Rising Stars: Meet Kim O’Hara

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim O’Hara.

Hi Kim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Nine years ago I embarked on this wonderful journey of book coaching, and have been thrilled to walk incredible authors through birthing their books. I have been an avid book lover since I was a child, and as a movie producer in the 90’s, optioned books for screen. What I love in my profession is the courage I see my clients put forth to get permission to tell their story. We can be so caught up in the noise of what everyone is going to think of us, or how much money we can make, we can get bunched up in narrative inauthenticity.

I also see becoming an author in midlife as very relevant to my story, as I changed so much about who I was in my mid-forties. Many of my clients have a dream of writing a book they have held close, and now in their late fifties, early sixties are ready to be heard and seen on the page.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a business for nine years from the ground up has involved working seven days a week easily in the first seven years. I went to many networking events to stand up and say who I was, and spent a lot of time on social media doing videos and teaching how to write to anyone who would listen. You also need to tune out the competitors so you can become your own gold standard. People would ask me why I charge what I do, or why I don’t have on line programs, and I have learned through trial and error to stand behind my brand of storytelling and coaching.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am going to write here about being a creative, because ultimately that role is the space I have inhabited for my whole life. “Book Coach” has been an add-on in the last nine years. I absolutely love to walk clients through eight months of book writing, and then finding a home for their book in the confusing tangle that is publishing. I love this process because I am a writer too, and I go through my own sets of fears and false narratives when I write books. I published my self help book “No Longer Denying Sexual Abuse: Making The Choices That Can Change Your Life” in February of 2023, and it took courage to tell my raw tale. I needed to, though, for me first and foremost so I could see what I had walked through to be the woman I am, and also to help other survivors see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel in recovery from abuse.

What sets me apart in the book industry is my intuitive nature and also firm but gentle approach to keeping clients on task. If you hire me to hound you and make sure you are writing, I am not going to let up. You will thank me profusely at the book launch!

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I loved escaping complicated adults in family gatherings with a golden retriever called Daisy. We would romp in the untamed fields around my aunt’s house in what was a less inhabited Rhode Island seaside.

Contact Info:

• Website: kimohara.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimoharacoach/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimoharacoaching/
• Linkedin: https://twitter.com/Astoryinside
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Astoryinside