Authors – Dawn Bates

Deep waters, like deep wounds, hide a multitude of things.

Out in the middle of the ocean, where I love and long to be pretty much most of the time, life is silent, peaceful, and yet if we have any deep wounds, the noise is louder than the bass bins at an all night rave party.

These deep wounds, painful memories, rampaging thoughts, overwhelming emotions are there for us to deal with; brushing them under the carpet, thinking they will go away is foolish; but then again they do say ‘there is nowt as foolish as folk’

Unless our thoughts, memories and emotions are bringing us joy and happiness, leading us to inner peace, then they will slowly poison us from the inside out, resulting in dis-ease on an individual and community level.

Take the content of my next series of books ‘The Sacral Series’, which explores a multitude of subjects including, but not limited to cultural diversity, racism, sexual abuse, rape, religion and corruption of our global government and legal systems.

Not light reading by anyone’s imagination, but a series of books which address issues which need addressing and highlighting so we can all discover solutions for ourselves, as well as our immediate families, communities and nations.

Since my divorce, and being told “I would find it hard for someone to love me” I have, believe it or not, played small. I have hidden parts of myself to not only make myself more palatable, whilst being on a journey of immense healing, but also to protect myself.

Talking about some of the subjects I have wanted to talk about would have invited in the kind of conversations I was not ready to have, due to a number of issues going on in my private life.

I have shared some of these challenges publicly, to bring awareness of situations, such as the whole Scotland Saga, which I wrote about in my 3rd book Crossing The Line.

Why did I share what happened?

To help educate others. To help others understand anything can happen to any of us at any time. None of us are immune.

And I shared because for us to protect ourselves from the harm caused by the State, which encompasses the police and social care system, what my family and I went through needed to be shared.

Is it the system which is flawed though? Or is it the people who work within the system?

Both if you ask me.

And here is why.

As with any organisation, it is made up of people, and people come with a whole heap of views, ideas, and opinions; which they gained from borrowed beliefs, values and their own experiences in life.

Together these individuals create laws, rules and processes based on who they are, and what they think is best for others. How do these people know what is best for others though?

Most of what these people know and understand comes from a text book and institutionalised brainwashing from the education system, which is propagated by a government who wish to remain in power and have control over the people.

Very few of the organisations I was hired to work with, both in the public and private sector around the world, had people from a variety of backgrounds, hence why I was hired.

Yes, they had the ‘token ethnic’ or the ‘right religion or racial profile’ to fulfil a quotient which is required by a particular funding body, or a preventative measure against discrimination in the workplace, but they didn’t understand the vastness of cultural diversity and global communication.

The work I have done around the world in the arenas of cultural diversity, politics and leadership have not been palatable for many people, and then people wonder why there are so many problems in the world.

Many people will associate the name Moana with the sickly sweet Disney movie Moana, but this book is more about the deep waters of the soul, the deep healing of a woman traumatised by rejection, rape and a toxic relationship laced with subtle narcissism of the worst kind.

Over the years, I have been called a dolphin or a mermaid due to the amount of swimming I do, and the length of time I can stay under water, a name which has stuck, and been grossly misunderstood.

When I embarked on this global book tour of mine, there were many reasons for doing so; the desire to live at sea, harnessing the power of the ocean, being the main reasons. A dream I’d had since I was eight years old.

Coming up with a name for my second upcoming series of books, The Mermaid’s Guide, a series of books on leadership and cultural diversity, gender issues and environmental awareness was easy. It was fun, catchy and as with a lot of aspects of what I write, multifaceted.

My kind of mermaid has nothing to do with the long blonde hair and big breasts, nor does she have anything to do with the world of Disney. Combine the political awareness of Banksy with the depths of the ocean, and you are a lot closer to my kind of mermaid.

Moana may mean deep waters, or from the sea, or far from the reef, depending on the area of the Pacific you are referring to, but this Moana is going to take you to the depth of your soul, make you see things differently, and make you realise all is not as it seems on the surface.

The Sacral Series brings you 9 true life stories, ones which have been shared with me over the years, and of course ones which have been trusted to me to bring them forth, whilst also protecting the identity of those within the covers of the books.

Within the covers of each book, you will also discover the various different ways to heal from sexual trauma from experts such as Sandra Rolus, an energetic trauma release teacher and trainer.

This collaboration with experts from around the world, in various different aspects of the social issues raised in this series has been a long time coming: and let’s be honest, this isn’t just an individual problem we are facing, this is a social issue, one of global proportions.

What will be interesting is the conversations which follow, the number of copies sold of each book, especially when TV programmes such as Special Victims Unit and Criminal Minds can go on to become some of the most watched programmes and purchased boxsets in the Western world.

Knowing these 9 stories are real life stories, and the stories of many more men, women and children from around the world from all walks of life, will that put off the readers? Or will it make them even more powerful?

Only those of you who know about these books and choose to buy them will know, and then be able to choose to make a difference in the world with your recommendations and reviews.

Moana is available from the 22nd September 2020, and already available to order

Accompanying each book is a powerful podcast, co-hosted by the one and only Adam R Walton of The Mental Mastery Alliance , a podcast host with the skill and intellect, sensitivity and courage to be able to hold space for the kind of conversations that need to be had.

I am both honoured and delighted to be able to serve with him, and bring about the global change that is much needed.

