KESWiN Academy

Let’s answer some

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Frequently Asked Questions help you to learn more about how we can assist you on your personal development and self-actualisation journey.  We are a friendly, supportive community providing coaching, resources, and networking to Gen-Xers, Baby Boomers and others wishing to go on transformative journeys and live to their fullest potential.

We offer a 30 Day Peace of Mind Money Back Guarantee, so there’s zero risk to joining our community of real human beings (we don’t employ any AI, bots, or algorithms). 

Please read through our Frequently Asked Questions, or visit this page to learn more about joining as a member.

(Note, we also have some frequently asked questions near the bottom of this page about our proven self-publishing system and how we help members release their non-fiction books trapped inside of them).

Frequently Asked Questions KESWiN Academy
Who are your members?

Our members are individuals from all over the world, mostly ranging in age from mid-forties to mid-seventies (we have also worked with octogenarians and under mid-forties).

The people we work with are on transformative journeys to live autonomous lives with purpose and joy. Many choose to become thought leaders through content marketing and book publishing. Or they create a legacy to share with loved ones and/or like-minded people in the local, national or global communities. 

  • Do you want to discover your hidden unique and value treasure?
  • Do you want to life a life full of potential and joy?

KESWiN Academy can help you do these things… and much more. We are a community committed to guiding individuals to become the best human being they can be, and freely live with purpose and joy.

We focus on individuals who are looking to identify the valuable KESWiN (Knowledge, Experiences, Skill-sets, Wisdom, Ideas, and Narratives) hidden inside them, and transform it into value they can confidently share with others.

Our coaching, resources and support focuses on guiding you on a personal growth and self-actualisation journey.

Some members go on to build a business, write non-fiction books, or simply just create a personal or family history legacy to hand down to the generations that follow.

Our content is never one-size fits most; it is tailored and adapted for personal, hobby, or business use.

Definitely! Over the years KESWiN Academy’s founder Deb Donnell has helped people write and independently publish non-fiction books. She’s passionate about doing this.

Although our focus now is predominantly on personal growth and self-actualisation, if you are among the 81 percent of people who believe they have a book trapped inside them, we will happily mentor you through the process.

Not at this stage!

We did consider developing a platform for members to build their online hub on. However, we realized it is more important to focus on providing you with the training on how to do this, rather than do it for you.

We’ve Worked with Non-Tech Savvy Octogenarians!

Our step-by-step training guides non-tech savvy people of all ages – even those in their eighties! 

We guide you through the process of choosing an external platform, marketing software and other necessary tools and resources to build your online hub with.

To give you a heads-up, we recommend WordPress hosted on a Cloudways VPS for your platform. Possibly this means nothing to you right now, and that’s okay.  You’ll get clarity when the time is right.

Use Our Recommended Tools, Resources, and Infrastructure

We provide you with basic technical training on these and other recommended tools so you can build a stable, secure, and professional online presence.

  • Can you navigate your way around the Internet?
  • Have you ever signed up for a membership site or social network?
  • Purchased something from an online store?

Then you won’t have any problems being a member of KESWiN Academy.

As we’ve mentioned in the previous frequently asked question, we’ve worked with non-tech savvy people of all ages, even octogenarians!

In most cases, no. But if you decide you need to build your own authoritative brand and independent income streams, you will. 

Don’t worry. We will guide you step-by-step through setting up, building and marketing a self-hosted WordPress website.

If you wish to outsource this work to a third party, that’s okay. While we can’t recommend any, we will provide you with guidance on how to choose the right freelancer or team to outsource to.

“Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?” Ray Kroc, Businessman

Assuming you want to keep growing your home or service based business, then the Academy can help you with fine tuning your business plan, branding, digital, content marketing and book publishing strategies; as well as supporting you with working towards your future goals.

This is certainly not a beginner only community – far from it! We’ve helped established clients scale their businesses, so there’s plenty of expertise on offer that you’ll benefit from in your continued growth.

