Nick Fountaine Releases a Reflective Memoir on What it Means to be Led, Broken, and Built by Faith

Today, I'd like to introduce you to author, learning alchemist, and transformation partner, Nick Fountaine.

Ross: When did you first get the idea to write your book?

Nick: It found me when I finally got quiet. I was on a solo trip, stripped of noise, and couldn’t avoid what I’d been running from anymore, and that was God. What started as thoughts in my head turned into something I realized wasn’t mine to keep. As I express in my book, “I felt God begin to realign my heart. I saw areas in my life where I had been striving instead of surrendering. God began to plant a vision in me. One that would later become the foundation for writing this book.”

Ross: You say this isn’t a book about religion but a relationship—can you expand on that?

Nick: Religion can teach structure, but it doesn’t guarantee connection. This book is about knowing God personally. Hearing God, moving with God, and being honest about where you truly stand with God. It’s less about rules and more about alignment and no longer avoiding the truth.

I express in my book that it is not a book about religion. It is not about having all the answers or having your life in order. It is about the messy, beautiful, deeply personal journey of reconnecting with God that never left. What has been with you in every moment, even the ones you thought God missed?

Ross: The idea of “God’s whisper” is central. What does that mean in your own life?

Nick: God's whisper is the voice I used to overlook because it wasn’t loud or forceful. It’s steady, clear, and honest. Telling me what I need, not what I want. Learning to hear it meant learning to stop running from the truth and finally sitting with it.

Ross: Who did you write this book for, and what do you hope they feel after reading it?

Nick: I didn’t write this book with an audience in mind. I wrote it out of obedience to God. For those who do read it, I hope they feel something real; something that pulls on them in a way they can’t ignore. The same way I feel every time I read it, complete.

Ross: How did your understanding of God change through pain and uncertainty?

Nick: Pain stripped away what I thought I knew and forced me to face what was real. I realized God didn’t disappear. I just got louder than God’s voice and leaned on myself instead. Uncertainty didn’t weaken my understanding; it exposed where it was never solid and brought me back to something real.

Ross: How can someone start recognizing God’s voice in their daily life?

Nick: You must create space. God’s voice doesn’t compete with noise. Slow down, be honest with yourself, and pay attention to what brings truth and clarity, not just comfort. Over time, you’ll realize it’s been there the whole time. You just weren’t listening.

Ross: What is next for your business and entrepreneurial-wise?

Nick: I'm building in a way that reflects alignment, not just ambition. Everything I’m creating must move with purpose and truth. I’m not just building something successful; I’m building something guided, the same way this book came to me.

Are you coping or avoiding? A therapist explains the difference and talks about the release of her second book with Williams Commerce Publishing Company.

Therapist & Author

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Taryn Hayward, the first therapist to publish their book with Williams Commerce Publishing Company. In 2021, she published her first book, There’s A Method to My Madness. Five years later, she returns to the literary realm to provide more value for readers with her second publication, “Am I Coping or Bypassing?”

Ross: What do you want the biggest takeaways to be from this book?

Taryn: If readers walk away with anything, I hope it’s a deeper sense of honesty with themselves. Healing is not always linear, and it doesn’t happen overnight. In a culture that encourages quick fixes, emotional healing happens at a pace of honesty. Growth takes time.

I also want readers to understand that coping and healing are not the same thing. Coping skills can help stabilize us, but they are not meant to replace deeper emotional processing. Sometimes the most meaningful progress happens when we slow down and allow ourselves to ask the honest questions.

Ultimately, the book is an invitation for reflection. I hope that readers leave with a greater sense of curiosity about themselves and a willingness to approach their lives with more compassion.

How did you come up with the title?

The title came from a question I found myself asking frequently in both therapy sessions and personal reflection: “Am I coping, or am I bypassing?”

Over time, I realized that many people use the term “coping” to describe behaviors that may actually be forms of avoidance. We stay busy, distract ourselves, or rationalize our feelings in ways that help us function. Still, those strategies aren’t sustainable in the long term and don’t always address what’s happening beneath the surface.

The question felt simple, but powerful. That’s why the title is a question, rather than a statement. Healing often begins with curiosity.

It invites folks to pause and examine their patterns without immediately assuming they’re doing something wrong. It isn’t about having the right answers right away; sometimes it starts with just asking yourself more honest questions.

