By Tony Deblauwe
Nikki Stone recently posted a great article
about performance that draws from her new book. Her research and personal
accomplishments really speak to the perseverance, confidence, and drive that define
success no matter who you are. Nikki was
kind enough to spend some more time with the Work Babble community about the
book, her background, and how you can find your peak performance.
1. Nikki, can you tell us more about your professional background?
At the
Olympic Winter Games in
There
were so many skills I learned through my aerial and academic career, and I knew
I wanted to help others find whatever their “gold medal” may be. I still remain involved with the Olympic
movement having the honor of mentoring all of the current Olympians through
several Games Prep Olympic programs, but the majority of my time is spent traveling
around
2. What is the main
premise of the book and what motivated you to write it?
Growing up, my mother taught me
that I could achieve anything I wanted as long as I followed the Turtle Effect
philosophy. She told me that in order to
reach my dreams I had to remember to have a soft inside, a
hard shell, and be sure to stick my neck out.
I always held that belief system close
and adapted it to every situation I encountered. The philosophy has been such
an effective motivator for me that I wanted to help people develop this same confidence
and share the tools that are common to those at the top of their given
field.
The philosophy holds true for any
career or endeavor and I wanted to demonstrate these parallels through the
stories of contributors who are at the top of their fields—including Olympic
and X-Games gold medalist Shaun White, icon fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, bestselling
author and leadership expert Dr. Stephen Covey, skiing champion Lindsey Vonn,
Prince Albert of Monaco, celebrity chef Todd English, NFL quarterback legend
Steve Young, Fortune 500 CEOs, Nobel prize-winners, and many more.
We all receive the emails that
start, “I am not typically someone who forwards these stories/quotes/anecdotes
along, but this one was so powerful/moving that I had to make an exception.” I wanted to write a book full of the type of stories
that move you to action and you can’t help but forward them along.
3. What is the unique
value proposition of your book (i.e. how is it different)?
I believe
that there are millions of readers that are hungry for profoundly, inspiring
stories and the steps to achieve their ultimate potential. How often do you hear the personal secrets to
success from a Nobel Prize winner, a Fortune 500 CEO, a leader of a country, or
an Olympic gold medalist? And how often
do you hear from all of these individuals in one place? It’s rare to see a demonstration of these corresponding
paths to achievements.
Many
self-help books offer the stories of motivation, but they don’t capture such a
variety of successful contributors ensuring that readers are persistently
enthralled in their own search for self-improvement. And When
Turtles Fly not only demonstrates how the most successful people have
reached their personal goals, it takes it a step further by sharing the
specific applied tools to help individuals find this success themselves.
4. Did you have to do any special research for the book?
I took great time in finding individuals who were truly at the top
of their field. With each of my 40
contributors, I worked with them to determine the major factors that led to
their personal achievement. And for my
own part, my years and year as a highly competitive athlete, successful
motivational speaker, and personal development coach taught me irreplaceable
lessons that helped me reach my lifelong goals.
It has been rewarding to see these tools for success parallel the
world’s top CEOs, musicians, chefs, Nobel prize-winners, and more.
5. What is the impact
of your book to individuals and/or organizations?
The world really needs inspiration right now. We all have the choice to be the victim or
the victor. When Turtles Fly will help people on that path to surpass their career
plateaus, find the exciting new jobs they’ve been looking for or raise they
have been hoping for, stick to their diets, take more risks, build their
confidence, develop powerful relationships, take on new leadership roles and
work to find their full potential. The
stories in When Turtles Fly will help
put everything in perspective for readers and help them see that there is
always more to be gained.
6. What is the one key message you want
readers to take away?
Everything is possible. When
challenges hit, you can choose how it will impact you. The world’s most successful individuals
didn’t allow these setbacks to impede their efforts. You can’t sit around and wait for your
success. Nothing worthwhile comes
without effort. You have to take action
in order to make things happen. And by
finding your soft inside, developing a hard shell and remembering to stick your
necks out you will find yourself on the right path to reach your own personal
goals.
7. What else would you
like to share with our audience?
Both of my parents are cancer
survivors. My mom was a breast cancer
survivor and my father was a prostate cancer survivor. They are here with me today because of the
efforts of organizations like the American Cancer Society. I always knew that I wanted to give back to
them to thank them for bringing my parents back to me. I have decided to donate 25% of my personal
proceeds to the American Cancer Society.
I love having this vehicle to raise funds for such a valuable organization. We all know someone—whether a family member,
coworker or friend—who has been afflicted by this horrendous disease. I have
been extremely motivated to make this book “gold medal” caliber in order to
drive funds to help decrease these numbers.
I sincerely thank readers for helping with this mission.
8. Where can people get more information
about you and the book?
People
can go to my book website at www.WhenTurtlesFly.com
to read excerpts, see a list of
contributors, review testimonials, and see where they can buy the book. I also encourage people to share their own
Turtle Effect story on the website’s blog.
Thank you Nikki. What an incredible story and such an inspiring book that
outlines principles that people really need to hear right now. Your book not
only serves to warm the spirit, but offers practical guidance to show people
how to achieve their best.
Book: When Turtles Fly: When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know
How To Stick Their Necks Out
ISBN: 1600376754
Retail: $17.95
Click
to purchase




