EAP 195: Writing, Wellness, and Walking in Purpose with Venchele Saint Dic
In this heartfelt and empowering episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, host Kimi Walker is joined by Venchele Saint Dic, a writing brand strategist, public health advocate, and founder of Pathway Coach Writing. Venchele shares how her multicultural background and global experiences shaped her mission to help women of color and emerging thought leaders use writing as a transformative tool for healing, legacy, and impact. She and Kimi dive into the importance of reclaiming narrative power, navigating imposter syndrome, and staying grounded while balancing entrepreneurship, academic work, and personal growth.
Venchele offers listeners practical and reflective strategies, from setting micro-goals and practicing Sunday planning rituals to using Notion dashboards and the Pomodoro Technique. She emphasizes rest as a form of resistance and encourages others to stop waiting for perfection and start honoring their lived experiences now. Her message is clear: clarity comes through action, and our stories deserve to be told—even if our voice shakes.
Topics Covered in This Episode:
- Using writing as a tool for healing, advocacy, and legacy
- Navigating imposter syndrome and reclaiming your voice
- Creating sustainable habits with micro-goals and planning rituals
- Practical tools like Notion dashboards and the Pomodoro Technique
- Embracing rest, reflection, and mindful productivity
- Knowing when “done is better than perfect” and acting with courage
About Venchele Saint Dic
Venchele Saint Dic, MPH, is a Writing Brand Strategist, author, and founder of Pathway Coach Writing. Born in the United States and raised in the Caribbean, she empowers individuals and brands to share their stories with clarity and impact. Venchele is pursuing a doctorate (DrPH) in Public Health Leadership. A recognized voice in writing, branding, and leadership, her work has appeared in outlets such as BLACKSTATE, DMV Daily, and Thrive Global. She has been featured on podcasts across all major streaming platforms.
Based in San Diego, Hopf also mentors writers and consults on publishing strategy. His work blends compelling narrative with deep insight, whether chronicling survival, mystery, or the unexplained.
Connect with Venchele Saint Dic
- Linkedin: Venchele Saint Dic
- Email: pathwaycoachwriting@gmail.com
Connect with Kimi Walker:
· Visit: earlyaccountability.com
· LinkedIn: Kimi Walker
· Facebook: Kimi Walker
· Instagram: Kimi Walker
· YouTube: Kimi Walker
Transcript
Okay, so welcome
Kimi:back, Kimi Walker here.
Kimi:Welcome to the next episode of
Kimi:the Early Accountability Podcast.
Kimi:Today we have a very
Kimi:special guest, van Shell.
Kimi:She is a writing brand strategist, a
Kimi:public health advocate and founder of
Kimi:Pathway Coach Writing, whose mission
Kimi:is to empower others to tell their
Kimi:stories with clarity and purpose.
Kimi:But the voice shaped by resilience,
Kimi:multicultural identity, and a
Kimi:passion for equity, van Shell
Kimi:helps individuals and organizations
Kimi:navigate life transitions and personal
Kimi:growth through the power of words.
Kimi:So Elle, first off, thank you so
Kimi:much for being here on the podcast.
Kimi:We are happy to have you and
Kimi:so grateful that you're here.
Venchele:So much, Kimmi,
Venchele:for having me on the show.
Kimi:Absolutely been on the
Kimi:street with riding here lately.
Kimi:So why don't you first just tell
Kimi:the audience about you about your
Kimi:business and how what kind of got
Kimi:you into doing what you do now,
Kimi:those fields that you practice in.
Kimi:I.
Venchele:Yeah, so essentially when
Venchele:we talk about my business and when
Venchele:we talk about like my passion for
Venchele:public health and writing these
Venchele:are part of my mission, right?
Venchele:This is the work that I do in the
Venchele:world, and so my mission really is
Venchele:to help people, especially I. Women
Venchele:of color, but I work with everyone.
Venchele:And emerging thought leaders
Venchele:reclaim their narrative power and
Venchele:then use writing as a tool for
Venchele:healing, transformation, and impact.
Venchele:And so through my business
Venchele:pathway Coach writing, I guide
Venchele:clients in turning their life.
Venchele:Stories, expertise or advocacy work
Venchele:into cohesive manuscripts, visionary
Venchele:projects or for policy influence.
Venchele:And so to me, in terms of like how I got
Venchele:into the business it was really early
Venchele:on, as a child where I was exposed to
Venchele:the power of words through reading.
Venchele:Because in order to be a great
Venchele:writer, you have to be an avid reader.
