Writing Children's Books and Storytelling for Brands with Leah Komaiko

Leah Komaiko:
I came from a kind of family when that's what everybody was doing it. It was considered like kind of gauche to be in business where I came from, and it was just like, "Oh, if you're not ... be a creative." So everything was very backwards in the way that I was raised. Thank God. But how you make a living as a creative, is you just figure that you have a stand and a story that's valuable to people. And that it will help people, change people's lives, and it's worth money. And-

Bryan Collins:
And you've written over 20 books, Leah. So did you start with books or did you start with something else?

Leah Komaiko:
I started with books. I started being a kids' book writer and that's the whole foundation of what I use for all the areas of my business. And I started writing kids' books ... and then I ... Well, through writing kids books ... When you're a creative, you're still always in business. You have to sell all your own product, you've got to figure out the ways and means. But I started doing that and then from there I started getting some unique marketing opportunities and building a business to help brands and grownup older people figure out the story of their business ... using the foundation of kids' books, actually.

Bryan Collins:
So you started out basically when things were more complicated and ... Like now it's quite easy for somebody to write and publish a kids' book, but it must have been more harder twenty-

Leah Komaiko:
Actually, it was hard then and I believe that it's hard now.

Bryan Collins:
Okay.

Leah Komaiko:
In the States, the market for kids' books is the largest area of publishing, completely. There's nothing that sells like kids' books. They sell more than anything, but it was never very easy and I thought it would be. I thought, "Oh, it's for kids. This should be nice and easy." Wrong! It took me several years to break in, but I'm glad that I didn't give up.

Bryan Collins:
And how did you transition from ... or perhaps your approach to doing both, from writing kids' books to the other part of your business, which is helping entrepreneurs and business people find the stories that they need to tell to connect with customers?

Leah Komaiko:
I was living in New York and I realized I needed to eat. Even though I had a three-book deal. And I discovered, in writing kids' books, that there's a very strong connection between what makes a great kids' book and what makes it a very powerful brand. And they're very similar. I met somebody who was a correspondent for ABC and I was trying out my system on her and she introduced me to a very well-known and established business person who brought me into their company and said, "If you can show me how to tell my story by beginning with my first kid's book, and it makes sense to me, I will pay you. If not, I'll show you the door." And he paid me.

Leah Komaiko:
And that's how I got started, because I saw the connection and I love the connection. The fact that you can write a kids' book or you can be struggling with a business story, as part of his team, but the same thing that makes a kid's book powerful and classic is the same thing that's going to make your brand powerful [inaudible 00:03:05].

Bryan Collins:
So if somebody has started a business, but they're struggling to tell their story, where do you recommend they start?

Leah Komaiko:
They start ... ? I recommend they start with their kids' book. I recommend that they ask themselves, first and foremost, if they can remember the very first kid's book that was read to them. My very first kids' book was a book by Dr. Seuss called If I Ran the Zoo. And when I look at that story and I look at my business today, my business today is pretty much the story of that book.

Leah Komaiko:
That story was about a kid who just basically felt like he could do everything much differently and much better than the way that it was at the zoo. He found the zoo to be boring. And that's pretty much what I've landed up doing. When I work with people, I basically see these two or three different ways that they could create what they've got. And that's how I tell people to get started, is rather than struggle with trying to figure out all the elements today of "What's my mission?" and "What's my what, why and what's my ... my point of view and all these things." I just start with, "Let's get simple."

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
Let's cool it, "Let's remember who you are." And the simplest way I have found, in working with all different kinds of executives and teams and stuff, to discover who you are is to recall your first kids' book. It's just remarkable to me. Can I tell you a really quick story?

Bryan Collins:
Sure. Of course.

Leah Komaiko:
Okay. Since I know you're a story person. So I was on a plane the other day coming back from speaking at a conference, and I'm sitting next to this man who's an executive for a very large firm here. And he was talking to me about the nuts and bolts of his business. And he said, "I could talk about this forever." And he said, "Go ahead and tell me ... ask me a question," after he was going on about ... I don't know, about just the things that ... the features of his business, which is not that it wasn't interesting, but he had a certain level of inner energy in his voice.

Leah Komaiko:
And he said, "What do you do?" I said, "I would help people become brands." And he said, "Go ahead, ask me any question." I said, "Well, can you tell me your brand story? The story of your business? Can you tell me the brand stories?" And he stopped and he said, "I been with the company for about 10 years." And he said ... I think that it had something to do with finding your wow factor. I said, "Okay." So I said, "Can you tell me the first kids' book you ever read?"