Good question, and the answer will vary depending on your Heroic Quest, goals, and available time to study the training material, as well as carry out the assigned tasks and activities, in order to move forward on your project.

In other words, we have a number of different learning options inside the Academy, including:

A Resource Library (a mix of free, one-off purchase, and paid PQ Library membership  access only)

Topic specific articles, podcasts, on-demand workshops, short guides, courses and other content which allow you to work at your own pace, outsource some tasks, and consume the content you need only when you need it. Suitable for people who have limited time (less than 7 hours a week), or need material to complement a specific project, an existing business, hobby, or other venture.

SI Member Only Community (paid membership access only)

Progressive training and advanced courses, live events with community support and learning. Work through step-by-step processes and systems, interacting with peers in the community to get and\/or provide help, support, and feedback. Work on your personal growth and self-actualisation journey, at your own pace and capability. Suitable for individuals who are working on a part-time business or other venture. We recommend you allow between 7 and 20 hours a week to study the material and do the tasks or assignments. We also include weekly community coaching/Q&A sessions. 

Group Coaching (paid membership upgrade)

For an additional monthly cost, you can enrol in progressive online training with interactive coach-lead online weekly workshops (90 minutes in length). This group learning is limited to 10 members only. All members of the group work on the same step, learning together as they work through the road map towards similar goals. This holds everyone accountable to and for each other; and the group progresses only when all members have completed assigned tasks and activities. Suitable for people who can invest at least 20 hours a week plus the resources required to start-up and work on a part or full-time service-based business.

We recommend that you schedule a block of time each day to study the material and carry out tasks and activities to move forward on your personal growth and self-actualisation journey, regardless of your membership level.

For one-on-one help and support specific to your project, we have a pay-as-you-go option available. Alternatively, we can refer you to one of our approved third party vendors if you prefer, or you can choose our own.

Members are able to ask questions and get advice, support and feedback any time from within our community. We also run monthly live Q&A sessions, where you can pre-submit your questions, or even ask them live.  This helps us identify and answer more frequently asked questions.

On top of that you can also get support from our Team via our Success Department. This alone is worth more than the price of admission!

If you upgrade your membership to Group Coaching you also have access to all the help and support you need in your weekly workshops, and in between from your Group Coach and peers.

It’s time for you to answer the Call to Action. Simple as that.

Do you really want to live a happy, joyful and free life?

Are you looking to be part of a community where you can collaborate and co-create? 

How would it feel to have the confidence to be a leader in your community and have a positive impact on others?

Yes. Yes. And YES!

If you have answered yes to at least one of the above questions, you need somewhere to get answers.  Especially answers to questions you don’t even know you have yet.

Furthermore, you will fast-track your success through having support, community, and most of all… accountability!

KESWiN Academy is the place to help you on your personal growth and self-actualisation journey.

Therefore, if you really want to live life to your fullest potential and make a difference in the world, the time to start doing this is now.

No – KESWiN Academy is entirely online.

We know you will LOVE KESWiN Academy. However, if for whatever reason you’re not 100% satisfied in any way we have a Peace of Mind 30 Day Money Back Guarantee (no questions asked).

We want you to succeed, and know that if you become a member and really put your heart and soul into your personal growth and self-actualisation journey you will achieve many of your Heroic Quests!

I'm not sure about focusing on personal growth. Why should I join?

If you don’t realise that our purpose on this world is to become the best human being we can become, and that in order to do this, you need to focus on personal growth, then this probably isn’t the place for you.

But if you have had a feeling that things need to change in your life, then this is a great place to figure out what changes you need to focus on. Inside KESWiN Academy, you have the guidance, support, and travelling companions to help you slay dragons and discover your hidden treasure. 

In other words, we focus on giving our members simple, proven strategies and tools to overcome fears and blocks and move forward in their journey from Day One.

Sorry, as much as we would like to help you on a one-to-one basis, we don’t do private coaching or mentoring. This isn’t us playing hard to get; it’s a case of focusing our energies on our members. The best place to get access to our coaching or mentoring is inside our membership site, KESWiN Academy.

