Bear McKay – Book Journeys Author Interview

On this episode of Book Journeys, Pleasance Silicki interviews Bear McKay, author of Your Energy Signature: A Healing Professional’s Guide to Creating a More Powerful Practice.

Bear McKay has been doing energy healing for some twenty years now, and she notes that the model she uses is one that has been around for a long time. Involving herself in energy healing has enabled her to become a better person when she deals with others, and in addition to healing others Bear also uses energy reading for such practical purposes as dealing with people, as each person’s energy signature reveals what that person’s strong and weak points are, as well as such things as what sort of diseases they might most likely develop, what their defensive mechanisms are and what imbalances they have.

Bear had wanted to write a book on energy signatures for some time, and she had actually spent ten years trying to do so. This culminated in her taking up an offer to live in a cottage in Scotland for a month, but she got frustrated as she then got bogged down in the details and discouraged with how many times she got started. She thus spent that month traveling around Scotland, healing a bird and at least one person, and it was after that trip that she got in touch with Angela Lauria and joined the Author Incubator program.

Bear was thankful that she knew her subject matter by heart, as she didn’t need to do research or consult with others as she wrote the book, particularly since she threw out all of her previous drafts over the past previous decade and effectively started anew. She remarked that one of her energies was that of a “royal,” which meant she was a perfectionist, and she had to go against her perfectionist grain during the writing phase, as she couldn’t edit at that time. Although Bear admitted that she was “horrified” after writing out the first draft, she was able to edit it to her satisfaction, which resulted in a book that she was satisfied with. She also remarked that anyone who is waiting for a clear space in their life when they can write out their book will never do so, as life will keep happening. As for herself, Bear found herself going to Angela and saying that she needed to write one or two more books before actually writing Your Energy Signature; but Angela said “No,” and with that issue cleared Bear was able to finish the book.

Bear noted that the marketing aspect of a book is something that most authors don’t look into or figure out, remarking that, in her business, prior to writing out the book, she and her staff members – an assistant and a website administrator – occasionally did some marketing, but this wasn’t consistent and not fully thought out. She remarks that, ever since joining the Order of the Quill – the program after the Author Incubator – she has learned a lot more techniques and methods for marketing her book which has enabled her to become more focused about that particular aspect of her business.

Bear can be found at themckaymethod.com.

 

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Interview Transcript Below: Bear McKay – Book Journeys Author Interview – April 19, 2018

 

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Book Journeys Author Interview – April 19, 2018

 

Pleasance Silicki with Amari Ice, author of Your Energy Signature: A Healing Professional’s Guide to Creating a More Powerful Practice.

 

“If you’re waiting to write your book until things settle down, and you have little space and time in your life, it’s just never going to happen.”-Bear McKay

 

Pleasance:

Hey, everybody! It’s Pleasance here! Welcome to another awesome episode, where we get to talk to authors from the Author Incubator. I’m Pleasance Silicki, your hostest with the mostest, and my book is called Delight: Eight Principles for Living with Joy and Ease and came out two years ago, now! Today – Bear, are you there?

 

Bear:

Yes, I’m here! Hello! ….

 

Pleasance:

Today, I’m here with Bear. I’m so excited to chat with you and to your – all about what you’re doing and the book writing process, and tell us the name of your book? The Energy – just fell out of my head, I had it earlier. The Energy Signature!

 

Bear:

Your – Your Energy Signature. Your Energy Signature, because it’s always – of course, starts with you, helpful to know your own signature as you are interacting and working with other people, so always – always starts at home, and I’m so grateful and happy just to be here! I always love to talk about my work, I’m – just very exciting for me, and I didn’t know you were an author as well, Pleasance, so part of the tribe.

 

Pleasance:

Yes! Yes. Yea – well, yes, and that’s why I love talking about it and going through the process, how you … the process with other authors because it brings back all these memories. Also, when I did the program, it was a little bit different than it is now, so I always love to hear about the changes and – and … how it’s been evolving. But the reason that it was so funny is that your name and the book came in this morning on Facebook. I saw your book and the name, but there was a guy holding it, holding the book, and I thought, “Bear – Bear McKay, that’s so familiar!” And when I was … sitting down to prep for the interview, you ca – it came up, and I said, “Oh! Thanks, Universe! Thank you!” … it’s just all those little … winks that you get, …. So, I was super excited.

