Meet Karlie Waldrip | Deaf children’s book author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karlie Waldrip and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karlie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I feel like the most important factor behind my success is my community. Without being involved in your community it is a lot harder to become a trusted business. I was very involved in the dog world ie. dog rescues, education as I taught 4 years as a deaf education teacher, and being deaf myself I have connections in the deaf community on top of our social media platforms. Having a network takes you to places 🙂

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a deaf, self-published children’s book author and wrote “I Deaf-initely Can, Rhett the Heeler” and will soon publish my second children’s book “We Deaf-initely Can, Go On Adventures.”

After I graduated Texas State University, I taught four years as a deaf education teacher, and after my first year of teaching I rescued a deaf dog named Rhett. We are both deaf.

I decided to make an Instagram account @rhett_the_heeler to educate others about our deafness and all the things we do in life. Mostly adults are on there and I wanted to target the younger kids that are not on social media about our deafness and for deaf children to see deaf characters in books they read. I decided to write a children’s book about our story and hired a deaf illustrator, Lucy Rogers. Our book is unique as I am a deaf author, deaf illustrator and deaf characters with sign language illustrated throughout the book.

I did this book for fun. I made my own website, did my own marketing/outreach, packaged up all book orders on my own and drove to the post office. My books became a huge hit, I have sold over 4,000 books in two and half years all on my own. I recently added a paperback version on Amazon since I was getting a lot of international interest for my book.

I hope everyone who reads our children’s book or follow us on Instagram/Facebook on @rhett_the_heeler learn how amazing deaf dogs are and to give them a chance. Also how we deaf individuals are able to do anything we set our minds to do. Give us a chance, we may do things a little differently but we can do it. There is no one right way to do things. I like to share that I was a lifeguard for the city in high school. I was the first deaf person to work as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for several years. I also hope all the kids who are deaf/hard-of-hearing enjoy seeing deaf characters like them written by a deaf person and illustrated by a deaf artist.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to Grapevine, Texas. My husband and I moved a lot within the last 7 years. I LOVED living in Grapevine, Texas. We were walking distance to Lake Grapevine where we spent a lot of our days at the lake. We loved downtown Grapevine, as there are several amazing wineries and always went to Esparza’s Mexican Restaurant so often that the bartender knew our drink and food order. Christmas time is the most beautiful time of the year, with thousands of events and things to do all over town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a HUGE shoutout to my parents, little sister , husband, former deaf education teachers, , co-workers, family/ friends, my dog community, Instagram/Facebook family @rhett_the_heeler and the list goes on! I could not have been where I am today with out my support system and my best friend Rhett who is the main reason why I wrote my children’s book “I Deaf-initely Can, Rhett the Heeler” to share our story.

Website: www.rhetttheheeler.com

Instagram: @rhett_the_heeler

Facebook: Rhett_the_heeler

Image Credits
Karlie Waldrip @rhett_the_heeler