I hope you are enjoying your summer! I'm just back from a vacation in Miscou Island that included mackerel fishing and spending time with extended family, some of whom I hadn’t seen for over ten years. I’ve also had some special events with neighbours that included a fabulous lunch with 9 great women who live on my street. Not surprisingly, I’ve had no time to research a health blog for this week. This is how to take a vacation from retirement, I guess! I hope your summer is including similar activities…
So, instead of a health blog, this week, I thought I’d tell you a little about me – why I blog and how I got started writing.
I’ve been writing for a long time – probably over 20 years – usually volunteering to write an article for a local newspaper or a pharmacy journal. I have always liked sharing what I know, with the hopes that my knowledge may help someone. I quickly discovered that I enjoy writing and that I continually learn as I research new information for my articles.
But when I owned my pharmacy, it was also a great way to promote my business at the same time. As a pharmacist, I certainly preferred having clients, new and old, come to my store because they were looking for help with a health problem, rather than just to pick up something that was on sale (especially non-pharmacy items!).
When I first started my pharmacy in the mid-90s, a good friend and mentor, who already owned her own business, suggested I host a short seminar at my pharmacy. I had already spoken to a support group of parents with children who had asthma, so my first talk was already prepared.
The asthma talk was a great success, and afterward I was able to help one attendee, who was being treated for asthma, to learn that he actually had an incorrect diagnosis. He had asked me about the difference between asthma and a condition called Sarcoidosis, which he had been diagnosed with 10 years earlier. The symptoms are similar but the treatment is different. It was very rewarding to know I played a part in the dramatic recovery he experienced once he started taking the correct medication. Now, 20 years later, most pharmacists are compensated by Medicare to do this type of work, and it’s called a Medication Assessment.
I decided to host an event once a month, researching and writing presentations on many different topics. I learned a lot in the process, as I organized what I already knew and learned more with each presentation. It was also another effective way to promote my pharmacy as a place to learn about medications and the diseases they treat. I began receiving invitations to speak to various groups and, as they say, the rest is history… as my husband and I built a successful pharmacy business together.
I found I really enjoyed writing so, when I retired from active pharmacy practice, I decided to continue. In addition to writing articles for a national pharmacy journal, Pharmacy Practice Plus, I have been working on a book based on the specialized hormone work I did for clients for over 10 years. I hope that my book will help to inform women about how their reproductive systems work, how hormones function in the body, and what options are available to treat hormone imbalances. Through my work with women, I learned that greater understanding can help women communicate their hormonal issues more effectively with their physicians.
One recommendation for writers is to develop a “platform” – a way to reach potential readers. Hosting a blog and developing a list of subscribers is one suggested component of a good platform, as well as developing a following on social media, such as Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn. This was my inspiration to start my blog, as well as to set up a Facebook page and social media accounts. This gives me several ways to share the link to my weekly blog and reach out to people who are interested in learning about health issues.
“Likes” and “shares” on social media are positive parts of a writer’s platform, but a list of subscribers is the most helpful when talking to publishers. So, if you enjoy my blog, can you please subscribe to it, as this will help me to find a publisher for my book! I promise I will never share your email address – I use my list only to send a link to my weekly blog and, eventually, to tell you when my book is available.
As well as clicking the pop-up window (sorry about that irritating function, but blogging experts say they do work!) I also have a “Join my mailing list” box on the right side of my blog page. On a phone or tablet, scroll to the bottom to find the box.
And if you know someone who might also appreciate the information I share, please pass along my link: http://jeanniebeaudin.wixsite.com/author or just tell them to Google “Jeannie Beaudin blog” to find me! I really appreciate it, and you just might help me to get my book published sometime in the (hopefully) near future!
Thank you for your support!
