Sarah Jolicoeur is a Corporate Coach with over fifteen years of leadership experience. As a National Director of Training and Development, she helps develop and implement new coaching programs. She is a certified Executive and Life Coach. Sarah and her husband have been in the poly and swinging lifestyle for fifteen years and she is moving her skillset into the lifestyle arena. They currently have a farm in South Florida. This is her first book, chronicling her personal journey into polyamory.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
It was actually pretty easy to pick out. My husband always says “Another day in paradise” so originally I was going to go with that. As the book developed and I started planning my next chapters, I landed on Journey to Paradise because it fit so perfectly. The book literally chronicles my journey into the paradise we have created together. It was also pretty easy to decide on the front cover design. I knew there had to be a martini glass, my signature drink, and a pineapple, the unofficial mascot of the lifestyle community. I knew I wanted something bright with a tropical, Miami-type vibe since we live in South Florida. The design team nailed it.
How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?
Wow! I was so thrilled! I had tears when I opened the package and pulled out my proof copy. Years of revisiting difficult times in my life, months of rewriting, and hours of editing, all culminated into this beautiful package, it was very emotional for me. The quality and feel of the velvety cover were exactly what I dreamed it would be. Truthfully, I was a little nervous because I was unsure of what to expect. It was so fun to see how the bright colors really popped in real life, the proofs just didn’t do it justice. The texture of my cover was a huge consideration for me. When I read a book with an amazing feel to it, it makes the experience better.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
My first job was as a front desk receptionist for Australian Body Works (which would later become LA Fitness). Fun fact, it was at Australian Body Works that I dated my first personal trainer and eleven years later I met my husband at an LA Fitness, about ten miles from where my infatuation with personal trainers originally began.
I started my professional career as a leasing agent at a large apartment community north of Atlanta. I worked my way up through the ranks and landed as a Regional Training Director. Initially, I had to overcome my fear of public speaking, but it turned out to be my dream career. The more I taught people about sales + service, the more I realized that communication is at the core of every interaction we have each day. Communication then became my passion. I am now a certified Executive/Life Coach and certified in Situational Leadership training.
I love being onstage, interacting with people in ways that challenge them to think differently, participate in things they wouldn’t normally do, and learn from others. It surprises most people that I consider myself more of an extroverted introvert. Crowds are fun for me when learning and ideas are being exchanged, otherwise, I prefer a backyard atmosphere to a bar. I want to have the option to be social but only in short spurts. My husband, on the other hand, would be totally content never leaving our homestead, so in comparison to him, I am a social butterfly.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
I hope people take away the concepts of accountability for your actions and owning who you are. That means taking time for a lot of self-reflection to find out what truly makes you happy. Society tries to have so much influence on how we “should” live. Ignore all that—it’s okay to be different. It’s also okay to not be different, but you get the choice. I believe in this so deeply, that I had it tattooed down my side torso: “Not all who wander are lost. Create your own path.” There will be hills and valleys, ebbs and flows but know each one is just a part of your journey, don’t get stuck there. Perfection is not real, especially in romantic relationships, the goal is to find how you can genuinely give and receive love.
Of course, I also hope people take away nuggets on communicating more effectively. The journey my husband and I had is a unique story to many but I really wanted to illustrate how anything is possible with the right words, body language, and intention. I want to show there is a commonality in everyone, despite all our differences.
What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?
I am in the process of writing the next chapter of my life, book two and I am also creating keynote speaking engagements about communication and self-accountability. The year I turned forty, which was last year, I had the crazy idea that it would be fun to try triathlons, so when I am not writing or creating classes, I am training for the next event. My goal is not to win medals but to not die while racing to beat my personal bests.
How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?
I cannot express enough how great this has been. The experience was incredible. Publishing a book is overwhelming and quite frankly, the idea was scary for me. There are so many aspects that I didn’t even know I didn’t know, so having a team that I could call on was my lifeline. Because I had them, I was able to focus on completing my project instead of stressing over publishing logistics. It also helped tremendously to have the team as accountability partners. I knew that if there was a meeting or something I promised by a certain date, I couldn’t procrastinate. The entire experience, from start to finish, was phenomenal. I would tell new authors who want to publish for the first time, when you think the draft is ready to be turned in, edit it again before sending it. That was a hard lesson for me to learn and I created more work for myself. I also recommend reading your book out loud before sending in the final, print approval. Reading the story out loud gave me a completely different perspective on how the story came across to readers. More than anything though, you have a story in you, let the world read it. Don’t be afraid of what anyone will think.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.