Writing has always been something Central Queensland local Jordie Lynch has enjoyed, but seeing her work published in Voices of Impact: Empowering Stories from Female Visionaries and Entrepreneurs, which has gained international acclaim, has left the young author in shock.
Jordie is one of 19 other women involved in the second volume of Voices of Impact, initially created by international communication and leadership speaker and best-selling author Melanie Wood.
“I stumbled upon Melanie Wood on Facebook when she posted that she was looking for the lineup for volume two. I put my name in, and the rest was history,” Jordie said.
“It was a real honour to be part of the lineup of inspiring women, some from around Central Queensland, in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“We did a couple of Zoom calls, and you get a rundown of where everyone’s from and fun facts about them.
“There are businesswomen and life coaches from all walks of life, and I got to work alongside and read their stories. It was moving, and none of it feels real.”
Jordie said her chapter was a story that had been sitting with her for a long time, and finally, she could let it all out on the page.
“It was scary, but in the best possible way, it was liberating to get it off my chest,” she said.
“Overthinking is and always will be my strong suit to a degree.
“I’ve always been very good at the what-ifs, but when they started taking over my life and talking with others, I discovered that it’s not just me.
“That sort of inspired me to put something out there because I feel it has held me back a lot in my own life, and I’m sure it has for other people as well.”
Jordie’s love for writing and words started in the form of diary entries at a young age, but she admitted that it hasn’t always been easy.
“A few years ago, I was in a dark place, feeling zero self-worth and did not see anything special in my abilities,” she said.
“I didn’t feel connected to my love for writing anymore.
“But now I would turn back and say, ‘Just keep going. Stick to what makes you feel good and happy and give that to others.’
“You come across so many setbacks you have to just sort of get over rejection and keep moving forward, which is hard.
“But at the same time, it’s so rewarding, and it’s been exciting finding my niche and what I want to specialise in, as there are so many areas of writing. I feel like my inner little girl was celebrating.”
With the support of family and friends, Jordie said she was happy she took the chance and put the doubt aside.
“I’m glad I could do something about overthinking because people achieve some pretty amazing things when they block out the unnecessary noise in their head and do it anyway,” she said.
“I feel like it has given me so much more motivation to keep going, add to my portfolio and get back into my columns because I have missed it dearly.
“I just think Voices of Impact was such a wonderful and empowering project.
“With everything going on in the world these days, I think it gives people a reason to smile, feel good, feel inspired, and never give up on their own visions.”
Voices of Impact is available on Amazon Kindle, with all proceeds going to help women and children affected by domestic violence.