Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Eileen Grimes Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
Know that it takes one step at a time and do not give up. WE NEED YOUR STORY AND MOVEMENT. It does not happen in a day; movements take a step at a time. Touching one person and creating one more real authentic connection is what begins to spread your message. Make sure to take stock of what you have done over time and you will see the progress to keep moving you forward.
As part of my series about “authors who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Eileen Grimes, Author of The Us Journal.
Eileen Grimes is a mother of two, former educator, and author of the recently released book The Us Journal. She remembers feeling invisible as a child and wanted her own children to grow up knowing they have a voice worth hearing. She created The Us Journal to give parents an engaging and practical way to forge wholehearted connections with their children through the power of journaling.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I spent my early childhood exploring the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. My four brothers, sister, and I roamed the trails and red rocks which nurtured my love for the outdoors. It was overall a loving place and time to grow up, but there were six of us and there were only so many hours in the day for one on one time with my parents. They loved us dearly and showed up as much as they could. I ached for them to see and hear me and eventually learned to stop asking for their time.
Part of closing the communication door happened when I was around six. I overheard my parents arguing. I had asked to go to a birthday party and distinctly remember their fight as a result. In my mind, I registered that if I brought up my needs or wants, it would result in high tension and conflict. With that programmed, I only brought the good stuff to them and kept any hurt and pain within. Including my early experiences in relationships when I encountered intimate partner violence. I didn’t think there was a safe door to be able to come back to, so I shoved it down and didn’t talk to anyone.
I knew when I had kids that I never wanted them to feel like that. I wanted them to know, without a doubt, there was always a road back and the lights were on no matter how difficult their paths became. This book is a love note for my children to express that I see them, I love them, and I will always be here.
When you were younger, was there a book that you read that inspired you to take action or changed your life? Can you share a story about that?
Reading was like breathing for me growing up. I was so extremely curious to understand and explore other worlds and experiences outside of my own. So many books touched my heart and helped me see the way others moved through the world. The books I gravitated towards the most were ones that explored coming of age and building of inner strength. One of the ones that touched me deeply was reading Maya Angelou’s, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Hearing her story from her traumatic childhood to her transformation and becoming an amazing woman and revered poet, was incredibly inspiring and powerful. As a young girl who silenced my inner light, I needed to hear those kinds of stories and build them up over time to finally allow me to come from my chrysalis. There is an incredible power in hearing versions of stories over and over, no matter how similar they might sound. There is something about the way each person has lived and describes their life and experience that can be the change factor someone else needs to help them in their journey.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
Where I struggled the most in my career was not listening to my own heart. I remember the first day in my office job out of college. I was grateful to be employed and the people were kind, but I remember looking around at my cubicle thinking, “Is this it? Is this little box the rest of my life?” I held the emotions inside until I got home and cracked. I cried thinking that all my work had led to this and I felt as though I was meant to share so much more in this world. It took years after that for me to uncover who I truly am. I am now finding my way from listening to all those breadcrumbs telling me I was on the wrong path.
Can you describe how you aim to make a significant social impact with your book?
When I was pregnant with my son, during one of our checkups they heard something abnormal in his heartbeat so I followed up with an echocardiogram. I remember the feeling of being in there and the stress of the possibility of a severe health issue with my child. I was readying my heart to be the mom I needed to be for him. We found out that it was something that would eventually resolve with time, but even in the period from hearing my provider say something is not normal to hearing the final test results, my world changed.
This was one of the reasons I wanted to partner with Ronald McDonald House Charities during the Kickstarter phase of my publishing and ended up being able to donate two hundred copies to the families at the Inland Northwest Chapter.
During times of world shifting stress, to have the opportunity to build loving connection was what I wanted to share and am making part of the future for my journal.
With the benefits of journaling and intentional connection time, I want to get it into the hands of all families and especially organizations looking to help families connect, create safe and loving communication spaces, and open the door for life’s challenges. I aim part of spreading this movement to intentionally include those who are dealing with the extreme stressors in life, whether it is a family member experiencing a severe illness, finding a way out from a violent living situation, or transitioning back from service to their country. I am determined to carry out my heart’s calling to help make this world a little more loved.
Can you share with us the most interesting story that you shared in your book?
The beauty of my book is the sharing of stories that the participants provide. Since this is a collaborative journal, the stories come from the readers and parent and child share with each other. This intentional time to connect helps build bonds between parents and children.
One of my favorite prompts from the book asks the child if they had a treasure chest, what would be in it. The grown-up then draws a map for where they can find it. For me this was a way of hearing our children describe what is most precious to them and as their loved caregiver, letting them know that we would be there to help them come back to those treasures when the time required.
What was the “aha moment” or series of events that made you decide to bring your message to the greater world? Can you share a story about that?
Though it might feel like addressing children’s mental health is an impossibly large task, we parents have the potential to make incredible changes in our children’s lives in simple ways. Moments after my son was born, I looked into his eyes and thought, “How can I make this world better for him? How do I let him know that I am a safe space to come to no matter what happens in life?” I have spent his whole life making intentional time with him and my daughter.
