Catherine Jelinek
What I Love Most About Working with Authors
I love getting to truly sink into all that an author has created, grown through, learned from, and achieved. One of the most satisfying parts of my work is zooming out with an author and taking in the full scope of their work life, then sensing the powerful current of the story that runs through their journey.
It is remarkable and humbling to be invited to really see people in their fullness, both the visible accomplishments and the quieter inner evolution, and to help reflect that back in a clear and compelling way through their book.
Where in the Process I Work with Authors
My work with authors centers on discovering the deeper heart of the story they are here to tell, and then helping express it with clarity, integrity, and momentum. Authors work with me right from the beginning, starting with the initial welcome and orientation into their book journey, through the first major phase we call Story-Mapping. This is where we dig deeply into the content and message the author arrives with, then expand into what they most want to say, to whom,
and why now. Together, we identify the most compelling story arc and shape it into a clear, intentional book outline, down to the details that help the work truly land. The recordings from our interviews and conversations become the voice print and words that write the book through our voice-to-page process.
After the writing and editing phase with Bailey, authors will see me again for a recorded Book Review conversation, podcast style, and for strategic support around positioning, launch, and promotion as their book prepares to meet the world.
What Led Me to The Skinny
Early in my career, I co-founded The Junto Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, where I helped design a mentorship-driven ecosystem that functioned like an apprenticeship for entrepreneurs growing their businesses while practicing emotionally intelligent leadership. I have since worked as a people, learning, and growth consultant within startups, and collaborated with remarkable leaders to design transformative programs, particularly for women leaders. Along the way, I have built forums and community networks both inside organizations and through my own initiatives.
This chapter with The Skinny has felt like a miracle in many ways. I have fallen in love with deep listening, receiving people’s stories in their raw, unpolished form, and then, together, magnifying them into something with clarity, resonance, and forward motion.
I am also a mother to two young boys. It is meaningful to work flexibly in a way that supports the evolving needs of a young family, while doing work I am thrilled by for thought leaders I am honored to spend time with.
Four Random Human Things About Me
- I absolutely love Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I am currently midway through my blue belt. I have competed before and plan to compete again. I LOVE this healthy outlet of my primal aggression.
- Becoming a mother surprised me. I was not always sure I wanted children. Yes, as all parents know, it is an immense amount of work on every level, and it has been the most powerful and alchemizing transformation of my life. Motherhood woke me up and expanded me into chapters, gifts, and interests I never would've known to consider for myself.
- I have lived in rural Alaska, northern Michigan, Ann Arbor, downtown Chicago, an island in the Pacific Northwest, and now we are settled among the oak trees of Madison, Wisconsin.
- I make a mean pesto. It's dairy free, nut free, and 100% addictive. My six year old and I are planning a neighborhood pesto stand this summer. Come on by 😉