We do our best to match you with like-minded members at similar stages, and on similar journeys to you. However, we understand that occasionally we get it wrong. So if you are unhappy, please talk to your Group Coach, or one of our Team, and we’ll move you to another Group, where possible.

No Risk Guarantee

Our Peace of Mind 30 Day Money Back Guarantee applies to all levels of membership, so if you do want to cancel your Group membership in the first 30 days, we’ll refund you.

Alternatively, you can also consider downgrading to Community membership. There are plenty of options as we want to ensure the fit is right for you.

Obviously we’d love it if all of our members stuck around forever – but we’ve worked with membership sites for long enough to know that that’s never going to happen!

So, if you do decide to cancel obviously we’ll be very sad, but if you’re intent on leaving then you’ll be able to do this inside your membership account. You can also have a quick chat with our Success Department if there is something you’re not satisfied with.

Naturally, we’ll ask you for feedback and if there is any concern or issue we can remedy to encourage you to stay. 

If we can’t, then we’ll wish you well on your journey.

No. Your membership entitles you to enter the members area and access the content there released prior and during the duration of your membership.

If you cancel or do not renew your membership you will no longer be able to access the content inside the Academy.

We recommend that you use a laptop or desktop computer to log into our site, as well as your own secure, high-speed Internet connection (not public Wi-Fi).

This provides the best experience for you as a member.

Please keep your browser and anti-virus software up-to-date.

For more info refer to our Security Policy.

Yes! This question is really for people wanting to build an online presence. So fo ryou, while our infrastructure and technology training focuses mostly on WordPress, the majority of the content in the Academy is not tech based at all.

The bulk of our training focuses on important topics such as personal development, business development, authorship/content marketing development, product development, growth strategies, and more. All these topics are far more important for your Transformative Journey than what tech is used!

As such we have a number of members who don’t use WordPress but still find the Academy content incredibly useful for achieving their Heroic Quests.

Our Team provide Tech Support for quick fix issues and tools we recommend. However, if the issue will take some time to fix, or requires more expert support, we will refer you to one of our approved third party vendors (at your cost). We will advise you if this is the case.

For Group Coaching Members: As above. Your Group Coach can also provide limited tech support, refer you to our Team, or an approved third party vendor (at your cost).

Sometimes the technical issue may be something we cannot fix or do not support/recommend, i.e. they may be related to bugs in third party software, platforms, your hardware, Internet connections, etc. Where this situation arises, we will advise where you can go for further troubleshooting and tech support.

We work with individuals who want to go on their own personal growth and self-actualisation journey. If you prefer to delegate or outsource this work to others, then KESWiN Academy most definitely is not the right place for you.

Unfortunately the answer to that is no. We only provide you with the coaching and guidance for you to identify, undertake, and complete your Heroic Quests.

However, you have access to a rich resource library. From time to time we will recommend free, or low cost tools, where possible (with a caveat that there is always a hidden cost with free software, platforms, etc.).

Recommended Tools, Resources and Vendors

Members can also access our Market Place, with offers from approved third party vendors. We do allow approved vendors to market their products and services through our email correspondence, often for a small fee.

In some cases we earn an affiliate or referral commission – and we will advise you of this when applicable.

Affiliate and Vendor Disclosure

Income from our third party and affiliates vendors help us to keep membership fees low, and invest time in develop training material, tools, software and products to support you.

All third party vendors and affiliates we recommend or promote must go through a quality control process before being approved to market products and services to our members.

This means you will only be presented with offers that will provide useful solutions on your personal growth and self-actualisation journey.

Rigorous Testing and Quality Control

Over the years we have built much of our online presence through using a mix of free, low-cost, and premium services, tools, and resources.

Our experiences (both good and bad) are part of what makes being a member with us so valuable.  Consequently, you avoid many of the mistakes we made (some of them expensive, others painful!).  As a result you’ll achieve success much faster than we ever did.

