Patti Temple Rocks Defied Ageist Stereotypes and Launched a New Career with Her Book
Fun surprises since the book
Patti Temple Rocks spent the first 40 years of her career in marketing and communications. Then, at almost 60, she was edged out of the job she loved for no reason other than her age. Instead of accepting the end of her career, she wrote a book, launched a movement, and built an extraordinary second act.
A Career Built on Lifting Others Up
Patti spent the first 40 years of her career working in marketing and communications. She loved helping her clients solve problems and grow their businesses, but what really fulfilled her was mentoring up-and-coming marketers and communication specialists. Even when work was hectic, she always found time to share insights with people who were just starting out.
"People helped me overcome my weaknesses and think through my options along the way, and I wanted to return the favor."
Patti Temple Rocks
Pushed Out for Her Age
At almost 60 years old, Patti was at the top of her game. Her clients were happy, she was coaching bright young stars, she had 150 people under her, and her performance feedback was consistently high. But one day, she came in to work and her boss told her he wanted her to take another job. To try to get her buy-in, he told her the new job was a promotion, but Patti knew it was a completely non-essential role, so she turned it down. After about a month, it became clear that, like it or not, she was being edged out in favor of younger people. With no idea what she was going to do next, she resigned.
Being forced out of the job she loved, for no other reason than her age, was gut-wrenching.
A LinkedIn Post That Opened the Floodgates
To try to make sense of the ageism she experienced, Patti wrote about what happened to her and posted it on her LinkedIn page. Almost immediately, thousands of people started contacting her to tell her they, or their friend, mother, or father, had been victims of ageism too.
"After seeing the reaction to that piece, I knew I had to start a movement and open the floodgates of conversation, and to do that, I had to write a book."
Patti Temple Rocks
Once she made the decision to write a book, something else occurred to her: she wasn't ready to stop working. By writing a book, she could lay the foundation for a speaking and consulting business that would highlight and help solve the all-too-prevalent problem of ageism. Patti knew a book was the key to an extraordinary second act.
Finding a Partner Who Could Move Fast and Coach
As a marketer, Patti had done a lot of writing, but a book felt completely different, and she felt a real sense of urgency. She started looking for a company that could help, but kept coming up short. The traditional publishers didn't move fast enough, and the self-publishing companies didn't provide the coaching and feedback she wanted.
"I needed coaching. I needed people who could help me sort through my ideas and, at the same time, validate that this was a worthwhile topic."
Patti Temple Rocks
While researching, Patti came across The Scribe Method. Intrigued, she bought a copy and dove in, and before long her copy was full of highlighted sections and notes in the margin.
"After I read the book, I knew it would be faster and easier to go with Scribe than try to do it on my own. Plus, it was clear they could move quickly and coach me when I needed it."
Patti Temple Rocks
Becoming a Guided Author
Once Patti signed up, she started working with a scribe, but it wasn't long before she realized the standard method of talking through her book wasn't the best route for her.
"After a few months, I had an epiphany: I wanted to be the one doing the writing."
Patti Temple Rocks
Her Scribe team listened and came up with the perfect solution: they switched her to a Guided Author package, which allowed her to write her own book and turn to them when she needed help. They were instrumental in helping her overcome one of her biggest challenges: finding the right tone and making sure her book demonstrated compassion without drifting into pity. They also respected her sense of urgency, and once she switched to Guided Author, her book moved incredibly quickly.
The World Was Ready for Her Message
When Patti released I'm Not Done, the world was as ready to hear her message as she was to share it. She was invited to be on dozens of podcasts and her followers on LinkedIn more than quadrupled. Major media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CEO World, Forbes, and Next Avenue, all featured her work.
"Being recognized by those kinds of outlets matters to me, because their audience are the people who can make a difference."
Patti Temple Rocks
Even more importantly, organizations around the world began bringing Patti in to speak about ageism and hiring her as a consultant to help prevent it in their own ranks. With all the opportunities the book has brought her, Patti has built a full-time speaking and consulting business. She wakes up every day excited, because she has taken back control of her destiny and built a life and career doing what she loves.
A Movement, Not Just a Book
"One person told me they felt like age discrimination was being marginalized. Reading my book helped them feel seen and heard, like they weren't alone."
Patti Temple Rocks
Patti heard similar sentiments from hundreds of people, and at the same time she started hearing from young people who told her that her book opened their eyes to what was really going on. For Patti, who spent so many years mentoring younger marketers and communication experts, these messages are especially poignant. They reassure her that she is helping to create a movement, and she knows that books have a long shelf-life.
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