they said 97% of writers never make it. And I was like, perfect. That's for me. And I wrote a half

dozen publications at the time and said, I'm Margaret Feinberg. You've never heard of me. And I knew

that if I could win an editor's confidence that I could work my way up.

Welcome back to Smart Girl Summer.

Today I'm with a fellow author and speaker, Margaret Feinberg.

She is a true trailblazer, one of the original voices who paved the way for Christian women in writing and speaking with over 25 years of experience,

countless best-selling books and Bible studies, and speaking all over 25 years of experience, countless best-selling books and Bible studies,

and speaking all over the world, she shares the real story of what it takes to build a lasting,

impactful career. So in this Smart Girl Summer episode, Margaret opens up about what she wishes she had known earlier, the mistakes to avoid, and the

mindset that keeps her going strong decades later. So if you've ever dreamed of writing or

speaking, this is an episode that you don't want to miss. Okay, let's dive in with my friend Margaret.

Margaret Feinberg, the first time I ever met you in person was Catalyst years ago.

And you had on, I think you were aware, it was pre-Rothies, because I think of you as my fellow Rothese girl now.

I think maybe you were wearing teeks, ballerina flats, and you were delightful on stage.

It was this arena down in Atlanta with 10,000 people.

And I remember thinking, what a powerhouse of a woman who just goes on that stage and completely owns it. And we've done lots of events together since then. And you're always a delight.

You are teaching the Bible or just behind the scenes

in the green room checking on me and how I've been. So thank you for coming back on the show.

What a delight to be with you, Allie. You are just a gift everywhere you go. You're very kind.

It is great to have you back. This is your first time on Smart Girl Summer. So Smart Girl Summer is where we talk about the business of what we do. We get to tell our stories. We get to talk about just how hard it is behind the scenes because there is a bit of an idea about women who've found a bit of success that maybe we just always knew what

we were doing. Maybe it came easy. And I think it's really refreshing to share with other women

just how hard we've had to work to get here. So when they are building and they're going,

...