By Javacia Bowser
Babypalooza
Eunice Elliott recently left her role as a news anchor at Birmingham’s WVTM 13 to start a new chapter — literally.
In March 2020, Eunice released her first children’s book, So Much Love to Give. The book is part of the Sugar Loves Bella series, a collection of stories starring Eunice’s two dogs – Sugar Baby a.k.a. Sugar, a 3-year-old Golden Retriever, and Bella, a 2-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix.
“I was inspired to write a book starring my dogs because when I would post pictures of them or videos of them on my social media, it would bring all of these different people together to ooh and ahh over them, but I would notice these same people wouldn’t show that type of compassion for people sometimes,” Eunice says. “So, I thought, what if I could use the puppies to convince people that we can be different and still love each other.”
So Much Love to Give shares the story of how Sugar and Bella met.
“The story starts with Sugar by herself and she liked to run and play, but she had more love to give,” Eunice explains. “One day Mommy brought home a friend and it was Bella. They were different sizes and different colors.”
Sugar wonders how they would ever get along.
“But then Sugar sees that Bella loves to run and play, too, and they loved doing those things together,” Eunice says. “They loved each other so much they never thought about how they were different again.”
Lessons From Sugar And Bella
Even though So Much Love to Give is a children’s book, Eunice hopes the adults who buy the book will learn something, too.
“My hope is that people will understand regardless of how different we are we all want the same thing,” Eunice says. “If one person gets that understanding from my dogs, then my work here is done.”
More Sugar Loves Bella books are in the works. Is Today My Birthday Yet? tells the story of what happens when Sugar gets a birthday party and Bella wants to know when it will be time to celebrate her special day. Eunice hopes this book will teach children (and adults) the importance of being willing to celebrate others.
Another book explores taking care of one another in a time of need. Another teaches children to appreciate their own unique gifts and not envy the talents of others.
Eunice is also working on a book for adults titled 10 Things Your Mama Never Told You but Mine Did.
“Each chapter is based on something my mom used to say that has helped me be a more loving human,” Eunice says. She plans to release this book on Mother’s Day.
Dreams Do Come True
For any moms who have dreams of writing a children’s book of their own, Eunice says go for it!
“Just write the story even if you just write in your phone,” Eunice says. “Just get the story out of your head. Then once you do that, you’ll be able to look and say ‘Wait, I wrote a book.’ Once you feel like you wrote a book, you’ll get more attached to the idea of people reading your book.”
Whether you dream of writing a book, starting a business, or something else, Eunice wants to help you make that dream come true. She is now offering Dream Coaching.
“What I’ve found is people don’t know how to chase a dream,” Eunice says.
Maybe someone has told you your dream is ridiculous. Maybe you’ve told yourself this. Or maybe you just can’t find the time to go after your goals.
“When you’re in the daily grind of life it’s hard to feed your dream because you’re just trying to feed your kids,” Eunice says. That’s where a coach can help.
“What I compare it to is when you’re driving you might be stuck in traffic, there might be detours, there might be potholes, there might be accidents. That’s the Google street view, but if you could just pull out and see the Google Earth view of your life and see that you’re going to make it, you would calm down at that detour,” Eunice says. “Sometimes you just need somebody who can have that Google Earth view and say these are the steps we need to take.”
Eunice will provide her dream coaching clients with action items and accountability.
No Regrets
Eunice has worked hard to achieve many of her own dreams. Along with spending six years at WVTM 13, she also has been a highly sought after public speaker and emcee. Eunice has performed as a stand-up comedian for over a decade. And last year she launched a podcast called “Oh No Girl Yes!”
On the podcast, Eunice and her co-host, Robyn Sirmans, discuss dating and relationships. One of her breakups inspired the name of the show.
“A 50-year-old gentleman I was dating sent me a text message while I was on the air to break up with me,” Eunice explains. “That, of course, would elicit the response, ‘Oh girl, no, he didn’t.’ But ‘Oh, yes, he did.’”
Eunice wears many hats – author, coach, comedian, emcee, podcast host, and speaker. That’s why she left her journalism job.
“The pull of all my creative interests was outweighing my passion for doing the news,” she says.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put many of her plans on hold. She won’t be able to speak at events, perform at comedy clubs, or host readings to promote her books anytime soon.
Nonetheless, Eunice has no regrets. Her book sales are strong and she’s enjoying spending time at home with Sugar and Bella.
Eunice says, “I have never felt freer, I’ve never felt lighter, I’ve never felt happier.”
Eunice Elliot is now offering Dream Coaching to help others go after their goals. Sessions are available via Skype, FaceTime, and phone. Visit her website to book your session today.
This story originally appeared on www.babypalooza.com.