Leah Komaiko:
Now this guy, he's probably in his 50s, and without skipping a beat, he went ... He said to me, "Danny and the Dinosaur." I said, "Tell me about that book." He goes, "There's this dinosaur," he got all excited and we started talking about the book and I started asking him some questions. And I realized if the enthusiasm that this man was and is when he remembers how his work today is connected to his very book, first book, could be brought into company, he could be golden in this company.

Leah Komaiko:
And he was very, very, as people usually are, very disarmed. Very amazed, very surprised, very entertained, but most of all, really very inspired. And when I was speaking recently, companies were saying, "This actually helps us figure out how ... Not only how we can perform better today, but what our possibilities are for growth."

Bryan Collins:
So my favorite, or first kid's book was Roald Dahl's The BFG. I think actually that's how we got in touch because I said something about it-

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah, yeah.

Bryan Collins:
... in an article.

Leah Komaiko:
Yes.

Bryan Collins:
How would I go about turning that story into something about my brand or business? What approach would I take? Do I just consider the different beats in The BFG or is there something else I do?

Leah Komaiko:
Well, I'm going to give you ... I wish that I had a boiler plate way of telling you what to do, but can I ask a couple of quick questions just to think about?

Bryan Collins:
Yeah, of course.

Leah Komaiko:
Okay. So the first thing I would do is I would ask ... My first question is, do you remember the color of the book when that was read to you? Do you remember any colors on that book?

Bryan Collins:
Oddly enough, yes. It's pink or red? I kind of-

Leah Komaiko:
Pink or red?

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
Okay. Because that was the color of ... And when you opened the book, was that the color of a character or something inside the book?

Bryan Collins:
I think it was a color of some of the potions or mixtures that the BFG used to make.

Leah Komaiko:
[crosstalk 00:07:20] exactly. And when you think of that book, was there a character in particular that you relate to? Did you remember feeling like when you were a kid? How old were you when that was read to you or when you read that?

Bryan Collins:
I guess I would have been seven or eight.

Leah Komaiko:
Okay. You were seven or eight. Where you reading that book, or was somebody reading it to you?

Bryan Collins:
No. My strongest memory is reading it myself. So ...

Leah Komaiko:
Okay. So you were reading that book yourself. And do you remember being excited when you read that book? Do you remember thinking, "Oh my God, I really relate to this character?" What do you remember about, if anything, that comes to your mind at this time?

Bryan Collins:
If I remember correctly, Sophie is the person in the book. It's from her point of view, but I remember the idea that she's escaped somewhere and she's away from everything. She's almost been snatched from her parents, but except it's by somebody friendly and helpful, who's the BFG and he takes her off on a fantastic adventure.

Leah Komaiko:
So she gets friendly snatched by her parents. Was that ... Did that sound like a good idea to you?

Bryan Collins:
Well, as somebody who's got three kids, no. But at the time, yes. It sounded amazing.

Leah Komaiko:
Now, forget about it. The fantasy can never come back, but at that time, that seemed like a really ... like that would be kind of a heavenly thing to happen?

Bryan Collins:
Yeah, of course. Yeah. Yeah, it would be. Like it was going off on an adventure, free from the adult world. Yeah, of course.

Leah Komaiko:
Going off on an adventure, free from the adult world. And tell me about how you got into your business, briefly. Was this a path that everyone wanted you to take?

Bryan Collins:
No, no, it wasn't. No. So I was out of work a couple of years ago during the recession, and I had a job as a journalist that didn't work out. And then I worked for a charity and I was let go. And then I was just bored at home, minding my daughter who was two. So I just started a blog because I also had a background in writing. And what better way to write than start a blog? So that's how I got started. Because I had a lot of free time when she went up for her nap.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. And you were sort of on your own path and doing your own thing away from the world, away from the grown up world?

Bryan Collins:
Yes. Yeah. It's funny you say that because I don't like the idea of asking for permission, so I guess when you start something yourself, you don't have to ask for permission. Which is away from the grownup world.

Leah Komaiko:
Aha! Now we're getting to who you are. So you're kind of like a rebel with a cause. You don't want to ask for anybody's permission, you want to do it in your own way. Is that how Sophie was?

Bryan Collins:
Yes. That would be a fair description of it. Yeah, that's definitely an approach or a mindset that's still held. Yep.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. So that, that's a mindset that you have. And how does that work for you?

