Today we’d like to introduce you to Joa Macnalie.
Hi Joa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Three years ago, I stepped out on faith and wrote my first book “The Hero in the Helmet: Colin Kaepernick.” I was inspired by Kaepernick’s movement to kneel against police brutality and racial injustice as an NFL player and thought that his story should be recorded in history books, so I wrote one. The brilliant Toni Morrison once said, “If there is a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must write it. “I decided to appeal to an audience of children because it is “easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” was penned by Frederick Douglass. But even on a greater level, the Bible, which serves as my ultimate source of knowledge and instruction, says to “train up a child in the way(s) he should go so that what they grow old they will not depart from it;” meaning what we do to/with/for our children today will largely shape who they become tomorrow. Therefore, we bear the responsibility to teach them well, and as an educator, I take that responsibility seriously.
Since 2018, I have authored three books and a national curriculum: “The Hero in the Helmet” & guide, its sequel “B is for Brotherhood,” and “The ABCs of Mental Health Disease.” This year, I plan to release “Hussle N Flow” a Financial Literacy book for children in honor of Nipsey Hussle Tha Great. Black History is expansive, timeless, and happens everyday, and it is my goal to tell more of those stories in our own words and style. Since writing my first book, I have experienced uncommon success and notoriety as an independent author, but not without opposition. I am now internationally acclaimed and have won several awards and honors, both as an honor an activist, and have appeared on television to millions of viewers along with host magazines and radio shows; and while each opportunity provides its own excitement, it always brings me back to the journey and what it took to get here. Three years ago, when I first published my book, I did not foresee myself working full time as an authorpreneur-one who makes a career out of writing. I was already working in my career field as a counselor and was living my best life as a young professional in a luxury condo in Soho, New York City.
I had just graduated with my Master’s degree in Psychology, and my plan was to further my studies and get my PhD to eventually open up my own practice. Someone once said, “Man makes plans. God laughs!” I started having problems at my job because my bosses felt threatened by me. I was young, Black, brilliant, and vibrant, and it made a lot of people feel uncomfortable, none of which I was apologetic for! I started to put in applications elsewhere and landed a job in Florida as a motivational coach and at-risk counselor that was going to pay me twice as much as I was getting paid in New York City and accepted to move down South closer to my family. I relocated from my luxury apartment back to my mother’s house for what was in my mind going to be a short temporary stay in June of 2018 and was due to begin training at my new job in August of the same year. When the time came, I kept getting push back from my point of contact about start dates. Every time I talked with her, she would extend the dates for training further and further back until she finally texted me that she quit working there and was no longer in charge of my file and provided me with no more information. I was stuck, confused, and flabbergasted all at once. What did she mean? I just moved across the state, left my job, apartment, and life in the city to accept this position down here.
And here I was, jobless! It felt like everything I ever worked for came crashing down. What was I going to do? I had used up the bulk of my savings to invest in the production and marketing of my books, to move all my stuff across state, and to survive on until I could start collecting a steady paycheck. All of that came to a crashing halt when I realized there wasn’t a paycheck coming, and while I could have put in new applications for new jobs, the thought of starting all over again defeated me. Who knows how long it could take to find another good-paying job with the same benefits I was used to? I was stressed and depressed. But I’m a firm believer that God will sometimes use discomfort in order to stretch and grow us in the direction we’re meant to expand. It dawned on me all of a sudden to use what was in my hand. I had written a historical book! A classic, masterpiece, never-been-done-before book and I already invested so much into it. Why not pursue it as a career? And that’s how it all started. I began putting book tours together on my own dime and friends and family’s money and made it my business to appear to every book event that I could network at. That sometimes meant sleeping on couches, sleeping on pool tables (true story), sleeping uncomfortably in twin beds with other people, long hours back and forth on the NYC subway and Metro-North; sometimes falling asleep on those trains from complete exhaustion and totally missing your stop. I went devastatingly broke, lost long-time friendships and relationships chasing this dream of becoming a global supplier of culturally relevant pedagogy to schools around the world, but each day I’m on purpose. I never know how the doors are going to open, I just know the hand that open doors! Today I work full-time as an authorpreneur, motivational/keynote speaker, and financial coach, all while completing my doctoral degree in Education with a specialty in Curriculum & Instruction as a first-generation student. Entrepreneurship has many struggles, but I can truly say that I lose no enthusiasm for doing this work. Purpose hits different!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing about this journey has been smooth; quite the contrary, in fact, just when you’re getting over a hump, you will find that new levels bring new devils. I was inexperienced as an author. I didn’t have a PR, a manager, a booking agent, an assistant, an intern, a CPA or social media specialist. I couldn’t afford it. I have played every role and wore every hat in my business since it’s launch in 2018 and that on its own is extremely difficult because you don’t have the time you need to focus on what you do best, which is to create. Lack of resources was also a major hurdle. Most of the time, I had no idea how I was going to get from point A to point B, but everyday I got dressed and exercised my faith, and everyday I experienced God parting red seas before me to grant me access to the spaces and places I belonged. Another hard part of the journey as a public figure is being subject to so much public scrutiny, but no one who is of impact can escape it. People will make unkind and unfair judgments about you without ever taking the time to know you, and others will outright lie, slander, and try to tarnish your good name and character. Learn to stand tall in the paint by staying true to yourself and never let them see you sweat.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Macnalie Books LLC is a book company dedicated to creating and supplying learning centers (schools, after-school programs, camps, homeschoolers, churches, youth groups) with culturally relevant pedagogy in order to make diversity and inclusion a verb and not just a buzz word. Our books cover a range of topics: Social justice, police brutality, racism, solidarity, mental health, financial literacy, etc. At Macnalie Books, we believe that learning best happens when the topics are relatable, current, and connected to real social conditions. Our motto is to teach them young, teach them early, and teach them well. We offer book bundle services, curriculum & curriculum development, school reading assemblies and workshops, bookings for keynote speaking, consultations, and MasterClasses on How To Be a Successful Author.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Faith, perseverance, and a cheerful attitude are the key ingredients to my success. My faith tells me that I am designed to bounce back from any of life’s circumstances, so I persist in my pursuit to break the patterns of generational curses that have long run in my family, and I do it all with a smile on my face and a killer outfit.
Pricing:
- The Hero in the Helmet $18
- B is for Brotherhood $18
- The ABCs of Mental Health Disease $15
- The Hero in the Helmet Curriculum $250
Contact Info:
- Email: Jmacnalie@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joa.macnalie/
Image Credits
Brahlee Bebey @CapturebyBrahlee
