Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

~Mary Oliver

What the heck do books, brains and banter have to do with each other? (Other than the obvious alliteration.) 

Well, I am a writer and I have been for many years. I published my first novel, Where the Pink Houses Are, in 2011 when I was a stay-at-home-mom with four kids. And in addition to writing, I read voraciously and listen to podcasts daily, so I’m always up for giving out a great book or podcast recommendation. Not to mention for years my website has been called “rebekah ruth books”. Thus the Books part. In the books section I’ll be recommending great books and podcasts and tagging them by category so you can find something for whatever topic you want.

On to Brains…this is where I become a nerd and geek out over personality profiles like Disc, Enneagram, StrengthsFinder and Meyers Briggs (MTBI)**. If you want to talk about how these things can help you be the best version of yourself, I’m all in! Sometimes confidence can come from just realizing we aren’t the only ones wired in a certain way. And I promise, you’re not. That’s not to say you aren't unique. Of course you are. But there are also repeatable patters to be found in behavior and personality that help us to understand ourselves and our friends and family in a way we never have before. So I’ll be writing quite a bit about personality. “Brains” also includes mental health, a subject I’m extremely passionate and curious about. I’m tired of the stigma associated with mental health issues and I’m on a mission to normalize open discussions of the things that affect the majority of us on the daily. The things that shame hides in the dark corners need to be brought into the light so we can see how we are truly not alone. 

And then there’s Banter. And while I’m not great at small talk…I do love to have great conversations with people. I can often be found at my neighborhood Starbucks catching up with old friends over a delicious latte. One of those friends that I met with regularly was Yaz. She is one of my very favorite people in the world and our conversations were so good we decided to make a podcast! You can find Thru Colored Lenses anywhere you listen to podcasts. We’d be thrilled if you gave it a listen!

Now, onto narration…I remember being 5 years old and my mom begging me to stop talking for a little while. Especially if I were talking in a British accent (which I often was). I was also a big fan of reading aloud, often reading under my covers at night because reading the stories aloud made them come to life.

It wasn’t until 2020 that I realized I could combine some of my very favorite things (reading & acting) into an actual career. So I researched audiobook narration and began my narrating/producing business. My podcasting experience made the audio producing possible. And I can’t believe I get to read books for a living. I haven’t done a separate website for my narration yet. Mostly because I have this website and it fits within the theme of Books, Brains and Banter.