 

Bear:

Yes, and … my name as – it’s not unusual that I am mistaken for, possibly, a male, but I am female, for sure, and – yes.

 

Pleasance:

Well, I saw that! … I saw – in my head, I thought, “I knew that,” ‘cause we’re friends on Fa – we must be friends on Facebook, right? Where we probably got connected through the Author Incubator, and so, when I saw the male holding up your book, something didn’t … click, and I thought, “Huh, that’s a good thing right -” when I sat down, I had your bio and your beautiful picture and I was …, “That’s the Bear I know!”

 

Bear:

Well, … that – that picture is – it is to me. It’s a picture of one of my graduate students from my energy healing program, Bill.

 

Pleasance:

Awesome.

 

Bear:

And I think he graduated in 2010, and he’s an awesome healer, and he was able to order it from his local bookstore, even though it won’t be generally available at Barnes and Noble and of – all the bookstores … until  – August 7th is the launch date, but he was able to go into his local bookstore and order it and – and get a print copy, so that was very exciting and he shared that with me.

 

Pleasance:

Awesome. That’s so awesome. How did that feel? How does that feel?

 

Bear:

It – it feels great, and I just taught a class at the Mercy Center, this wonderful, Catholic nunnery of – where I do my – my advanced classes, and the bookstore there – she had been interested in – in getting it, and I thought … I could bring her a few copies or she would have to wait until August. So, when I showed up for class last week, there they were! She had already ordered them and they were on her “new releases” table, so that – that felt amazing, … it’s a great feeling. And I’m just so happy to get this model out there. The book is not necessarily about energy healing, even though I have a program and I teach that. It’s – it’s one of the models I use.

 

Pleasance:

Okay.

 

Bear:

And in writing this book, … I just really wanted to get this out to a larger group of people, because it’s been so helpful for me and my personal life, and my students and … it just really is a very easy way to just glance at somebody and get a sense of at least one of their main energy types that’s in their signature, and what’s the best way to approach them. What their gift and stro – strong points are gonna be, versus, maybe, what you wouldn’t want them to do. … when I’m – been hiring an attorney or a babysitter or any accountant, any number of people over the years, I – I look to their energy signature when I’m hiring them, and it’s – it’s very helpful, and unlike a lot of these personality types, it covers a lot more ground. It tells you where you’re most likely to develop disease in your body, … where’s – there’s imbalances, and … what your defensive mechanisms might be, how to play to your strengths, and it’s – it’s really much deeper than just personality issue, but the other thing is, you can tell somebody else’s signatures just by looking at them. You – you can’t tell their astrological sign by looking at them.

 

Pleasance:

Right.

 

Bear:

