Meet the Author with Allison Trowbridge

Latest Episodes:

052: When Success Stopped Meaning Anything Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Meet the Author, a show that takes you behind the scenes to meet the authors of today's most impactful books. This is a show about stories and ideas that will educate, encourage, and inspire you to live a richer, more meaningful life. Today, we're joined by five-time bestselling author Matthew Emerzian, founder of the nonprofit Every Monday Matters, to discuss his new book, Make It Matter. Born out of his own mental health crisis two decades ago, and now built around the Mattering Mindset framework his organization has used for years, Matt's book explores why so many people feel disconnected despite outward success, and offers practical ways to recognize our own worth, strengthen our relationships, and show up for the people around us.

About Matthew Emerzian and Make It Matter:

Matthew Emerzian spent a decade in the music industry, including a stint as senior vice president of the Kardashian family's music company, before a Monday morning breakdown led to years of anxiety and clinical depression. That collapse, and the healing that followed, became the basis for his first book, Every Monday Matters, and eventually a nonprofit that has reached nearly four million people through school, corporate, and community programs. Make It Matter is the first time Matt has fully unpacked the Mattering Mindset, the framework behind all of that work, walking readers through the "I matter," "you matter," and "we matter" of a life built on values rather than performance.

In Make It Matter, Matt calls readers to show up for themselves, for others, at work, and for the world, arguing that mattering, not achievement, is the true measure of a life well lived. The book carries extra weight for Matt personally: it hit shelves the same day his father passed away, a man Matt says modeled the book's message his entire life, simply by making sure the person in front of him always knew they mattered.

Links:

Purchase Make It Matter at your favorite retailer https://www.matthewemerzian.com/makeitmatterbook
Learn more about Every Monday Matters https://www.everymondaymatters.com/
Learn more about Matt's speaking work https://www.matthewemerzian.com/

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051: Writing a Book Through Chronic Illness Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Meet the Author, a show that takes you behind the scenes to meet the authors of today's most impactful books. This is a show about stories and ideas that will educate, encourage, and inspire you to live a richer, more meaningful life. Today, we're joined by Dr. Lindsay Branham, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, environmental psychologist, and author of Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees, to discuss what it means to heal our severed connection to ourselves and the Earth. Born out of a years-long journey through chronic illness, Lindsay's book invites readers into an embodied, reciprocal relationship with trees, one that asks us to slow down, pay attention, and remember we were never separate from the living world to begin with.

About Lindsay Branham and Heartwood:

Lindsay Branham's path to Heartwood began when she got sick at the onset of COVID and spent years navigating a chronic illness that eventually forced her to pause her PhD studies at Cambridge. As she searched for healing, she found herself drawn into daily relationship with the trees near her parents' home on the edge of a national forest in Colorado, an experience that ultimately led her to switch her entire doctoral focus to the relationship between humans and the Earth. Heartwood is the result of both that scholarship and that personal healing odyssey, blending scientific rigor with a deeply spiritual, almost mystical account of what it means to let a forest become, as she puts it, a co-author.

In Heartwood, Lindsay calls readers into reciprocity, the practice of recognizing the gifts we're given by the living world and asking what we have to give back, whether that's environmental action or simply sitting in front of a tree and offering it our attention. It's an invitation to remember that the Earth itself is a sacred text, and that healing our relationship to it is inseparable from healing ourselves.

Links:

Purchase Heartwood: The Wisdom and Healing Kinship of Trees at your favorite retailer https://www.heartwood.institute/heartwood
Learn more about Lindsay's book tour https://www.heartwood.institute/book-tour
Follow Lindsay Branham on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lindsaylaurenne/

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

050: He Went Lion Tracking to Survive His Divorce. Then He Wrote a Book. Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Meet the Author, a show that takes you behind the scenes to meet the authors of today's most impactful books. This is a show about stories and ideas that will educate, encourage, and inspire you to live a richer, more meaningful life. Today, we're joined by David Gerber to discuss his powerful book The Lion Is You. Drawing on years spent tracking lions on foot across the wilds of South Africa, David explores what it means to move through a season of deep darkness, a heartbreaking divorce, and, ultimately, rediscover the wild, alive version of himself that societal conditioning had caged. His message of vulnerability, uncertainty, and radical self-discovery offers a timely reminder that the person we're looking for was never lost. He's just waiting to be found.

About David Gerber and The Lion Is You:

David Gerber has spent years leading people into the wild, both literally, through lion tracking expeditions in Africa, and personally, through the coaching and speaking work he's built around masculine growth and self-awareness. The Lion Is You is the book that emerged from his own five-year journey through divorce, depression, and a total reconstruction of who he thought he was. Through vivid stories of tracking lions on foot, in territory with no fences and no guarantees, David weaves a narrative that mirrors his own internal journey: we're born wild, we get tamed by life, and the real work is learning how to track our way back to that wild self.

In The Lion Is You, David calls readers, especially men, to lean into vulnerability rather than away from it, to trust uncertainty instead of fighting for control, and to remember that the lion, the fullest, most alive version of themselves, has been there all along.

