We have some serious Warriors operating within the Spark family, so a few of our team members took the time out to share moments where they’ve felt like a warrior at work.

Crystal Patriarche, CEO

When I think about having a “Warrior” moment, to me that means that I’ve perhaps gone to bat for something I believed in. Sure, there are personal triumphs that I am proud of (getting those coveted dream media spots for clients like The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Today Show, The Skimm or O Magazine are a few places my clients always want to be in and when I make that happen, I do feel a bit like a Warrior publicist). But for me, a true Warrior moment, is more about moving the needle as a whole, changing or disrupting things overall. And that’s exactly what I get to do with the hundreds of women authors we publish – disrupt the publishing industry to say, “hey, there are some incredible voices and stories out there that need to be heard, deserve to be heard. And here they are.” Being able to help so many writers get their stories into the world and into readers’ hands is a true Warrior moment.

Brooke Warner, Publisher

A few months ago I had the great honor and opportunity to present a TEDx talk at TEDx Traverse City. Part of the work I did to prepare involved watching tons of TED and TEDx talks, and when I found out that Glennon Doyle Melton had also been on the TEDx Traverse City stage a few years before me, I was overcome with a sense of excitement and empowerment. A fellow female warrior had graced this stage and knocked her own talk out of the park. I was surprised by how much watching other talks gave me strength and confidence, because at first I thought it might be the reverse. I thought watching other kickass women would make me feel intimated, or inferior, but my experience was quite the opposite. Instead I gathered courage from all these amazing and awesome women who’d traveled this road before me. I used Amy Cuddy’s power poses (from her TED talk on this topic) and I was thrilled when I discovered I was situated between two female presenters, because we encouraged each other in the green room and all three of us practiced our poses. I felt nervous onstage, but also confident—in my material, in my preparation, and in my reason for being there. I don’t often think of myself as a warrior, but doing a TEDx talk required me to pull from so many resources—heart, mind, body, soul. When you bring your full self to something that matters to you, and you come through it feeling pretty darn good about the whole thing, then you’ve undoubtedly harnessed your warrior spirit. The next step is to own it. After all, warriors are proud, and deservedly so

Lauren Wise, Managing Editor

The ongoing process of building out, organizing, and developing the publishing divisions of She Writes Press and SparkPress has been a never-ending warrior moment for me. When I came on board with SPS there wasn’t necessarily a description for my title, and I embraced the opportunity to decipher all of the issues in need of being dealt with, as well as juggling everything needed in order to manage all the aspects of the publishing side, and creating training guidelines and processes along the way. I’m proud to see how far the imprints have come on so many levels, and that I’ve been a part of that journey for the company.

Kristin Bustamante, Chief Content Officer

In November 2016, we hosted a retreat for our authors. Although I have no background in event planning and logistics, I took the lead on coordinating every aspect of this event. It took a supreme amount of organization, which is definitely not my strong suit. At different points throughout the event, I had to fill in as the emcee, too—something that bothers me much less than organization but still not my typical day-to-day role. At the end of the three-day event attended by nearly 75 people, I received so many compliments on the overall event AND my stage presence. All of this came at a very challenging point in my personal life, and to know that at least I was doing a great job in my professional life, if only for that particular moment, made a huge difference in my self-esteem.

Morgan Rath, Publicist

During the summer of 2015, I went to BEA/BookCon in New York City for the very first time. As a lifelong book lover, I had always wanted to attend the popular conference full of author signings, panels and more importantly free unpublished books, but had never been able to make the trip. Until that summer.

It was everything I imagined it would be. As a college student with hopes of getting into the book industry, I was jealous of everyone working the booths and the insider knowledge they possessed on the upcoming reads and trends. Their VIP access to authors and advanced readers copies was also pretty cool too. I walked away from that day with too many books to count (and carry) and a stronger desire than ever to get into the publishing business.

Two years later, I made it back to BEA/BookCon. This time; however, I was one of the industry professionals that I had admired from afar two years before. I was the one gifting the books to eager readers, guiding authors, and answering questions about BookSparks, SparkPress, and She Writes Press. It was a dream come true, and I can’t wait for all of the BEA/BookCons (and advance readers copies) to come.