Lisa Tener, Book Coach Bio
Lisa Tener is a book coach, author, creativity catalyst, journaling expert and, as of May 2026, poet. She is known for helping writers easily access creative flow, free their voice, and write life-changing—and award-winning—books, as well as book proposals.
Her newest book, Breathe. Write. Breathe.: 18 Energizing Practices to Spark Your Writing and Free Your Voice, has won 14 prestigious book awards, including the GOLD Nautilus Book Award in "Creativity & Innovation!" Lisa shares, "I wrote Breathe. Write. Breathe. to share the powerful, ancient practices that have opened me, my clients and students to instant creative flow and inspiration to produce our best writing. It works for professionals, novices and anyone who wants—or needs—to write."
Lisa Tener's previous book, The Joy of Writing Journal, helps people connect with their creativity, purpose and wellbeing through journaling. The book won five awards including the Nautilus, IPPY and Benjamin Franklin Book Awards.
Lisa's clients have signed 5- and 6-figure publishing deals with dozens of publishers, including Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette—and they have appeared throughout national media: Today, Good Morning America, Oprah, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Lisa has been quoted in the New York Times, Vice, Market Watch, Organic Spa and has appeared on national and local TV, including CNN’s HLN Weekend Express, ABC World News, PBS TV, Fox News, PIX 11 News NY and dozens of podcasts and other media.
Lisa served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course for over a dozen years, and recently served as a coach for emerging thought leaders through Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Thought Leadership Writing Incubator in cooperation with The Institute for Thought Leadership. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management from MIT.
Here's something fun and empowering: Lisa incorporates Qigong and Polarity Yoga for creative flow for writers and other creatives. She is certified by RP Qigong to teach Empowerments and Happiness Qigong. She studied Polarity Therapy and Polarity Yoga at the former Polarity Therapy Institute in Watertown, MA.
Lisa teaches qigong on its own as well. Find more information on Lisa's qigong classes here. Qigong and/or journaling can also be an empowering addition to a health conference, women's conference or team building retreat or other event. Find more here to invite Lisa as a presenter, speaker or facilitator for your next event!
For major media contact Melissa Sones at melissasonesconsulting at gmail dot com or 917-806-4072 . for other inquires contact Geri Lafferty at geri at lisatener dot com (addresses spelled out to prevent harvesting by bots) or 415-706-0120.
If time-sensitive, contact Lisa Tener by email here, or 401-477-0886.
Connect with Lisa on X, Instagram or Facebook or her book coaching website, LisaTener.com
Find headshots here.
For more details about Lisa's book coaching services and the success of her clients, see the box below.
For Potential Clients: Your Personal Creativity Catalyst
"When people ask me about my mission, I share that I'm here to help you connect with your creative spark, inner wisdom and expertise in order to fully share your gifts with the world—in writing and beyond. That may show up as a book, blog posts, articles and in so many exciting ways.
"If you need guidance to get started, support to get unstuck, expertise to write an exceptional book or accountability to complete your work, I've got you covered!"
More on Working with Lisa--and Her Clients' Successes
Lisa is a leading authority in book proposal development, whose clients have signed 5- and 6-figure book deals with HarperCollins, Random House, Hachette, Beyond Words, New World Library, New Harbinger, St. Martin's Press, Yale University Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, HCI and other major publishers, as well as self published.
Lisa Tener's clients are making a difference in the world with their books and their message. They have appeared on Oprah, Today, CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, Fresh Air, CNN, PBS, Fox News, in the New York Times and much more.
For over a dozen years, Lisa served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School's continuing education course on Writing and Publishing Books, where she taught workshops on writing, book proposals and publishing. She also taught writing and publishing workshops for Harvard Medical School's leadership course for women in healthcare.
In addition to private coaching on writing books and book proposals, developing an author platform and overcoming creative blocks, Lisa offers private courses to help you:
- Complete your writing projects (in any genre)
- Write a nonfiction book
- Write a nonfiction book proposal
- Write in a heightened state of creative flow
- Tap your creativity
Her popular courses include the wildly effective and empowering Get Your Writing Done program and the Stevie-Award-winning Bring Your Book to Life® Program.
Is Lisa a Fit for Your Book Coaching Needs?
Lisa Tener's clients include doctors; therapists; consultants; company founders, c-suite and managers; life- and executive-coaches; people with unusual true stories, university professors, holistic practitioners, moms and other visionaries. They blog nationally for Psychology Today, WebMD, Forbes, the Huffington Post and other national media.
Lisa can help you:
- Get in touch with your inner knowing as you work on your book, your business and other creative projects.
- Tap into your creativity to write and create your best work.
- Gain clarity on your book concept.
- Get your book written and published.
- Write a compelling book proposal.
- Develop a strategy for growing your platform; introduce you to optimal resources and people to help you execute the plan.
- Develop a business plan to help make your book an income-producing and successful venture.
