Amy Friedl has always wanted to be in the book world.

As she shared on the Project Seed Money Podcast, she remembers calling publishing houses as a child from her friend’s basement bedroom, pitching their “great story idea” and asking if someone would print it. Even then, she knew writing books was something she wanted to do someday.

But life took her into teaching.

For 22 years, Amy built her identity around being an educator. Teaching wasn’t just her job, it was who she was. But over time, especially through COVID and increasing pressure to “teach to the test,” that identity became heavy. What once felt purposeful began to feel limiting.

Eventually, for her mental health, she made the difficult decision to leave the classroom.

That’s when writing moved from “someday” to now.

Her former seventh-grade students became her unexpected launch team. They helped brainstorm storylines, illustration ideas, and even her Strong Girls Travel logo. Today, those same students, still cheer her on when new books release.

Amy didn’t step into publishing blindly. She hired a publishing coach to learn the self-publishing process and committed to understanding Ingram, Amazon KDP, printing options, timelines, and systems. She also hired an editor — even after 22 years as an English teacher.

When that editor told her the manuscript “wasn’t good,” Amy chose growth over ego.

Instead of spiraling into doubt, she revised. The book became stronger. And she kept that editor on her team.

Her first book released in November 2023. Since then, she has published eight books total — seven in the Strong Girls Travel series, each set in a different national park.

The early process was bumpy. The first book required learning everything from scratch. The second became smoother. By book seven, Amy had built a repeatable system: writing month, illustration month, production month, marketing month. She tracks everything in spreadsheets and sets quarterly and annual goals.

That system allowed her to publish three books in a year, though she’s now intentionally slowing to two for quality and breathing room.

But publishing hasn’t eliminated vulnerability.

Amy openly shared launch mistakes: duplicated checklist pages, a missing spine title, re-uploading files to Ingram, paying correction fees, and waiting through unpredictable production timelines. Instead of hiding those moments, she reframes them.

There’s always doubt, she says. The question isn’t whether doubt shows up — it’s what you do next.

For Amy, that means taking a breath, fixing the file, leaning on her illustrator, and recommitting to the mission.

Beyond books, Strong Girls Travel has expanded into real-life women’s solo travel coaching. The core message remains the same: strong girls travel out of their comfort zones, out of their heads, and into brave next steps.

Her advice to aspiring authors is simple and direct: if the story is still stirring inside you, it’s there for a reason. Build a team. Trust your intuition. Don’t settle for the first opportunity. And chase the passion that won’t let go.