Skip to content Skip to footer

Book Journeys Author Interview – July 28, 2016

 

Dr. Angela Lauria with Pleasance Silicki, author of Delight: Eight Principles for Living with Joy and Ease.

 

Use the best tips and advice that other authors have given.” ~Pleasance Silicki

 

Angela:

Well, hey, everybody! I am a little bit late but here for today’s podcast, so excited to be with you all, even though I was a couple of minutes late, so I’m not doing a very good job of being excited, but we have a great summer show for you all today. We are gonna talk with author Pleasance Silicki on her book Delight: Eight Principles for Living With Joy and Ease. I dont think there’s a better time than summertime to practice principles for living with joy and ease, sounds like a great – a great night outside, under the stars, with some friends. Pleasance, welcome to the show! Pleasance? Are you there?

 

Pleasance:

Yes! I – I can hear you, all great! …

 

Angela:

I can see you – okay, there we go! Now we gotcha! So, Pleasance, tell everybody a little bit about Delight, what is your book about and who did you write it for?

 

Pleasance:

Okay. So, Delight is a book really for people who are seeking more in their life in terms of how to handle difficult situations, day-to-day – … the mundane tasks that we have in domestic life, and how to make our lives more meaningful, more joyful, and really embrace … the hand that we’ve been given and how to really navigate transitions and challenges from a place of abundance and ease and space, and connecting the principles to wisdom tradition. So, being able to relate what we’ve been taught in yoga, in meditation and Buddhism, into everyday life. And that’s what it’s about, I wrote it for myself. … who really needed to be able to articulate and map out all of the beautiful teachings that I’ve been given and share them with others, and so, really, anyone – I think, specifically, women who feel like they really have it all but aren’t – don’t really have a really deep sense of happiness and contentment and joy in their life, and so – … digging deep to get to the root of that, and what’s going on.

 

Angela:

So, – well, it sounds like, in some ways, this – this topic … picked you, how did you decide to actually turn it into a book?

 

Pleasance:

Yeah. I – … these were principles, so, I’ve owned a yoga studio, I’ve been a studio owner for eight years and was using a lot of these principles to navigate the challenges that come from owning a small yoga studio from having a brick-and-mortar, from running your own business, from being an entrepreneur, from being a parent, and I think that the journey to writing a book was all about clarifying what’s a message, what’s a share – what were the principles that were most helping students, that were most efficient and productive for me in making tough decisions and choices and healing, and so, it was really a natural progression in terms of teaching publicly and then being able to sit down and map out the ideas. I now have, basically, a handbook for … when I –

 

Angela:

Love that.

 

Pleasance:

– work with them in – in workshops or one-on-one, … the topics come up over and over and over again, so I’m – I’m so excited to have it, to have this piece to work from, with people and really share.

 

Angela:

Yeah! So, a lot of times, we think the process of writing a book is about our reader, but we have our own, personal growth lessons that come out of the process of writing. Was there anything that surprised you during the writing process, or anything you learned about yourself, even though you’re supposed to be one teaching this stuff, did you learn anything from writing your book?

 

Pleasance:

Oh, absolutely. … The thing is, I think, is that, it’s a thi – it’s very similar to if you go to yoga teacher training, you do it because you’re trying to learn more about the next step on your path and your journey, and the way to move you forward, but what you’re really doing is this deep, deep inner work. Everything is mirrored back to you, how you learn, how you deal in groups, how you deal with stress, what happens when you really have to put yourself out there. And it was the same kind of concept, … watching – … you would say, “Okay, you’re coming close to publication, so you’re probably gonna start freaking out, because that’s what authors do.” …

 

Angela:

Cue the freak out.

 

Pleasance:

Right. But it was such a good sign, what you said was, “It’s a sign that what you’ve done is really your heart, it’s really the servant, it’s really putting yourself out there. If it wasn’t you, or you didn’t have this deep connection, it didn’t – it wasn’t your truth, maybe it wouldn’t be so scary, ….” When you really lay it all out there and do – and go through the whole process, you, of course, have transformation, and it’s just a mirror back to yourself, … how you deal with these things, is it true? Is this a limiting belief? Is it … these – this fear that comes up as you get closer to sharing your work, is so real.”

