Learn How to Overcome Introverted Tendencies and Thrive in the Workplace
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To thrive in any industry where success hinges heavily on the ability to build relationships, business professionals must know how to navigate large networking events, start conversations, cultivate connections and grow their reach — all of which can sound overwhelming, if not impossible, for those who are shy or introverted.
Despite struggling with crippling shyness for most of her life, Monica Parkin is a successful entrepreneur and keynote speaker who has a wide circle of friends and business associates. How did a self-described socially awkward introvert become such a people person?
“Well, the answer is that you can evolve,” Parkin says. “I was making myself crazy with all the social cues I did not understand and wondered why this comes so naturally to some people but was so impossibly hard for me. Today, I love the opportunity to go to events, meet people, hear people’s stories and build relationships. I can have the best of both worlds now, and so can you.”
To help others overcome anxiety in both their professional and personal lives, Parkin shares her refreshingly relatable, actionable approach in her ground-breaking new book, Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales.
Part memoir, part instruction guide, Overcoming Awkward reveals Parkin’s private struggles, shared with candid honesty and vulnerability. Her “one step at a time” approach, punctuated with personal anecdotes and humor, is easy to follow and implement.
In Overcoming Awkward, readers will learn:
How to overcome social fears;
How to build relationships effortlessly;
Effective social media marketing;
How to sow seeds for organic growth;
How to win over angry clients;
How to expand their comfort zone;
The value of expert mentorship;
And so much more.
“This is the definitive guide you’ve been waiting for,” Parkin adds. “Gone is the advice to introverts that they must learn to take on a persona that is light years away from who they really are. You will finally be free to just be you and will discover that your vibe attracts your tribe.”
Monica Parkin is a licensed mortgage broker and successful serial entrepreneur. She is an award-winning international speaker and the host of the Juggling without Balls podcast. She is also a self-professed introvert and crazy goat lady who lives on a small farm with an assortment of furry creatures. She loves to hear feedback from readers and looks forward to opportunities to speak on topics that empower others to feel more connected, confident and successful.
Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales ISBN-13: 979-8773835998 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and Goodreads
Trish Stevens Michelle Collins Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Meet 7 Inspirational Women Who Changed Their Stories and Changed Their Worlds
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Can something as simple as a story change the lives of others? Do you ever wonder if your life — your story — matters?
“Of course, it does,” says international speaker and sought-after story expert, Linda Olson. “Everyone has a story, and your story can bring transformation and impact into the word today.”
In Olson’s latest book, Story Matters! Empowering Your Hope When Going Through Tough Times, she provides real-life examples of seven ordinary women who faced major challenges. These women embraced their stories and learned to rise above nearly insurmountable obstacles. They did it through strength, courage and their faith in God, and they are sharing their stories to light a path forward for others facing difficult circumstances.
In this book, readers will learn:
How a single woman rose above childhood trauma to conquer fear and loneliness.
How a young mother moved through grief and loss when her young child was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
How a caring sister became embroiled in a devastating lawsuit and discovered that forgiveness is a choice.
How a middle-aged woman, faced with a choice to live or die, once again found joy.
How a career woman who achieved the many pleasures of the world discovered her real fulfillment was through commitment.
How a college student fulfilled her dream, only to find out her real dream lay deep within her.
How a teenager, devastated by the death of her brother, became a professional storyteller.
“All of these women wanted to give in and give up because they felt themselves giving out,” Olson said. “But something kept them going!”
And now they’re using the power of their stories to make a difference.
Linda Olson is the go-to story expert who helps authors, speakers and entrepreneurs impact millions with their stories. She is a TEDx Speaker, multiple bestselling author and founder of Wealth Through Stories. Her mission is to impact a million people a year with multiple authors in her series, Story Matters! Linda and her husband, Rick, reside in sunny California. They enjoy their two married daughters, sons-in-law and five adorable grandchildren who are the best part of their story.
