Connie McNeil, PhD, has worked as a clinical psychologist for over 20 years. In 2022, she published Co-Creating, her debut release which she calls a guide to her “years of experience in teaching individuals to take a hold of their lives, with the guidance of their Higher Power.” Visit Connie on her website at ConnieMcNeil.com and look for her book on Amazon.

Why did you write Co-Creating, and who would benefit from reading it?
I wrote Co-Creating for everyone. As a psychologist I have seen scores of clients who live defeated lives, repeating the same old patterns and mistakes. They solve small problems, quit therapy, but return within a few months with another issue. I think most people miss out on fulfilling dreams that would transform their lives from good to off the charts! I believe it is our birthright to live this type of life as a child of the Divine.

Co-Creating is not a book to tell you anything you do not already know. It is a book to help you remember who you are: a Divine child of the Universe. I believe we are born with everything we need to live our best lives. All of us are blessed with unique gifts and talents and can sense whether a decision “feels” right. Co-Creating is about honoring our Divine self. It is not a book about religion, but of radical love for you and others. This book increases awareness that working with the Creator can create a satisfying, productive, and fulfilling life. One filled with love, joy, peace, health, and wealth.

Tell us about your journey to publication.
This book has been a lifetime in the making. I grew up in a restrictive household with a God that I believed was judgmental and waiting to catch me making a mistake. As a young child, I became afraid of displeasing my family and the Almighty so I started making choices that limited my options. My life became smaller and smaller, and I was increasingly miserable. And then one day I had an “aha” moment when I realized I was creating my own misery. I realized that if I could create a life of misery, I could also create a life of joy.

I found books that opened my heart and mind to a loving, gentle, understanding, and supportive Divine Being who was a far cry from the critical God I grew up with. The truth that was driven home to me time and time again was that my thoughts create my reality and that I am a creative being, responsible for making my life what I wanted.

I dreamed of being an author for over a decade. I made some attempts to write but, honestly, what I wrote wasn’t particularly good. One day I asked a friend to critique an article I wrote, and his review was so negative I threw the article away and shelved the idea of writing. My dream stayed on the shelf for a long time.

About two years ago, the Creator sent people, places, and events into my life that were instrumental in my future success. At the outset, I didn’t know any of the people who would be the ones to help make this book a reality. I still had the desire of being an author even though I was not writing.

Then one day, during a session with a new client, George (who has given me permission to use his name), I started talking about “co-creating with the Creator” which is a phrase I had never used before. After several sessions, George told me that the phrase stayed with him and that I should write a book. I hesitated. The fear of failure and another negative critique kept me from taking a risk. But George kept after me to write and later told me that Spirit had guided him to tell me to write about co-creating. He kept asking me, “Have you started writing yet?” Finally, I told him I had. He then told me he used to be in the publishing business, and he guided me through the publishing process. Also, a client introduced me to a friend who led me to my editor. She had a son who just happened to be an Emmy-winning graphic artist. He and his team did my entire book production.

What makes this book standout in the crowded inspirational/motivational market?
A unique feature of Co-Creating discusses the process of change. We are a product of what we were taught and what we heard growing up. Many times, we were told what we wanted was impossible or impractical. Many were left feeling they were not good enough or never got lucky breaks. These negative messages leave a mark on our self-esteem and our ability to succeed. Unless we change, we are destined to miss out on what we can achieve.

I don’t know that every self-help book discusses the shakeup that can happen in our lives when we go through the process of change. Sometimes problems arise out of nowhere that can bring us to our knees. These are called spiritual storms and are necessary for our growth, prosperity, healing, and creating. These storms can support us in getting rid of clutter in our thinking and in our environment, which could block us from receiving our heart’s desires. These storms bring us out of the old and into the new. Enduring a spiritual storm is not a sign that we are being punished. It is the exact opposite. We are being prepared for a tremendous blessing.

Do you have a favorite quote from Co-Creating that you’d like to share?
I have two quotes: “We only travel two paths. One is the path of love and the other is the path of fear.” and  “We are always creating. It is our nature. We either create what we want or what we do not want.”

Any “oh, wow!” moments while doing research for this book? And what was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
The “oh, wow!” moment for me and most rewarding aspect was realizing the Creator wanted me to go beyond just writing Co-Creating. I was Divinely led to write a workbook that walks through areas that may hold us back from being our best selves. The workbook has space to write what we want to create and exercises that challenge thoughts and behaviors that could be holding us back from bringing our desires to us. The workbook includes opportunities to create affirmations that can replace tired, negative thoughts with empowering ones. We cannot bring our desires to us unless we change our thoughts and behaviors. I was also inspired to create a deck of oracle affirmation cards that provide positive statements that can change your life when you keep your mind on uplifting thoughts. I use these cards every morning in my meditation to give me a powerful positive statement to supercharge my day.

KL Wagoner (writing as Cate Macabe) is the author of This New Mountain: a memoir of AJ Jackson, private investigator, repossessor, and grandmother. Kat has a speculative fiction blog at klwagoner.com and writes about memoir at ThisNewMountain.com.