“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” Serena Williams: We are fortunate to have a cheerleader for remarkable women living and working in Arizona, local author Lynn Murphy. Lynn began life in Wisconsin in a family that owned a hotel business. When Lynn was three and her sister was 15 months old, her parents moved the family to Tucson, Arizona, where they purchased a motel. Lynn says, "Our motel was a 'Ma and Pa Route 66' type endeavor. The entire family lived in a one-bedroom apartment connected to the motel office." She remembered it as a 24/7 commitment because her parents did everything for their establishment, from cleaning and laundry to repair jobs. Lynn knew they didn't live like a 'normal' family once she began attending school.
Lynn was thirteen years old when her parents sold the motel and moved into a regular home in the suburbs of Tucson. In retrospect, Lynn says, “I can see how fortunate I was to have both parents and in the winter grandparents who were around in the winter escaping the Wisconsin cold." Lynn never thought of herself as the creative one in the family. She felt that label fit her sister; the painter and poet was the creative one. What Lynn was great at and loved was math. Lynn's goal was to become a teacher. She attended Arizona State University (ASU) and completed her bachelor's degree in Education. Still serious about the field of Education, Lynn then attended the University of Arizona (UA), completing her M.Ed degree in Education as well.
Lynn explains, “After graduating from college, I spent a few years teaching 4th and 5th grade in a public school before moving into administrative work with engineers, attorneys, and real estate developers." While working in real estate, Lynn obtained her Arizona and a Broker’s licenses. By 1984, she was pursuing a commercial real estate sales career, specializing in land and sites for cellular towers. The endeavor lasted until 2002, when Lynn founded her consulting and training business, Key Innovative Business Solutions, where she designed and delivered customized soft-skills training and coaching programs.
Writing for pleasure was not in Lynn’s playbook until her late 40s. That’s when the talented, intuitive business coach Connie Deutsch crossed Lynn’s path. Connie picked up on Lynn’s natural storytelling ability, something Lynn had never noticed in herself. Lynn remembers, “Connie encouraged me to keep a journal, write blogs, publish articles, and finally to write a book!” What a surprise to Lynn, who never considered herself as an author. Her first attempt at a book was, “I began by documenting stories about lousy customer service. I figured I had a good idea what good customer service looked like from the modeling of my parents during their time in the motel business.” She admits that she set the project aside when she could not figure out how to put it all together perfectly.
However, in late 2018, Lynn was, by her admission, "bored with customer service." Connie jumped in again during a coaching session and insisted Lynn not give up on writing, just finding a new topic. Several conversations later, Lynn was focused on a new topic, "women claiming leadership roles. The phrase "push the limits" focused Lynn's topic on women who push the limits. "I was off and running with the idea to interview, over Zoom, 50 women about how they push the limits. From the interview transcripts, I wrote Women Who Push the Limits Presents 50 Life Lessons from Inspiring Women," creating a chapter for each woman with snippets of her story with her tips and inspiration for other women. I then created a podcast from the recorded interviews.”
Lynn's ladies are 24-91 years old and from across the United States and many other countries. Each one is uniquely different and inspiring, and author Lynn Murphy is a cheerleader for each one. Looping back around, Lynn did publish a customer service book, Women Who Push the Limits Presents 7 Keys to Improving Your Customer Service, which she uses with her clients and sells to interested individuals. Lynn Murphy’s books can be found on Amazon or wherever books are sold. She is also an active member of the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers; if you need a cheerleader, personal coach, or soft-skills workshop, contact Lynn via her email or website.
Website: www.womenwhopushthelimits.com
