They say things happen for a reason & this is a perfect example.

I met Greg randomly in Seattle. I live in Los Angeles but was visiting Seattle for 2 days to interview to be a flight attendant. In line at a chocolate store, we said hello & did some small talk, then went our separate ways. Later, we bumped into each other 2 more times. By the 3rd random 'meetup', something was telling me that we needed to talk more but at the time I had no idea why. I just went with it. We stood on the street corner (literally) & talked for an hour just like we had known each other for years!

Greg has an outgoing personality & he's easy to connect with. After learning about his book, he mentioned how the transcripts from recorded tape to print sometimes make really funny outtakes because they’re not transcribed correctly. As Greg also has a great sense of humor, we joked about it & I suggested that he should include the outtakes as part of his final book to add a light fun side.

Not knowing my story, he didn't ask to interview me. When we were about to say our goodbyes, I briefly shared a little more about my life with the hopes that he would ask to interview me as I know my life story is a unique one to share.

Turns out, the timing couldn't have been any better. Greg's travels were bringing him down to LA 3 weeks later so we planned to meet up & do the interview in person.

Greg is an amazing interviewer who deeply cares about people & sharing others journeys with the world.

In terms of the actual interview, I was very impressed with the questions and how, through the questions, Greg was able to take me on a journey of my own life while gathering everything he needed to write my story. My interview lasted about 5 hours, which even though that sounds long, was a good length & didn't feel daunting at all.

From the pre-interview homework question of breaking my life down into chapters & naming each chapter (which is a great retrospective exercise) to the last question, each was meticulous, had a purpose, & was well thought out.

The questions varied & truly took me though my entire life. I found some questions easier to answer than others, some were surface level & some went very deep. There was no right or wrong way to answer so depending on the individual question, I could elaborate as little or as much as I wanted which I really liked.

It is extremely important to note that Greg conducted the interview with the utmost respect.

The questions covered many different topics & the answers to his questions brought out all types of feelings & emotions, from happiness to sadness, guilt to shame to regret, to moments of pride, and everything in between. Not once did I feel judged or uncomfortable sharing with Greg.

Greg conducted the interview professionally the entire time. I also want to note that at one point during the interview, I did talk to Greg off record which he was more than willing to do at my request, no questions asked. The interview had a great rhythm & flowed smoothly. I was truly amazed at how the questions covered so much.

The interview process was a remarkable experience.

Greg had mentioned to me, when I first met him in Seattle, that many people who he had already interviewed later reported back to him that they had healed or were able to process parts of their life that they never had before. As I am a person that has a growth-mindset & has done a lot of work on myself, I didn’t think I would have the same outcome. To be honest, I was sure I wouldn’t.

BUT, when Greg emailed me my short story, after turning my 5-hour interview into 500 words, I was speechless. He said that my story “was the most interesting psychological profile” he had ever written.

He understood! He GOT MY STORY! Someone finally heard me, understood my journey & could tell it in a way that allowed me to release so much of the pain I had been carrying for years.

For that, I am forever grateful to Greg.