EP412: Meet Your New Favorite Summer Read – Tough Titties by Laura Belgray
“If you are an entrepreneur, solopreneur, jewelry-preneur, mommy-preneur, anything-preneur, find the words and the hutzpah to make your business a total expression of your personality. Because that’s how you essentially get paid…and that, to me, is the holy grail of […] expressing yourself and getting paid for it.”
If you don’t already know Laura (ummm…hello?), you should! She's an amazing copywriter, writer, and master storyteller. Plus, she’s flippin’ hilarious.
Laura has been a dear friend of mine for six or seven years and has been on the Thrive by Design podcast before, but today is extra special because she’s treating us to an inside look at her new book, Tough Titties, which releases on June 13th!
Tough Titties Author Laura Belgray is a Gifted Storyteller
Laura has an innate ability to share real-life stories in a way that makes us feel connected and tucked inside her world, not just an outside observer. She finds humor in everyday moments, which she skillfully crafts into easy-to-consume stories that are engaging and entertaining. This is her true gift.
One of the things I abso-freakin-lutely love about Laura is how she can weave together a random story, take her reader along for the journey, then skillfully transform the whole thing into an irresistible call to action… like magic!
Laura Stood Her Ground on the Book She Wanted to Write
From her seedling idea to sprouting a book deal and standing on firm ground about the kind of book she wanted to write, Laura was clear about the stories she wanted to tell. And she was also adamant about not writing a marketing book. She just wanted to write about her life.
“…in my business in the space, [I’m] supposed to write a copywriting book or marketing book or self-help [book]. I really felt like I would rather eat a bag of hair than write that book”
In EP412: Meet Your New Favorite Summer Read – Tough Titties by Laura Belgray, Laura dished about…
- Searching for book themes like the late-bloomer theme and the not-doing-life-the-way you're-supposed-to theme and the coming-of-age-as-a-dork-in-New-York theme
- Her favorite chapters in Tough Titties including, “He’s Never Going to Leave Her” about her lying, cheating narcissistic pathological married salsa instructor, or the titular chapter about her late-blooming-B-turned-DD-cup boobs
- How she met her husband Steven, who cooks cleans and decorates (and yeah, he's straight)
- Why her stubbornness cost her a multi-6 figure book deal, but allowed her to write the book she wanted to write
- And so much more!
“I just wanted to keep people up and have them laugh and have them read it on a plane, like can't wait to read this book, I'm saving it for vacation. That was what I wanted this book to do.”
How Laura Chose Which Stories to Include in Tough Titties
With so many stories to choose from, Laura landed on the themes of trying to fit in, or going against the grain, sharing those “cringy, awkward stories and also stories of being a late bloomer and trying to find my thing.” The book title just evolved out of that…
“…anything that went along with the tough-titties theme, like, I'm not the person I'm supposed to be [tough titties], you want me to learn to drive a car [tough titties], you want me to learn to roast a chicken [tough titties], you want me to have kids [tough titties]. I'm not doing any of those things.”
Why Tough Titties is the Best Summer Read of 2023
The writing is incredibly compelling, and there’s an arc to it. Laura’s storytelling mastery captures your attention, so you can’t wait to see where’s it going or what’s going to happen, “Is she going to find her thing? Will she ever find love or grow up to become an adult? And the spoiler? Not really.”
Even though Tough Titties is not a self-help book, it provides insight and inspiration. “I think if you've ever felt behind in your life for your career, it’ll make you feel a lot better. If you could use a little permission to be more of yourself. It will give you that.”
Here’s a quick overview of Episode 412:
[3:02] Introducing Laura Belgray, founder of Talking Shrimp and Copy Cure
[5:38] How Laura came up with the idea for her book
[8:13] The process of getting a book deal
[16:17] Laura’s inspirations: Tina Fey and David Sedaris
[27:32] Growing up as a late bloomer
[30:02] Why Tough Titties is the best Summer Read
I know you’re going to love this insightful and no-BS conversation with the multi-talented Laura Belgray.
Enjoy!
Xo,
Tracy
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