Promote Your Book Podcast with Cindy Hyde
Discover new books and learn about the authors who created them. Authors, reach out to millions of potential readers who love your genre. Enjoy fun and engaging conversations with authors of various genres who share their stories. Solo episodes with tips and tools for all authors, writers, and readers from A Workbook for Writers Who Want to Be Authors or Authorpreneurs by Author Cindy Hyde.
Cindy's books can be found on amazon.com/author/cindyhyde
Connect with Cindy at www.cindlhyde.com.
Promote Your Book Podcast with Cindy Hyde
The Resilient Heart: Kimberly's Journey of Healing and Hope Through Poetry
Have you ever wondered how the arts can heal the soul? Join me, Cindy Hyde, as we venture into the heartrending world of Kimberly, a woman whose life was forever altered by a traumatic brain injury but found solace and strength in the rhythms of poetry. Discover the profound transformation that unfolded when she turned to verse for therapy, and learn how her early love for poetry, kindled at the age of 10, became her lifeline through the complexities of TBI recovery. Her story isn't just one of personal triumph; it's a beacon for others navigating similar dark waters, proving that the pen can indeed be mightier than the sword.
This episode is an ode to resilience, a tribute to the human spirit's indomitable ability to rise from adversity. Kimberly isn't just a survivor; she's a warrior who channels her experience into advocacy, education, and support for fellow TBI survivors. As we journey through her involvement in healing art classes and support groups, we uncover the essential role that community, self-expression, and creativity play in the healing process. And through her poetry, brimming with divine love and resilience, Kimberly offers not just a coping mechanism but a source of eternal hope for anyone facing their own battles. Join us and feel the transformative power of her words.
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Thank you for listening to today's episode. We'd love to hear from you! Please like, share, and comment below. Your passion for books and their authors is the heartbeat of our community. I'm excited to hear your story next! Schedule your author interview at calendly.com/cindylhyde. It's a fantastic opportunity to spotlight your book! Until next time, keep those pages turning!
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Kimberly Vega: KimberlyVega.me
Welcome to the Promote your Book Podcast, your ultimate destination for all things literary. I'm Cindy Hyde, your host author and fellow book enthusiast. Join me each week as we shine a spotlight on talented authors, including myself, exploring our journeys, our stories and the magic behind our books. Authors, here's why you should be excited about promoting your book on our podcast. Not only will you reach a dedicated audience of book lovers hungry for new reads, but you'll also get the chance to share your unique perspective, connect with readers on a personal level and build valuable relationships within the literary community.
Speaker 1:So, whether you're a debut author or a seasoned pro, this is your platform to showcase your work, expand your audience and leave a lasting impression. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to elevate your book and connect with readers who are eager to discover new stories. Thank you for joining us today. The title of the book is A Collection of Prophetic Poems an ebb and flow from heaven's realm. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Promote your Book podcast. With me, your host, cindy Hyde, let's dig into the transforming power of poetry. Kimberly, thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me, Cindy. It's a pleasure to be on the Promote your Book podcast.
Speaker 1:It's a pleasure having you and thank you for coming on and talking about your book of poetry. You actually have a couple of more coming out that we'll talk about a little later on in the podcast, but Kimberly and I have worked together for the past 11 years at the East Texas Healing Center and Kimberly's journey as a poet is deeply inspiring, especially considering her experience as a traumatic brain injury survivor. Kimberly is one of our ordained ministers with a passion for helping others, especially abused women, the homeless and traumatic brain survivors. She has certificates that prove her seriousness and dedication to continue educating herself to better help and advocate for others. Could you share with our listeners a bit about your journey and how poetry became a means of healing for you?
Speaker 2:Absolutely, cindy. My journey with poetry began as a form of therapy during my recovery process, as I was surviving a traumatic brain injury, I struggled to articulate my emotions and experiences verbally. Writing poetry became a way for me to express what I was feeling when words failed me. It was a carthatic or purging process, a way to navigate through the darkness and find glimpses of light and hope.
