Meet Brandy Ange

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandy Ange and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandy, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Mmmm work life balance, that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? I didn’t really used to put much stock in it, and I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with workaholism. I think I learned the necessity of balance, and namely rest, the hard way. I actually ended up making myself so sick, and ignoring my body for so long, that I ended up in the hospital. That should have been my wakeup call, but stubborn as I am and life necessitating all it does, I continued to push through and keep going until I finally just couldn’t anymore.

I have now learned to regard rest as a crucial part of work. You can’t run on empty. Just like we have to charge our phone for it to work, our bodies, hearts, minds, spirits, and creative wells also need time and space to recharge and rejuvenate if we are going to be able to produce our best quality work. I think in order to have the healthiest and most successful business, we can’t let it take over our life, we have to have a thriving life outside of our business. A life that fills us up in order to keep pouring into our business for growth.

I firmly believe now that it isn’t a luxury to rest, it is absolutely necessary. And I would add that business demands creativity from us, and so not only is rest essential, but also play. We, as business owners, need to feed our imaginations to be able to tap into creative problem solving and daydreaming up the future possibilities of our companies.

I am no expert. Rest still feels foreign and uncomfortable to me at times. I’m still figuring out what kind of rest I need to recharge my different tanks. We often gravitate to the wrong methods, and then drain ourselves more. Like if I am emotionally spent, I can’t go binge shows, I’m too emotionally involved, rather I need to get out in my garden, or go for a walk. Only when I am physically exhausted do I turn to watching t.v as a form of rest. So I’ve learned paying attention to what we need and what kind of tired we are is also crucial for the balance. Are we mentally drained, emotionally, physically, creatively, or spiritually? Then it’s a matter of figuring out what tactics fill each tank. That’s my strategy anyway.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an author is anything but easy. By nature we are inviting criticism of something that took us potentially years to create, all while making a tiny royalty on each sale. So it really takes a ton of book sales to actually make a living at this. That is why many authors still work a day job, or have to figure out multiple sources of revenue. That is one of the reasons why I created the Conspire Conference. I wanted to help authors build business strategies that play to their individual strengths, and not fall into the trap of all the one size fits all advice that is out there. An author’s career is going to be as unique as their story. No two authors’ journeys are going to look the same. Building a conference like this definitely isn’t easy. It’s been slow going, but it’s the most worthwhile and rewarding project I have taken on. I also do one on one coaching to help authors with strategic planning, since many don’t come from a business background. But I love the Conspire Conference for the community aspect, and the way we can feed off of one another and group brainstorm. More heads are better than one.

I think it’s true that necessity is the mother of invention. I needed that community, and I heard the frustration from other authors trying all the things and not getting the results they hoped for. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that just because we as authors write books alone, and indies publish them alone, doesn’t mean we have to be isolated in our career. We can join other authors online at the water cooler, and have those collaborative conversations. We aren’t in this alone. Realising that changes everything.

If being an author has taught me anything, it’s that it’s hard work. It’s a long game career, and it takes strategy. That’s why I created Conspire Con, and the soon to come Conspire Planner for Authors, because if we can hold hands and walk this road together, we can reach further, get more and better work done, and have way more fun doing it. I also don’t want others to have to make all the mistakes that I did. If they can learn from mine and avoid them, then I can hopefully help them skip ahead to the fun parts, faster. I want to think I went through the hard parts for a reason, and if that is being able to reach back to help someone behind me up that mountain, then that fills me with joy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you’ve got a day to take a day trip to the Outer Banks, then do it. It’s definitely worth it! Take the ferry to Ocracoke, or hit up Kill Devil Hills get some fish tacos (blackened) from Mama Kwans. Go to John’s Drive In for a milkshake and a dolphin boat. Grab a book from Island Bookstore and go read on the beach. Have a nice dinner at the Black Pelican, and then go see The Lost Colony. The city is great, but there’s something to be said for island time, and it’s too close to not take advantage.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to give a huge shout out to my university professor, and mentor Alicia Crumpton, who nurtured my love for business and creativity and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I would also love to shout out the amazing community of fellow authors out there. It is such an amazing group of people who encourage and support one another, without which, this would be a very lonely and isolating career path. My friends and family are also a huge source of encouragement and support, as are, of course, my readers!

Website: https://brandyange.me/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vagabee/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandy-ange-799b32a0/

Twitter: https://x.com/Vagabee/status/1641073994597269514?prefetchTimestamp=1726847128587

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKingdomComeSeries/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brandyange1753?app=desktop

Image Credits
Cleigh Photography