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Episode Description
Writing, Entrepreneurship & Carving Out Space for Creativity
“You can be a strong woman and still deserve a strong romantic interest in your life. You can have both.”
In this Wild Woman Spotlight episode, Sarah sits down with Lori Zoss, founder of Growth Owl, former TV and nonprofit executive turned entrepreneur, and author of her debut fiction novel, Under Caution, a romantic suspense.
Lori shares her journey from the corporate boardroom to self-publishing her first romance novel, all while running a successful business. She opens up about finding balance, building discipline, and carving out space for creativity when life is already full.
In this episode:
- The journey from corporate executive to entrepreneur to fiction author
- Why Lori chose self-publishing over traditional publishing
- The inspiration behind Under Caution, a strong female stock car driver, her biggest rival, and a villain with a dangerous knowledge of AI
- Why representation matters, creating a female heroine who competes in a male-dominated sport
- The importance of short chapters for busy readers (and busy writers)
- How Lori balanced writing her novel while running her business
- Why giving yourself grace and small achievable goals is better than rigid rules
- The value of investing in a good editor (even for self-publishing)
- How writing became therapy and helped Lori process her day
- A sneak peek at Book 2 – Lori is outlining now, with a target of mid-2027
Connect with Lori Zoss
- Under Caution – available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
- Under Caution: YouTube Audio Book Sneak Peek
- The Growth Owl – helping organizations connect with decision makers
- The Boardroom Playbook
- The Bed for Fred
- Facebook: Lori Zoss, Author
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorizoss/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorizossauthor/
Connect with all guests and past episodes at:
sarahdiop.com (visit the Wild Women page)
Resources & Links
Awaken Your Wild Woman Workbook
The Wild Woman with Sarah Diop – Patreon
Connect & Subscribe
✨ Subscribe to The Wild Woman with Sarah Diop on:
Chapters
- (00:00:00) - The Wild Woman
- (00:00:35) - How to Write a Love Letter to Your Business
- (00:04:19) - Under Caution
- (00:09:18) - Laurie On Race Car Driving
- (00:12:39) - In the Elevator With Rich People
- (00:13:02) - On Balancing Your Creativity and Business
- (00:14:06) - How To Write a Novel On Top of Your Business
- (00:20:10) - How to Write a Time Crunch
- (00:23:47) - Stephen King on Writing For Self-Publishing
- (00:24:55) - Writing Outing With Growth Owl
- (00:29:47) - The Wild Women Spotlight