Writing with Purpose: Heather Hester's Mission to Support LGBTQ+Families-Ep.196

May 5, 2024

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In this compelling episode, Candy sits down with Heather Hester to discuss her profound journey from jotting down initial thoughts to becoming a published author with a mission to support LGBTQ+ families. With the release of her new book, Parenting with Pride: Unlearn Bias and Embrace, Empower, and Love Your LGBTQ+ Teen. Heather delves into the challenges she faced in writing a book deeply rooted in her personal experiences, especially the moments of her child's coming out. The episode highlights how Heather's work aims to provide support and understanding for families navigating similar paths, emphasizing the importance of community support and shared experiences in the LGBTQ+ context.

Highlights:

1. Purpose-Driven Writing: Heather shares her motivation for writing the book, centered on supporting families like hers when a child comes out as LGBTQ+.

2. The Journey from Idea to Publication: Explore Heather's initial book concepts, the interruption by the pandemic, and the pivotal encouragement from a fellow podcaster that led to publication.

3. Seeking Community in Authorship: Heather discusses the invaluable lessons learned about seeking community support during the book writing process and her plans to foster connections in future projects.

4. Editorial Relationships: Insights into Heather’s editorial process, where rigorous feedback helped refine her message to better reach and support LGBTQ+ families.

5. The Mission to Minimize Isolation: Heather explains how her book serves as a resource for parents and families, aiming to reduce the sense of isolation and provide guidance during a child's coming out process.

Featured on This Show:

Heather Hester

Heather Hester is the founder of Chrysalis Mama which provides support and education to parents and allies of LGBTQIA adolescents, teenagers, and young adults. She is also the creator/host of the Top 1.5% podcast Just Breathe: Parenting your LGBTQ+ Teen. As an advocate and coach, she believes the coming out process is equal parts beautiful and messy. She works with her clients to let go of fear and feelings of isolation so that they can reconnect with themselves and their children with awareness and compassion. Heather also works within organizations via specialized programming to bring education and empowerment with a human touch.

She is so excited to announce the release of her first book on May 14, 2024 - Parenting with Pride: Unlearn Bias and Embrace, Empower, and Love Your LGBTQ Teen. Married to the funniest guy she’s ever known and the mother of four extraordinary kids (two of whom are LGBTQIA) and one sassy mini bernedoodle, Heather believes in being authentic and embracing the messiness. You can almost always find her with a cup coffee nearby whether she’s at her computer, on her yoga mat, or listening to her favorite music.

Website: www.chrysalismama.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hhchrysalismama

Free Gift: https://learnwith.chrysalismama.com/optin

Buy the Book: Parenting With Pride: Unlearn Bias and Embrace, Empower, and Love Your LGBTQ+ Teen