Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Pamela Burke author of 20 Women Changemakers:Taking Action Around the World and 20 Women Storytellers:Taking Action with Powerful Words.

Pam is a member of thebroadcasting industry and print media for more than 30 years,journalism and writing has always been a passion for her. Her firstforay into the industry started at the age of 8 when she started herown newspaper. In more recent years, She held titles as a televisionexecutive, bureau chief, producer and reporter.

Throughout her career, shehas produced several female-oriented television programs includingthe award-winning Working Mother, Attitudes and The Working Women’sSurvival Hour.

Since the age of 8, Pamelastarted working for her neighborhood newspaper and later worked herway up to become a producer and/or executive for NBC; LIFETIME CableNetwork; USA Network; USA TODAY–The Television Show; King World andCBS; A&E Cable Network; and DISCOVERY Planet Green.

Good day Pam and thanksfor taking part in our interview.

Norm: What do youconsider to be your greatest success (or successes) so far in yourvarious careers?

Pam: Thank you for theinvitation.

I have been able to have awonderfully talented staff help me throughout my career. I amgrateful that they have had the passion to work hard and to produceexcellent programs and stories. Without them, I wouldn’t be able toaccomplish what I have.

A program that I am veryproud of is Attitudes that we produced out of thin air in NYC for theLIFETIME channel. At the time, there were no daytime televisionprograms with two female hosts.

Our goal with the show was tointroduce the audience to a multi-faceted tv magazine that wouldhighlight the many interests of the 80’s woman, everything fromhigh profile interviews to fashion “how-tos” with top designersto food and fitness tips and life-changing advice.

Our live-on-tapeshow was done from the Macy’s Department Store in in Times Squareand it was a first which enabled us to meet some of our audience inperson.

Norm: What has beenyour greatest challenge (professionally) that you’ve overcome ingetting to where you’re at today?

Pam: A challenge for allof us who work in the media world is being able to “bend with thepunches” as they say. Programs and magazines come and go on a dimesometimes, and those of us whose passion it is to work inbroadcasting and publishing face a constant challenge to find jobsand switch goals.

It happened to me at LIFEMagazine when it folded after decades of success as a weekly.Unexpectedly, I had to refocus my job goals and repurpose myself intoanother career. 

When and why did youbecome interested in women who are making a difference asjournalists, writers, bloggers, writers, gardeners, athletes, chefs,activists, etc.?

I’ve always beeninterested in people making a difference and changing the world inpositive ways. I am a glass half full person and think these are thepeople whom we need to listen to and learn from. After the recessionof 2008, I felt there was a great need to find people, women inparticular, since

I had done a lot ofprogramming which highlighted their efforts and those who were comingup with interesting solutions to our financial slump.

Iwanted to find a new medium to display these stories and wasattracted to the internet and the way it could spread information. Ihave always enjoyed finding new ways to connect with an audience andthis seemed to be a good new option for me to experiment with. Ilearned how to build a website which became The Women's Eye  andwas off and running.

Norm: What motivatedyou to put together 20 Women Changemakers: Taking Action Aroundthe World and 20 Women Storytellers: Taking Action withPowerful Words?

Pam: After seven years ofdoing stories and radio interviews for the website, I thought we hada powerful selection of interviews with changemakers that would makean inspiring book.

Those who didn’t know of our website could go tothis anthology and meet remarkable women who might be the catalystthat they were seeking to make a difference.

Also, the reader mightenjoy knowing how ordinary people like themselves were able toaccomplish life-changing goals.

20 Women Storytellersevolved similarly. I have always been interested in how women in themedia tell their stories and help us to understand our universe. Theyare changing the world in a different way by connecting people,sometimes very courageously.

These journalists and members of arapidly changing media are often overlooked and not recognized fortheir skill and the amount of passion that it takes to tell theirstories.

I wanted to gather them together in this second book toemphasize the importance of their craft and suggest storytelling issomething we might all consider.

Norm: How did you goabout choosing the women in your two books?

Pam: They are all culledfrom our website. We have interviewed over 300 women now so have manyterrific people to choose from. Hopefully, we can continue theseanthologies and include many of the others in future books.

Norm: Were there anywomen that turned you down or did they all accept to be interviewed?What was their reactions when they did accept your invitation?

Pam: I can’t think ofanyone who has turned us down other than because of schedulingreasons. They seem excited to be part of our venture, knowing thatour goal is to inspire and spread positive information that mighthelp a reader or listener.

Norm: What purpose doyou believe your books serve and what matters to you about the books?

Pam: I believe that ourbooks are inspirational. In our challenging world, we introduce thereader to women who are passionate, purposeful and manage to followtheir dreams in spite of difficult odds in many cases.

