“Are you a leader? Raise your hand if you’re a leader.” I recently spoke to 70 incredible women at the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce. During my talk, “Making a Difference as a Leader,” I guided each one to complete an individual leadership profile. “You were truly inspirational,” Mary Jo Buttstadt wrote to me afterward. Photo courtesy of Belinda Benavidez

Five Questions for Ann Daly

How did you get so clear?

I spent decades in rigorous professions — journalism, scholarship, and teaching. But it started with my dad. I am the daughter of an engineer. I was raised on file folders.

What’s the one best thing I could do to develop clarity?

Spend 15 minutes every day doing nothing. In that quiet space you can pay attention to what you’re really thinking, feeling, and doing (not what you believe you should be thinking, feeling, and doing). From there you can begin to sort through your questions and issues.

What inspired you to write Clarity, your new book?

I’ve loved self-help books since high school, although that’s nothing I ever admitted when I was a university professor! As a writer, I find self-help a fascinating genre, because it combines three very different discourses: narrative, theory, and how-to. With this book, I was especially interested in telling stories — some of them even my own.

Your book is subtitled How to Accomplish What Matters Most. What are you trying to accomplish?

I’m out to change the world. As a coach, I aim to unleash the power of women, one client at a time.

How does keynote speaking fit in?

Well, with speaking I can unleash the power of women hundreds of listeners at a time. (Patience has never been my strong suit.)