Links:

Purchase The Lion is You at your favorite retailer https://a.co/d/0dqcYAmh
Learn more about David Gerber, including his lion tracking Experiences, at https://www.davidagerber.com/
Follow David Gerber on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/davidgerber/

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

049: The Superpowers of Writing A Children's Book Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Meet the Author, a show that takes you behind the scenes to meet the authors of today's most impactful books. This is a show about stories and ideas that will educate, encourage, and inspire you to live a richer, more meaningful life. Today, we're joined by transformational guide and Copper's first-ever children's book author, Lynette Deschler, to discuss her powerful book The Superpowers of You. In The Superpowers of You, Lynette draws on the wisdom of Chinese medicine to help children (and the adults who love them) locate their emotions in their bodies and learn how to transform anger, fear, and frustration into kindness, courage, and love. Born out of her own journey through cancer and a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, her message offers a timely reminder that healing and empowerment are available to all of us, no matter our age or circumstance.

About Lynette Deschler and The Superpowers of You:

Lynette Deschler has spent years working with elite athletes and everyday clients alike on the deep connection between mind, body, and healing, and The Superpowers of You is the book that grew out of her own hardest season. After two bouts with cancer and a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2020, Lynette went searching for a deeper understanding of her emotional and energetic terrain, work that ultimately became the foundation for this story. Through the character of Albright Owlstein, a wise owl guide, and a cast of animals rooted in ancient Chinese medicine, the book teaches children how to recognize where an emotion lives in their body and how to transform it through breath, sound, and color.

In The Superpowers of You, Lynette calls children (and grown-ups) to know themselves, take responsibility for their own healing, and choose kindness, reminding readers that the tools to transform their hardest emotions are already within them.

Links:

Get Lynette’s book The Super Powers of You https://a.co/d/07SsA7XR
Follow Super Powers of You on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/superpowersofyou/
You can reach Lynette at the 3 is 1 Foundation lynette@3is1.org

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

048: Confronting Self-Doubt with Courage: Simone Knego on “REAL Confidence” Mar 09, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to Meet the Author, a show that takes you behind the scenes to meet the authors of today’s most impactful books. This is a show about stories and ideas that will educate, encourage, and inspire you to live a richer, more meaningful life. On today’s episode, you’ll meet speaker and author Simone Knego, who’s here to discuss her newest book, REAL Confidence: A Simple Guide to Go From Unsure to Unshakable (publishing February 17 with Copper). In this candid conversation with publisher Allison Trowbridge, Simone shares how years of self-doubt became the fuel for a repeatable confidence-building method designed especially for women who feel stuck second-guessing themselves.

At the heart of the book is Simone’s practical REAL Method—Respect yourself, Embrace your failures, Ask yourself what you want, and Live without limits—a framework that helps readers build confidence from the inside out. Simone also opens up about the pivotal moment that reshaped how she saw herself: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro—an experience far outside her comfort zone that became a powerful metaphor for the “mountain” each of us is called to climb. Along the way, she and Allison talk about why failure is often just information for the next iteration, how women can reconnect with what they truly want (even after years of prioritizing everyone else), and how changing the way you speak about yourself can change the way you live.

This episode is part confidence masterclass, part behind-the-scenes look at publishing—and a reminder that confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build, one honest choice at a time.

Links:

REAL Confidence on Amazon
Learn more about Simone Knego and her work at Simone Knego | Keynote Speaker, Author & Empowerment Coach
Follow Allison Trowbridge & Copper Books on Instagram

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

047: Jaha Dukureh: From Survivor to Global Leader in the Fight for Girls Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Meet the Author, the host sits down with Jaha Dukureh, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and UN Goodwill Ambassador for Africa. Jaha shares her journey from being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, to becoming a key figure in overturning these practices in The Gambia. Her new book, 'I Will Scream to the World: My Fight, My Story, My Hope for Girls Everywhere,' delves into her personal experiences and her activism.

Jaha discusses the global prevalence of FGM, the root causes, and her holistic approach to empowering women through initiatives like regenerative agriculture and education. Despite facing immense challenges, including death threats and governmental resistance, Jaha remains dedicated to raising awareness and creating sustainable change for women and girls worldwide.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:15 Jaha's New Book: I Will Scream to the World

02:37 Understanding FGM and Its Global Impact

05:43 Jaha's Personal Journey and Activism

09:43 Challenges and Triumphs in Activism

15:19 Nobel Peace Prize Nomination

19:27 Current and Future Projects

25:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
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Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

046: Dr. Anna Malika Tubbs: How Patriarchy Shapes Our Stories — and How We Rewrite Them Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Meet the Author, Dr. Anna Malika Tubs discusses her book 'Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us'. The conversation explores Dr. Tubs' inspiration, driven by her mother's work in women's rights and her own travels and research. She reveals how her first book 'The Three Mothers' on the mothers of MLK Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin led to this new work.