Bryan Collins:
Well, it's got me this far, so I guess it's worked quite well. Sometimes it can cause problems because if you need to collaborate with other people, you do need to listen to people.

Leah Komaiko:
And is there a quality that you remember that Sophie had, that you feel like you've got as well, that maybe, as I'm talking to you, if you're a. this woman's out of her mind, or b. most importantly-

Bryan Collins:
A sense of curiosity. So if I remember correctly, she was really curious about what the BFG did and how he captured dreams. I guess I'd apply that to reading and even interviewing people, people like you, because I'd be curious about how they approach ... problems.

Leah Komaiko:
Yes. So curious by nature. And this is a very good fit for you work-wise. Do you have a lot to offer because you are curious? Could you be more curious? Could you be more of someone who does not want to ask for permission? Is there a way in which you find yourself holding back, that Sophie would never do if she was talking to the BFG?

Bryan Collins:
I would say there is, yeah. Sometimes I hold stuff back in, in writing, that I'd be worried about what people would think.

Leah Komaiko:
Uh-huh (affirmative). This is how I begin to work with people.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. Those are some powerful questions. You've certainly got me thinking about how to tell different stories.

Leah Komaiko:
That's fantastic. That's fantastic. Because I want to take a guess that if Roald Dahl ... you know, who just [inaudible 00:11:15]. He was your favorite. And I've talked to many different people, and hardly anybody, I don't know why, but hardly anybody goes with Roald Dahl because I think he's so ... I think it's because he's so creative and out there, he's my kind of guy, that people are afraid to admit that they're that creative and out there. But I think that ... And have you read that book in a very long time?

Bryan Collins:
I haven't read it in over 10 years. No. But it's certainly a book that I would think about from time to time. And I-

Leah Komaiko:
My suggestion would be to you, if you wish ...

Bryan Collins:
Yep.

Leah Komaiko:
To get that book, get a copy of that book, and read it and read it out loud and if ... Your daughter is two, she's not probably going to want to hear this, but even if you could read it, and if there's any someone else around you. A dog, a cat. Just read it out loud. And hear what comes out of your voice. When I work with people, I listen to what goes on, not just in their story but just in their voice. Because story is voice and possibility for a company is the voice of others in the company. And so I suspect that when you read that to yourself, or out loud or to your daughter ... What's your daughter's name?

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. Aoibheann

Leah Komaiko:
Aoibheann

Bryan Collins:
She's Aoibheann. So it's an Irish name. She's nine now, though.

Leah Komaiko:
That's okay. Read it to her, see what her response is.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
Beautiful name. When you read it out loud and you go back and you read it now, I suspect that things will come to you about what's possible for you now and in the future, that you've forgotten about, that have always been there, that are right there in that book. They inspired you when you were seven and they can inspire you and keep motivating you today. Someone was saying when I spoke the other day, this man said, "You know, you've validated who I've been since I'm a child and I've been trying so hard to be something else."

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
Especially in my business. I mean, when I work with people it's like the closest thing to permission to being a child again, only this time you get a larger allowance.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. Yeah. I have two weeks off coming up, so I think I'll reread it.

Leah Komaiko:
Read that book and I know I'm just one of zillion interviews that you have, but I would absolutely love it if you got back to me by email or whatever, and told me what came to you.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
If you want. If you actually feel like you have a few moments to actually read a little bit of it to me, I would love to hear what's going on in your voice, because I have a sneak ... Have you just been doing the journalism over the last ... Recently?

Bryan Collins:
So I was a journalist, that's what I trained at when I was in Unity College, our university, and that career didn't work out. So I wasn't a very good journalist, but I still like to write. So that's the song. I'm not a journalist anymore, but I do work as a copywriter as well.

Leah Komaiko:
Okay and are you still ... But you're still writing for Forbes, right?

Bryan Collins:
I write for Forbes, too. Yeah. Yeah. So I also write as a copywriter for some B2B clients, but that's why I was interested in talking to you because as a copywriter, the one thing I've noticed is businesses really struggle to bring out their stories.

Leah Komaiko:
Oh my God, it's the hardest! People will say to me, "Oh, I did my copy." And it's like I've studied a lot of copywriting.

Bryan Collins:
Yep.

Leah Komaiko:
Because I used to think, "Oh, this should be easy." It's the hardest thing in the world! It's so hard! My God! I mean, it's like I spent so many hours upon hours upon hours trying to figure out what it is I'm trying to say simply, clearly, blah, blah, blah. And it takes ... It's a totally different gift and skill. And it's very simple, but it's very tough. Is that what you find when you work with your clients? That they think that they should be able to get it but they can't?

