It's Personal at Soul Speak Press.

Director of Marketing

With nearly a decade of experience in sports marketing, Loren Buchanan brings a dynamic blend of expertise and passion to her role as Marketing Director at Soul Speak Press. A graduate of Lee University, Loren transitioned into the speaking and publishing industry, where she enjoys and thrives on empowering women authors.  Loren is dedicated to connecting aspiring writers with the right tools and resources to help turn their dreams into reality. 

Based in Boston, MA, she enjoys life with her husband and two daughters, drawing inspiration from her family and the vibrant community around her.

Director of Publishing

Ilsa Manning is a lover of the written word and has been since she could put pen to paper. She holds a bachelor's in history from the University of Arizona, a master's in modern history from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a certificate in editing from the University of Chicago. Ilsa loves the intricacies and complexities of the English language and received her Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate from the Boston Language Institute, after which she taught English as a foreign language in Sczecin, Poland, London, England, and Phoenix, Arizona. Ilsa has been a member and board member of the Phoenix Writers Club since 2013, serving in the roles of president, vice president, newsletter editor, and currently as social media and website manager. Ilsa is proud to be part of the Soul Speak Press team, helping to shape and sharpen the powerful words of the women it publishes.

Ghostwriter

With a background in clinical genetic counseling, Jess brings her vast experience in direct patient care to infuse empathy and practicality in all of her work. She has been instrumental in the publication of two Amazon best-selling books, Reframe Healthcare and Beyond the Walls, and has authored several blog series including A Year of Defiance and Chronicles of Alien Development, both available on Medium. No stranger to memoir, her latest endeavor, The Joy Luck Club, is a personal exploration of joy following years of trauma including the unexpected death of her mother and her husband’s recovery from a tragic motorcycle accident. Jess is also featured as an author in the third edition of Deserts to Mountaintops: Pilgrimage to Motherhood. As a ghostwriter, she believes in investing the time and energy needed to find and elevate the voice of the storyteller. Her careful attention to detail and commitment to the story and its message will ensure your project will be a masterpiece.

Public Relations Director

Mieke Baran joined the team at Soul Speak Press in 2024 after gathering professional experience from a variety of industries, including public relations, finance and human resources. A visual artist and avid reader, Mieke is a firm believer in the transformative power of art and storytelling, for both creators and their audiences. 

Mieke holds a B.A. in History from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and is primarily engaged in the immensely creative and rewarding work of raising three small children.

Audiobook Producer

Kim has been producing audiobooks for Soul Speak Press since 2023. She is also the author of "Just As I Am," in the Amazon bestselling book, Deserts To Mountaintops: Choosing Our Healing Through Radical Self-Acceptance.

Kim is a proud wife and mother, a musician, a breast cancer survivor, and an LBGTQ+ Christian. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was raised in a Presbyterian Church (USA) by an evangelical, adoptive father who made a lot of mistakes, but never wavered in demonstrating the love of God to her and anyone he encountered.  Kim attended college in Morehead, Kentucky, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree and an “MRS degree”—she met and married the love of her life, Tim Osburn. Kim has worked teaching private music lessons and as a worship leader for various evangelical churches.  She holds a Master of Human Services: Marriage and Family degree from Liberty University, and a Graduate Certificate in Behavioral Analysis from the University of Cincinnati. Her ambition was to work as a professional counselor, but becoming a mother to a child on the autism spectrum inspired her to move in a different direction. Currently, she is a stay-at-home mom in addition to working for Soul Speak Press. 

Having encountered a myriad of problems in evangelical churches, particularly in attitudes expressed towards LGBTQ+ people and those who suffer from mental illness, Kim began deconstructing her faith. Today she identifies as a bi, queer, exvangelical, progressive Catholic with OCD.  Kim can be found on Instagram and Facebook, where she shares her experiences with religious deconstruction at @evolvingpursuit2023, about living with OCD at @mylifewithocd2023, and her general misadventures at @kimosburnblog.