In Business Blast Podcast #474, host Tyler Wagner interviews author and editor Joanna Campbell Slan. Joanna shares a powerful personal story of growing up in a violent, alcoholic household and how she defied her father's bleak predictions to build a successful writing career, publishing and editing over 30 books and contributing to Chicken Soup for the Soul. She emphasizes a "what if?" mindset, constantly seeking ways to reinvent herself and turn situations to her advantage. Joanna relays practical business advice she learned from her husband, a Dime Way dealer serving high‑profile clients, highlighting the importance of scrutinizing small expenses because saving modest amounts can dramatically improve profit margins. She offers heartfelt advice to her younger self, urging confidence in one's hidden strengths and reminding that life is full of infinite possibilities. Her view of happiness centers on appreciating the small, everyday joys rather than waiting for grand events. Joanna cites two books that shaped her: Joan Rivers' Bouncing Back, which taught resilience through diversification of opportunities, and Jane Eyre, which inspired her to pursue education despite a harsh upbringing. Her favorite quote is Emily Dickinson’s "dwell in possibilities," a mantra she applies to writing, crafting miniatures, and daily life. Finally, she directs listeners to her online presence—her website joannaslan.com, Facebook, and Amazon listings.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Joanna Campbell Slane with us. She has published and edited over 30 books, has won awards, and her stories have appeared in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books. So welcome to the show.
Thank you, Tyler.
Of course. We'll dive into the first one. The first question I have for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
I guess the best story would be that I grew up in a violent alcoholic home. Both my parents were drinkers. My dad was a nasty drunk. And my dad used to tell me that I would wind up pregnant and unmarried and broke and that I was ugly and stupid and no one would ever want me. And I think a lot of kids grow up in homes that are less than ideal with people that don't have their best interests at heart. At heart, and I ignored him. He died at age 48 of alcoholism. I didn't die at age 48 of alcoholism, and I've gone on to live a really successful life.
Thank you for sharing that with us. The next one I have for you is, what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
I'm a big believer in picking yourself up and starting up again and reinventing yourself. I also live by two words, and that is, what if? I'm always looking at things and situations and thinking, what if? How can I change this? How can I transform this? How can I use this to my benefit?
And what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
Well, it would probably be something that my husband tells people. My husband is a Dime Way dealer. He owns a franchise in Washington, DC. We service the White House and the—
Awesome.
Yeah, it's a pretty cool life and the Library of Congress and all of that. And he's a big believer in being very careful about your expenses. What he says is, if you look at your balance sheet and say, you know, you're, you have a 40% profit rate, well, that's 40%. But if you save $100, that's 100%. So I think that he's right, that you have to look at the little things and keep those from mushrooming out of control business-wise.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
It'd be that I'm cooler, smarter, stronger, wiser, more courageous than I think. All of us tend to underestimate what we can do, particularly when you're young. You— when you're young, you're like bathed in this terrible soup of negativity because everybody else is worried about whether they're going to make it in life. And because most teachers have to gear the school experience for mediocrity. And what kids really need to know is that the whole world is open to them, that life is just full of infinite possibilities that they cannot even imagine. And so I would tell myself, it's going to be okay, it's going to be okay. Just take it one step at a time and trust that you will have what, what you need within you to be successful.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
A charged car? With an unlimited balance? A tank full of gas? A Snickers bar? Really, it's the little things in life that make people happy. People keep thinking that there's going to be some big thing that happens and it's going to totally change their life. Well, you know what? The big things don't totally change your life. They're cool for a while, but then life goes on. So you have to find a way to enjoy the little things, whether it's, you know, walk on the beach, finding a cool seashell, you know, watching a lizard flash his throat at another lizard. That's the secret of happiness. It's actively looking and finding and seeking and taking the time to enjoy all that life has to give you.
And what is the best book? This will be a good question for you. What's the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Well, there are two. One is, strangely enough, Bouncing Back by Joan Rivers. And the reason that that book made such an impact on me was that Joan Rivers wrote that after her husband committed suicide Her daughter wouldn't speak to her. She was $3.5 million in debt because of a failed business deal, and her program had been thrown off the television. She was at rock bottom by most people's accounts. People wouldn't even take her phone calls, and she bounced back. And her secret, which I employ even to this day, is she says you have to have a lot of balls in the air. The more possibilities you have, the more things you have going on that might come to fruition, the more able you are to pick up yourself and to say, okay, next. What is out there next? Something good may happen tomorrow. And I think that that's a really wise idea for anybody is to not pin all your hopes on any one thing, is to have a lot going on. The other book that made a huge difference in my life, particularly early on, was Jane Eyre. If you look at the COVID of Jane Eyre, it says it's a biography. I was too young when I read it to realize it couldn't be a biography if it was written by somebody with a different name than Jane Eyre. So, I thought it was real. And in Jane Eyre, Jane determines that getting an education will make a difference in her life. So, I'm in this alcoholic environment, my parents are telling me that I'm a total loser, and it dawns on me that if Jane Eyre could get an education and succeed, so could I. And I did. I graduated cum laude even though I was working 40 hours a week. From Ball State. And no, I did not sleep with David Letterman. He did not ask me.
What is your favorite quote and why? So I wasn't expecting that last part there.
Well, that's the joy of life, Tyler, is what you don't expect.
Going back to the other question.
Okay, my favorite quotation is from Emily Dickinson, and she says, dwell in possibilities. And that is such a powerful message. If you look at everything in terms of possibilities, the person that you meet, the possibilities. I mean, it may be that while you're walking your dog, you're going to meet your new best friend or somebody who has some wonderful piece of information to import. When I— I make dollhouse miniatures, and I'm always looking at little pieces of junk and turning them into things, you know, because I look at everything and say, what's the possibilities? When I write, I think I look at situations and I think, what is the possibility? What if? How could this be changed? And I think that if you adopt this idea that you're really just an alchemist, we're working your way through life. Well, gosh, you'll have everything you need all the time.
I love that. I agree as well. Thank you so much for coming on. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where is the best place for people to find you online?
Well, Tyler, you should know that. Obviously Skype doesn't always work. The best, the best place is joannaslann.com. That's my website. The other thing is, is Facebook. I have a bunch of Facebook places. If they just look up Joanna Slan, and spelled S-L-A-N. It's like a, it's a 4-letter word. S-L-A-N, not F like the dessert, but like slang. And I'm there. And I'm all over Amazon. So yeah, Google me, whatever. It's not that hard.
Awesome. Thank you again for coming on. We appreciate it.
You're welcome, Ty.
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