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I had a front-row seat to Bonnie Habyan’s transformation. A seasoned CMO with over 20 years in financial services, Bonnie wrote The World According to Bess—a book about her mother's wisdom that we released on her mom's 91st birthday, just months before she passed.

In our conversation, Bonnie walks me through all that the book opened up for her: she landed a TEDx talk that now has 350,000+ views, launched her podcast This Is How SHE Did It and became a keynote speaker on resilience and personal brand power.

We dive into the unexpected wins—Barnes & Noble book signings, knowing her book is available at Target and having strangers sharing intimate stories about their own mothers after hearing her speak. She also reveals how the writing process helped her understand her relationship with her mom better. In the end, she explains how the book scratched an itch that no CMO title ever could—giving her something authentically hers that will outlive her while also teaching her that her superpower is tenacity.

She opens up about being terrified at first—worried about her employer's reaction, about being vulnerable, about putting herself out there. But as she explains, pushing through that fear brought unquantifiable rewards: confidence, legacy and the fulfillment of bucket-list dreams she'd had since childhood.

Topics Discussed:

Why book sales don't matter: How the real value comes from credibility, platform, and opportunities—not revenue from copies sold
From book to TEDx stage: How The World According to Bess became the foundation for Bonnie's TEDx talk, which garnered 350,000+ views and created deep connections with audiences
The power of pre-launch marketing: Building a reader group to generate reviews before publication day, ensuring the book launches with social proof that stays on Amazon forever
Overcoming fear and self-doubt: Bonnie's journey from worrying about her employer's reaction and being vulnerable to embracing confidence and not caring about naysayers
The book as connection machine: How strangers approached Bonnie after her TEDx talk, sharing intimate stories about their own mothers and revealing the impact of her work
Understanding family through writing: How the process of writing the book gave Bonnie deeper insight into her mother's love language, upbringing and their relationship
Discovering your superpower: How the book-writing process revealed that Bonnie's superpower is tenacity and persistence
The gift that keeps giving: Unexpected moments like seeing the book at Target, doing book club talks and receiving messages from readers on the beach
Finding your tribe: The importance of surrounding yourself with supporters rather than naysayers during the creative process
Legacy over career advancement: Why the book's impact on Bonnie's personal fulfillment and legacy mattered more than advancing her CMO career
Vulnerability and authenticity: Putting personal stories into the world and learning to care less about criticism
The book cover moment: How seeing the final cover design was the "aha" moment that brought everything together
Bucket list achievements: Checking off childhood dreams of writing a book, creating a podcast and delivering a TED talk—all stemming from the book