Venchele:I was born in the States, but I spent like
Venchele:my foundational years in the Caribbean
Venchele:specifically in Haiti because my family's
Venchele:from Haiti and Martinique and France.
Venchele:And so I think living there, definitely
Venchele:shaped my understanding of resilience,
Venchele:resourcefulness, and community care.
Venchele:And so, with that, living between two
Venchele:cultures, like really taught me how
Venchele:to navigate differences with grace
Venchele:and how to see, health, education
Venchele:and justice through a global lens.
Venchele:And then using those experiences
Venchele:or those lived experiences to help
Venchele:my clients shape their own stories.
Venchele:Because like I said, at the intersection
Venchele:of creativity and public health.
Venchele:I really do support individuals
Venchele:and organizations to bridge the gap
Venchele:between intention and expression.
Venchele:And so whether I'm coaching someone
Venchele:through a book proposal or helping
Venchele:them align their goals with like
Venchele:systems change, my work really centers
Venchele:around voice, vision and values.
Venchele:And because I believe that writing
Venchele:is not just about publishing, but
Venchele:it's really about building a legacy.
Venchele:So that's a little bit about
Venchele:me and how I got into the
Venchele:business, because I knew that.
Venchele:When I was growing up, most of the
Venchele:books that were available to me were not
Venchele:written by people who looked like me.
Venchele:And so that's the reason why when I came
Venchele:to familiarize myself with the works
Venchele:of Tony Morrison, yo, Maya Angelos.
Venchele:I realized that.
Venchele:It's incredibly important, to read
Venchele:books that you know, that reflect
Venchele:your own life stories and your own
Venchele:struggles and your inner earnings,
Venchele:for growth and development and
Venchele:to find new perspectives that can
Venchele:help challenge your own thinking.
Venchele:And so that's the reason why I
Venchele:decided to be part of the movement
Venchele:of creating those spaces for people
Venchele:who need folks who are going to
Venchele:amplify their voices and encourage
Venchele:them to show up as their true selves.
Kimi:All right, so
Kimi:let's go, let's dive in.
Kimi:You've built venture.
Kimi:So you've built a brand about,
Kimi:guiding people in using their
Kimi:stories and their voices.
Kimi:What are some moments when you had
Kimi:to hold yourself accountable to
Kimi:do the same, especially if there
Kimi:was a time you felt like you were
Kimi:staying silent or playing small?
Venchele:So that's a very good question
Venchele:because I think playing small is,
Venchele:we have to contextualize it, right?
Venchele:Because it does show up.
Venchele:It sometimes can be impacted
Venchele:by, traumatic experiences.
Venchele:Or, like I always tell myself, I'm
Venchele:very mindful of who I surround myself
Venchele:with because sometimes even the
Venchele:people around us can, amplify that
Venchele:experience too, like those challenges,
Venchele:these inner struggles that we face.
Venchele:And so to me, I think
Venchele:one of the consistent.
Venchele:Not necessarily challenges, but areas
Venchele:of further exploration that I've faced
Venchele:in the past is like imposter syndrome,
Venchele:especially in academic policy or
Venchele:entrepreneurial places where my identity
Venchele:as a black woman as someone who comes
Venchele:from an educated family and a bicultural
Venchele:thinker wasn't always reflected.
Venchele:And there were also seasons where
Venchele:I had to juggle my business.
Venchele:Full-time work.
Venchele:And then now my current DRPH doctoral
Venchele:program, all while navigating,
Venchele:the financial and the emotional
Venchele:stressors that come with it.
Venchele:And so I think what helped me push
Venchele:through was really the power of
Venchele:community, which is very much aligned
Venchele:with my business of creating a space
Venchele:for community for my clients, right?
Venchele:Knowing that they have
Venchele:a cheerleader in me.
Venchele:And yeah, so what helped push me
Venchele:through was the power of community
Venchele:mentors, spiritual grounding, and the
Venchele:wisdom of just pausing when necessary.
Venchele:That's why like earlier I was telling
Venchele:you, we were talking and I said to
Venchele:you that, I only preach to my clients
Venchele:what I go through, and if I don't go
Venchele:through it, I have enough gravitas and
Venchele:wisdom to say, give me a moment, right?
Venchele:Give me a few more months.
Venchele:To try this out and then I'll
Venchele:let you know how it went.
Venchele:And so I've also learned to trust
Venchele:my intuition and, treat failure as a
Venchele:learning opportunity, not as a signal
Venchele:to quit, but as feedback for refinement.
Venchele:And so I think like each of these
Venchele:challenges definitely sharpened my clarity
Venchele:and reminding me that purpose sometimes
Venchele:can stretch across multiple callings.
