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Throughout her life, Julie has maintained passions for health, nutrition and chocolate, understanding long before recent research that the three rightfully belong together.  Finally capitalizing on her psychology degree, she set out to prove that when you combine the mind, the body and chocolate, something extraordinary happens.

Julie gives 10-25 presentations per month to various groups about chocolate.  She regularly presents at corporate breakout sessions, luncheons, schools, women’s groups, men’s groups, government agencies, non-profit organizations, private events and many more.   She also travels internationally as a guest speaker with a number cruise lines, educating people on the health benefits of chocolate.
 
She has appeared on local TV and national radio numerous times to educate people on healthy chocolate.  She’s currently in the process of developing partnerships to help launch a TV show about chocolate and health.
 
Julie created “The Dragyn Foundation” with a percentage of profits from her book and chocolate gift set sales.  The Foundation donates to international children’s programs focused on poverty, hunger, shelter, medical need and education.
 
Her company, The Chocolate Therapist, LLC, has launched a line of chocolate-bars-for-health sold with Julie’s book in a gift set.  The company has also recently launched a new wine & tea lovers collection made with all-natural chocolate, nuts, berries and spices.

Thank you Julie for taking the time to answer some questions for us!  What are you currently working on?
 
We've just launched a series of all-natural chocolate bars to tie in with the theme of my book, "The Chocolate Therapist."  The bars have fun names like SkyDiver (72% dark chocolate with peanuts), Extreme Therapy (72% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs), Berried in Chocolate (61% dark with a medley of berries) and a few more.  The bars are hand-crafted in our downtown Littleton, Colorado store.

Have you received any awards for your work?

No "awards," but plenty of "rewards" as people thank us for our good-for-you chocolate!

Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?

I speak up to 20 times/month about the health benefits of chocolate to various groups including corporate breakout sessions, spouse programs, library programs, youth nutrition education and many charity events.  I also teach chocolate & wine and chocolate & tea pairing classes and travel internationally as a guest lecturer on cruise ships speaking about chocolate.  I'm working with a wine bar across the street from our shop to do a monthly port & chocolate event....stay tuned!

How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing career? Or conversely, how has you writing success helped you in your  profession?

I have a degree in psychology but spent most of my life studying nutrition as a passion--obviously two things that are very helpful when educating people about chocolate and health.  Before I wrote my book, I managed a sales team for a wholesale sporting goods company and then left to start my own company.   I'm currently halfway through a program to get my nutrition certification.  Everything I've done has contributed to where I am right now.
 
I own a chocolate shop now because of the book--once I started studying chocolate I literally got pulled in 100%.  I didn't quite realized I'd toss out my career to become my passion!

What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published?

I have two additional books, both available as e-books or CD's.  The first is "Chocolate Soiree:  How to Throw the Ultimate Chocolate Party."  Right now we're offering a End-of-the-Boring-Bookclub-Special where people get the CD for free if they buy 5 copies of The Chocolate Therapist.  The goal is to get people to have a chocolate party for their next book club while reviewing the book!  The CD (a pdf file) includes things people can print out for their own party like a 4-week planning guide, a Chocolatier's Certificate of Achievement, How to Eat Chocolate Properly, the History of Chocolate and much more.
 
My other e-book is "Haute Cacao:  Creatives Uses of Dark Chocolate and Cacao Nibs."  It's a collection of recipes that help people learn how to use chocolate in their everyday cooking.

Is there any aspect to your profession that gets you in touch with your readers directly?

When you're in the chocolate business, people come to you.  It's the best!  I call chocolate "the universal connecting point."  I speak all over the world and I realized that when people speak about chocolate, we're all speaking the same language.

What will your next project be?

I'm reorganizing my chocolate shop to focus wholly on all-natural bars and specialty chocolates.  I'm also working on getting a few exclusive, high-profile clients to make custom chocolate for.   We're building "The Chocolate Therapist" as a brand people can trust for quality ingredients and health.

Who inspires you on a personal or business level?