Once the pandemic hit, life came to a pause. I took the time to reflect and look inside. I wrote a eulogy for myself as if I had passed that day. After contemplating those words, I took the time to redefine what success meant in my life and became clearer on the legacy I wanted to leave behind for my children. That legacy would be one in which I did everything in my power to make this world a little more kind, loving, and connected.
Without sharing specific names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
One of my readers shared her story after starting the journal with her son. She is a busy full time working mom of two and struggled in the pandemic to find the time, energy, and her own mental health to bond with her son.
Fortunately, after introducing The Us Journal she was able to carve small intimate moments of loving connection with him, which he began to initiate. He craved and asked for that time with her. These small moments build up time after time and forge bonds to last a lifetime.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Prioritize our children’s mental health just as we do their physical heath. We are proactive with annual physical checkups with pediatricians, I would love to see a similar approach to mental health. As I am looking to support the connections with parents and children and ensure they have healthy communication and build loving relationships, I would love to see this embedded in the school curriculum, corporate policies that encourage time with our children, and community resource that provide tools and spaces for parents to support their children. With the Surgeon General issuing an advisory on the youth mental health crisis, the time to act is now. We need to check in with our children and parents. We all, individuals, communities, corporations, and governments, need to break down the divide that seems to be pulling us further and further apart from the love and connection we all need so desperately in this moment.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership is so much greater than the individual qualities we possess. It is about the impact we make on those around us with the gifts that we possess. The greatest leaders dig deeply and live authentically as who they truly are rather than fit a mold of the expectations society puts forth as what a leader “should” look like. When I think of Malala Yousafzai, Mahatma Gandhi, or Eleanor Roosevelt, it is the light within them that shines brightly, pulls others toward their mission, and inspires people to be the best version of themselves. Great leaders emerge when they light the way and ignite the potential of others.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
I look back at my story and path as one that feels aligned with my life’s purpose. The lessons I needed to learn along the way came from the challenges I faced. If I were to provide some guidance to help someone clear their road to allow their mission to flourish, I would say this:
First, ask for help. You do not know everything, which is expected. Be open to learning, but know there are others that can and are willing to support you on this ride. Even if it is a phone call to a friend to give you a supportive ear, don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.
Second, own your inner wisdom. This one took me time. It took intention and small steps to build my self-confidence and knowing that I had something incredibly important and powerful to share with the world. Whatever your story is, your words matter and your experience is unique and beautiful. Your voice deserves to be heard.
Third, become clear on your message as early as you are able. For those who have a larger mission to serve, what is it? If you could only write it in a sentence, what would it say? This clear messaging helps you with the book, your engagement with your audience, and ability to spread the work you are doing. Who needs to hear it? Why do they need to hear it? How can you help them hear it?
Fourth, do not do it alone. Authorship can be an extremely lonely journey. I found being intentional about building a community was incredibly helpful and empowering. There are amazing groups whether it be on Facebook or Clubhouse or Instagram, others are on this path as well. Sharing in that space with others can be extremely encouraging and keep you motivated when the going gets tough.
Finally, know that it takes one step at a time and do not give up. WE NEED YOUR STORY AND MOVEMENT. It does not happen in a day; movements take a step at a time. Touching one person and creating one more real authentic connection is what begins to spread your message. Make sure to take stock of what you have done over time and you will see the progress to keep moving you forward.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” I pinned this Oscar Wilde quote to my vision board years ago and it is one of the first things I sit with every morning. As someone who lived my life for years based on others’ expectations and making choices that were not from my inner knowing, this quote helps center me every day to be true to who I am and the message I intend to bring to the world.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I’m breaking the rules because this gets to be my dream lunch. Brené Brown and Jane Goodall. Brené lifted me through her words the past couple of years. I can’t tell you how many times I watched her Netflix special and read her books over the course of the pandemic. I needed time to let her words sink in. She led the way in recognizing and sharing our vulnerabilities and has cracked open a world in which our emotions and humanness are assets. Through her work, I have learned an incredible amount about myself and steered that into the mission I am sharing with my journal and company. Thank you for being you and sharing your knowledge, Brené!
As my second lunch date, I would be honored to sit down with Jane Goodall, my childhood heroine. I jumped at the opportunity to hear her speak in person at the Franklin Institute in 2017 and would be over the moon to talk with her in a more intimate setting. I remember seeing this amazing woman out exploring the wild and studying the beautiful great apes as a child and was drawn to her kind nature. I was inspired by her quietly strong leadership in causes she holds dear. These two women have changed the world in a way that is truly themselves and towards creating movements based in love, and I plan to follow in their footsteps.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
If you have an organization, you think would benefit from donated journals please use the form on my website to contact me https://www.lovedasyouare.co/communityoutreach I am also on Instagram with handle @lovedasyouareco or on Twitter @EileenMGrimes and books are online anywhere books are sold. https://www.amazon.com/Us-Journal-Parent-Child-Journey-Discovery/dp/1951412389/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=jRPjm&pf_rd_p=29505bbf-38bd-47ef-8224-a5dd0cda2bae&pf_rd_r=FF7PJZ57E5EPXYW5WQC9&pd_rd_r=00a2ce76-0d97-4d07-ad72-95cd43666726&pd_rd_wg=04sSN&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Social Impact Authors: How & Why Author Eileen Grimes Is Helping To Change… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.