Most of the content in KESWiN Academy is only available to Academy members with an active subscription. However, from time-to-time, we do release mini-guides through our sibling company, KESWiN Publishing Ltd. You can view the catalogue here.

Definitely! You can upgrade or downgrade to a different membership level any time by contacting our Success Department. They will take into account the time left on your current subscription, to make sure you are not double charged.

Alternatively, you can do this through your member account page, by cancelling your current level and purchasing the one you want to change to. However, this won’t take into account the portion of time you have left on your current subscription.

We’re not currently offering a trial. However, we do offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.  If, during the first 30 days of your membership, you decide to cancel, for whatever reason, we’ll refund you.  No questions asked. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Our Non-Fiction Book Publishing Mentoring

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions focusing on non-fiction books publishing mentoring which is available to members

What is Your Proven Publishing System?

We’ve spent years developing and testing our proven system, processes and resources.  This ensures that you are successful at writing, publishing and marketing your non-fiction stories.  As a member, you will:

  • Identify what makes you / your stories unique and valuable.
  • Choose a niche market for your stories, create goals and design a step-by-step action plan for writing, publishing and marketing.
  • Set up the necessary infrastructure for building and growing your audience.
  • Start writing, editing and publishing short pieces of content for feedback, to grow your list, and pre-sell your book while it’s being written.
  • Produce your first book by collating your short pieces of content, and following our step-by-step instructions for design and formatting.
  • Promote and market your forthcoming book and services (if applicable) through public speaking, media interviews, and other channels.
  • Launch your first book in digital and print formats, and sell through your own eCommerce store, and other channels.
  • Rinse and repeat to build a long-term, secure, respected and sustainable business.
How long before I have a published book?

This is a little bit of a “how long is a piece of string” question.  Because writing is a creative process, and people have varying standards around book publishing, the answer depends on how much time you have available, and what your goals are.  However, our training program is designed to be completed within 12 months, provided you have the time available and motivation to do the work.  By the end of the program, you should have a published book, and achieved your set sales targets.

What if I don’t want to build a author business, but only want to write a memoir or family history?

Even memoir and family history authors need to establish a following, albeit their audiences are more exclusive and private.   That said, you’ll be surprised at how wide an audience there is for publications of this nature.  However, even if you want to keep your book audience small, you’ll still benefit greatly from our writing, editing and publishing modules.

What does membership in KESWiN Academy involve?

Membership is charged on a monthly subscription basis.  You get full access to our friendly, supportive community, training modules, business resources, coaches and support team. This is ideal for self-driven and self-motivated individuals. You will study and progress at your own pace, while leveraging off the feedback and fellowship of other members and the KESWiN Academy Team (KATs).

Who are the KESWiN Academy team (KATs)?

Our KATs are experienced trainers, coaches, technical experts and administrators who have already traveled ahead of you. They know the pitfalls, obstacles, and challenges that lie on the road ahead of you. They are committed to ensuring you avoid or overcome them with their guidance and support. They willingly share their KESWiN for you to model and leverage off.  By stepping into their footsteps, you will achieve your dreams and enjoy your success faster than you would trying to figure this out on your own.

Can I hire you/the KATs to do the work for me?

Sorry, the answer is no, so please don’t think you can persuade us otherwise.  While we used to offer publishing services to clients on a one-on-one basis, we made the decision to stop offering this option, and instead focus on providing our expertise on a one-to-many through KESWiN Academy.

I’d like to get some advice from you.  How do I arrange a consultation?

If you want advice, please join Keswin Academy.  Members have access to our experienced coaches, who can provide support and answers to questions through the monthly Q&As and community forum.  If you want a private advice or consultation session, or a manuscript assessment, we are not the publishing advisory service you are looking for. 

Are you available as a guest speaker/writer for my podcast, blog, publication, event, etc?

We are open to invitations to talk about topics relating to personal growth, self-actualisation, NLP, writing, publishing, content marketing, or our own publications.  Not all of our team members offer professional speaking, so we assess all invitations on a case-by-case basis.  If you’d like to make a request, please contact us, providing a brief outline about the premise of the interview/event, etc. 