I have five people that I admire and I call them my "dream team."  Each of them has certain characteristics that I aspire too, all different.   Deepak Chopra (for spirit), Oprah (for proving that anything is possible, incredible honesty and sharing 100% of herself with the world), Angelina Jolie (for her extraordinary beauty and humanitariasm, not to mention a little in-your-face charisma), Warren Buffett (for making billions by common sense and giving it away), Richard Branson (for being a for-the-people guy and his non-stop quest for life-defying adventure).
 
Personally I admire my children for not being afraid to go after their biggest dreams and for being beautifully passionate.

What type of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?

I love to help and inspire people in business and personally.  I've overcome many challenges to achieve the success I have now, so I can really speak from the heart.  I also truly enjoy charity work.  Hopefully at some point in my life I'll have enough funding to devote all of my efforts to child-focused charities around the world.

What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?

When you launch your book, develop some kind of a "giftset" to give people more reason to buy it.  I sold quite a few books while speaking at my engagements, but when I created a "giftset" that included the book and three custom chocolate bars (long before I had my own shop), my sales litterally doubled and even trippled at my events.  During the holidays I regularly sell 100% of the crowd and even more as many people stock up.
 
Also, start speaking right away.  Whatever your topic, there's an audience out there waiting to learn about it--that's why you're inspired to write it.  When you're driven from the heart, it's your purpose.  You have to do it or you get depressed and agitated with everything else until you honor it.

How did you get started as a writer?

It was always in me.  I wrote poetry and short stories non-stop as a kid, but it got lost along the way of everything I thought I was "supposed" to do.  When the need to write started to re-emerge in my late thirties, I went for it.  I was 39--I decided to sell the small company I had started and take the leap of faith to follow my heart.  First I wrote "The Chocolate Therapist," then I wrote two more books and a number of articles about chocolate and health.  I just rewrote the book again because a major publisher has picked it up.   Now I'm writing songs and lyrics--another gift that I always had but tucked away.  The creative awakening has been in amazing event, still in full motion.

Which is your favorite book/work published? Is there a favorite?

I like non-fiction and generally go for inspirational books.  I've read most of Deepak Chopra's books and I also like Carolyn Myss, Gar;y Zukav, Gary & Esther Hicks, Joe Vitale...you see the pattern.  However, I just read a couple of Ken Follet's novels--World Without End and Pillars of the Earth.  I know they've been around for awhile, but that man is brilliant!  I love passionate, intelligent writing.  Of course I've also read hundreds of diet books, nutrition, health, sports performance and holistic healing books, but I consider those "work."  Still, I love them just the same.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I work out of my home office for a couple of hours in the morning, paying bills and catching up on e-mails, schduling speaking engagements, website updates and marketing.  Then I head to the chocolate shop for 3-7 hours/day, unless I have a speaking engagement.  On those days, I coordinate chocolate samples, get all the handout materials ready and give the presentations.  I cruise once a year--I teach 5 classes on a 12 day cruise.  It doesn't seem like much, but I have to bring chocolate & class materials for 250 people in a suitcase that weighs less than 50 lbs.  Months of prep go in to it, so that is usually part of my day 6-8 weeks before departing.
 
The fact is that no day is typical and I never know what to expect.  Today, two people called for interviews and my daughter was accepted into Denver School of the Arts (a major accomplishment and dream for her!).  Tomorrow we're shooting a commercial at my shop.  Thursday I have a chocolate & wine class.  Friday, another interview.   It's always exciting!

Have you ever had a mentor, or someone who sparked your passion for writing?

My mentors have been other authors and people who have started companies.  I love startup stories and biographies.  One of the best books I've read for inspiration is called "Founders at Work."  It's a series of interviews with people who started huge companies and what they went through at the start.  After reading their stories I realized all of my issues are trivial.  There's always someone who's deeper in I am, and it was a relief to see that many of them are very successful now.

Who is your favorite writer/author?

Too many to choose from....

Finally, a most important question: what was the last song you sang out loud when you were by yourself?  :)

A song I wrote for my daughter about how I'd always believe in her because her dreams are a part of me too.  I was practicing it on the kareoke machine last Sunday because the music director actually let me sing it in church!  She burst out in tears when I was finished....it was really awesome.

Thank you Julie for a great interview! We wish you great success with your future chocolate projects!