What have you learned the most as a therapist since the release of your first book?

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a therapist since my first book is that insight alone does not always lead to change. Many people today are highly self-aware. They can name their patterns, identify their triggers, and even understand the psychology behind their behaviors. But awareness and transformation are not the same thing. You can understand your patterns and still avoid the emotional work required to change them.

What I’ve seen over time is how easy it is for people to intellectualize their healing. We can understand our experiences logically while still avoiding the emotional work required to integrate them. This realization deepened my approach in my work as a therapist and for this book.

Instead of focusing solely on understanding problems, I emphasize emotional presence and patience in the healing process. Real change often happens slowly, and sometimes the most powerful work occurs when we allow ourselves to be present and stay the course. We are human beings, not human doings.

What mental health habits have you improved the most since your first book?

Since writing my first book, two habits have stood out most in my growth. I have improved at slowing down and actually sitting with my emotions instead of immediately trying to solve them. As therapists, we are often trained to quickly analyze and identify patterns, but healing does not always happen at the speed of insight.

Over time, I have learned that awareness is only the beginning, and true growth happens when you allow yourself to experience what you feel without rushing to fix it. Feelings may be terrible leaders, but they are great informants.

I have also become more mindful about rest. Earlier in my career, I often equated productivity with movement and visible progress. I have learned that rest is not the absence of growth; it is part of it.

Practicing what I teach has helped me approach my own life with more compassion and patience. Those shifts ultimately inspired my second book. It reflects not just the tools I teach but the deeper lessons I have had to embody.

What motivated you to write a second book?

The motivation for my second book came from a theme I began to notice throughout my life, in my work as a therapist, and in broader wellness spaces. Many people are learning coping skills, which are important, but sometimes those skills are used to avoid deeper emotional processing.

In other words, people may feel like they are “doing the work” while still bypassing the very emotions that need attention. I wanted to explore that relationship more honestly. The idea for the book grew out of conversations with clients and readers, as well as my own experiences and reflections on what it really means to heal.

My first book focused heavily on providing tools and structure for reflection. This next one goes a step further. It invites readers to pause and ask themselves a deeper question: Am I truly coping and processing my emotions, or am I simply bypassing and managing them?

Are you seeing any new concerning trends regarding mental health challenges?

One trend I’ve noticed is the growing popularity of mental health language in everyday conversation. While I believe that increased awareness and destigmatization are incredibly valuable, oversimplified understandings of complex emotional experiences are not.

Social media, for example, often condenses psychological concepts into quick advice or labels. While that can make information more accessible, it can also create the illusion that healing is straightforward or immediate.

In reality, growth is often messy and nonlinear. I hope that conversations about mental health and well-being continue to expand in ways that encourage both awareness and depth.

What do you think readers overlooked the most in your first book?

If anything was overlooked, it was the importance of slowing down with the exercises and reflections. Workbooks can sometimes motivate people to move quickly from page to page, focusing on completion rather than reflection. The prompts in my first book were designed to create space for deeper emotional awareness, but that kind of work requires time and patience.

Some readers may have moved through it more quickly than intended. That realization partly inspired the expansiveness of the second book. It encourages readers to stay with the process longer and explore their thoughts and emotions more intentionally.

What advice do you have for someone who isn’t open to therapy?

I would first say that therapy is not the only path to growth. Everyone has their own entry point into self-reflection, and that can look different for each person. For some people, journaling, reading, spiritual practices, or meaningful conversations with trusted individuals can be a starting point. The key is to cultivate curiosity about your inner world.

Oftentimes, resistance to therapy isn’t about therapy itself; it’s about fear, vulnerability, or uncertainty about what the process will involve. My advice is to begin wherever you feel most comfortable and allow that curiosity to guide you. You don’t have to be fully ready for therapy to begin learning more about yourself.

Retired NFL Player & Hat Store Owner Jordan Sullen Releases His Fourth Book To Honor His Daughter and Mardi Gras

Williams Commerce Author Interview

Ross: What inspired you to write your fourth literary publication?

Jordan: Becoming a father was the icing on the cake that guided me back to the literary space after stepping away for a few years. Parenthood alone is an incredible blessing for anyone fortunate enough to experience it, but having a daughter introduced an entirely new level of intentionality into my life. While she’s still young, I’m deeply aware of the responsibility—and opportunity—I have to plant good seed early, especially when it comes to helping her understand the true value of legacy. For me, this project marks my fourth book. For her, it represents the opening of a world she’ll one day recognize as a possibility, a sense of ownership, and creative freedom.