Kimi:Okay.
Kimi:Yes, that is, that's very true.
Kimi:That's, that's a. Phrase within itself.
Kimi:It really can go in a lot of different
Kimi:directions and a lot of different sectors.
Kimi:I never thought about it like
Kimi:that, but that's definitely true.
Kimi:So let's talk about you a little more.
Kimi:You're a doctoral student,
Kimi:you have a business, you're
Kimi:entrepreneur, you're a writing coach.
Kimi:That's a lot of roles, a
Kimi:lot of demanding roles.
Kimi:How do you stay consistent?
Kimi:How do you manage, how do
Kimi:you manage, overdoing things?
Kimi:How do you avoid burnout?
Venchele:I think for me first
Venchele:things first is to remind
Venchele:people and remind yourself that
Venchele:you're only one person, right?
Venchele:That, in helping people understand and
Venchele:at the same time, they will help you
Venchele:define, what emotional availability.
Venchele:It looks like for them.
Venchele:So I know for me, because I wear
Venchele:different hats, I may not be the friend
Venchele:who is able to attend every single
Venchele:event, but I do show up in other ways.
Venchele:And so I think that it's a question of
Venchele:having grace, in order for people to
Venchele:have grace, for me, I have to have grace.
Venchele:I have to extend grace to myself and
Venchele:understand that I'm only one person.
Venchele:I'm not going to be able to be
Venchele:everywhere doing everything.
Venchele:However, I am going to be the friend.
Venchele:I'm going to be the person you can
Venchele:count on, when it's most needed.
Venchele:And so for me, even when I think about
Venchele:specific action steps that you know
Venchele:can even help your listeners, take
Venchele:today to help them reach their goals,
Venchele:is really starting with your why
Venchele:understanding why you're doing this work.
Venchele:Because when times get tough when
Venchele:you are at the end of the rope,
Venchele:the why is gonna, pull you through.
Venchele:And so for me, one of the first things I
Venchele:typically suggest is create micro goals
Venchele:based on the why, something that you
Venchele:can ac accomplish in the next 15 minutes
Venchele:that moves your project or dream forward.
Venchele:I work with parents.
Venchele:They usually will tell me, I have to
Venchele:dedicate, like, when they explaining
Venchele:their timeline, because during the
Venchele:first two or three days of working
Venchele:together, I send them like this list
Venchele:of questions, like 10 questions to
Venchele:really help them understand what is
Venchele:it going to take for them to finish a
Venchele:project and also for them to realize.
Venchele:How realistically, like if they say
Venchele:they want to finish a project in
Venchele:six months how is that realistic
Venchele:based on where they are right now?
Venchele:And for me, I say instead of trying
Venchele:to dedicate an hour to writing,
Venchele:I. It could just be spending like
Venchele:10 minutes jotting things down.
Venchele:It doesn't have to be full sentences.
Venchele:It could be as small as writing
Venchele:a sentence, sending an email,
Venchele:brainstorming a voice memo and really
Venchele:committing to that each week because
Venchele:that's just, for their vision.
Venchele:It has nothing to do with multitasking.
Venchele:There's no, that it has nothing to do
Venchele:with comparing yourself, comparing your
Venchele:beginnings with someone else's ending,
Venchele:which is something that typically happens.
Venchele:It's just really focusing, and again,
Venchele:going back to this idea of community,
Venchele:really surrounding yourself with people
Venchele:who are going to champion your work.
Venchele:Joining mastermind retreats.
Venchele:Hiring a writing coach like myself
Venchele:or finding thought partners who
Venchele:hold you accountable and affirm your
Venchele:worth, because your worth should
Venchele:not be based on your performance.
Venchele:You are inherently everyone is worthy.
Venchele:Everyone has value.
Venchele:And so to me that's very important
Venchele:to remind folks when I work
Venchele:with them because it's easy.
Venchele:It's easy to start comparing yourself.
Venchele:And saying to yourself, I know
Venchele:this person in my circle, who had
Venchele:their book won the pul surprise.
Venchele:Like, how come I'm not getting?
Venchele:You can't do that to yourself
Venchele:Because then you're diminishing
Venchele:your own worth and your own value.
Venchele:You're diminishing your own
Venchele:sense of purpose, and then
Venchele:finally getting comfortable.
Venchele:It's important to get
Venchele:comfortable with iteration.
Venchele:Because writing to me
Venchele:is not a one day deal.