Story Matters! Empowering Your Hope While Going Through Tough Times, Inspirational Stories Compiled by Linda A. Olson Publisher: Made for More Publishing ISBN-10: 098190145X ISBN-13: 978-0981901459 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens April Johnson Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
How to Get the Quality Health Care You Deserve: Insider Tips Straight From a Medical Professional
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Everyone needs health care at some point in their lives. Understanding the risks and benefits of procedures, making sense of medical bills, and interacting with insurance companies are all lessons we have to learn on the fly — and often when we’re already shouldering the stress of battling an illness ourselves or helping a loved one.
After 28 years in the health care field, Dr. David Wilcox has seen enough to realize that proactive patient education can actually have a life or death impact.
“Entering the American healthcare system, one has to have a basic knowledge of it to be safe,” he said during a recent interview. “Medical errors are the third leading cause of death. Not a lot of people know that.”
In his new book, How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival, Dr. Wilcox offers information, facts and tips that can help patients and family members navigate through the morass.
“I have seen some alarming situations that nursing school never prepared me for,” Dr. Wilcox said. “Not being prepared and knowledgeable means you will have little control over the health care you receive.”
His goal in writing this book was to level the playing field, enabling consumers of health care to understand how to avoid getting caught in the systemic net.
In his own words, Dr. Wilcox’s book explores “what to do if you have to go to a hospital, how to handle an insurance company’s claim denial, how to find an alternative to high-priced prescriptions and why the current pay-for-fee system is inadequate. You will also discover the direction the healthcare system needs to move in, to holistically care for you, the patient … information that the health care entities would prefer you didn’t know.”
Dr. David Wilcox is an Amazon international bestselling author and health care professional who believes proactive patient education enables those accessing the healthcare system to be better partners in their health care. He also believes that everyone has the right to access the American Healthcare System safely. A Doctorate-prepared nurse who also holds a Master’s in Health Administration and is Board Certified in Nursing Informatics, Dr. Wilcox has nearly three decades of health care experience as a bedside nurse, hospital administrator and in health care information technology, which has helped him to develop his unique perspective on the American Healthcare System. For more information, please visit https://drdavidwilcox.com/.
How to Avoid Being a Victim of the American Healthcare System: A Patient’s Handbook for Survival Publisher: Here for You Publishing ISBN-10: 0578878364 ISBN-13: 978-0578878362 Available now at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578878364
Trish Stevens Alex Spencer Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
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How does a nation, and a world, respond to one of the greatest public health crises of our times? And at what cost?
With the logic of a lawyer and the scientific expertise of an immunologist, Hugh McTavish, J.D., Ph.D., walks readers through the COVID-19 pandemic and the policy decisions that were made to keep the virus in check in his eye-opening book, COVID Lockdown Insanity. Dr. McTavish’s fact-filled exploration reaches beyond the simple metrics of case and death counts and reveals the unsettling consequences of society’s responses to this disease. His careful examination of the scientific evidence related to COVID-19 transmission and his analyses of both the human and economic costs of the lockdown strategy illuminate the dysfunctionality of the government’s policy response. In the end, he lights a path toward making more enlightened decisions that offer hope of real solutions.
In the book, Dr. McTavish dissects the data that shows:
The COVID lockdowns threw 63 million Americans into major depression.
All evidence suggests that the lockdown response to COVID failed to decrease COVID deaths at all.
Even if the lockdowns prevented 200,000 COVID deaths, which they probably did not, the lockdowns caused more loss of life in increased suicides, drug overdose deaths, cancer deaths and heart disease deaths than they saved in prevented COVID deaths.
For every 1 COVID death prevented, the lockdowns caused these harms: 1/3 of a death of despair (suicide or drug overdose); 316 people thrown into major depression; 127 people out of work; 350 students out of school; 1,640 people denied the right to live their lives as they wish.
Mask wearing has “little or no effect” on COVID cases or deaths.
Hand washing and hand sanitizer use is the best intervention and could dramatically reduce COVID deaths, but this was underemphasized.
Asymptomatic people very rarely spread COVID.
Children do not spread COVID, and closing schools had no effect on COVID spread at all, and we knew that by the summer of 2020, and CDC staff wrote a paper saying so in January 2021.
