Katrina Hicks interviews freelance writer and content creator, Trish Mann. Based in Ohio, USA Trish contributes her writing skills by blogging, as well as also writing for Medium. Trish has also has voluntary experiences, having served as president and co-founder of women’s investmemt group – “TickerCHXs” and “Women’s of Grace Women’s Ministry”.
Trish and I recently connected online and we sit down to share our experiences as women freelance writers, raising children whilst juggling work and why goal-setting is so important.
Katrina: “Hi Trish, thank you again for agreeing to chat with me! Tell me – what keeps you busy professionally at present?”
Trish: “Hi Katrina, I have been looking forward meeting with you. I am very excited to be part of your work. You have interviewed some amazing people and I am honored to be included.
“I am currently busy on multiple fronts. I recently started a 30 day writing course, in addition to my regular writing schedule. A few weeks ago I landed a regular writing assignment with a local magazine!”
Katrina: “Congratulations! You appear to be very family-orientated. As a Mother and a Grandmother, what’s your secret to juggling it all so graciously?”
Trish: “Thank you for asking about my family. They are all very important to me and are part of why I do what I do. Fortunately, technology is a big help as it lets me face time the Grandkids that live a little further away, and this helps us to bond over the little things. I am also blessed with a wonderful husband who loves family time as much as I do”.
Katrina: “Being a working parent myself, the only time I really get to creatively write is during my own ‘down-time’. I’ll admit, it can be very easy to lose focus professionally when I am so busy personally! What advice would you provide for me?”
Trish: “First of all, I have the utmost respect for working parents. I honestly do not know how you do it. I know that is not much help. But the one thing I have learned over the years is you can not neglect yourself when it comes to taking care of your other responsibilities. Whether it is writing, a hobby, or a passion for your work – it is important to have a life of balance and that means making sure you have yourself included in the priorities. The best way to remain at your best for others is to feed your own soul regularly in whatever manner that works for you”.
Katrina: “I love that advice Trish and you’re so right, we can not perform at our best when we aren’t nurturing our own selves! On another note, what are your career highlights? Tell me some more about those experiences?”
Trish: “That’s a tough one as I am fairly new to freelance work myself. But I am proud of various parts of my life, although they were not always in a professionally paying way.
“Probably my most proud moment as of today, would be starting a women’s ministry at my church many years ago. It was something I had never done before, and it took a lot of planning and studying to layout a structure which would operate for years to come. It challenged me to learn not just how to organize and bring in others to lead, but to step out of my comfort zone and do something that had far reaching implications. I believe that experience was what gave me the confidence to continue trying new things and putting my work out into the public eye”.
Katrina: “You have every right of be proud of that! As I am still fairly new to freelance work, what lessons have you learnt yourself from writing over the years?”
Trish: “I believe the most important lessons are;
1. Always challenge yourself to go higher than you did the day before.
2. Always remember how far you have come and that there is always more work to be done.
3. Take time away from work. You need to re-energize yourself and remember there is a world outside of work, no matter how much pleasure it brings now.
4. Trust yourself. You are smarter than you think you are, and you have something someone in the world needs right now. Not tomorrow – today”.
Katrina: “Did you set out any resolutions for 2022?”
Trish: “I have always been a goal-oriented person. Now that’s not to say I always stick close to those goals. I get sidetracked just as much and sometimes more than the next person. But I believe goals give us a target – it is important to build a framework to achieve those goals. Without steps along the way, a goal will always be out of reach”.
Katrina: “Thank you once again, Trish. It truly has been a pleasure. Do keep in touch and all the best for the upcoming year!”
Trish: “Thank you, Katrina. This has been an amazing experience and I am so glad I have gotten to know you and your fascinating work”.
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