In this episode, Rhonda Parker Taylor and I talked about what it really means to find balance in life and business, how fiction can reflect our own personal growth, and the power of resilience when things don’t go as planned. It’s one of those chats that made me pause, think, and even feel a little seen, especially as a recovering workaholic. Definitely worth a listen if you’re navigating your own version of a crossroads.
Timestamps
01:15 Rhonda’s Book -> Crossroads
02:05 The Journey to Life Balance Workbook
03:28 Balancing Life and Business
11:58 Perseverance and Resilience in Business
14:22 Random Questions and Personal Insights
25:44 Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
28:17 Writing and Publishing a Book
🔗 Websites & Resources Mentioned
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When Fiction Meets Real Life
Rhonda Parker Taylor, the author of Crossroads, is more than just a novelist. She’s an educator, consultant, and coach who’s taken her experience in business and emotional intelligence and translated it into something approachable: storytelling.
Her characters? All out of balance.
The workaholic.
The law-and-order guy.
The loyal friend caught in a moral dilemma.
What makes Crossroads even more fascinating is how it ties directly into Rhonda’s upcoming workbook: The Journey to Life Balance. It uses the novel’s characters as case studies, making it part thriller, part mirror.
As Rhonda put it, “We all come to a crossroads where we have to decide what’s best for us.”
Why Balance Is More Than Just a Buzzword
For recovering workaholics (hi, hello 👋), life balance isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention. Rhonda teaches her students, and now readers, how to assess and align 13 dimensions of their life. Not just finances and career, but things like:
- Physical health
- Joy and creativity
- Emotional and mental wellbeing
- Spiritual growth
- Relationships
Her approach is grounded in emotional intelligence, practical tools, and good old-fashioned storytelling. Think of it like “fiction that reflects your own life back to you.”
Even Mariel Hemingway (yes, that Mariel Hemingway) endorsed Crossroads, calling it both entertaining and reflective. In her own words: “Even chocolate has an expiration date.”
A reminder that if we’re not living intentionally, time slips by, whether we like it or not.
Start With The Miracle Question
One of Rhonda’s favorite tools is the Miracle Question:
“If you woke up tomorrow and everything was perfect… what would that look like?”
Now before you start building your 18-bedroom dream mansion, Rhonda encourages you to really dig deep… What truly makes you happy?
For her, it wasn’t the prestige of a house in Indianapolis’s affluent Meridian Hills. It was a home in the woods. With deer, coyotes, and the occasional misbehaving raccoon. In her words, “I had to really get real about who I was.”
And we all do.
Because life, and especially business, can knock us off course. And if we don’t stop to check in, we can lose sight of what we’re even working so hard for.
How This Applies to Business Owners
Here’s where this gets especially powerful for entrepreneurs:
You can’t build a business that’s truly sustainable if you’re constantly out of alignment.
If you’re not emotionally intelligent, if you’re not managing stress, setting boundaries, and staying grounded, your team feels it. Your clients feel it. And you feel it.
Rhonda sees this all the time with her executive clients. High achievers who are burning out, stuck, or feeling disconnected from the very thing they’ve built.
Sometimes, the missing piece isn’t strategy or skills… it’s resilience.
Rhonda describes it as becoming sea glass. Life tosses you around, polishes your jagged edges, and over time, you become something rare and beautiful. Not in spite of the chaos, but because of it.
So, What Can You Do?
If you’re wondering whether you’re on the right path, try asking yourself two powerful questions:
- Am I happy? (Not fake-happy. Not surface-level. Do you really feel fulfilled?)
- Am I being true to myself, or letting others dim my light?
Big questions, yes. But the answers can guide everything. From how you spend your time, to what you say yes to, to how you lead your team.
And if you’re considering a creative project (like writing a book), Rhonda offers this gem:
“One page a day, and it’s done in a year.”
Simple. Doable. And true.
For Aspiring Authors & Business Builders
Rhonda also shared her journey through publishing, traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing, plus her insights on how books can become a business tool. (Spoiler: Don’t expect to become a millionaire overnight, but do expect to build credibility and connection.)
Her biggest advice? Think of your book as a product. Be intentional. Make it valuable. And pick the publishing path that fits your goals and resources.
The Takeaway
If there’s one thing to walk away with from this conversation, it’s this:
You can do whatever you want to do.
You don’t need to be born a writer. Or grow up in a big city. Or have it all figured out. Start where you are. Take small steps. And stay connected to your purpose.
Because when you’re clear on who you are and what matters to you, the rest starts to align.