Testimonials About KESWiN Academy

At the start of this page we mentioned that there have been several iterations of KESWiN Academy, dating right back to 2008. The earlier versions were more focused on helping people build online businesses, develop writing and content marketing skills, publish books, and build multiple income streams. Group coaching has always been at the heart of these earlier versions, and there was always an element of personal growth as members identified their KESWiN in order to have the confidence to build their businesses. 

Therefore the testimonials we’ve published below have been gathered from members and clients over the past 17+ years. While many highlight aspects that are different to our current offering with the Academy, they are still valuable for you to look through. Because they are more about KESWiN Academy’s founder, Deb Donnell (who you will be working with), her coaching style, and, most importantly, what benefits members have received when working with her.

Also, as one of our goals is to help you create a life of freedom and autonomy, should you decide to build an online business, or write and publish a book further down the track, you can be confident that Deb and our team have the skills to coach you through this process too. In other words, KESWiN Academy is more than just a personal growth and self-actualisation community! It is a place where you can transform ideas and dreams into reality, no matter what they are!

“This is different to most typical training programs where you buy and listen to the training. One of the key differences is that learning and doing is incorporated into the program. There is a lot of interaction between members and trainers. As a result, you can ask questions. In addition, the people behind it have a genuine go-getter attitude. The material is never stale—it's always cutting edge, and that's fantastic. I feel pretty lucky to have been a part of the Academy. It's not easy—it takes work. But it's a great experience. Certainly, I recommend it to people looking to build an authoritative online presence.”
Dennis Roberts
Dennis RobertsUSA
“I’ve had a really good time as a member. I've learned about effective market research tools and business organization skills. Moreover, I built blogs, wrote articles and I now understand copyright information. Also, we set up social networks and used them as part of the strategy for successful soft marketing. Additionally, mastered a few technical skills, including how to set up a marketing funnel online. The list goes on! Consequently, being part of a small group provides an awesome learning environment where we can all find help, and help others too. We occasionally just socialize and have fun too. I’ve made some awesome friendships inside the Academy.”
Barb Schacher
Barb SchacherUSA
“Most products or coaches assume you know the basics of online marketing and technical terminology, and have technical skills. I know in the end we are each responsible for what we want to create. However, I don’t feel like I’m all alone. The short videos and interactive training events are very helpful. There is always someone available to help with an issue. I’m very grateful to have a safe place to build my income generating business. It makes the journey so much more enjoyable and easier.” (Name withheld at member’s request)
HS
HSUSA
“The Academy has made me really excited about writing! I just needed someone to get me in the habit and doing it. Now I feel like I am on a roll. The presentation on writing our “About Me” page was outstanding and helped me so much!”
Nicole Thomas
Nicole ThomasUSA
“There is too much information on the Internet about marketing. As a result, you can easily get confused about exactly where to start. However, with KESWiN™ Academy, you receive precise instructions in an easy to follow format. Best of all, being part of a group offers support and mentorship. Because it enables everyone to work together and feel part of a team. At the same time, we get to build our own business. Furthermore, the focus on writing helps make writing easier.”
Tania Wilder
Tania WilderAustralia
“The Academy is a safe environment, where I feel I can be myself and ask questions, or offer my ideas. I have a support system of honest, genuine, like-minded people from around the world, who don’t think I’m crazy or stupid to try something different. The training is broken down into small parts, so I can tackle a bit at a time. I have learned both fundamental techniques, and others that I would call advanced. Material is up-to-date and presented in an understandable format. It is so great to have people helping people succeed.”
Kris Newland
Kris NewlandUSA