You can’t tell their … just by looking at them, and – and so, that’s – it – it’s a big help, because … your physical body is just your densest energy body, so it – it makes perfect sense. Now, I am a “priest warrior,” and the gift of the “priest” is easy access to energetic and spiritual realm. The – the downside is manifesting, and prie – priests have a different relationship with time. And so, in terms of writing my book, I really needed an – to be accountable to an outside deadline. That was … book, primary importance, because priests are the ultimate procrastinators, and I had been trying to write this book for years. And my other main type is “warrior,” and that’s a – the – the gift of “warrior” is leadership, so I am – my work is in perfect alignment with my gift, because I’m teaching, standing up in front of people, leading people through learning about energy healing, which is … definitely encompasses the spiritual, as well as the physical. So – so, I know I’m on the right track. My – my third, minor type is “royal.” Now, the “royal” is a perfectionist, and this was really hanging me up, in terms of writing my book. I actually was offered a cottage in Scotland – now, I’ve been wri – I – I had been trying to write this book for ten years, it was on my three-year plan for the first time in 2007, and here it was, 2016, I hadn’t – I hadn’t done it yet. And I was offered a cottage in Scotland for a month, and I thought, “Oh! Perfect! It’ll be a writing retreat, … do my book.” And so, I – I went to Scotland. It was a lovely cottage by the sea, and I looked – … I brought all my materials and I had rewritten the first several chapters numerous times. And then, I was sitting there, going, “Well, … in this version, is this sentence a little bit better than that,” and it was totally making me crazy, and it was so discouraging, to see how many times I had started, and I just – I just decided, “You know what? I’m in Scotland, I’m just gonna be in Scotland and have a great time,” and I’d – I traveled around and I ended up – I went to …, I did healing for someone there. I was with a – a friend who is a – a former student, who lives near Aberdeen, and his mother-in-law has just been in the ER, and I worked on her, and then I was in a falconry near Edinburgh and ended up working on a severely injured bird. So, wherever I went, I was – I was doing healing work, and – but I did not get book done. So, when I came back from that trip, I found Angela, or I should say, Angela found me. And so, the – … that having deadlines, and then, also, just writing all the way through, without stopping. No editing, which my royal was screaming, but just to start from the beginning to the end, I just tossed out all my previous versions. I know this material so well, I’ve been working with it for twenty years, and so I didn’t need to research or consult other – … other sources, I could just – just do a download. I was … horrified, at that first draft, but then, I was able to go back and edit, and I’m – I’m very happy with the book, and – and, of course, it was refined in the first part of Angela’s program. We get to the first draft, and then, after that, I continued to refine it with the help of the – being in the Quill, which is after the Incubator in Angela’s program. … we had editors to help us along the way, line editors and proofreaders and – because that’s the other thing. I’m a – a warrior priest, I si – … I don’t want to learn about publishing. … I didn’t wanna learn – I did not want to learn all that stuff, it’s not my zone of genius. So, to have … – have my hands taken and walked through all these various steps until … I had a final product, and then, when – then, when I went to the proof publisher, there are a few, little changes, not much, and, of course, the – the cover was more involved, because it was no longer just the front, it was the front, the spine and the back. And – yeah. So, it was really a great process, and I just got my own print copy a few weeks ago, and I – yeah, I am just so happy with the process and – and the product, but … – so, going to Scotland and thinking I was gonna have this idyllic getaway is sometimes how we think about the writer in an ivory tower, but the reality is, if you’re waiting to write your book until things settle down, and you have little space and time in your life, it’s – it’s just never going to happen. It’s just – life is – keeps happening, and in – when you start your book, it’s almost as if the Universe is testing you about – … “So! You really wanna write this book? Let me throw this at you! And – and how about this? And, oh, here’s another … major issue to deal with,” so, i – it’s interesting, how that comes up. And then, the other thing is, I got into the process. I was – … in my energy healing program, which is – is really comprehensive and – and deep. … people have usually done other trainings, they don’t come to it … and – when they’re just starting out in – dabbling in this kind of work, or … doing reiki, and it’s – it’s all good, but my program is – is like jumping in the deep end. And so, when I started writing this book – … for health professionals, I think any professional, i – it would be very, very valuable in the workplace and at home. … I don’t have any exercises in the book because I never do them. Well, actually, there’s just one, there’s this one exercise, and I – I have … just a hint for working with your own energy types, which comprise you signature, and then, working with other people – so you’ll be able to identify other people, you will want to identify your family right away, and it explains so much. People are …, “Oh, my gosh! That’s what’s going on with myself, or my children.” So, there are tips to working with other energy types, at home and at work. So, it’s – it’s – … it’s always harder to – to do a shorter talk or to write a simpler version of what you’re doing, and of course, we get into this model very deeply in my energy healing program, to where there are specific energy healing techniques that are good – especially good for certain energy types, in terms of balancing their energies and, for me, forward their gifts. And so, when I – I – I swear, I had almost gotten through my first draft, and I had this heart-to-heart with Angela, and I said, “You know, I need to write two books before I write this one.” There’s two other books! So, talk about throwing a distraction in your way, and – and I said, “Well, I have to write … books on energy healing, because I can’t tell people to do X techniques, because they don’t know it.” And … the truth is, this book isn’t for energy healers per se, so – Angela was so funny, because she said, “No, you’re gonna write this book.” And so, I did. And it – it – I always knew it was the first book that I should write, but these are the kinds of things you do to yourself … in the writing process, and … there were issues with – … with how to structure the content to … that I met during that first draft. And once that was resolved – … those issues were resolved, I was then able to go back and just edit and refine, and when you just do a brain jump like that, … there are a lot of repetition as well, so it was easy to go in and clean it up after I had the lay of the land, so to speak, … after I had the big picture, the first draft of the book. So, getting through that first draft was really important, and for me, … I knew, if I didn’t continue with Angela, I actually wouldn’t go through all those other steps.

