Author, keynote speaker, trainer and coach Michelle L. Steffes has teamed up with audiobook giant, Audible, to bring breakthrough coaching to a hot new medium. Her #1 Amazon New Release, Reframe and Rewire: Greatness Through Daily Routine, has helped individuals, teams, and businesses position themselves for peak performance through mastery of mindset. Start listening on Audible here, or visit Amazon.com for the physical and Kindle editions.

Audible is the leading purveyor of premium audio content that offers customers a rich destination for insight and inspiration to enhance their daily lives. Great minds think alike! We asked author Michelle L. Steffes to talk about why the audiobook format is so well-suited to the content of Reframe and Rewire: Greatness Through Daily Routine: 

Q: Michelle, your work is all about rewiring your brain to orient it for performance. Is it a coincidence, or by design, that you’ve chosen the “engaging” medium of audio to deliver the content of Reframe and Rewire? 

A: The majority of all book sales has been from busy executives through speaking engagements and cases of direct shipments to organizations nationwide. Through these contacts, many requests have come in for an audio version that can be accessed alongside of their busy lives. It has been a desire to complete this since the book’s release in February 2021 and I am thrilled to see it happen.

Q: Michelle, you frequently coach organizations and train corporate teams. What insight has this given you – what have you seen on the ground – into performance-enhancing habits?

A: It has been a privilege working with so many brilliant leaders over the past two decades. They consistently seek ways to empower others both personally and professionally. However, what I find most common is that they do not take time to empower themselves. As a result, they are tired, frustrated and many are burned out. 

My goal is to draw out the best in them through powerful new habits that lead to greater confidence, more energy, clarity of vision, stronger resolve and long term success in their personal and professional lives. Once this is accomplished, the culture is transformed, and the sky is the limit for building a stronger team. 

Q: Tell us a little bit about what it’s like to convert a book into an audiobook? Take us behind the scenes.

A: For me, every new project should start with an education through research. I began by reaching out to my book publisher for some advice. I also spent time exploring all options through internet platforms and asking for advice from those in my circle who have created audiobooks so I could realize all the options available.

Then I began to explore voice-over options: Would I do it myself? (I didn’t really have time.) Would I hire someone? As fate would have it, my sister Cheryl and her husband Linc made an offer I couldn’t refuse. Linc has a professional recording studio — Grace Marketing — and she has a voice much like mine! It was a perfect fit and a chance for them to earn some cash as well. We worked together over the past several months and I enjoyed every step along the way. It was a win-win for both sides and they did a fabulous job! 

Q: You host a popular podcast where you deliver coaching content in byte-sized bits. Tell us the ways that fans have inspired this latest venture with Audible.

A: Since the podcast inception in January 2019, I have had so many listeners reach out to me desiring more content. In fact, some have reached out asking for specific audio material from the book as well as presentations where I have provided similar content.

Furthermore, the analytics from my podcast series (well over a thousand episodes) reflect a strong demand for materials shared directly from the book itself.  

 Q: Can you give us a scenario of the ideal way to use the audiobook to make the exercises stick?

A: I love this question! Having listened to countless audiobooks myself, I truly believe that we can accelerate personal and professional growth through the daily use of audio listening. In fact, it is as easy as replacing a few bad habits with very healthy ones. A few examples are: When you wake up, instead of stressing about the day or turning on the news, turn on an audiobook and listen alongside of your morning routine, replace the radio with an audiobook while driving, listen while doing chores, cooking or walking. Replace your time on social media with an audiobook. 

An additional “perk” to adopting this type of routine, is that those around you get to benefit as well! My children, who are grown now, learned many great insights they would never have gotten without the overflow that can come from this habit. To this day, I see them making excellent, very mature decisions. I have even had clients whose marriages were healed and restored as a result. You are almost always in charge of what you let into your heart, choose wisely! Ama