When Stories Become Spirited: The Making of Unhooked

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of helping countless people turn their pain into purpose through storytelling. But every now and then, I get to walk alongside someone whose journey becomes unforgettable—not just for them or for me, but for the readers their story is meant to reach.

Jason Coombs is one of those people.

When we first started working together, Jason had a fire in his soul and a calling on his heart to write a book. He had lived through the depths of addiction and emerged transformed. His unique life experiences held insights that could change the way families and professionals understand addiction—and maybe even save lives.

He didn’t just want to tell his story. He wanted it to matter.

And that’s exactly what happened.

From Journal Pages to a Published Purpose

Jason came to me with years of notes, journal entries, research papers, and a growing list of questions from friends and clients who were trying to understand and support their loved ones through addiction. He wasn’t short on content—he was short on clarity.

Like so many aspiring authors, he wasn’t sure how to begin, what parts of his story to share, or who his book was really for.

That’s where we began. And that’s the work I love most—helping someone uncover the deeper purpose of their story.

Jason thought he was writing a memoir. But as we unpacked his life experiences, his wisdom, and his vision, we realized he was writing something much bigger: a powerful hybrid of memoir, recovery guidance, and transformational storytelling. Unhooked was born from that fusion.

The Power of Writing to One

One of the most important decisions an author makes is identifying who they’re writing for. Not a crowd. Not a demographic. One person.

Jason and I talked deeply about this. He realized that the people who kept calling him for advice—family members of those struggling with addiction—were the exact people his book could serve. So he chose one woman in particular, someone close to his heart, and wrote the entire book to her.

That decision changed everything. When you write to one, you write with clarity. You write with compassion. And somehow, your story ends up reaching the many.

It’s something I call “the power of the one.” I’ve seen it over and over again. Jason’s story wasn’t just about him—it was a bridge for others to find their own understanding, healing, and hope.

Writing While You Live

Another beautiful part of Jason’s journey is that he didn’t wait until life was perfect to write his story. He wrote in the middle of the mess. He wrote while still healing, still learning, still living.

We often think of writing as a linear project—start to finish, outline to draft, manuscript to print. But real storytelling? It's layered. It's living. It grows as we do.

Jason would often share ideas that came to him while on the treadmill or after deep conversations with clients. Those were the real writing sessions—when the spirit whispered and he was ready to listen.

And he did listen. He wove together personal experience, deep research, clinical insight, and spiritual awareness in a way that created a book with soul. A book that, in his words, “feels like it has a life of its own.”

A Book With Spirit

I’ll never forget the moment Jason shared that Unhooked was mentioned at a funeral. A mother stood to honor her son, who had overdosed. Through tears, she told the audience she had read Unhooked before his death—and that it had helped her understand her son in a way she never had before.

She didn’t know Jason. But the spirit of the book reached her.

Stories like Unhooked aren’t just bound pages. They’re living, breathing experiences that continue to serve, teach, and heal.

A Journey for the Brave

Writing a book is not for the faint of heart. There are moments of resistance, moments of fear, moments when you want to give up. Jason faced all of that—and kept going.

And yes, there were publishing challenges along the way. He was even turned down by a publishing house because of his religious affiliation. But instead of giving up, he chose a hybrid publishing model that allowed him to retain ownership—and ultimately, that route gave him the freedom to tell his story the way it was meant to be told.

He didn’t do it to become a bestseller (although he did). He didn’t do it to build his brand (although it grew). He did it to help someone. And that someone turned out to be thousands.

If You Feel the Call

If you’re reading this and thinking, Maybe I have a story in me too, I want you to know—yes, you do.

Whether you’ve been carrying your story for years or just recently felt the nudge to start writing, there is a path. There are resources. And there is support.

Of all the resources I developed to help writers tell their stories, the most powerful is my Inspired Writers Retreats. Part writing intensive, part sacred space, it’s a place to stop waiting, start writing, and do the deep, healing work of storytelling. And most importantly, it can completely transform your story to bestseller-level.

Because your story deserves to be told. And the world needs it.