Ourchangemakers have taken action globally - from building schools wherethere were none, to attempting to end homelessness by building uniqueshelters to solving the digital divide with a “brilliant” bus.

Our storytellers findpurpose connecting their readers and listeners and shedding light onthe human condition. 

Their powerful words and images inspire meand I hope others) to do what can be done to change the planet inpositive ways, however big or small.

Norm; As a follow up,why do you think these are important books at this time?

Pam: We are living in atime of constant change. The internet provides constant awareness ofthe positive and negative news in the world, in America and on ourown street.

If we want to preserve peace and productivity, we need toconnect, solve problems, come up with new ideas and have the passionto make positive change happen.

The pandemic has shown us how fragilelife is and how we must come up with solutions to help each other,whether it be a country or a neighbor.

These women give us hopethat there is a lot of positive energy in the world and people withinnovative ideas and thinking whom we can learn from. I do.

Norm:What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creatingyour books?

Pam: One surprising thingis that we constantly find more and more fascinating people tointerview.

I wish we had the opportunity to introduce more of them tothe readers and listeners of our podcasts, but we would need a largerstaff.

In spite of the negative information and despair we hearabout, we are constantly encouraged by all the people we find doinggood work to solve problems and who care about our future. 

Norm; Many people havethe skills and drive to write a book, but failure to market and sellthe book the right way is probably what keep a lot of people fromfinding success. Can you give us 2-3 strategies that have beeneffective for you in promoting your book? 

Pam: Weare still learning about marketing as we go along. We have anewsletter we offer readers to spread the word, also our website.Social media including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook help.

Norm: Can you share alittle of your books with us?

Pam: From Storytellers:After we viewed Lindsey Seavert’s documentary Love Them First,we knew we had to interview her.

This television reporter told usabout her award-winning film, the compelling story of a principal ina neglected Minneapolis elementary school where students were failingand facing violence on the streets nearby. Lindsey saw the pain thereand documented it for all to see.

The school eventuallyfound a way to succeed, saving children from failure.

You’ll read how a veryspecial school principal was able to change the direction ofstudents’ lives in a most caring way.

Seavert: “Onegirl in the film said, ‘You just got to hope. You can always findlight in the darkest of places.’

Building understanding and empathyis probably one of the greatest gifts that have come out of thefilm.”

From Changemakers: Welearned about Doniece Sandoval’s unique non-profit from anintriguing photo of a retrofitted bus named Lava Mae parked on astreet in San Francisco.

Doniece has found a way to make a small butsignificant difference in the lives of the overlooked. That bus andmany more projects that followed are bringing dignity to the homeless“one shower at a time.”

Sandoval: “Ithought if you can put gourmet food on wheels and take it anywhere,why not showers and toilets? So, the idea for Lava Mae was born!”

Norm;Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

Pam: Readers send ussuggestions about people they think we should feature who are makinga difference.

One reader wrote about a unique project she helped as afounder, assisting women with breast cancer in Africa. We did a storywith her.

Norm: How can readersfind out more about you and your endeavors?

Pam: Wehave a WEBSITE where you can find ournewsletter. Both can put you in touch with us.

Norm: Are you working onany books/projects that you would like to share with us? (We wouldlove to hear all about them!)

Pam: We are excited aboutpublishing our 20 Women Storytellers book. That is our currentproject.

We continue to spread the word about amazing women with ourinterviews and podcasts that you can find on Apple Music, Spotify andStitcher.

We also do additionalpodcasts with Catherine Scrivano, our financial contributor, whogives helpful advice about Building Money Power.

It’s our way ofsharing financial know-how and advice for women during thesechallenging economic times.

Norm; As this interviewcomes to an end, if you could invite to your dinner table 3well-known women (dead or alive), who would they be and why? Whatwould you ask them?

Pam: Former First LadyMichelle Obama: She is one of the most authentic people I haveobserved. I am constantly amazed at how involved she is with women’scauses around the world, environmental issues in America and the dietof our children, among other things.

I would ask her where and whoshe gets her inspiration from and how she manages to accomplish hergoals.

Former First Lady EleanorRoosevelt: This longest-serving first lady transformed from her rolein the White House to world citizen and activist. Her ability andpassion to change the world is awe-inspiring.

I would ask her whatcauses meant the most to her and how she was able to accomplish somuch in her lifetime.

Melinda Gates: Ranked asone of the world’s most powerful women, Melinda Gates is achangemaker for this decade. Her involvement in the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation and her new book, The Moment of Life: HowEmpowering Women Changes the World, gives me hope that people can makea difference.

I would ask her what her secret is to lifting peopleup; what is the most important issue facing women today; and what canbe done about it.

Norm: Thanks once againand good luck with all of your endeavors