Speaker 1:At what age did you actually start writing poetry? Was it when the brain injury happened? Tell us your story. What age were you? What event happened? What was your recovery process like? What makes you who you are? So I know that we're doing an author interview for your book and we'll get into that in a moment, but I want to focus on TBIs for a few more minutes. And you are a TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury Advocate now. And how can you encourage other TBI or traumatic brain injury advocate now and how can you encourage other TBI survivors? What age were you when you started writing poetry?
Speaker 2:I believe I was at the age of about 10 or 11 when I decided that I really wanted to express my feelings and my emotions as a little girl. To express my feelings and my emotions as a little girl. I didn't have a lot of people to talk to, a lot of people to help me understand some of the things that I was going through at that young age, and so my poetry became my avenue. I knew that there were, even from a young age, I knew that I had a different way of expressing my feelings. I knew that there was a gift that was a part of my expression Interesting. I learned that quickly.
Speaker 2:When I would sit down and begin to write, it would flow so easily and I could find words that I've never spoken before. Wow. I knew, you know, with each one of my poems that I became more and more confident and more and more encouraged to write those poems out. I remember, as a young girl, having books upon books, upon books, and they would be just about everywhere in my room and I would just throw them in the corner. But I didn't, you know, I didn't have the idea that someday I would be writing a book. That was the last thing that came across my mind. I had no idea that at some point in my life that I would become an actual author until, of course, I became one of your students with the Healing Center.
Speaker 1:Well, I think many of us could share that same sentiment about. I never thought that I would become an author. I hated reading books when I was in high school, In fact. I never thought that I would become an author. I hated reading books when I was in high school, In fact, I never finished reading a book. I read just enough of the book to be able to do the book report, and that was it. I hated to read.
Speaker 2:I think I felt the same way. There were certain books that I could read and I just couldn't really understand them and I didn't really enjoy them, especially if they were just kind of like lulling through there. Not much mystery, not much hype in the book, didn't really give you like a picture. My thing is I like to see books paint pictures for me.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, those are the best books ever my imagination with reading.
Speaker 2:A book likes to grow and it likes to go in different places and of course it likes to travel. I like to see the exotic things in a book and imagine that I'm in those places, and that's where my poetry comes from, from a deep place.
Speaker 1:From a very deep place, or should we say from a very high place.
Speaker 2:It comes from a very high place. After my first adventure with actually publishing a book, I learned that I was not alone, that there was assistance with writing that book, and it came from a heavenly place. It came from a heavenly voice. The Holy Spirit has been my best friend when I'm writing my books. Even the traumas, the surviving mode that I've had to go on through with each one of my journeys, has become an aid in writing my book. All of my emotions. Well, from those places they give me the words, they give me the power, they give me the strength I need and they teach me things. With each one of my poems it teaches me how to outgrow my emotions and go into a different place.
Speaker 1:To see them from a different perspective. Maybe, yes, is that what you're saying? Yes, is there still emotions, but you have a different outlook, a different perspective on the emotions yes, of course I'm in a healing place now.
Speaker 2:Not when I started out on my journey, I was still sort of broken, still dealing with things, but now from a healing place, from a place of having the assistance of God and the Holy Spirit and my love for Jesus, from a place of having the assistance of God and the Holy Spirit and my love for Jesus, even my love for heaven, because it's been one of my most favorite visited places of all times.
Speaker 1:You're going to have to talk to us about that, but first would you tell us what happened that caused you to have a TBI when I was 18 years old, I was enduring some abuse at home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was speeding down the highway 60 miles an hour and I stood up on it thinking I just wanted for a minute to just feel the wind blow through my hair and have all the freedom in the world. And a sudden rush of adrenaline. And within five seconds of standing up in that vehicle, my life changed forever Did the wind just swoop you out the back of the truck?
Speaker 1:You were in a truck and you stood up and they called it wind surfing. It was called wind surfing. I remember you telling me that wind surfing it's like what?
Speaker 2:It was like standing on.
Speaker 1:The things we do for adrenaline rushes.