Facilitating Breakthroughs in Creativity and Productivity
Lisa is also known for:
- Helping clients break through creative blocks and challenges
- Empowering writers and creatives to be accountable and stay committed to their work
- Her ability to help you connect with your creative source for inspiration and momentum
- A holistic and exciting approach to writing, business and other creative projects
“Awestruck by the Publisher’s Offer”
“Lisa Tener is an amazing coach and so much more. One day I was googling online for ideas on how to write a nonfiction book, when I stumbled upon her web page. I continued on…
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6-Figure Book Deal! Featured in NYT, Today.com
“Lisa Tener helped me take my first steps as a writer. From the start, Lisa encouraged me to build my “author platform,” resulting in the strong foundation to support a 6-figure book deal (including features, articles…
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Signed contract with Jessica Kingsley Publishers!
“Lisa has really been there for me every step of the way. As a “new” writer, I was intimidated by the task of writing a book but knew I wanted to move forward on it….
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Published by New World Library; Today Show Guest: “I felt lost until I found Lisa.”
“I felt lost until I found Lisa Tener. Lisa helped me get essential clarity by focusing in on both what I felt most passionate about and what would make the book most meaningful and appealing to…
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Featured by the New York Times
“Lisa Tener has the extraordinary ability to meld creativity, business acumen and literary insight for her students’/clients’ books. She has coached me and my memoir 3,000 Pulses Later into a reality that has far exceeded…
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6-Figure Deal with HarperCollins
Lisa has enough wisdom and experience in her to help launch a thousand books. Take the opportunity to learn from her now. When I first met Lisa I was lost–I mean, completely lost. I had…
Read more...Lisa Can Help You Write a Book and Get Published
As a book writing coach, Lisa Tener assists writers in all aspects of the writing process—from writing a book proposal and getting published to finding one’s creative voice, prioritizing projects, developing an author platform, setting clear goals and developing a system for creative success. In addition to one on one coaching, Lisa teaches the Stevie Award-Winning 12-week Bring Your Book to Life(R) Program, Fast Track Your Book Proposal and her popular workshops to Get Your Writing Done using her 5 step process, The TENER Method, for creative flow.
Lisa is a sought after speaker, presenting at national writers conferences (including San Francisco Writers Conference and Ocean State Writers Conference, library conferences and many conferences and events for entrepreneurs and women, including Harvard Medical School CME publishing course (where she served on the faculty for over a decade), the Rhode Island Bar Association and the Bryant University Women's Summit). She speaks at international professional conferences, including the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) Annual Conference. She served as both a panelist and presenter for the International Women's Writing Guild's Meet the Authors Conference, the Association of Rhode Island Authors and the Festival of Rhode Island Authors.
Lisa's Award-winning Books
Lisa Tener is the author of Breathe. Write. Breathe.: 18 Energizing Practices to Spark Your Writing and Free Your Voice, winner of 9 book awards.
Lisa's previous book, The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day, won five prestigious book awards, including The Nautilus Book Award and the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Award. John Lieff, MD calls this book, "an easy to use, engaging and fun guide...a valuable resource whether you are journaling for personal wellbeing or using the prompts to build your muscles as a writer."
She is also a contributor to The Creativity Workbook for Coaches and Creatives: 50+ Inspiring Exercises from Creativity Coaches Worldwide by Eric Maisel.
Lisa is co-author with Peaco Todd and Jane Middelton-Moz of The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger: Dynamic Tools for Healthy Relationships (Health Communications). She originated the concept of Anger-obics, exercises that tap into intuition, humor and creativity to understand anger and communicate in healthy ways.
Lisa has taught writing and creativity workshops throughout the United States, in the Caribbean and in Southeast Asia since 1994.
Diverse Education and Writing Mentors
As an undergraduate at MIT, Lisa Tener studied writing with the late Frank Conroy, during his tenure as Director of the Literature Program at the National Endowment for the Arts (before he became Director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop), Broadway Playwright A.R. Gurney, Jr., and award-winning poets Jean Valentine and Gjertrud Schnackenberg. Lisa earned her Master's degree from MIT's Sloan School of Management where she concentrated in marketing served as co-chair of the Marketing Club and received several awards and scholarships. She earned her Bachelor's degree from MIT, where she minored in writing.
Lisa is trained in a number of holistic systems and practices that have informed the creative nature of her work:
- Lisa's most recent body of work is inspired by her study and practice of qigong, yoga, sufi dancing and other spiritual practices, as well as journaling.
- Lisa's signature exercise, "Meet Your Muse" comes from studying indigenous shamanic practices.
- Anger-obics was inspired by her studies in alternative and complementary healing modalities, especially Polarity Therapy.
Prior to becoming an author, trainer and coach, Lisa served as Executive Director of Hospitality Homes in Boston, an organization that provides housing for the families of patients who visit Boston for medical treatment. The housing is in the homes of volunteer hosts. During her tenure, the organization increased services by more than 300% and increased income by over 400%.
Lisa Tener is an enthusiastic advocate for the power of the written word to transform careers, businesses and people.
Would you like help with writing your book? Contact Lisa Tener.