Bryan Collins:
So what I find is a ... Most copy that I read is very much about their product and the features in the product. And that's quite boring. Nobody cares about those things. As great as the product might be. Or the other problem is if it ... if somebody is writing copy about them or their personal brand, for example, they tend to talk about all their vanity metrics. Like how many followers they have and books and [crosstalk 00:15:12] and money they've made. And that nobody cares about that, either.

Leah Komaiko:
[inaudible 00:15:17].

Bryan Collins:
A good copy is about the reader, I guess, and persuading him or her to take some sort of action and how he can help.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. It's quite a skill, it's quite a gift. Is there somebody in particular, if you had your ideal person you would write copy for, who would that be?

Bryan Collins:
I don't really have an ambition to write copy for anyone else. I'd be more ... Just an ambition to write something that's a bit more personal. So I used to write personal essays. So like a personal essay, like a long exploratory essay. I did this as part of writing classes and so I'd like to go back to that kind of writing rather than commercially-orientated stuff.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. Well, go back and read. Go back and read that Roald Dahl. I have a sneaking suspicion that when you read that, and that you're in kind of a transitions ... kind of a transition state right now ... sort of.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah, I would agree with that. Yeah, that's, that's a fair [crosstalk 00:16:17]-

Leah Komaiko:
I have a sneaking suspicion you're onto writing a kind of essay that you had no idea that you're up to.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. Yeah. So this year I wrote a business book called This is Working, so it was okay but I would like to write something that's a bit more ... has a bit more heart in it or a bit more emotion in it, I guess.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. Well, God only knows ... business could use some more heart and emotion.

Bryan Collins:
They could. The process you've described to me is very reflective. Do you find like other business people are open to that? Or people you work with?

Leah Komaiko:
I was telling someone the other day, to somebody else ... I was talking to a college and she said, "How do you get people to talk to you?" You know? I said, "Simple. It's like if you were a fortune teller ... " I don't know if they have ... They must have fortune tellers-

Bryan Collins:
They do, they do! Yep, yep.

Leah Komaiko:
And they just say, "Open up your ... " Palm reader and there's somebody who says, "I'm a palm reader." And everybody goes, "Oh, here!" And they throw their palm in your face so that you can talk to them. Oh, I tell somebody, "If you tell me the first kids' book you ever read, I can tell you the greatest qualities and the foundation of your brand today and which way to go."

Leah Komaiko:
They literally, it's like they throw their palm in their face and they'll just tell them ... Where the [inaudible 00:17:29]. It's like these are like people that are ... Basically in an eighth of a second, will turn from making a very corporate presentation to telling me about Curious George as if there was no time at all past. And it will just ... Blows my mind in the most wonderful way because a. I love kids' books, I think they're most powerful writing in the world. Because I've written them, I guess.

Leah Komaiko:
But also because it just makes me so happy for us to remember that as business people, we're still here to have joy and that we really have nothing to create for anybody else unless we can find some joy, no matter what we're writing about, to give to somebody else. There's nothing else there so ... That's kind of how I see it.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. I guess, a kids' book has to be easily read and understood, and business copy would be the same.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah, it is. It has to be. It has to be simple. And I have found ... I think the one thing that I, when I first discovered all this, and I would say to someone or different people, I would say that the same thing that makes the child pull down the same one book off of a shelf to have that book read to them, even though he or she has got like a hundred books on the shelf, is the same thing that makes a grownup customer or client pull your company or your brand down office selections when they've got a zillion available. It's the exact same thing.

Leah Komaiko:
And it's a connection and a response that's kind of ... you can't make it up, but you can claim it. I mean it's not formulated. So when I see a lot of people who teach how to sell, how to write your story by following the formula, I think those things are terrific. And I think what's missing is ... what people buy is never a formula.

Bryan Collins:
Yep. You might be describing Robert McKee. I know he ... I attend some of-

Leah Komaiko:
Oh, yeah!

Bryan Collins:
... some of his storytelling workshops and he ... Was not quite a formula, but he does offer like a more instructional guide to telling the stories.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah, I know. He is a ... Being here in Hollywood, I know he's like a big guy and has been. I'm not ... Is he still living? I hope so.

Bryan Collins:
He is, he is. Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
I have his book here. I've started rereading it from time to time when I wanted to feel like I was smart and knew what I was talking about. But I have several friends who are screenwriters and they live and breath by that guy.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. Yeah. I've attended his presentations. He's-

Leah Komaiko:
Oh wow!