Speaker 2:It was like standing on a surfing board, only it was a side of a truck and I had my hand on the top of the truck holding on to it.
Speaker 1:Wait, you were standing on the rail of the bed, not in the bed, correct?
Speaker 2:No, it is not the best decision in the world. It was probably the most ignorant decisions I could have made in my life, oh my goodness. But for better or worse, I am today.
Speaker 2:here you are writing books, writing books exploring worlds of heaven and god and jesus, thanking god that I'm still here. My personality did take a major change. Um, there are still struggles that I face daily with my rest, with my sleeping, even my appetite in my body, the way it reacts to things differently sounds and people, and being in certain areas. But I use all those things to teach me how to advocate for other people, to explain what it's like to have a TBI and live with it almost every day for 25 years.
Speaker 1:That has to be beyond challenging. I know, over the last 11 years that we've worked together at the Healing Center, that I've noticed things that are a direct result of TBI, like sometimes confusion, sometimes losing your words or not being able to think of the word. Well, heck, I do that now, but it's not because of the TBI. In what ways do you advocate for those that have TBIs?
Speaker 2:Some of the ways that I like to advocate, of course, is going to be this next book that's going to be coming out, Healing the Little Girl Inside. Of course, that's really exciting for me. That's my entire life story, my second book, my entire life story in poetry form that is just amazing.
Speaker 1:I know that as I have edited the book. It is, it's powerful. I appreciate you releasing your story in that form because it's to me it's more palatable for people who have been wounded and for people who go through serious things in life. To put it in that form is not as in your face, or a slap in the face or a direct hit to the tenderness that's inside sometimes when we've had a rough time.
Speaker 2:Well, my hope is, through the book it's not just my story, but I wrote it in a way to where others can relate to it if they've gone through any form of trauma or abuse You're healing the little girl with you too.
Speaker 2:Yes, my hope is that the book will encourage someone, let them know that they have not gone through these things alone as a child. Many of us face trauma, many of us face abuses, and it's comforting to know that you're not alone, that someone else can understand how it was like to overcome. And as the book gets closer to the end, it becomes more encouraging. No-transcript.
Speaker 1:I like. One of the things that you told me before was that having supportive people around you to help encourage you, remind you that you're able to overcome more than you think and that you're not alone. I love how you said that. And there are many resources and how can people contact you.
Speaker 2:They can contact me. They can contact me through my email kvegaadvocacy at gmailcom. They can also find me on facebook. I also make tiktok videos and will be making more tiktok videos, not only about my poetry but what it's like to live with tbi, and some of those are going to be very funny videos. Even though they may not be funny to go through those things, it makes them more relatable, absolutely. It takes something that was tragic, something that was life altering, and gives us an opportunity to say, hey, it happened. This is what I deal with Now. I get to laugh a little, even at myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's the important part An author and a poet and a TBI advocate, but you're also a motivational life the importance of advocating for others, teaching life and coaching skills as a certified life coach and how to be as powerful in it as seeking that therapy.
Speaker 2:I offer healing art classes, which is one of my absolute favorites support groups to help those with TBI, and also speak about abuse with women who have suffered domestic violence. I like to teach and educate the community to make it less for lack of a better word less offensive when people start using things like traumatic brain injury. There's a heavy stigma on the community and even in the doctors and the therapists that we see as survivors. It has been a difficult journey with the TBI. Whenever you go to a doctor or if you go to a therapist and they say you should simply be over that.
Speaker 2:It's been 25 years. It's taken me 11 just to come to this point much less the 25 that I've already had to overcome. Every year is a new challenge, a new set of skills that I have to learn Every year. Every day, every week, I learn a new skill, I learn a new way to cope with things and, of course, having that support group in you, which you've been one of my best friends over these past 11 years, writing my books has been one of my most amazing venues and avenues of being able to get those things out that I feel that sometimes we can't talk to everyone about.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Well, you know, I haven't experienced a TBI that I know of. But saying that it is hard to talk to people who have not experienced and who do not understand what you're saying. They've not experienced. So it is harder for us to understand. Even when you tell us the symptoms, it's like oh yeah, whatever, and people just don't get it sometimes. So what do you want to say to people that suffer from traumatic brain injuries?