In conclusion, Dr. McTavish says, “Lockdowns have no advantage at all. If you think life is better than death, a long life is better than a shorter life, happiness is better than depression, more money is better than less, education is better than ignorance, child abuse and domestic abuse are bad things, and more personal freedom is better than less, then you agree the lockdowns were a mistake.”
Hugh McTavish is a Ph.D. biochemist and immunologist and a patent attorney. He has authored 18 refereed scientific journal articles and is the inventor of 21 U.S. patents. He has also written two prior books on public policy and nature. He has started two pharmaceutical companies off his own inventions. He lives near St. Paul, Minnesota.
For more information, please visit HughMcTavish.com and COVID-Sanity.org, or follow him on Twitter (@covid-sanity).
COVID Lockdown Insanity: The COVID Deaths It Prevented, the Depression and Suicides it Caused, What We Should Have Done, and What It Shows We Could Do Now to Address Real Crises Publisher: West Fork Press ISBN-10: 1737327112 ISBN-13: 978-1737327110 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Ben Marshall Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
A Meaningful Message for Early Readers: Now What? Celebrates Gift of the Present
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From the creators of the critically-acclaimed It’s Just So… book series comes the gift of imagination with the playful new children’s book Now What?. Award-winning author Brenda Faatz and illustrator Peter Trimarco craft humor and mindfulness into a picture book that speaks to young and old alike.
Now What? celebrates friendship, whimsy and the power of good old-fashioned, screen-free fun through the adventures of precocious, redhead Lizzy, her amusing animal sidekick, and Luna, a new neighbor from the Caribbean, as they discover ways to entertain themselves through an otherwise very gray day!
The contagiously enthusiastic Lizzy and her story spring to life, with lyrical rhyme, colorful illustrations, and playful onomatopoeia. There are new friends, new discoveries, and the new realization that often, the best of times are “right now.”
Written with young children ages 4 to 8 in mind, Now What? has been praised by Kirkus Reviews as “A lively, innovative story of friendship that encourages readers to think creatively
With its subtle yet effective messaging, Now What? is an engaging picture walk for little ones, a fun read-aloud for older kiddos, and gives readers of all ages a little something to giggle and think about.
Brenda Faatz has an undeniable connection with children. Some say it’s because they instinctively know “one of their own.” A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Musical Theatre, Brenda is a professional singer, dancer, actor, writer and director. Having established herself on stages from Minneapolis to Aspen, Boulder and Denver, Brenda has turned her talents to creating fresh content for youngsters. She has penned music, lyrics and scripts for original musical theatre works for children and is the founder and director of the Notable Kids Arts Center in Denver. While collaborating with her husband and illustrator Peter Trimarco, Brenda has authored the award-winning It’s Just So … children’s book series.
Peter Trimarco started his professional doodling career as an editorial cartoonist before turning to commercial art and designing packaging for both the film and music industries. Along the way, he also established himself on the business side of music as an executive producer and creative director on over 40 productions, with two going on to garner Grammy nominations. Currently focusing on children’s book publishing, he is on the Board of IBPA and is serving as President of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation in Colorado. In addition to designing album covers and book covers, he is the illustrator of Ella McBella In The Dark by Laura Pells, and the It’s Just So … book series.
Now What? Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing ISBN-10: 1733354824 ISBN-13: 978-1733354820 Available from Bookshop.org, BN.com, Indiebound.org, Amazon.com, and distributed through Independent Publishers Group.
Trish Stevens Kelly Newsome Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Overcoming Awkward Aims to Help Introverts Thrive in the Workplace
(This press release may be reprinted in part or in entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)
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Some people are electrified by the idea of business networking events, cold-calling and striking up conversations with total strangers. But for introverts, new people, new places and new challenges can trigger a knee-jerk reaction to run and hide.
To thrive in any industry where success hinges heavily on an ability to build relationships, an introvert must break free from crippling shyness and social anxiety. Here to help is bona fide introvert master marketer Monica Parkin.
In her ground-breaking new book, Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales, Parkin shares actionable strategies to create connections, build relationships, and establish loyal, repeat customers.