Bryan Collins:
They're more engaging than his book. His book is great too, but he really brings it to life in his workshop.

Leah Komaiko:
Wow. Wow. Wow.

Bryan Collins:
He's pretty passionate about telling the stories.

Leah Komaiko:
That's great. That's great. And then there's a lot of people who sell business stories where there's one guy in particular, he happens to call it StoryBrand with this man named Donald Miller, who I-

Bryan Collins:
Yep.

Leah Komaiko:
... think is terrific if you want everybody in your company to be telling the same story and believe that they are functioning from the same story and that there is only one story. And for most ... for a lot of businesses that probably works just fine because all of a sudden everybody's thrown into, you have to know your story, but that doesn't mean all of a sudden everybody knows anything about story. So there's all different kinds of ways, but this is just how I do it. I do it for ... individuals, I do it for ... entrepreneurs.

Leah Komaiko:
Now I speak more in some companies, which is what I'm hoping to do with teams. And I've been doing it for a while and people seem to get really great results from it. And that's what matters, right?

Bryan Collins:
And do you still find time to write books?

Leah Komaiko:
I haven't written a book in about 10 years. And I recently tried to sell a kid's book. My agent tried to sell something I had lying around for a long time. It didn't sell. And the truth is, is that I wrote a lot of them and what I really enjoy doing more now is ... Well, I've taught writing, I taught at UCLA for a while, and I enjoy helping people figure out their stories.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
I think I spent enough ... I do everything backwards. Everybody else is like first they work for the company and then they get sick of it and then they go out on their own. Well, I did it ... It's like I did that first and now it's like, "Let me work for a company." I'm telling you, I got it all backwards. But it's all fine. If I were to have another book to write, I'd be delighted. But I don't have the ideas, I don't have them. I write a blog and people like my blog because they're very story-oriented. Just to make sure I never stop writing because I am a writer, Bryan.

Bryan Collins:
Yep.

Leah Komaiko:
Underneath it all, that's all that there is, here and so. And I'm grateful for it. You love writing? Do you love to write?

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. I think you've touched on something that I would say as well. So I would always say if I'm writing something down then I'm genuinely going in the right direction or a direction that makes sense. So even if it's not a book, it could be an article or it could be a journal entry or it could be just something on a piece of paper that I won't show it to anyone. But if I'm doing that, I'm generally going on the right direction.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. Writing focuses my brain.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah, I would agree. Yeah. It's cheaper than therapy.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah, it's definitely cheaper than therapy and I have found that it works better a lot of the times too. But [inaudible 00:23:01] vent. That's me in a nutshell.

Bryan Collins:
Could you give me an idea of some of the clients you've worked with?

Leah Komaiko:
Sure. I've worked with ... Oh, gosh! Well, I've worked with big companies. I've worked with Disney, I've worked with Lenovo, I've worked with ... Sorry, my brain is kind of freezing because I'm never up this early ... even though it's eight o'clock in the morning here. I've worked with Disney, I've worked with Lenovo, I work with a company called Philosophy skin care, which is a very large company.

Leah Komaiko:
May have entailed some very large brands. I've worked with some ... and then I've worked with some startup companies that became very successful. I worked with a company called Isabella Fiore, which is very successful in the apparel and ... that kind of business. Gosh! I've helped several people sell books, including a few that got on the New York Times Best Seller list. I've worked with authors, although I work with them much more rarely.

Leah Komaiko:
But currently, I'm working with several people that are ... that have incredible businesses, initiatives. I've worked with ... I've done projects in collaboration with the PETA charitable trust, some big nonprofits ... spa, the retreats in Costa Rica. If anybody has ... wherever they have a business idea, all I'm hearing is a kids' book.

Bryan Collins:
I like that. And I mean, if you've been going for 25 years, do you think it's easier now for creative people to earn a living than before? I know you said it was ... you felt like sometimes it has [crosstalk 00:24:47] gotten harder -

Leah Komaiko:
I do. I do think it's easier. I mean, for kids books, I think it's not necessarily ... I mean, it's hard to get the prose. I think it's easier because I think it's more accepted and I think because people are going off more on their own and then the whole structure of corporate life seems to be changing that ... It's more acceptable. But I think it's tough to ... Like for anything, I think it's ... What's tough is to really understand what it is that you have to offer and to not shortchange that and that's what most people do because they can't get to their real story. Or what a lot of companies or people would do. I think it's easier, I think it's more acceptable, at least culturally, here. I think the world is much more entrepreneurial.

