Interview: Daphne Michaels, Author of ‘The Gifted’

Daphne Michaels is an author, speaker and licensed psychotherapist whose institute has helped hundreds of women and men transform their lives through the “gifts” every human being is born with. Daphne began her own journey of transformation at a young age, pursued it fearlessly, and later studied formally in the fields of social science, human services and integral psychology.

Congratulations on the release of your latest book, The Gifted: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams. When did you start writing and what got you into personal development? 

While I have been writing since I was an adolescent, I began to write professionally about fifteen years ago. Writing personal development books is a natural extension of my long-term career as a licensed psychotherapist. I have worked with men and women of all backgrounds and personalities for over twenty-five years, guiding them to live the lives of their dreams. In addition to my private practice, my institute offers transformational programs for people interested in living lives of endless possibility. 

What was your inspiration for The Gifted: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams? 

My own journey, which led me to eventually write this book, started when I was an angst-ridden adolescent. I smile today, because it was such a dramatic time in my life with classic teenage experiences. And even this was classic I’m sure, although I am still shaken today when I think of the first time I really saw the world beyond my limited scope of experience. I was devastated by what I experienced as a gut-wrenching discovery of two worlds existing side by side: the world of love and the world of despair. It was the world of despair – the fear and misery that I witnessed robbing people of the beauty in life — that propelled my journey to understand and help eradicate unnecessary suffering. 

My personal journey took years and led to all sorts of experiences for which I am grateful today. After earning my degrees in human services and applied behavioral sciences, I launched my private practice in 1996 and my institute in 2001. Writing personal development books is a natural next step in my journey to take my message to as broad of an audience as possible. 

What do you hope readers will get from your book? 

I want readers to celebrate with me nine “gifts” that we are all born with that if we recognize and use them can transform our lives forever. The first three gifts we must embrace within us if we are to redesign our lives are Awareness, Potential and Stillness. These three allow us to identify and use the remaining six with a life-changing power: Disharmony, Harmony, Ease, Clarity, Freedom and Engagement. Even Disharmony — the “quagmire” of life born of the human ego’s fear and defenses, delusions and despair — is a gift, too, and one as important as the others if we know how to see it clearly and use it. Once we understand Disharmony, we are ready to understand the real purpose of Harmony in our lives. Disharmony does not need to rule us. It is ours to use to design the lives of our dreams. 

What do you do when your muse refuses to collaborate? 

My muse inspires all of my writing and I won’t even pick up a pen without her. It would be a waste of time — she knows how to turn words – just black spots on white paper really -into living messengers. I adore my muse. If she is not with me I stop everything in my life and begin to look for her — where did she go? She is my loyal companion and would leave only for good reasons — a cry that I have stepped off my path. 

Do you have a writing schedule? Are you disciplined? 

These are questions that one might think go hand in hand. That is not the case for me. While I am very disciplined I do not have a writing schedule per se. My discipline comes from an intense desire to share my message. Most of my writing comes from talking with myself — I have long conversations with myself about how people can develop and find true happiness.  I witness transformation in my work every day. I see people taking their lives to the next level. I write when I can – often in the mornings before heading to my office — or in the middle of the night when powerful thoughts and ideas wake me up and feel as though they must be shared. 

What was your publishing process like? 

I chose to launch the Daphne Michaels Books imprint – for many reasons. First, it is great to be part of the personal development genre as a long tradition. Our interest in self-help and personal development is part of the American story, really. To make one’s life better — to reach one’s potential and pursue happiness was the intent of our declaration of independence. Many of the successes in the personal development genre started out as self-published authors. It is great to be launching my imprint in an era where POD publishing and ebook publishing helps one reach an even larger audience … and it’s nice, too, that this is the first year Book Expo America has invited self-published authors to exhibit and Publisher’s Weekly and other venues are featuring the best self-published books. Being part of this new era in publishing allows opportunities to help shape it. This means teaming in new ways with new people and being free to see our projects all the way from conception to publication and beyond. 

Do you have a website or blog where readers can find out more about your work? 

Thank you for asking: please visit me at DaphneMichaels.com. 

Where is your book available?

The Gifted: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams  is available through Amazon and the Ingram catalog. 

What is your advice for aspiring authors? 

Those of us who feel called to share a message – a how to, inspiration, biography, humor, or guidance, or to tell a story have an important role in life. Celebrate it! Make developing and sharing your message a priority because it truly is a gift to your readers!