Categories

Masha Malka is a former Soviet refugee who knows first hand what it is like to be living below poverty level; to have low self-esteem; to start out without the language, money, or contacts at the age of 17 and then make a great life for herself.

Masha went from living a life with little clarity and focus to becoming a successful entrepreneur, best-selling author, international speaker, and a mentor to thousands of people around the world.

Understanding what it takes to successfully balance the demands of a growing career with 3 children, husband, family, friends, and personal needs - she is passionate to show others how they can do it too!

Masha is a best-selling author of The One Minute Coach: Change Your Life One Minute at a Time e-book; contributing author for Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms and a resident coach on Talk Radio Europe.

Thank you Masha for answering a few questions for us!  To start, please tell us about your latest project. 

My latest project is being a contributing author to the “Chicken Soup for Soul” series, which I am very excited about! The one where my story is featured is called Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms .

Before that I published my book “The One Minute Coach: change your life one minute at a time” with Morgan James Publishing company in NY.

Have you received any awards for your work?

“The One Minute Coach” book has reached an International Best-Selling status in November 2008. It went to #1 on Amazon.com in 3 categories and # 84 in overall best-selling list. It stayed on the best-seller list for 4 months with Morgan James Publishing.

Do you also do speaking engagements, or seminars?

Yes, I do. I work with the Five Star Speakers and Trainers in US and various agencies in UK. I really enjoy doing seminars and workshops and speaking in public as it allows me to reach out and make a personal connection with many people at once.

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?

My background in Education (BA in Elementary Education and Graduate certificates in Teaching and Training Online) as well as training certificates in Accelerated Learning Techniques and Transformational Thinking has helped me in the way I express myself through writing. I understand how people learn best and use that knowledge to explain difficult concepts in an easy to understand way such as using images and bullets to help with the retention of the information.

Being a published author and having a best-selling book has definitely added to my credibility leading to more speaking engagements, not to mention that my confidence level and my self-esteem has gone up because of that! :-)

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

I have an e-book called “Discover Your Inborn Genius”. I have published some poems and even songs. “The One Minute Coach” book is being translated into Russian and soon to be translated into Hebrew, Spanish, and German. I have written my coaching program called “A Year at a Glance”. I also write and publish weekly “The One Minute Coach” newsletter. You can sign up at mashamalka.com

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

I do personal coaching and many people who have read my book contacted me to work with them. My coaching program, “A Year at a Glance” allows people to get from where they are now to where they want to go in an easy, step-by-step way. It’s been producing excellent results for the last 6 years for people around the world.

What will your next project be?

An audio program called “The One Minute Coach Daily System: How to Get From Where You Are Now to Where You Want to Be”, that I am almost finished with. I am really excited about it!

Who inspires you on a personal or business level?

People who seem to always see the positive in any situation they happen to be and make the most of it; People who lift me up just by being who they are; People who are genuine and congruent, who love life and live it to the full.

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

I enjoy doing research and learning new things. I love attending seminars and meeting interesting people. I also enjoy working with groups and facilitating learning and change.

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

Don’t get discouraged by how much is out there already. Successful writers today were in the same place where you are right now at some point in their career. Believe in yourself and your message and learn as much as you can about marketing and selling yourself and your books because writing and getting the book published is not the final goal. You want to get to people and that requires marketing and selling. So, don’t think of yourself as just a writer but more as an Entrepreneur or a business person where your book is your business.

How did you get started as a writer?

Writing was never my strength; in fact, in college I majored in Math and minored in Dance! I always loved reading and learning and was good at taking notes.

I started writing training programs and was very good at it because explaining something in a logical, well-structured way came easy to me. I then started writing follow-up emails to remind my training participants of what we learned and what to do about it. These emails became my “The One Minute Coach” newsletters and eventually were compiled into “The One Minute Coach” book.

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

My favorite book tends to be the one that comes at the right moment when I most need it, so at different times of my life I’ve had a favorite book. Some of them are The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo, The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield, The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin, The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav, The Psychology of Achievement by Brian Tracy, Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss, Conversations with God by Neal Donald Walsch just to name a few.

Of course my most favorite book is “The One Minute Coach: change your life one minute at a time” as it combines wisdom from the hundreds of books I’ve read as well as my personal experience.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

As the alarm goes I focus on how I want my day to be and with those thoughts I get dressed and go for a run to the beach. Get back, wake up my kids and get them ready for school. Then I either go to see the clients or I work on my computer.

I always have the main project that I give most of my focus to. My main projects are usually creative such as developing new products or working on marketing and promotional materials. It is important to stay organized and focused on getting those projects completed first and not get distracted by emails, phone calls, follow-ups, etc.

I work part time and I work from home as my kids are still young (10, 6, and 2) and I want to be around them as much as I can. I get a lot done though because I prioritize well and I know how to stay focused.

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

Hmm, not really. I can’t really say I have a passion for writing either :-). I write because I find it an effective way to share what I know and to fulfill my purpose in life. I AM passionate about making people aware of how valuable and powerful as well as capable they are and then giving them the tools to reach their goals and dreams.

Who is your favorite writer/author?

Wow, there are so many great writers! I like Brian Tracy because my style is very similar to his and I learned a lot from him.

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

You’re one in a million, once in a lifetime…

Thank you Masha! We wish you great success with your upcoming One Minute Coach audio program!