Bryan Collins:
There are more opportunities, I would say, for creative people now than even 10 years ago.

Leah Komaiko:
Yeah. And the internet makes so much more possible.

Bryan Collins:
Yep.

Leah Komaiko:
If you've got the energy and the steadfastness and a few dollars behind you and ... the luck of the Irish, as we say ... Whatever that may be. I never knew what that meant, but I figured it's got to help. How bad can it, right? Then, yeah, absolutely. I think it's easier. I do.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. And do you still present workshops to-

Leah Komaiko:
What I'm doing now is, because I've worked one-on-one with people, in my past ... I come to this in part because I spoke to about 125000 kids ... at least. And I was so used to presenting in front of kids and ... that being in front of an audience is ... and working with an audience, it's kind of like a second nature thing to me. At the workshops that I'm looking to do now, and that I've begun doing now, are more with companies and actually grownup people ... grownup children.

Bryan Collins:
Okay. Okay. And how did they find you, out of interest?

Leah Komaiko:
I find them. I find them. Word of mouth. I'm speaking more in different conferences in places like this, but I think it's pretty much ... a lot of word of mouth. And I'm unique in that I don't ... I'm not interested in scaling and that kind of way where I'm not looking to work with a thousand people at a time. I don't really understand how I can or why that would ever make any sense for me. Because I like to dig deep in and ... Everybody's different but you want to get everybody on your team on the same page. I work, generally, with a handful of people at a time ... and that seems to work well for me for right now.

Bryan Collins:
Okay. Yeah, you've got an impressive roster on your size.

Leah Komaiko:
Thank you. Thank you.

Bryan Collins:
Do you have an ideal early morning routine? I know you mentioned there that it's 8AM.

Leah Komaiko:
I've got an ideal morning routine for working, creating. I wish I did them. Thank you for asking me. I've got to get back into and as I'm talking to you and I'm realizing I've been up since seven o'clock, which is like the middle of the night for me. An ideal routine, it would be a great thing.

Leah Komaiko:
A routine is fantastic. And my basic routine has been that I get out of bed and I read a couple of things that I like to read, and then I put my mind ... what excites me the most and what's most interesting, which for now is just learning more about different businesses and seeing what's going on with people and their stories, and staying away from reading about what's happening with the impeachment hearings.

Bryan Collins:
I like that [crosstalk 00:28:31]. Even though I'm not an American, I'm fascinated by the impeachment, but I need to stop reading about it.

Leah Komaiko:
Oh God, help us. That's all. I hope this won't be part of it. If I was saying something about Mr. Trump that's not kind, forgive me.

Bryan Collins:
I know. It's big news here as well. Don't worry.

Leah Komaiko:
I knew of him long before he became president. Long, long, long when I lived in New York and ... yeah. It's like it's good to have a routine. I don't have a dog and I don't have any kids and I'm divorced, so it's ... so you can't walk. I can't walk a block or something, but ... Enjoy your daughter, that's a great routine.

Bryan Collins:
Oh, yeah! Well, I have three kids now, so ...

Leah Komaiko:
Got three?

Bryan Collins:
Yes.

Leah Komaiko:
What are their ages?

Bryan Collins:
13, 9, and 1.

Leah Komaiko:
A 9 and 1?

Bryan Collins:
Yep. It's a wide spectrum.

Leah Komaiko:
Oh, wow! What fun for all of them because they all ... That is a wide spectrum. That's terrific. A lot of kids' books you need to have on that shelf, on that shelf of yours. That's great.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah. Yeah. I got my daughter a Kindle so she's using that at the moment.

Leah Komaiko:
Perfect. Perfect.

Bryan Collins:
So where can people find you online, Leah?

Leah Komaiko:
Leah. L-E-A-H ...

Bryan Collins:
Yeah.

Leah Komaiko:
At L-E-A-H-K-O-M-A-I-K-O.com.

Bryan Collins:
It's very nice to talk to you today.

Leah Komaiko:
It was lovely to talk to you and when you get that ... Now be I'll thinking about you, will you get that book and we'll take a look at it in your spare time? I know you've got three kids and a business, but if you were to reread that book, just in a moment of, "I have nothing else to do but to just investigate here," and see what you discover about yourself. And if you felt like getting back to me, I would be so honored and delighted to hear from you.

Bryan Collins:
Yeah, okay. I will do. I'll be in touch over Christmas.

Leah Komaiko:
Okay.