Dr. Tubs elaborates on the systemic exclusion of women and Black individuals from historical narratives, the intentional design of American patriarchy by the founding fathers, and offers perspectives on recognizing and changing these outdated systems. She also highlights the intersections of race and gender within systemic oppression, and provides examples of international practices that support mothers and families. Dr. Tubs expresses hope in large-scale social change through small, community-level actions.

00:00 Introduction and Warm Welcome
00:12 Discovering 'Erased' and Its Impact
00:57 Inspiration Behind the Book
03:25 Writing Process and Challenges
04:44 Academic Background and Approach
06:40 Memorable Stories and Research Insights
11:30 Founding Fathers and Patriarchy
16:25 Imagining a Different Constitution
21:15 Global Perspectives and Inspirations
26:37 Supreme Court and Patriarchy
29:15 Intersection of Race and Patriarchy
33:51 Hope and Future Opportunities
37:28 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

045: Overcoming Self-Doubt: Mary Marantz on “Underestimated” Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of 'Meet the Author,' host Alison Trowbridge interviews Mary Marantz about her new book 'Underestimated: The Surprisingly Simple Shift to Quit Playing Small, Name the Fear, and Move Forward.' The conversation delves into Mary's personal journey from growing up in rural West Virginia to becoming a Yale graduate and best-selling author. They discuss the themes of fear, self-criticism, and the transformative power of naming one's fears.

Mary shares her insights into overcoming imposter syndrome and perfectionism, drawing from her own experiences and the content of her latest book. The episode also touches on the significance of deep, authentic work, the importance of not abandoning oneself, and the power of becoming the truest version of oneself. Along the way, they highlight the symbolism in the book's cover and offer actionable advice for aspiring authors.

Timestamp Menu:

00:00 Introduction to Meet the Author
01:05 Meet Mary Maria: A Longtime Friend
02:43 Mary's Journey to Becoming an Author
04:53 The Inspiration Behind 'Underestimated'
06:20 Understanding Fear and Its Many Faces
12:45 Imposter Syndrome and Overcoming Self-Doubt
19:26 The Role of Anxiety and Perfectionism
25:06 Exploring Internal Family Systems (IFS)
25:36 Understanding Internal Family Systems
26:21 Procrastination and the Inner Critic
29:08 Navigating Rejection and Criticism
30:59 The Journey of Becoming an Author
32:59 Challenges and Triumphs of Book Launches
38:58 Embracing Authenticity in Writing
41:17 Exploring the Book Cover and Easter Eggs
44:44 Final Thoughts and Resources

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

044: From Struggle to Strength: Asher Gottesman on “Connection” Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, the host welcomes Asher Gottesman, a deeply respected rabbi and author, who shares his insights on the power of connection. Asher discusses the inspiration for his book, which stemmed from his personal challenges and recovery process. He explains how he found community and faith through the 12-step program and the importance of self-connection before connecting with others. Asher also talks about the structure of his book, which is designed to guide readers through small, manageable lessons on self-improvement. He shares his experience of writing a personal book with the help of a co-author and the challenges of sharing his story without impacting his loved ones. Ultimately, Asher emphasizes the significance of self-acceptance, accountability, and community in the journey toward healing and recovery.

00:00 Introduction and Warm Welcome
01:03 Inspiration Behind the Book
03:22 Asher's Relationship with Religion
05:47 Journey into the 12 Step Program
14:05 Writing the Book: Process and Challenges
15:23 Advice for Aspiring Authors
20:52 Current Work and Final Thoughts

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

043: Leading with Heart: Reetu Gupta on “Whispers of the Soul” Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, Allison welcomes one of her favorite authors, Reetu, to the podcast. The conversation delves into Reetu's story of becoming an author with her book 'Whispers of the Soul,' a collection of poetry and writings aimed at connecting with the heart. Reetu shares her childhood love for reading, her years of writing, and the moment she felt compelled to compile her works into a book.

They discuss the inspiration behind her writing, the interplay between her business acumen and creative side, and the unique challenges of leading a family business. Reetu emphasizes the importance of love, kindness, and intuition in both her professional and personal life, offering advice to aspiring authors and women balancing multiple roles. The episode highlights Reetu's journey, her meditative practices, and how she integrates heart-centered content with her business endeavors.

00:00 Introduction and Warm Welcome
01:05 Reetu's Early Love for Reading
02:45 The Journey to Becoming an Author
03:17 Writing Process and Inspiration
06:15 Balancing Business and Creativity
09:31 Leadership and Overcoming Challenges
12:13 Family Business and Legacy
16:57 Advice for Aspiring Authors
19:42 Empowering Women in Multiple Roles
21:10 Conclusion and Gratitude

Download the Copper Books App: https://author.love/app
Learn more about Copper Books: www.copperbooks.com
Apply to publish with Copper: https://copperbooks.com/apply
Follow Copper Books on Instagram: https://instagram.com/copper.books
Follow Allison Trowbridge on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alliebridge

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