Daria Anne DiGiovanni

I attribute my success to following my intuition and guidance. For example, last year when I was still at the agency, I had this feeling to get back in touch with Michelle and call her, and it was the best decision because she needed me and had ghostwriting clients, and we've been working together ever since. I also think having a strong support system has been crucial. I've been very blessed with a loving, supportive family, and I've met people professionally who have been teachers to me, like my friend who told me to start getting a writing portfolio together when I was frustrated about wanting to be a writer. Teachers come in all different forms - it could be a person, a book, or even a conversation you have with somebody at the grocery store. You just have to pay attention and always be growing, trying to get better, and being of service to other people too. I think it's really important to be aware of what's going on in your community and just do what you can in your little corner of the world to make it a better place.

The best piece of advice anyone ever gave me professionally came from a friend in my business networking group, the Association of Professional Women. This was back in the late 90s, before blogs and all that stuff. She said to me one day, 'You need to get a writing portfolio together, and you've got to go find ways to get published.' Even though I had always wanted to be a writer since I was little, I had gone on all these detours along the way, working jobs I didn't like because I lacked confidence for some reason. Her advice led me to write that story about my brother Ralph, and I submitted it to a local paper in South Florida. That actually led to me, on a volunteer basis, being a features writer for them, and it helped me get a portfolio together. That really started to open doors for me. Looking back, that's probably the best piece of advice that anyone's ever given me professionally.

I would say follow your intuition. I believe very strongly in having a spiritual practice and really just taking the time - you know, whatever it is for everybody, it's going to look a little bit different - but to journal. One of the reasons I get up so early is because that quiet time in the morning kind of helps me set up the rest of my day. So set up some type of personal growth practice, and whether it's spiritual (for me it is, because I do believe in God), but just taking that time and journaling, and constantly reading and learning from other people. And just believe in yourself and go for it. I also think it's important to be aware that teachers come in all different forms - it could be a person, it could be a book, it could be a conversation you have with somebody at the grocery store. Just pay attention and always be growing, trying to get better, and being of service to other people too. Be aware of what's going on in your community and just do what you can in your little corner of the world to make it a better place.

AI has been a bit of a challenge in my industry, although I do think that research shows people crave authenticity, so more and more business people are realizing that they still need the help of someone to put a book together. So that's getting a little bit easier. Personally, my challenge is what a lot of solopreneurs face - I'm my own assistant and have to do all the podcast post-production, social media scheduling, email marketing, and all that kind of stuff, which is time-consuming. One of my goals is to be able to hire an assistant who can do those things. In my industry overall, I think it's about overcoming the AI thing, which like I said is getting better, and helping people understand the value of what I do and what we do together. I think once people work with us, they see that value. But it is a challenge in this age of ChatGPT and Claude and everything else that's out there.

I would say integrity is most important to me - showing up when you say you're going to show up. Being honest with people, calling people back, and showing up consistently. While all these modern conveniences are wonderful, I think the whole concept of ghosting is really sad. I think some people have lost their humanity. If you're going to say you're going to do something, then do it. One thing my mom and dad always raised us to do was honor your commitments. When you receive that first invitation and you accept it, you honor that invitation. I don't care what else comes up, what other opportunities or other invitations - if you've made that first commitment, you always honor that. I try to live by that. And I also try to be as helpful as I can too.