book Award Nominee and New York Times Notable Book of 2017.

Today, Margaret joins me to share her journey from the law firm to a career as an author. She describes how parenting influences her writing practice and offers insight around the pros and cons of sleep training. Margaret also explains her surprise at the adjustment of adding a new baby to the family after managing twins with a certain level of grace. Listen in as Margaret offers a preview of the book she’s working on now and learn how she achieves her own ‘kind of freedom.’

FULL SHOW NOTES 

Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/077.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT MARGARET WILKERSON SEXTON

Margaret Wilkerson Sexton studied creative writing at Dartmouth before attending law school at UC Berkeley. Her debut novel, A Kind of Freedom, was a 2017 National Book Award Nominee, a New York Times Notable Book of 2017, and a New York times Book Review Editors Choice. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Oprah.com, and Lenny Letter, among many other publications.

• Margaret’s Website
• Margaret on Facebook

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• A Kind of Freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
• Djerassi Resident Artists Program
• The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
• Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson
• Fences by August Wilson
• Belo