The question is, will you be brave enough to join us and dive into the deep waters with us?

“Your message is messy, no-one knows what you do”

“You need to stick to one thing and just promote that”

“Your social media needs a make-over”

“What is it you do exactly?”

How many times have you had others in the branding and marketing business come to you and say these comments to you?

I know I’ve had quite a few; and yes, at the beginning my messaging was a little confusing, but then again, I was confused.

I had a lot going on in my private life and I was trying to figure out how to make sense, and money, from the 20 plus years of entrepreneurship and community regeneration experience I have.

Which area of my expertise did I want to focus on?

Which of my passions did I want to harness?

And the thing is,

WE ALL HAVE STUFF going on in our lives we are trying to figure out, so to have someone we don’t know tell us what we need to be doing, how we should be showing up is just something we don’t need in our lives.

It can be even worse when people we do know, who have some idea of what’s going on, but haven’t reached out to ask us how we are and if we need anything, then start telling us what we need to do with our own business.

The words ‘Yuck Fou!’ and other emotional sentences come to the fore and before long, it’s not only feathers we are spitting.

We are seething, feeling like it is another thing we are getting wrong, another level of frustration and just another thing on our already heavy workload.

‘Why can’t everyone else just mind their own bloody business instead of interfering with mine when they know nothing about me?”

A phrase I know went through my head more than once I can tell you!

And here’s the thing (you knew one was coming!)

The people who cannot see your messaging, cannot see you for a reason. They may think your message is messy but your message maybe a deeper message than they are currently able to pick up on.

If your message is messy to them, then maybe consider they are not in the right place to see the depth of your message.

Consider they are not meant to resonate with where you are at or work with you, because they are just not your kind of person; especially if they have not had the common courtesy to reach out to you before they start telling you what is wrong with you, and your business.

And we all know common courtesy, like common sense, isn’t all that common these days, nor are manners, but hey, that’s another post for another time!

Being in business is a bit like becoming a mother, every woman and her opinions come out in full force telling you how to be great at doing this, that and the other.

Very rarely do they take the time to understand who you are, what you already know, your experiences thus far and what your intentions and goals are for the future.

No, they just come with opinions, advice, observations and the sales pitches for this product, service and casserole dish.

When I started sailing around the world, researching captaincy and the world of sailing for one of my up and coming series of books, it seemed as though every captain and fellow sailor I met thought I’d only been born the day before.

Very few asked me about my previous experiences in life, any of the skills outside of sailing or about my life. All they were interested in was how long I had been sailing.

And I get it. We were off sailing, so understanding my level of knowledge in sailing was the key ingredient in the mix.

Many of them were surprised when I was able to fix sails, figure out the rigging, understand how to clean and maintain the boat, assess and prepare provisions, organise the legalities and do a stock check for entering new countries, or how to lead others on the boat without actually being a captain.

My skills were lost on them simply because I didn’t come from a sailing family or hadn’t been sailing for very long.

The arrogance and judgement in the sailing world is at times disgusting, as you will find out when you read The Mermaid’s Guide to Hitch Hiking, and The Mermaid’s Guide to Leadership when they are completed.

The same goes for business.

I may be an author and author coach, a writer for various magazines such as House of PreEminence and One Tribe but this does not mean I have no business experience.

My social media presence may not be all pattern, pastel and predictable, but then again, nor am I, and I am guessing neither are you.

We are human, we are all beautiful messy in our realness.

Sometimes we have offers to promote, sometimes we are celebrating family moments, other times we are sharing our fitness journey’s, and sometimes we are just taking a time out.

Some of us are naturally gifted when it comes to tech skills and doing all the fancy-fancy animations and filming, for others, we are more adept at expressing ourselves through words and a simple photo.

At the end of the day though, our social media messaging may be messy to others, but it is our message not theirs.

When we show up as who we are in the moment, people get to relate to us, they get to know us, they get to see the human side of us, if they take the time to.

Those who do not take the time to get to know you, find out what you are about, are these the people you really want to do business with?

So the next time someone tells you “your message is messy” consider how well they know you, your intentions for the future.

When someone tells you what you ‘should’ or ‘should not’ be doing with your business, listen to yourself.

Is there a doubt?

How did your body respond?

Step back, take a moment, and breathe.

Are you happy with your message?

Are you clear on your message?

Do you know why you share what you do?

Your message is messy to some people because they may not be owning all of who they are, choosing to be a one trick pony.

Your message is messy to some because they cannot see beyond the obvious, they may not be as deep as you, and that is OK.

And so are you.

With love, as always,

Dawn

*Messaging is something I go into with my clients because as authors we get to have a level of freedom to show up in a multitude of ways. Freedom of speech and the authority we have opens doors to a vast array of media opportunities, a wider variety of audiences. With this level of freedom comes responsibility to break the patterns of thought, to disrupt the status quo and make a huge difference in the world.

I currently have 2 openings for 1:1 clients to work with me on a 3, 6, 9 or 12 month basis. There is also the opportunity to join me for my 7 Week Intensive Author Course Programme working 1:1 on all areas of your author life and business.

If you are interested to know more, then book in for a discovery call and let’s see where the journey takes us. Until then, have an awesome week and keep believing in YOU and YOUR MESSAGE!