Speaker 2:I would like to say to them you're not alone. That's good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there are others out there that go through the same struggles maybe different struggles, but in the same way. There are lots of challenges, but you're not by yourself. There are resources, there are websites, there are Facebook groups, there are support groups in just about every state and even in countries I've never even seen or heard of. The more I research about TBI and resources, the more I learn about it, because that's how I had to self-advocate for myself. Simply going on the Internet opened a new door for me to understand my symptoms and realize and teach myself. I'm not making it up.
Speaker 2:These are very real things, and my prayer, my hope is that other TBI survivors will start reaching out and learning how to advocate for themselves, and then for others and then advocate for others. It has been work the last 11 years to advocate, to educate, to give back some sort of hope.
Speaker 1:That's good. I'm proud of you for doing all that. I've seen you overcome one major setback after another and your resiliency has always impressed me. You have taken the worst of the worst situations and you've turned it around time and again, and you've healed enough to reach out and help others, and it's a beautiful thing to behold. An ebb and flow from heaven's realm has touched the hearts of many with its profound messages and spiritual depth. Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this collection and the themes you explore in your poetry?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. In my book, A Collection of Prophetic Poems, I take readers on a passionate journey through my frequent supernatural encounters with the voice and heart of God. Each poem and song within this collection bears witness to and glorifies the profound love of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, resonating within the soul through the melody of their divine words. They were gifted to me from the heavenly realm. These poems usher in personal healing and profoundly impact the heart with their message. Through the simplicity of its language, this collection conveys a personal message of love and hope, reaching people from all walks of life and reminding us of the unbreakable love that emanates from the divine source.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's beautiful. I edited and helped you self-publish your collection of poems. I edited and helped you self-publish your collection of poems and I can attest to the fact that they are impactful, insightful and divinely inspired. You shared with me about first poet in your life. Do you want to talk about that?
Speaker 2:The first poet in my life was my Nana, whom my book, a Collection of Prophetic Poems, is actually dedicated to Bible class teacher my first art teacher and she would read me some of the poems that she wrote down in her book, her own personal book. Not only was she a poet, but also her daughter, my aunt, was also a poet, and she's gotten books and stacks of poems that she wrote herself Published Not published but they've been an inspiration to me, especially my sweet Nana. I learned everything my first things in life with my Nana and when I dedicated the book to her after her passing in 2018, I always wanted to give her something back and show the world how much she loved me, and that book was my way of doing that.
Speaker 1:Oh, in that book you wrote a poem about a necklace that she. You want to tell that story.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness, I love that story. My Nana made a necklace of multicolored beads that she would let me wear to church every Sunday, and every Sunday I would fidget and play with that necklace until it broke and, of course, my Nana would get up, move around in the pews, pick up all the little pieces, put them back together again and get it all ready for me to go back to the next Sunday service.
Speaker 2:And my Nana was like that in my life as well. Every time the pieces of my life would fall apart, my grandmother would gather up the pieces, talk to me about the love of God and the forgiveness of God. She would fix my necklace all together and put it back around my neck, and I just knew that everything was going to be okay.
Speaker 1:Oh, what a beautiful story I never get tired of hearing. Never get rid of hearing it. Tell us what style poetry you write.
Speaker 2:My poetry does not rhyme. There are, I believe they're called prose or posies, something. To that extent they're a freestyle. I simply just let them flow, let them kind of create their self. When I start bringing the words together their own story.
Speaker 1:They tell their own story.
Speaker 2:They have their own rhythm, their own rhyme. Once I'm down to the bottom of the page and I read it back over, I can see the movement in the poems. I can see the words come together like a dance.
Speaker 1:That's a beautiful analogy. It makes music. You are currently writing your new book. Your upcoming book sounds incredibly moving. Can you give us a sneak peek into what readers can expect from this new collection? Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Healing the Little Girl Inside is a deeply personal project for me. It delves into the inner wounds and traumas that we carry from childhood and the journey toward healing and self-empowerment. Through poetry, I explore themes of self-love, forgiveness and inner transformation, offering readers a path towards healing and reclaiming their inner strength wow, it sounds like a powerful journey of self-discovery and healing.