 

Pleasance:

Yeah.

 

Bear:

… it – it would have – it’s like handing the print book to me on a platter, essentially. And …, of course, I had to work, and that’s the thing you learn, too, after you write the book, the whole business and marketing end of it, it turns out writing the book was the easy part! So, that’s – … that’s a whole ‘nother thing, but – but again, … I’m very happy with the book, and my students love it, and I had some handouts in my beginning classes, and I started going over those in a beginning class last fall, since I had written a book, and they had all read the book in the online version. And I started going through it, and I was …, “Oh, my goodness! This is terrible.” I just tossed all that, ‘cause the book was so much better. And – and then, we just – … we used the book to start delving into the intricacies of energy signatures, but it’s – it’s been an amazing process, and I wouldn’t be where I am today, without it.

 

Pleasance:

Yeah. And … I think that you – you touched on so much that – relevant to the process, that I think people who are curious about writing a book or have been trying and it’s … not been able to follow through or finish it or … tie it up in a bow at the end, or I think of a lot of authors who wrote – maybe have previously published books, but they don’t know the marketing side, right? Like you’re talking about. There’s a whole other world. There’s a lot of areas, and just like you said, knowing who you are and what your zone of genius and strengths are, and – and really focusing on them, so that you’re not dissolving your energy in a lot of different ways, and hiring someone – … it sounds like you – there was not a lot of resistance to hiring Angela and eventually, then, … doing what she said and going through the program. Can you talk a little bit about that? … what was that experience like?

 

Bear:

Well, … the resistance that – the – the price point was painful, but again, I thought … I’m – I’m gonna do it or not, and just that – just – the marketing pro – I know of so many people who are – most people you will talk to will say that they are writing a book, and then, there are those people who have written a book and it just sat there. And … they have self-published, and so, I knew that – … I spent all these years really developing my skills as an energy healer and an intuitive and I – I – I thought I was a good businessperson, with all evidence to the contrary. So, just – … I – I considered it – the cost of the second program of Angela’s, I considered it as if I was hiring a marketing consultant for the year. … a part-time marketing consultant, that’s – that was … equivalent to the cost, in my mind. So, that’s how I justified it, if you like, and then, I was introduced to a lot of different marketing techniques, and … – the latest in what’s going on now, because it’s rapidly changing all the time, and so, I have been … doing Facebook advertising again. I have – I have helped with that, but Angela pointed us to someone that I – I actually had my staff person train with, and … just – just the whole process of being online and advertising that way, getting the word out and … – ‘cause there’s lots of moving parts, but just getting introduced to that in a big way, and for me, that was like jumping in the deep end with the business aspect of it. So, … in terms of just running the school, that was one thing, but – … marketing is – is typically always considered eighty percent of your business plan, and so, it’s – … it’s huge. And that’s – … that’s what I needed to focus on and learn. For years, I would joke, “Where’s my marketing person?” And I have a – admin and … my – my web person, who’s doing the marketing now, but we – … we would try some things. We – we did some marketing things and we would … split the tasks between the three of us, but nothing – … nobody was just really thinking about it and devoted to it, when actually, if you don’t work on that aspect, you’re not going to have a business, no matter how wonderful your work is. And no matter how wonderful your book is, if nobody reads it, then – then … that’s – that’s an issue.

 

Pleasance:

So, I think this is a really big part, also, that – I know I learned – and this may have come up for you and during other phases of your healing work and your intuitive work, but for me – and – … Angela’s po – in – coaching and mentoring about ego and when we’re getting in our own way, versus having that real, solid servant’s heart, and really encouraging us to be of service and share our work, right? … that – we – we can’t help anybody if we’re afraid of doing the video or afraid to put ourselves out there, or we’re just spending the next twenty years rewriting the book.

 

Bear:

….

 

Pleasance:

We know that marketing business that you’re talking about is gonna get it in people’s hands. So, the servant’s heart, as the foundation that she talks about and teaches over and over, is so helpful when I felt stuck, ….

