Often we endeavor to shape our lives, but don’t know which directions will open up for us. Tonia Browne, a teacher and school administrator, threw herself into motivational writing, and has become a published empowerment author providing valuable insight that helps others. By rising to her calling she has become a great example of her own teachings, She shares her uplifting story with Tempo…
“Luckily right now I can say I am one happy lady. So much seems to be happening for me and I am really enjoying the opportunity to write. I will always consider myself a teacher though, as I have been teaching for over twenty years and was an Assistant Head for seven. It is a great profession. I’ve been in Abu Dhabi for eighteen years. I love it. I am also a Heal Your Life coach and have a range of supporting therapies to help people make changes in their lives and to reach their goals.
“When I was in my late teens I wrote a lot of poetry but I did not really write again until more recently. Writing to support others is something new and fun for me. My first published chapter, in a multi-author book, was last year. I have published four more chapters since then, and hopefully more to follow. I am presently writing my own book. My mum thinks this is all great, as she still remembers my school calling her in to discuss my learning issues. They wanted her to seriously consider what to do with me, as they didn’t think I would get any academic qualifications or become a fluent reader. I don’t think either of us can really believe how life turned out. I became an Assistant Head and I am now also an author. That’s my main impetus for writing, to share the message to never give up on yourself or to stop believing in the unexpected.
“I love the creative process. You create something but it also creates something in you.
The process of drafting and redrafting helps sharpen your perception of things and quite often you get a-ha moments yourself that you had not realised until the moment of writing. When you get into the right zone you don’t write the book, it kind of writes you!
“My chapter in The Empowerment Manual: 4 Steps to the Party: Participating in the Party of Life is about the art of manifestation. It’s hard to change your life if you are stuck in the mindset that life doesn’t work for you. That’s what our writing is all about. The chapters are full of uplifting and inspiring stories and also coaching and supporting strategies to help you find your way forward, especially if you feel stuck.
I am a trained Heal Your Life Coach and Business Trainer and through this connection I was invited by Lisa Hardwick to write a chapter for her publishing company, Visionary Insight Press. I really liked the idea of writing for an organization with a philosophy of supporting their authors and publishing messages to help others. I can’t praise them enough. The rest as they say is history.
“I’m excited to say I am in the book Manifesting Modern Miracles. I will also be in the next multi-author book Wisdom from the Wild Heart which is dedicated to my father. Both books are by Visionary Insight Press. I have also just written my own book called Spiritual Seas which is about the sea providing opportunities for spiritual and personal growth. It is a combination of my diving adventures, spiritual insights and practical strategies for riding the waves of life. I plan to release my book later this year.
“One minute I was an Assistant Head teaching children and then the next I was writing self-help books for adults. Yet most people were extremely congratulatory and I have had some lovely responses to my chapters. One particular feedback meant a lot to me. A reader had a family member read my chapter Rag Doll Blues in the VIP multi-author book Whispers of the Heart, as they had a dyslexic child. She said it had given the family and herself hope and inspiration. I can’t think of any better praise or purpose for writing than that.”
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