When Brenda Viola moved across the country to settle in La Jolla in December 2022, she left behind the workplace and lifestyle she had always known.
The Philadelphia-area native, who also lived in Sarasota, Fla., worked as a news anchor and producer, QVC show host, public information officer, marketing and communications vice president and speaker. And in 2022, she created Vici Communications (“Vici” is Latin for “I conquered”) to help professionals craft messages and visuals and offer coaching on work and life challenges.
Viola got into the book-writing business with “The Public Servants’ Survival Guide” in 2020, and in April, she published two: “How to Be Heard Without Screaming!” and “Annabelle the Octopus.”
She credits life in La Jolla — where her bio says she “enjoys getting in her 10,000 steps a day in year-round sunshine” — with helping to jump-start her latest endeavors.
“I fell in love with the energy here,” she said. “I felt like my body was finding where my soul was when I finally moved to La Jolla.”
She feels her ability to create books from life experiences wouldn’t be the same had she not moved here.
“I love to encourage people,” Viola said. “Whether it is via my social media or my books or my blogs, nothing makes me happier than lifting people up. Now I get to do that full time.”
For Viola, writing has always been what she calls a lifeline. Throughout childhood and into her college years, Viola used pen and paper as a way to express her thoughts, emotions, opinions and observations.
“For me, something lit up when I realized I was good at writing,” she said. “I wrote and wrote and wrote. I was on the newspaper [staff] in high school, I studied journalism in college. Writing has been the underpinning of my entire life and career, no matter what I was doing. Writing and speaking are lost arts in a world where we are so tethered to our phones.”
Her latest books, though vastly different, both have core themes of resilience, reflection and improvement. “How to Be Heard Without Screaming!” outlines how people can find their voice and speak up for themselves. “Annabelle the Octopus” is a children’s book with messages of friendship and self-love.
“With these books, I feel like I have two children. They have two very different audiences,” Viola said.
Viola began writing “Annabelle the Octopus” years ago to tell a story of building friendships and reaching out to others.
“The book shows readers that whenever you feel stuck, reach out to people and let them show you they care,” Viola said.
Viola’s sister E. Shirlee DiBacco illustrated the book, and while that was in process, Viola got to work writing “How to Be Heard Without Screaming!”
“I feel that ‘How to Be Heard Without Screaming!’ is the culmination of 30 years of communications work,” Viola said. “People always turned to me asking questions about speaking up in and out of the workplace. I temporarily paused writing it, but once I was settled in San Diego, I got back to it.
“While this book is intended for adults, I would love to teach it in every high school in America because I think young people need to know how to effectively have conversations.”
“When you are in a situation and need to communicate well, having the tools at your disposable to do so will serve you all the days of your life,” she added. “We often get bottled up because we do not know how to express ourselves. It is the struggle that creates the strength in your ways.”
Looking ahead, Viola said she’s eager to continue sharing the life lessons she’s learned, whether in another children’s book or more works for adults.
“I am always thinking about the next book and finding inspiration in places,” she said. “Whatever I end up doing, it will be inspirational. My message to everyone is to keep going, because you will be transformed for the better in the process.”
“How to Be Heard Without Screaming!” is available via amazon.com.
“Annabelle the Octopus” is available at archwaypublishing.com.
For more information about Vici Communications, visit brendaviola.com/vici-communications-llc. ♦
