Today we’d like to introduce you to Dharlene Marie Fahl
Hi Dharlene Marie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Did I ever dream of being a writer? A poet? A publisher? A certified tea specialist? Heaven’s no!
The Universe has a wisdom far greater than our own. You know all those steps to success you’re supposed to follow––that detailed, written-down plan–or programs you can purchase to follow someone else’s easy steps to success? Save your money and forget all of that!
It seems that when you are open and ready–the Universe responds.
Over twenty years ago, I asked two questions: “What is tea, anyway?” and “Why was it associated with spirituality and tranquility?”
Little did I know that in less than one year, I’d be fully immersed in the fascinating world of tea, meeting growers and tea producers from all over the globe and taking tea education classes one after another.
Soon, I’d visit tea fields and factories in China, India, and Japan and speak in those countries.
Could I have laid out a plan for any of those events? Heaven’s no!
I was not the first to put tea and meditation together–the Buddhist monks had been doing that for centuries. I was the first to write healing and inspirational poems/prayers to enjoy while surrendering with a cup of tea.
Then, I’d be asked to consider putting those one hundred prayers in a book. What? I wasn’t a writer–that was not something I’d ever considered. After a few nudges and pushes, not just from certain individuals, the Universe was prompting me, also. I put all my fears and self-doubts aside and did it.
Oh, you know all my inner demons came quickly to the surface but I persevered and did it. That first book evolved into several different versions, but such is the writing and publishing process. It was eventually an Amazon best seller.
Did I ever dream of going back to school and earning a degree? NOPE. But at sixty-two years of age, I did. Four years later, I graduated from SDSU summa cum laude with a degree in English.
I was officially now a writer! I needed that for ME. Yes, I was ‘educated’, but the writer lived in me long before achieving a piece of paper. I did that for me. I formed The Red Poppy Press (LLC) right after graduating, and within six months, I’d published ten books. Oh, yes, I’ve been writing and ‘filing’ things away year after year, and now they are all coming to fruition.
Don’t just stay classy, San Diego; stay tuned. This writer, turned poet, turned publisher is just getting started!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles and bumps in the road are more internal than external. We are not taught to trust our inner guidance or to believe in ourselves. Yes, we’re taught to pick ourselves up and keep going, and that is so much easier to do when you have overcome self-doubt. We spend too much time comparing ourselves to others, fighting old beliefs, and putting faith in others before we learn to trust ourselves.
You just have to keep moving forward. Put those blinders on, tune into your own wisdom, and love yourself through it all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In this New Year of 2025, I’ve put myself on a limb. Yes, I am now writing what I call “Self-Therapy Poetry.” I made up that ‘genre’ (if I can call it that), and I’m putting it out there this year in several forms.
One of the ten books I published was my memoir of fifty years of dieting, “The Last Dance with the DIET DEVIL,” which is written in free verse. It’s a rant, a release, and a resolve to love ourselves and our bodies. The concept for this book evolved from a class at SDSU for which we were required to write the first twenty-five pages. Well, once I got into it, I couldn’t stop, and before the end of the semester, it was finished and published within months of graduating.
To follow it is “Diet Mindset Reset,” Self-Therapy Poetry to reframe our thoughts, reprogram our brains, and approach changing our behaviors from a place of love, not desperation. I’ve created poems that take the reader back to childhood, where most of our food issues and self-beliefs were formed, and to release our limitations and move forward with grace.
I will be taking several forms of self-help, current therapies, and even our professional challenges and addressing them with self-therapy poetry. It’s a right-brain approach to left-brain concepts, tapping into the other side of our brain and integrating them for balance. The first book for that is “How to Talk to Anyone: Simplified,” using self-therapy poetry to address common communication barriers.
That’s the limb I mentioned. I’ll be out there dangling alone before this article is published. You are welcome to visit me there on Amazon.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Oh, yes, I’ve had plenty of mentors! Many of them are famous and successful, for which I have paid tens of thousands of dollars! I choose not to name them out of courtesy and respect — for the learning experience has been invaluable.
The bottom line is — this is YOUR journey. Whatever they did was THEIR journey, not necessarily ours to follow.
What did I learn from that? No one can do this for you — you must do this for yourself.
Yes, you will discover “insider” information, but YouTube also gives it to you for free. Try that first.
I am a founding member of the Global Society for Female Entrepreneurs. Our founding director, Robbie Motter, is my true hero. She is almost ninety years of age, and her mission to empower women overflows my heart. Her global reach has connected me and other women from our non-profit organization to leaders worldwide — women and men.
When we support each other, encourage others, and see their success, it is wonderfully inspiring.
Giving is receiving, and there is enough for everyone. Competition is a thing of the past and totally the wrong path to choose. At GSFE we complete — we don’t compete.
Through our global alliances, I received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarianism. Was that on my checklist of things to accomplish — you guessed it — heaven’s no! I also received a Global Icon Author Award for my children’s series on angels through our association with LOANI — Leaders of All Nations International.
Before we became GSFE, we were NAFE, the National Association of Female Entrepreneurs, through which I received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service from former President Barack Obama.
Do not underestimate the power of women together! Put yourself out there and join groups that align with your values and mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dharlenemariefahl.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dharlenemarie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dharlene2/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dfahl/
- Twitter: https://x.com/dharlenemarie
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dharlene-Marie-Fahl/author/B003QB16HG?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
