Saturday the 13th
Saturday the 13th.
Not quite the same zing as Friday the 13th, is it?
Saturday the 13ths happen the year following Friday the 13ths, except in a leap year, when Sunday the 13th holds that honor.
Most often Saturday the 13ths are uneventful, unless, of course, the 13th is a meaningful milestone for you - birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and more.
This year Saturday, September 13th means a whole lot to me.
First and foremost, it’s my 22nd wedding anniversary.
As I write this, my husband and I are on a short road trip to see Pat Benatar in concert to celebrate. We saw her perform on Austin City Limits recently on our local PBS station and discovered she’d be in concert nearby on our actual anniversary. Impulse decision easily made.
Second, this year, Saturday, September 13th marks my first anniversary as a published author! It’s hard to believe that Every Storm Runs Out of Rain debuted a year ago.
I knew publishing a book would be transformative, but didn’t know how. Now that I have a year of experience and hindsight, let me share a few highlights for you:
Honors - November 2024 I learned my book earned the Goody Business Book Award for Leadership-Motivation, a national honor. Followed in May 2025 by earning the Georgia Independent Authors Association award for Best Business Book.
Connections - I’ll never forget when I learned a stranger bought my book for her leadership team and wanted to meet me. Humbled, amazed, excited, I immediately said yes. Speaking to her team was one of my very first virtual author talks, where I learned how my book resonated with members of her team. This coined a new term “Pandemic Group Therapy” that I have now led with several other healthcare leadership teams.
Talks - I did my first keynote in June for the Kentucky Society of Healthcare PR and Marketing, which inspired me to reach out to other state associations for speaking engagements. That work has evolved into a mini-book tour of sorts. This fall I’m speaking at the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Health Academy in DC, Georgia’s Society of Healthcare Marketing and PR, Carolinas Healthcare PR & Marketing Society, Louisiana Hospital Association’s Marketing & PR Symposium, and Women in Research. I’ve also led virtual sessions with healthcare marketing and communications teams across the country and have guest lectured twice now for healthcare communications masters degree classes. I love to speak, sharing my story with the hope that I can inspire or help others.
Travel - Thanks to the in-person talks, I get to travel to parts of the country I never would have been to otherwise. Lexington, Kentucky is absolutely beautiful!
New Friends and Colleagues: Most of all, I’ve met so many amazing people in Atlanta and beyond. Each talk, event or informal gathering has indeed had the ripple effect that Jeff Hilimire envisioned when he started Ripples Media. My life is so much richer and FUN thanks to these connections.
Vocal Work - and I almost forgot…I finally produced my first professional vocal work marrying my arts and healthcare backgrounds by voicing the audiobook edition of Every Storm Runs Out of Rain myself.
While I’m not making my millions yet, I’m enjoying every step of this journey as an author and speaker, and I’m learning a lot, like…
How to hustle - the book won’t sell itself and there’s a lot more that goes into promotion than I ever anticipated, even as a seasoned marketing executive.
The Pandemic is history - turns out no one wants to talk about the pandemic anymore. Well not “no one at all” but many are over it and have moved on dealing with new challenges. All the more reason I’m happy I published the book to make sure our global pandemic history and the millions of lives lost to COVID-19 are not forgotten.
Leadership matters – in a world full of a lot of crazy, authentic and empathetic leadership is more important than ever. I’m honored that several reviewers have called my book a masterclass in leading with authenticity. While the Pandemic may be in the past, authentic leadership is evergreen.
Every storm will, indeed, run out of rain - just as the rain from our pandemic storm ran out, so too will the rain run out of current storms in our lives. Have faith in that fact, focus on what you can control, live in the moment and try to find a bit of joy in every single day.
Thank you for joining me on my Authentically Authoring Amy journey.
If you’ve read my book, I’d love to know what resonated with you. Please share in the comments and/or write a quick review on Amazon.
Happy Saturday the 13th!
-Amy
P.S. Interested in having me speak to or lead a workshop for your team, organization or book club? Want to order multiple copies of my book? Please email me at: amymoudycomeau@gmail.com.