 

Bear:

Well, I think most people do come into it with that, and if you know your energy type, there is – say, particular energy type that is especially prevalent, in terms of the students in Angela’s program, and they have literally big hearts. The generosity is – is one of their – and – and endurance, yeah, is one of their strengths. And so – but the other issues that come along with that is self-care, poor boundaries, putting other people’s needs ahead of yours. So, this is the “gardener” energy type, and … there were a lot of gardeners in that training, I noticed, and … those are some of the issues you’ll come up against in marketing, and so, it’s – it’s good to know that. So, the – the servant’s heart is – … again, I think everybody is coming forward with that, but how to manifest it and express it and take care of yourself, … in – in the way that … you’re not – but you’re actually able to make a living from the work you’re doing versus having other people’s needs come before yours, and of course, if you don’t take care of yourself, then, long-termness, … that is not viable.

 

Pleasance:

Yeah.

 

Bear:

So, it’s definitely part of it, and – and again, knowing your energy signature is gonna help you determine … what your bigger issues might be, in terms of manifesting the book and manifesting a business to go along with the book.

 

Pleasance:

Oh, I love that! I love how – how … meta it is for you to have these frameworks and the energy types, and then being able to watch yourself and your cohort … really see how those archetypes came up, over and over, right?

 

Bear:

Oh, yes! Oh, yes.

 

Pleasance:

That’s really helpful.

 

Bear:

I also – I became – one I learned about – that this is not a model that I just made up. It has a long history. It has another name and it came under this cycle in … period at the late 1800s. Well, early 1900s, and so, I have added quite a bit, in terms of its evolution, and it’s just so helpful. I became a much better mother. I became a much better friend, spouse, work, everything, …. It has really enhanced my life so much, and that’s why I wanted other people to be able to accept it without needing to … want to be an energy healer. Strangely enough, not everybody wants to be an energy healer. But … it – it – it’s my love, but … it’s not – it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, as you say, and so, I’m – I’m just so excited about bringing this model to – to more people. It’s so useful. It’s so easy. It’s so easy to just look a – … and identify a priest. They’re – they’re often thin and the – there’s a left, right and balance in the body, so one shoulder’s a little higher, one hip’s a little higher. They’re – they’re very creative, they’re very bright, lots of ideas, but when they’re talking to you, they’re often looking – … gazing over to the up and over to the side, as if they’re … pulling the ideas down from the ether, which they sort of are, … that’s their – their flowing back and forth quite easily. And so, this … just little things, …. And I – I have people start – … one tip for the – if you are a priest, if you just notice, if you’re making eye contact in conversation, and to just practice doing that more, and it helps you come into your body and be present. Just – just … things like that, to start practicing with, so – so, it’s … program.

 

Pleasance:

Well, Bear, I – … yeah, well, I – it sounds like it was a real – it’s been exactly what a – a really nice complement for the work that you do, to get it to reach more people and out in the world, and helping people, right? It’s … that combination of the program with your gift, right? Angela’s gift and your gifts together is very powerful. So, just to close today, I just wanna say, thank you so much for sharing about your program and your work. Where can people find you online?

 

Bear:

I’m at themckaymethod, it’s t-h-e-m-c-k-a-y, method is m-e-t-h-o-d.com, and there will be a – a – information about my book and classes, if you’re interested in those, as well. So, that’s the – the main place you can get a hold of me. You can also “friend” me on Facebook, Bear McKay, and get a little more updates, we have some pictures from last week’s class.

 

Pleasance:

Awesome.

 

Bear:

Yes. So, that was wonderful.

 

Pleasance:

Awesome. Well, I really appreciate you jumping on our podcast today. Thanks so much for all of your insights, and thank you so much for the work that you do in the world, in helping people with healing and feeling more whole. I really appreciate healing practitioners and people who are serving in the world. It’s really, really wonderful, so thank you very much.

 

Bear:

Okay, and thank you very much for hosting these interviews. It’s a great opportunity. I – I appreciate it.

 

Pleasance:

Awesome. Thanks, Bear! Have a great afternoon! Take care.

 

Bear:

You, too! ‘Bye!

 

Pleasance:

‘Bye.