Check Out Valerie J. Runyan’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie J. Runyan.

Hi Valerie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started Ink Drop Space and all of its spinoffs- The Business, The Podcast, The Virtual Writing Retreat, and The Virtual Experience because of the pandemic and subsequent shut-down.

Moving from Los Angeles and in with my children in Las Vegas has been a great blessing, I have been able to not only expand my business but indulge with my writing ambitions. The re-location has truly made working remotely awesome, Zoom has become my preferred way to teach, learn and lead, and my Writing Life Coach practice has blossomed because my demographic actually prefers video learning.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road is smoother now because I am continuously, consistently, and constantly learning, and improving in my craft. When I first started out in 2018 as a newly minted Life Coach, I didn’t know trying to serve everyone means you actually serve no one- hence no clients and wondering what to do, besides listening to a lot of business podcasts. I was about to scrap this “Life Coach” pipe dream when I spoke to a tiny older than myself woman while we were waiting for our respective rides from a morning writing gathering. She said that she didn’t write, but just loved hanging around writers, I said that every group needs a “groupie” and we laughed then she said that she missed her chance and now she was too old. Hearing this tiny sweet woman say those words broke my heart, and right then and there I decided that I would serve women in our age group to write their legacy.

Although I tried creating a specific coaching practice around my “Golden Woman” I honestly didn’t know what I was doing because I didn’t know anything about Marketing- excerpt how to spell it, I couldn’t get it off the ground, yet again throwing me into doubt about Life Coaching. When the pandemic and subsequent shutdown hit, I not only physically moved I mentally moved, and digital learning became my obsession, I created Ink Drop Space Virtual Writing Retreat and went live on April 24, 2020, with a lot of my writing friends allowing me to lead them, in my first coaching/writing session, I LOVE being a Writing Life Coach because now I know who I serve.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a Writing Life Coach, I specialize in working with people who are fifty-five plus, and I am known for my vibrant lively valuable Zoom presentations. I am most proud of helping a lawyer by day, write and become a first-time published author of a collection of Sci-Fi Fantasy Romance narratives in 2021, and once again this year we are working on a third collection for next year.

What sets me apart from others, is that I’m a “Writing” Life Coach meaning that my focus and service is toward adult writers- under fifty-five and over fifty-five. I LOVE what I do, I live and breathe writing and writers.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My writing tribes deserve a great deal of credit for being there- we don’t just hold each other accountable for producing work, but we hold each other up when it all falls down.

When you have people who you KNOW have your back, you can and do- as my daughter says, “human better” and being better humans toward each other invaluably helps our writing. I share my successes with some people, and I share my fail-forwards with other people, some in person and even more virtually, I have set my life on fire, and ALL of these people fan my flames.

Contact Info:

• Website: valeriejrunyan.com

Image Credits
Andres Fragoso, Jr., Valerie J. Runyan, Niza Gonzalez, Thomas Larmore, and Stephen Murray