Speaker 1:When can your readers expect the release of your second book?
Speaker 2:we are launching the new book in spring of 2024. We're about halfway finished with the editing, formatting and proofreading and all the things it takes before a book is ready for self-publishing.
Speaker 1:Yes, all the things. And your third book, unbreakable Minds, navigating Traumatic Brain Injury. We know what inspired you to write your story, but tell us a little about the third book that you are probably what halfway through it as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm already halfway through the next book, the title unbreakable minds navigating traumatic brain injury. It speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. It's about those moments of sudden clarity or realization that changes everything, the moments that shatter us but also reveal in our inner strength and resilience. In this book I explore things of overcoming adversity, finding strength in vulnerability and embracing the beauty of impermanence.
Speaker 1:Your resilience and strength are truly inspiring, Kimberly. Before we wrap up, do you have any advice for aspiring poets or writers who may be facing their own challenges?
Speaker 2:My advice would be to embrace your unique voice and experiences. Your words have the power to touch the hearts and inspire change. So don't be afraid to share your truth with the world. And remember healing is a journey, so be gentle with yourself along the way, and that journey is your journey. It's always going to be unique from someone else's. My hope, my prayer, is that when this podcast goes out, that it inspires everyone to take the opportunity to say, yes, I can write that book. As a matter of fact, you have a book, don't you, cindy? I hope that you can write that book.
Speaker 1:I do A word book for writers who want to be authors or entrepreneurs. You know that's one of my passions is helping other writers and poets and, you know, write their stories because we all have a story. Your story is so different than my story and my story is so different than you know the other stories, and we all have a unique voice. Like you said, we all have a unique voice. Like you said, we all have a unique voice, like you said, and I want for one. I love stories. I love the story about your Nana and the necklace the beaded necklace and how she would put it back together for you every time and how that symbolized strength and hope and that everything was going to be okay for you. And without stories as a culture, where would we be? Our brains are geared for stories, to understand stories and to process stories and to share stories. It's like Kimberly says healing is a journey.
Speaker 2:Everyone's journey will always be unique. It will never be the same for everyone. There's always going to be a different story, but in the end we hope it has the same impact, that our stories are healing the things we overcome, the things that we learn along the way through stories.
Speaker 2:We pass that wisdom down. We pass down that hope and we only hope that we learn along the way through stories. We pass that wisdom down, we pass down that hope and we only hope that we can become a glimmer of encouragement to someone what wise words.
Speaker 1:Indeed, you know, healing can take on so many forms, so many different ways to achieve healing. And if you're on a healing journey, kimberly and I really encourage you to find quotes, find affirmations on social media, find people that you can surround yourself with that will understand you, who will get you, who will support you on your healing journey don't get around people that's going to make it worse. No, we've both done that, haven't we, kimberly?
Speaker 2:Part of my journey has also been running into the negative naysayers, but that's okay, because now they've become an even more big of a launching pad for me because it's another area of my life that I want to grow in is to not let the negative things prevent me from doing the things that God has already put in my life to complete.
Speaker 1:The negative is always going to be there, but what are we going to choose to?
Speaker 2:focus on, focus on the positive things, the things we know we can accomplish for that moment.
Speaker 1:Your healing journey. Focus on your healing journey and let the Lord help you in that. We pray that something that we've said today blesses you. Kimberly Vega, it's been an absolute pleasure speaking with you today. Thank you for sharing your inspiring and insightful journey with us.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me, Cindy Hyde.
Speaker 1:It's been an absolute honor listening that wraps up today's episode of the promote your book podcast with me, cindy Hyde, your host and author. Thank you for joining us on this literary journey. Are you an author eager to share your story with our audience? Let's go do your own author interview with me by visiting our website. Until next time, keep writing and keep reading and keep telling stories.