Tamiah
Johnston says that she had a sense that she should “just do it - it was my
time.”
When
the local author sat down to write her first book, she didn't have a detailed
outline, plot structure, or marketing plan, just a feeling.
"I’d
always known I wanted to write a book," says Johnston, a North Bay native who
moved to Port Dover in 2020 after close to four decades in Milton. "There
was no reason other than intuition around when I chose to do it - just an inner
sense that the time was right."
That
instinct led to Unveiling Enough: A Woman's Journey to Embracing Her
Worthiness, a candid memoir and personal-growth story that would eventually
become an Amazon bestseller.
Johnston,
a meditation teacher, life coach, Reiki practitioner, podcaster, and speaker,
officially launched her wellness business in 2019. But her work helping others
stretches back much further.
"Since
my early twenties, I've been immersed in the personal growth and spiritual
world, and I had a professional organizing business that involved a lot of
counselling and support to others," she says. "I also gained
certifications in meditation, life coaching, and Reiki along the way."
The motivation
to write her book and sense that the time was right arrived unexpectedly while
watching the film Barbie in 2023.
"The
speech that America Ferrera delivered shifted something inside of me,"
Johnston recalls.
She
began writing immediately, sitting in a swing chair outside her home and
recording memories as they surfaced.
"I
just started writing my life in chronological order," she says. "I
didn't follow any writing rules -no plot structure, no chapter plan, just
flow."
Over
the following four months, Johnston chronicled experiences including childhood
struggles, motherhood, miscarriage, marriage, divorce, depression, healing, and
personal transformation. The result is a book that explores a theme many of her
readers recognized: the feeling of not being enough.
In
an age of constant, hyper-media-driven comparison and unrealistic expectations,
Johnston challenges the belief that worthiness must be earned.
Her
message is simple: we are already enough.
What
makes Unveiling Enough compelling is its honesty. Johnston doesn't
present herself as someone with all the answers. Instead, she shares her
experiences with vulnerability, humour, and the perspective of someone still
learning and growing.
That
authenticity appears to have resonated with others.
When
it came time to launch the book, Johnston approached the process with the same
enthusiasm and openness that fueled the writing.
"Becoming
a bestselling author was all about my network, with a splash of
self-motivation," she says with gratitude to her many friends and
supporters.
After
researching Amazon's ranking system, she selected a launch date and encouraged her
community to purchase the book during a concentrated period. She promoted the
release relentlessly through email and social media.
"I
had an annoyingly frequent presence on Instagram," she jokes.
The
effort paid off. Late on launch day, after repeatedly refreshing Amazon's
rankings, Johnston discovered her book had reached the Number-1 position in its
category, where it stayed for a while.
This, in turn, prompted further sales and interest.
"It
was so much fun," she says, downplaying the momentary top ranking.
Her
success, nevertheless, offers a useful lesson for aspiring writers. While it
may be tempting to view her bestseller status as the consequence of a clever
marketing strategy and something separate from the substance of the writing,
Johnston's experience, in fact, resulted from relationship-building within her
community. Through workshops, events, speaking engagements, and wellness work,
she had years of connecting with people around her book’s theme before ever
asking them to buy a copy.
There
were no shortcuts - just the same consistency, authenticity, and genuine
engagement.
For
those considering writing a book of their own, Johnston's advice is
straightforward though maybe not what some professional authors might offer.
"If
you have a story in you, just write it," she says. "At first, don't
worry about marketing, representation, editing, publishing - nothing other than
writing."
For
Tamiah, the important thing is to start.
"Your
story deserves to be told. Your voice is important,” she says echoing the
philosophy that has guided her own journey from wellness coach to first-time
author and a top ranking.
"Just
do it – it is your time."
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Authors check out: https://doverwrites.blogspot.com/