“How did a shy, socially awkward introvert like me turn into a master relationship builder?” Parkin asks. “Well, the answer is that you can evolve. … I was making myself crazy with all the social cues I did not understand and wondered why this comes so naturally to some people but was so impossibly hard for me. Today, I love the opportunity to go to events, meet people, hear people’s stories and build relationships. I can have the best of both worlds now, and so can you.”
Part memoir, part instruction guide, Overcoming Awkward reveals Parkin’s private struggles, shared with candid honesty and vulnerability. Her “one step at a time” approach, punctuated with personal anecdotes and humor, is easy to follow and implement.
In Overcoming Awkward, readers will learn:
How to overcome social fears;
How to build relationships effortlessly;
Effective social media marketing;
How to sow seeds for organic growth;
How to win over angry clients;
How to expand their comfort zone;
The value of expert mentorship;
And so much more.
“This is the definitive guide you’ve been waiting for,” Parkin adds. “Gone is the advice to introverts that they must learn to take on a persona that is light years away from who they really are. You will finally be free to just be you and will discover that your vibe attracts your tribe.”
Monica Parkin is a licensed mortgage broker and successful serial entrepreneur. She is an award-winning international speaker and the host of the Juggling without Balls podcast. She is also a self-professed introvert and crazy goat lady who lives on a small farm with an assortment of furry creatures. She loves to hear feedback from readers and looks forward to opportunities to speak on topics that empower others to feel more connected, confident and successful.
Overcoming Awkward: The Introvert’s Guide to Networking, Marketing, and Sales ISBN-13: 979-8773835998 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com and Goodreads
Trish Stevens Andrea Harding Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Grocery Store Worker Shares Pandemic’s Widespread Impact as Supply Chain Issues Continue
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Former grocery store cashier Adam Kaat likens his 18 months on the grocery line to a “fever dream” or “getting hit by wave after wave at high tide.” Kaat witnessed firsthand the devastation — and desperation — stoked by an invisible, deadly force as the pandemic of 2020 unfolded. He shares his unforgettable experiences in the powerful new book, Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic.
“Everything happened overnight,” Kaat recalls in a recent interview. “All of a sudden, you had people with mounds of groceries. Every conversation was about the virus. Every conversation was political. People became polarized immediately.”
In his book, Kaat takes readers into the eye of the storm, where some of the workforce’s lowest paid employees ride a daily maelstrom of empty shelves, angry customers, uncertainty and paranoia. He describes what it was like to be “the gatekeeper to food,” often joined by a police officer as he monitored the number of shoppers permitted in the store.
He tells his riveting story through the eyes of a character named Daniel, who watches from the frontlines as the frenzied panic caused by COVID surges like a tidal wave across his home state of Colorado. Now, he’s suddenly being called a hero just for showing up at his job, and he isn’t sure how to feel about that.
Daniel sees fear in the eyes of some customers and hostility in others, as he does his best to hold his head high and just keep making it from one shift to the next. And along the way, he learns more than he ever expected to about humanity’s response to fear, observing most prominently the way in which some people look down on the very workers they deem “essential.”
At its core, Life on the Grocery Line is about a test of the human spirit — a 21st century manifestation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea.
Author Adam Jonathan Kaat worked in a grocery store as a cashier and then as a prepared foods supervisor from January 2020 until May 2021. After college, he bounced around through the corporate world until leaving it all behind in the Fall of 2019 to write his first novel. By January 2020, he had taken a job as a cashier to earn money while preserving mental energy for his creative pursuits. He got much more than he bargained for when COVID hit. He began to blog about his experiences as a frontline worker, and 15,000 Facebook followers later, Life on the Grocery Line was born.
For more information and to read Kaat’s blog, please visit www.lifeonthegroceryline.com; or connect with the author on Instagram (@kaatadam), Facebook (@lifeonthegroceryline) or Twitter (lifeonthegroce1).
Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic Publisher: Inspired Forever Publishing ISBN-10: 1948903326 ISBN-13: 978-1948903325 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Carmen James Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