Venchele:Sometimes you have to go back and revisit
Venchele:certain memories, talk to a therapist
Venchele:and realign yourself with what your why
Venchele:was, and even writing that book and then
Venchele:also don't wait until things are perfect.
Venchele:There's no such thing.
Venchele:Most progress is made by those who dare to
Venchele:start messy and then they stay consistent.
Venchele:my 2 cents on that.
Kimi:Okay, that you led into what my
Kimi:next question actually so I wanna talk
Kimi:about consistency and like on your
Kimi:website in many places you talk about,
Kimi:you emphasize the power of habit formation
Kimi:and mindfulness in both
Kimi:writing and personal growth.
Kimi:So what's one small, like daily habit
Kimi:you would recommend to someone who
Kimi:is trying to write more consistently
Kimi:or they're trying to develop a
Kimi:more let's say, focused mindset.
Venchele:So when I was, so earlier,
Venchele:I was alluding to just like my
Venchele:meditation spiritual practice.
Venchele:I think for me, like I stay motivated by
Venchele:anchoring into my why and being deeply
Venchele:intentional how I use my time and energy.
Venchele:And so I practice for me,
Venchele:like Sunday planning rituals
Venchele:where I review upcoming task.
Venchele:I align them with my long-term vision
Venchele:and I make room for joy and rest.
Venchele:I'm gonna stress rest very like 16 times.
Venchele:I also use a personal dashboard
Venchele:on this app called Notion
Venchele:to track habits, project,
Venchele:milestones, and even affirmations.
Venchele:I like right now I think I have the book
Venchele:I have this book called Lunar Abundance,
Kimi:Oh wow.
Venchele:Reflective journal.
Venchele:I highly recommend it.
Venchele:And that's the book that taught
Venchele:me how to set intentions, right?
Venchele:How to set intentions, which is very
Venchele:much aligned with defining your why and
Venchele:doing the things that align with that.
Venchele:I'm trying to think of any other ones
Venchele:that I do use the Pomodoro technique.
Venchele:Tracker where you work for 15 to 20
Venchele:minutes and then you take a rest,
Venchele:you go and do something else and
Venchele:then you come back to the writing.
Venchele:So I do that with all of my tasks,
Venchele:which has been very helpful.
Venchele:And so again, most importantly,
Venchele:I think the biggest tool that
Venchele:you can change is your mindset.
Venchele:So I've learned to view productivity, not
Venchele:as how much I do, but how aligned I feel.
Venchele:I really try to avoid
Venchele:like the hustle culture.
Venchele:By honoring my cues and
Venchele:adjusting goals accordingly.
Venchele:And that goes back to what I said
Venchele:about making room for joy and rest.
Venchele:And so the key would be sustainable
Venchele:momentum and not burnout driven motion.
Venchele:So I did talk about motion
Venchele:the Pomo door technique.
Venchele:The Sunday planning rituals and then,
Venchele:before you even get into those logistics,
Venchele:really sitting down with yourself and
Venchele:defining your why, and aligning some micro
Venchele:goals of, to this why, to achieve your
Venchele:goals and stay motivated and productive.
Kimi:Okay, so, the question I do have
Kimi:is about, so I know when people may
Kimi:wanna write a book or create a workbook
Kimi:or do things of this nature, one thing
Kimi:may be that I've heard a lot or people,
Kimi:getting ready to start a business or
Kimi:get a website out there or do this
Kimi:or do that is not feeling it's ready,
Kimi:Or already enough.
Kimi:What do you tell, like your
Kimi:clients is there a gauge where we
Kimi:can see that this is not ready?
Kimi:Is procrastination or mindset, or is it
Kimi:that it is not ready, it needs more work?
Kimi:What are some like things that you tell
Kimi:people to gauge that of No, we need to.
Kimi:There's, this is a situation when done
Kimi:is better than perfect, or this is where
Kimi:we need to go back to the drawing board.
Venchele:I think when, that's a very
Venchele:good question because it's also helping
Venchele:me reflect on my role as a coach.
Venchele:Even when I work with clients, I don't
Venchele:know if I can assure them a hundred
Venchele:percent whether or not they ready,
Venchele:because remember, it's their product.
Venchele:They're the ones going to be
Venchele:critiqued and judged, and so to me
Venchele:I think it's important for them
Venchele:or for me to remind them that.
Venchele:Other people are not expecting
Venchele:them, to be perfect and then also
Venchele:help them dig a little deeper as
Venchele:to who they're trying to impress.
Venchele:And I think that's very important because
Venchele:sometimes when people say that to me, I
Venchele:always ask myself I always ask them like,
Venchele:what does your inner child want right now?