 

Angela:

Uh-huh, mmm.

 

Pleasance:

And really, being able to … dig a little bit deeper into why it’s so scary, having that support from a – … a leader, a coach, from you, really, the publisher, saying … “Here, this is totally normal, and it’s a good sign.” And … that was always …. You know.

 

Angela:

…. Were there any of the eight delight principles that you felt like you had to lean on more than any of the others during your writing process?

 

Pleasance:

Mmm.  … I think all of them are now so integrated into my  … daily life. I think one, really, in terms of alignment, right? So, it really – what you’re writing, what you’re presenting, what you’re talking about, really being your deepest truths, and – and feeling that in your body. I also think that – there’s a section in the book where I talk about our energies and our balances, masculine and feminine, sun and moon, and really paying attention, especially during writing, when you’re sitting and writing so much, to get up and get that yang energy moving. So, really being mindful of aligning and balancing out my days, especially my writing days, so that I feel – felt really good in my body, was really important, to – also, to having things move. So, I have this moment – I was sitting in this really, really cozy chair, it was a freezing cold day, and I was writing a chapter, and something very emotional was triggered, and I remember, I was … sitting there, weeping and remembering all these really painful memories about something that had come up in the book, and I was writing about it, and … I was able to … have this time alone to process, and then I remember closing the computer, getting all bundled up and just taking a walk –

 

Angela:

Mm-mm.

 

Pleasance:

– to just process the emotion that was coming through, and I sat down with my husband at dinner that night and I started talking to him, “Remember that day,” … “Remember the – how unhealthy I was, how bitter and mean.” “Remember how much I used to smoke and drink,” … we just … went down this whole part of my life that I –

 

Angela:

Mm.

 

Pleasance:

– had really moved away from, and so – … we don’t take a lot of time to step back and say, “Whoa, look how far I’ve come,” especially when you’re … really po – … positive and moving forward and going for the next goal.

 

Angela:

Right.

 

Pleasance:

So, this was really powerful. It was really powerful.

 

Angela:

I love that, and I also love the heads-up for listeners that, while there are some aspects of writing your book where you can be objective. In many cases, writing your book is gonna bring up some personal shit –

 

Pleasance:

Mm-hm.

 

Angela:

– and so, what is the container you have to deal with that?

 

Pleasance:

Yup.

 

Angela:

A friend, a coach, a trusted yoga teacher or a walk in the woods –

 

Pleasance:

Yeah.

 

Angela:

– … what are those tools that you have, as an author, as this stuff comes up for you? ….

 

Pleasance:

Yup. Especially when you’re writing about or growth or yoga, …. ‘Course, these things are right under the surface, so….

 

Angela:

Coo – and sometimes, they – … I’ve had several authors, that they’re really surprised, by the –

 

Pleasance:

Mm. Mm.

 

Angela:

– … that they had. So, I have no idea why we are getting kicked off, but it’s giving us ninety seconds, and that doesn’t make sense to me. But let’s take those ninety seconds and … to have you back, but let’s take the ninety seconds and just share with people what is one piece of advice that you would give to somebody who wants to write a book?

 

Pleasance:

That the deadlines – … if you’re not working with the program, then – … which I really would recommend, but really, stick to the deadlines, say “Yes,” keep moving forward, … don’t overthink things, really take it seriously, in terms of setting and planning your day and your writing time, your consistency around it. So, I just say, use the best tips and advice that other authors have given, … there’s so many wonderful books about writing, which can be inspiring, but programs and things like that, you should just listen to them. So, yeah.

 

Angela:

I love it. So, Pleasance Silicki is the author of Delight: Eight Principles for Living with Joy and Ease. We will definitely have her back, find her book on Amazon. Thanks, everyone!

Don't Leave Without Your Free Copy of Inkubated Magazine!

Grab a copy of our Digital Magazine full of author success stories & writing tips

By opting in, you’re joining our vibrant community! Expect 2-3 weekly newsletters packed with curated content, exclusive updates, and valuable insights to fuel your journey. Welcome to the conversation!