How Rachel Lyne Found Balance of Business and Creativity
My Interview with Rachel Lyne
For Rachel Lyne, self-employment isn’t a polished plan—it’s a calling lived out daily in real time. Balancing business and creativity means adapting to her season, protecting time to write, and surrendering the pressure to produce perfect results. She’s found her rhythm not in rigid systems but in staying grounded—creatively, spiritually, and relationally—and letting faith guide the pace and purpose of her work.
How do you balance your creative writing time with running your business?
There’s definitely a business aspect to being a self-employed author and speaker. I track miles for signings and speaking engagements, I have meetings and networking lunches, software to renew, along with a website, newsletter list, and so much more. This may seem abstract, but I do business items when I have the time to do them. For me, there’s no clear-cut way to schedule that unless I run a tight ship at home that stresses everyone out. I’ve never found the business side of creative writing to be taxing (a little pun there), draining, or cumbersome. I enjoy the business side and creative side equally.
Has self-employment made you more or less productive as a writer?
More. For sure. I’ve gained a confidence that was foreign to me for decades. Over time and coming into self-employment (an empowering experience for anyone who takes that leap) catapulted my view from worried what people will think to simply “putting it out there” and praying for God’s will and not my own. I don’t have a boss breathing down my neck or company statistics screaming that I’m underperforming or mandatory financial benchmarks to trip over. It’s all in God’s hands and that generates genuine productivity.
What skills from your writing career have transferred well to self-employment, or vice versa?
Writing and speaking are two very different sides of one coin called “communication.” I believe they go hand-in-hand. My speaking influences better writing and visa versa. It’s all about practice, practice, practice.
How do you handle self-promotion both as a business owner and as an author?
Being a business owner and author/speaker are the same things to me, but I just wanted to say that I absolutely hate, hate, hate self-promotion. I know I have a super unpopular opinion on this, but when people schedule me to speak or when they buy my book, I don’t want them doing it because of me or who I am. I want them doing it because they need a truth-filled, faith-based talk or a refreshingly safe book that gives them hope for their situation. I’ll let people know online where I’ll be and when, but the message of the Gospel has to be first and foremost when I’m promoting. My crafts – speaking and writing – are only possible because of God and only for God’s Kingdom. It’s never been about me and if it becomes about me, I’ve failed.
What advice would you give to someone considering self-employment?
We oftentimes find ourselves in nests. For some of us, we’ve been in one all our lives. We adapt to confined situations and go through the motions because “we should.” Those considering self-employment are like a baby birds. They can see the outside world, but sometimes need a nudge to explore it. This is what I would say to him or her: You may tumble out of the nest. You may be terrified. You may doubt yourself or your ability. You may fall and need to get back up and rethink it. But after gaining momentum and patiently understanding the mechanics of flying (which takes time, effort, and persistence), you’ll discover an open world you never thought possible. Over time, it feels natural, like you were born to fly. Flying doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wealthy, happy all the time, or where you want to ultimately end up, but it does mean you’ve found out just how capable, competent, creative, and full of worth you really are.
How do you avoid burnout when your home is also your workplace?
I hope by this time you realize I’m just a regular lady and I don’t have all the answers or have it all together! May this be an encouragement to whoever is reading this: you’re not alone in that feeling of burnout. I wish I had a foolproof method of avoiding burnout, but all I can offer are some helpful suggestions. First and foremost is taking uninterrupted time for yourself. I’m not talking about Candy Crush or Doom Scrolling. I’m talking about restful activities that recharge your unique batteries. My children know that for 15 minutes almost every day, I need to “center” myself. I’m not sleeping. I’m closing my eyes in a dark room and just letting my overthinking mind relax and let go for a little bit. After those 15 minutes, I’m recharged to continue my day. I also like to rearrange my workspace every now and then to keep it fresh. I’ve also been known to tell my husband, “I need a break!” in a panic haha! Listen to your body. When you feel yourself going down the burnout route, take the immediate action to “center” yourself, whatever that looks like for you.
What's been your proudest achievement as a self-employed professional?
Knowing that 300+ copies of my nonfiction and fiction combined are in someone’s hand whether in paperback, ebook, or audiobook. The audiobook for Pure Heart, especially, was an amazing process to be a part of! Being a voice actor was on my bucket list and it was absolutely a once in a lifetime experience. It’s elating to find new loves in self-employment within and beyond the “niche.” All praise to God.
How do you handle isolation or maintain professional connections as someone who works independently?
I’m actually someone who prefers isolation and God has really been working on me lately to take my eyes off what I need or want to do and focus on people around me. When I struggle with this, I pray. When I pray, God shows up. Every time. So often, my own agenda goes out the window for others and it’s okay. Jesus was interrupted many times and even surrounded with people while he grieved John the Baptist’s death. YET. He took compassion on the people, stopped what He was doing, and ministered to them. I’ll be in the middle of editing a homeschool curriculum or my own novels and suddenly, I receive 3 emergency calls from family or friends, 6 SOS texts from mentees, and a “can you rescue me and bring me this tool” from my husband. Not to mention that I have kids to homeschool! When these times arrive, I breathe and thank God for showing me how to love others (which sacrificing self is a major part of it) and giving me the opportunity to drop what I’m doing to serve them.
Has self-employment affected how you approach creativity and problem-solving?
Not particularly, however, it HAS affected my attitude regarding creativity and problem-solving. The whole world doesn’t rely on me. Me dropping a task or making a mistake isn’t the end of the universe. Self-employment teaches resilience and persistence, reminding us that God Himself is the one that judges us – not others. I’d been trapped in an anxious perfectionism cycle for SO long and this journey taught me how to trust the process and the gifts God has given me.
How has being your own boss changed your perspective on work-life balance?
I do love being my own boss, but as mentioned, it’s harder to have a balance, since the structure is created by me and only me. Some days, I do wish I had help. But then, I remember where my help comes from (the Lord). Work-life balance perspective is different for everyone, but for me, I can’t work without doing life, and my life seems meaningless without working for the Kingdom. Therefore, they’re inseparable and balancing them is in the head, heart, and hands - what you think, how you feel, and how you act determines the reality of your work-life balance.
A fiction and nonfiction author and an inspirational public speaker, Rachel D. Lyne’s heart is to share the love of Christ through written and spoken word. Her nonfiction book, The Apple, A Woman’s Battle Plan: Overcoming Forbidden Fruit in Marriage, hit shelves & online bookstores September 2021 and is CURRENTLY OFF MARKET for 2nd Edition Edits under New Publication. The Apple is a spiritual guidebook with reflective journaling to help readers through struggles with forbidden fruits in marriage. Lyne invites you to join her in being Warrior Wives and Warrior Women against a common spiritual foe. Healing in your life and marriage is possible. There is hope!
Lyne’s first fiction novel released October 2024: Pure Heart: Book 1 in The Tales of Rizalia Series. This YA Fiction novel is available in paperback, ebook, audiobook (NEW!), and in person at book events. With loose faith-based themes and steeped in fantasy, Lyne hopes to bring goodness and hope to the generations through “The Tales of Rizalia Series.” BOOK 2 COMING SOON!
Lyne’s passion is writing, but she also loves composing music and singing, as well as creating art. She served in various capacities at a local church for over 27 combined years and currently edits Living Lights Curriculum’s homeschool curriculum and homeschools her children. Other interests include immersing herself in the Japanese culture, volleyball, and video games (yes, you read that right).
To connect with Rachel D. Lyne, you can email her at rachel.d.lyne@gmail.com