Her Story
About Nanette
Nanette Buchanan is an author, motivational speaker, and transformational leader whose career spans law enforcement, education, and creative expression. She has been a published author since 2007 and continues to write novels and children's books that address themes such as mental mindset awareness, health issues, children's resilience, and suicide awareness. Prior to transitioning to full-time writing and speaking, Buchanan served for 25 years with the New Jersey Department of Corrections, retiring as a sergeant in 2018. She obtained instructor certification and taught courses on communication, leadership and management, report writing, stress management, suicide prevention, domestic violence, and drug identification at the New Jersey Department of Corrections Training Academy. She also wrote policies, procedures, and lesson plans for the state. Buchanan's educational background includes Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, and an associate's degree in special education from Brookdale College around 1993 or 1994. Her journey into youth advocacy began with coaching track and field at the Newark YMCA and Boys and Girls Club, leading to workshops and speaking engagements on behalf of the Department of Corrections. She remains active in speaking on topics influencing youth, women, and communities and is a member of the NAACP Women in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Across her career, Buchanan's work reflects a commitment to serving others through words, storytelling, and presence.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nanette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the topics I write about and people valuing what I say and write, as well as valuing me as a person. My initial audience was other correction officers who understood the emotional turmoil that comes with the job, the mental, spiritual, and physical toll that doesn't come off with the uniform. After retiring, it expanded to those who met me through that audience.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is don't stop. Hesitation or delay does not mean a forceful stop. If you're really looking for your purpose, you're not going to stop. Just keep going. Sometimes you might think this is it, I can't do this anymore, I'm not making any progress, but a hesitation or delay isn't the end if you're pursuing your purpose.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Really take a moment to think about the journey before starting. Plan things out like you would for a vacation. Know what tools and skills you need, what genre you're writing, and be prepared for the ups and downs including rejection, marketing, edits, industry standards like fonts and setups, barcodes, ISBNs, and workshops. Understand it's not always fun but the destination is rewarding if you conform to what's needed and don't quit.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is reaching the right people without a lot of overhead. You have many branches of ideas to get the work out but not enough resources or financial gains coming in to continue. You're always putting out money for promotions, websites, books for events, but at fifteen dollars a book or occasional speaking engagements, you're not putting back as much.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Professionalism and honesty are key. I don't like to give up attitude, so perseverance is important. You can't succeed without having a heart to do the work when things get rough, to stand up to negatives and find a way regardless. Failure is not an option. If this is what I want to do, then this is what I'm going to do. It might require a detour but I'm still going to get to the destination.
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