“The training is a lot more dialogue than presentation. It has helped me transition from learning mode to doing mode. The modules in writing, market research, blogging and business management have been both instructional and hands-on practice. Even though I’m building my own business, I’m not doing it alone. I’m part of a community of people with similar goals. I find plenty of encouragement, peer support, and camaraderie within the network. The result-oriented leaders have high ethical standards, are knowledgeable, current, even cutting edge, and most of all, accessible.”
Bob Young
Bob YoungUSA
“Before I joined, I was just watching and listening to other online marketing training programs with no real plan. Isn’t that crazy? If I hadn’t joined the Academy, I would have hung up my dream by now. Because I had the opportunity to learn with others. Moreover, the trainers’ efforts to make our writing skills exceptional, and adapt the training to our needs is outstanding. Also, it’s powerful having made new friends with people from all over the world. Most importantly, they are willing to step up and help me without question.”
Marshall Joyce
Marshall JoyceUSA
“Writing challenges me. Therefore, I love the videos. I can stop them and move at my own pace. As a result, I get a better understanding. Also, the people are great! I am forming solid relationships. Best of all, I can get help from my peers as well as the trainers. Due to being a member, I have learned a lot about online marketing.”
Heather Hansen
Heather HansenCanada
“The Academy provides low-cost, state-of-the-art training. First of all, I have a road map to follow. Also, people I can connect with. In addition, the trainers are genuinely there for us. Furthermore, they give 120% to ensure we all succeed. They are helping us create businesses that are genuine and legitimate. There is no hype or in your face tactics. This training is so different to anything I’ve experienced before.”
Claire Newell
Claire NewellNew Zealand
“I was having trouble writing content for my blog and understanding social Internet marketing. However, the trainers helped me build up my confidence. Also, the group workshops are a safe place to ask questions and get help. As a result, we can immediately apply what we are learning. Most of all, I have fun building lasting relationships with other members. Most importantly, it’s value exceeds the affordable price I pay as a member.”
Lanette Passarelli
Lanette PassarelliUSA
“The Academy provides a fresh approach to learning online. Most importantly, the mentors and members are real people you can talk to and build lasting relationships with. Moreover, the training is professional and easy to follow. Also, being part of the interactive group workshops is fun. Best of all, you can get your questions answered immediately. Because quick answers are valuable when you have a problem you can't work out on your own.”
Corinne Floyd
Corinne FloydCanada
“Deb has helped me improve my writing skills tremendously. Now, I not only have the confidence to sit and write. But I also have the basic ability to communicate intelligibly while delivering some real value. This was a skill that was well beyond me prior to becoming a member.”
Tom Renfro
Tom RenfroUSA
“I am grateful that Deb took the time to show me how to write diamonds. Because I do believe within all of us there are diamonds that need to be put down on paper. Moreover, when they are inside of us, nobody sees or hears them. And just to think I almost didn't take this course! What a loss I would have experienced. As I write every day I feel a sense of who I am and who I might become. Keep those diamonds coming; there are many of us who need them.”
Greg Gust
Greg GustUSA
“Since joining the Academy, I’ve accomplished more and written more than I did before. Firstly, this is a supportive environment. Secondly, I have peers helping me gauge where I am in the training. As a result, I receive help when I need it. And we bounce ideas off each other. Finally, the knowledgeable trainers and coaches guide us through the Internet business maze. Most importantly, they demonstrate that they actually do care about us achieving our goals.”
Felicia Waren
Felicia WarenUSA
"The eBook Publishing Master Class encouraged me to finish writing my book, and then take the next step to get it published in both print and digital format. It was awesome to produce a real book for my business."
Dr Alan Fayter
Dr Alan FayterNZ
The Goal Setting Workshop was brilliant and thought provoking. It allowed me to become fluid with my writing, and also achieve my personal goal to move into my dream home.
Brenda M
Brenda MNew Zealand

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KESWiN Academy
ABOUT US

KESWiN™ Academy is a personal growth and self-actualisation online community with LIVE and interactive coaching, resources, friendships, and support with humans. Enjoy freedom from invasive AI and Chat-bots.

OUR BUSINESS ADDRESS

  • Writing Diamonds Ltd
  • PO Box 36-476
  • Merivale
  • Christchurch 8146
  • Canterbury
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  • To 5 April 2026 UTC+13
  • From 5 April 2026 UTC+12

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