Venchele:To help gauge what's the underlying
Venchele:reason why they feel the need
Venchele:that it needs to be perfect.
Venchele:And that's where as a coach, like I'm
Venchele:somewhat limited because I'm not a
Venchele:therapist, I'm not medically trained
Venchele:to go into those nitty gritty details,
Venchele:but that's something I usually tell
Venchele:them to share with their therapist
Venchele:and let me know, what came out of
Venchele:those sessions so that I can tailor.
Venchele:My approach and tailor the assignments or
Venchele:to I shouldn't even say assignments, but
Venchele:tailor like the exercises that I give to
Venchele:To reflect on the book, to reflect on
Venchele:the chapters that they may be writing.
Venchele:So that's my strategy.
Venchele:And then really diving into the
Venchele:self-care practices that they use,
Venchele:to generate ideas and to create
Venchele:a system of peace and healing, as
Venchele:they continue to do this project,
Kimi:that's great.
Kimi:That's awesome.
Kimi:So Michelle, how can the audience
Kimi:like follow you, find out more
Kimi:about you, find out more about
Kimi:your services and your business?
Venchele:so people can find me on my
Venchele:LinkedIn profile just using my name
Venchele:and then also visit me on Instagram.
Venchele:And my website ww dot
Venchele:pathway coach writing.com.
Venchele:I know it will be in the notes.
Venchele:And so they can find out
Venchele:more about my mission.
Venchele:There I am across all social media
Venchele:channels, and I've been featured
Venchele:on different podcasts, so they
Venchele:can find me that way as well.
Kimi:Okay.
Kimi:And how does your name appear on.
Venchele:It's just been Elle
Venchele:Sinek, just the name, the full name?
Kimi:Gonna have all of that in
Kimi:the show notes so everybody can
Kimi:make sure to follow you and stay
Kimi:connected during your journey.
Kimi:Like you said, still finishing
Kimi:your doctorate and everything.
Kimi:So what are some words that
Kimi:you live by with some mantra or
Kimi:anything that you use to keep
Kimi:yourself focused in moving forward?
Venchele:So I think the one mantra that
Venchele:I return to often is rest is resistance.
Venchele:Clarity is power.
Venchele:And this reminds me that in a world that
Venchele:often measures worth by output, that
Venchele:choosing rest is an act of reclamation.
Venchele:It's in those still moments that I
Venchele:find the insight and the strength
Venchele:to move forward with intention.
Venchele:Clarity allows me to lead.
Venchele:It allows me to write, it allows
Venchele:me to serve from a place of
Venchele:alignment rather than obligation.
Venchele:And this mantra isn't
Venchele:just a feel good quote.
Venchele:I think this is the
Venchele:foundation of how I live.
Venchele:I lead and coach others and
Venchele:it just reminds me that.
Venchele:Being working slowly
Venchele:can still be strategic.
Venchele:And stillness, often births, like
Venchele:stillness, often births the strongest
Venchele:breakthroughs in my opinion.
Venchele:And then also, to go back to the tip,
Venchele:because there's one last tip that I
Venchele:wanna give to people who are looking to.
Venchele:Overcome something that they have launch,
Venchele:something that they've accomplished
Venchele:or achieve something within their
Venchele:realm of expertise is really, you
Venchele:don't need more credential, more time.
Venchele:You just need more courage to trust
Venchele:what you already know, because too
Venchele:many people are waiting for perfect
Venchele:conditions before they launch
Venchele:their ideas or share their stories.
Venchele:But clarity really often
Venchele:comes through action.
Venchele:So take the first step.
Venchele:Even if your voice shakes, that's what
Venchele:I'm, that's what I've been doing here.
Venchele:Don't be afraid to be seen.
Venchele:Starting small, the book, the brand, the
Venchele:movement, it all begins when you honor
Venchele:the spark within and you decide that
Venchele:your lived experience is already valid.
Venchele:So if fear is in the room, invited to
Venchele:sit down, but don't let it drive the car.
Kimi:Okay.
Kimi:That's great.
Kimi:Those, that was actually great words.
Kimi:Elle, we thank you so much for coming and
Kimi:being a guest on the Early Accountability
Kimi:podcast and gifting us with all your
Kimi:expertise and just your amazing talent and
Kimi:everything that you've done to discipline
Kimi:yourself and all that you've learned.
Kimi:So thank you so much.
Kimi:Thank you for being on the
Kimi:guest and to the audience,
Kimi:thank you so much for tuning in.
Kimi:Until next time.