Around that same time, I began seeing commercials for a new Disney Jr. series, Hey AJ, written by a former teammate of mine, Martellus Bennett. Although our time together in Chicago was brief, I’ve admired his imaginative spirit for years. Watching the way he’s transitioned from football into storytelling—and done so unapologetically—set a powerful example of what it looks like to pursue a path less chosen. Seeing his vision come to life on screen was the reminder I needed. After watching a single episode, I knew it was time for me to get back in my literary bag and recommit to telling stories with purpose.

Ross: What makes Mardi Gras meaningful to you?

Jordan: New Orleans is my birthplace, and as one of the most unique cities in the world, it exposes you to a wide spectrum of life at a very young age—some beautiful, some challenging. Mardi Gras is one of those cultural touchstones you’re introduced to early on. It’s more than a celebration; it’s a moment where the city opens its arms. As hospitable as New Orleanians are by nature, Mardi Gras amplifies that spirit, welcoming visitors from around the world and, in turn, giving us a broader perspective beyond the city’s boundaries.

For my daughter, that exposure will come through the stories, experiences, and traditions passed down by her dad and grandparents. She gets to live vicariously through us, seeing life through a lens shaped by culture, history, and community as she grows. New Orleans will always be a second home for her, and it’s important to me that she develops a relationship with that culture early on. Mardi Gras just happens to be one of the most prominent and accessible expressions of the city’s identity. Because it’s welcoming to all ages, it felt natural to build a storyline around it as she prepares to experience her first Mardi Gras in the near future.

Ross: What are the biggest takeaways you want readers to have from your book?

Jordan: At its core, I want young readers to understand that your size doesn’t determine the magnitude of your spirit. This book is about planting the seed of imagination—something many people either lose over time or never fully learn to nurture. It serves as a reminder to dream big, trust your creativity, and never be afraid to march to the beat of your own drum. These are principles I live by daily, and it felt both natural and refreshing to translate them into a story that children—and adults—can see themselves in.

Ross: You have successfully transitioned from professional sports to full-time entrepreneurship. What advice do you have for former collegiate & pro athletes attempting to transition into entrepreneurship?

Jordan: I want athletes to think beyond the lines they’ve been conditioned to see for so many years. If you sit with it long enough, you’ll realize that no matter the sport, you’re often operating within a box—one defined by routine, expectation, and identity. What saved me from sinking after the game was staying connected to the things that brought me joy beyond the contact sport. For me, the arts have always provided a sense of calm and clarity, even growing up in New Orleans.

With such a laser focus on “making it out,” there were seasons where certain passions had to be placed on the shelf—and that’s okay. What’s not okay is leaving them there, convincing yourself that your talent has somehow faded simply because the game ended. That sense of emptiness many athletes feel after stepping away isn’t a loss of purpose; it’s often a call back to the gifts we’ve neglected. You might be shelving something that could completely change the trajectory of your life—and your children’s lives.

As soon as I hung up my cleats, I picked up my graphite pencils and began developing characters that would eventually pave the way for children’s books and so much more. That journey reminded me that God will always protect and preserve what He provides. It’s called God-given talent for a reason. The responsibility is ours to honor it. Take a chance on yourself.

Ross: When did you first get the idea to become an author?

Jordan: Honestly, I’ve wanted to be an author since the very first time my mama took me to Marshall’s in Oakwood Mall and I picked up my first Shel Silverstein book, Where the Sidewalk Ends. I’ve always believed that brother carried a beautiful spirit—rooted in humility, imagination, and honesty. That book has stayed with me through every phase of life, and even now, it still makes me smile in the same way it did back then.

Early on, I realized my introverted nature allowed me to express myself more freely on paper than I sometimes could out loud. Writing became a place of safety, reflection, and release. Over time, exposure, proximity, and access helped me grow more comfortable using my voice in different spaces, but storytelling has always remained my greatest escape. And that’s exactly what I want to offer others—a gentle refuge from life’s weight, found in something as simple as turning the pages of a book. The youth is the future, and if I can help shape their imagination, even in a small way, then I’m doing my part.

Link to order Ardy Gras below. Follow Jordan & Ross on Instagram.