Victoria Garlick
Today we celebrate Leesa McGregor, one of the most talented, kind and beautiful business gals we know! Based in stunning Byron Bay, Leesa has lots of businesses and projects that she is passionate about, and we are thrilled to share one of her most successful endeavours, her international best-selling children’s book.
Five minutes with Australian Business Gal, Leesa below:
1. Can you please share a little about your children’s book?
A New Alphabet for Humanity is a best selling children’s book I wrote to inspire young children to be compassionate, kind and loving to people and the planet. My mission behind the book is to raise the next generation of heart centred kids by nurturing the seeds of kindness, gratitude, compassion, and love.
What Started As A Simple Idea For A Children’s Book Has Gone On To Spark A Global Movement towards heart centred education. Following the success of the book, I started a children’s education company and created an entire curriculum that is now used by early learning centres and primary schools around the world. An education based on love!
My vision is to nurture the heart, imagination and potential of children everywhere. For every book we sell, we also plant a tree. Together, we’re inspiring change one child, one book, and one heart at a time.
2. What inspired you to write it?
I’ve Always Believed Our Thoughts Have The Power To Shape Our Lives. After Having My Son, I Started To Imagine How Different The World Would Be If Children Were Taught Words Like Compassion, Empathy And Bravery From An Early Age.
I Got Inspired To Create A New List Of Alphabet Words To Teach My Son The Values And Qualities We All Desire To Live By – Kindness, Compassion, Empathy, Self-Love, Gratitude, Respect For People And The Earth.
From There, An Idea Was Born…To Create A New Alphabet For Humanity. I Believe It’s Never Too Early For Children To Learn How To Be Great Humans.
The book really struck a chord with parents, teachers and grandparents because we all want to raise kind, confident and caring kids.
3. What would be the number 1 piece of advice you would give to women wanting to write and sell their first children’s book?
I always tell people I didn’t write the book because I wanted to become an author. I wrote the book to create meaningful change in the world.
If you have a dream in your heart to write a book, honour that dream. Writing a book can be a challenge because you have to face your doubts, fears and insecurities. There will be times during the writing process of writing the book that you will feel creatively insecure, my best advice is to continue pushing through and visualise yourself completing the book. Your WHY is the key to completing the book and getting it out into the world. Tune into your WHY and just go for it. It’s well worth the effort!
4. What was the biggest lesson you learned in this process?
Writing the book is one project and marketing the book is another. Be prepared to create a solid marketing plan for getting the message out about your book and be consistent. I recommend influencer marketing on social media and email marketing. Amazon also has options to advertise your book and there are alot of facebook groups and book professionals who can support you with marketing and advertising. Be sure to set up a website and email list so you can continue marketing.
5. What’s next with the children’s book?
We’ve just created a “Give A Book, Change A Life” social impact program to expand the reach of our book to more schools and early learning centres. For every book a school purchases, we now match the donation to provide a book to a child in need. Making a meaningful difference has always been at the heart of the business and I am really excited to see how this project will positively impact more children. You can learn more about the book and our new impact project at www.alphabetforhumanity.com
