Meet the Team
Kim Douglas
Founder
Kim Douglas is a writer, educator, speaker, and founder of Write to Unite. Her business provides online writing services to empower individuals to write their stories of growth and empowerment to meet the urgent need for personal and collective awakening and transformation. Kim’s educational, editorial and writing career spans over three decades. The Baha'i Faith inspires her commitment to transformation, service and unity. She has served more than 2,000 individuals to free their voices, explore and expand upon their truth, and write their stories to contribute to social discourse and as an act of service. Kim holds a BA and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arizona. She is the author of "High Desert: A Journey of Survival and Hope" and "Arising," co-authored with Kevin Locke and Aleah Douglas Khavari, both published by Baha'i Publishing. Poems, essays and feature articles have been published in periodicals and newspapers. Currently, she is writing a memoir titled "Where on the Map Is Love?"
Phyllis Unterschuetz
Editor
Phyllis Unterschuetz is the editor of Toward Oneness and Freedom From Racial Prejudice (Palabra Publications 2021) and the co-author of Longing: Stories of Racial Healing, a collection of personal essays about awakening to the effects of racism (Baha'i Publishing, 2010). Previously Phyllis served as a speaker and workshop facilitator. She and her husband lived for fifteen years on the road in an RV, conducting field research on the dynamics of racial conditioning and presenting for universities and community organizations around the country. She was also co-founder and president of the nonprofit Race Story ReWrite Project. In 2021, she retired from facilitating to focus full-time on writing. Her essays have been published in Tell Your Story and long-listed for the International Amy McRae Award for Memoir. Phyllis is currently writing her second book, a memoir about healing from a traumatic experience in her youth. She blogs on Medium.com about race, spirituality, abortion, eating disorders, and rewriting the stories we tell ourselves.
Melodie Yates
Administrative Partner
Melodie Yates, educator, and diversity, inclusion and belonging specialist, has spent over 30 years in higher education. With her M.Ed. from Colorado State University and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, she has dedicated her life to supporting people, young and old, to become lifelong learners in service to humanity. Her life professionally and personally has been focused on fostering unity, organizational change, and community building. Under the mentorship of the Write to Unite program, her book, Love is an Action Verb: A Caregiver’s Journey, is ready for publication. She is currently working on her second book, I Have Climbed Invisible Mountains.
Janice Nelson
Senior Editor
Janice has always had a passion for books and enjoys collaborating with writers to create engaging and compelling content. She firmly believes that a well-edited story makes all the difference when it comes to making a book great, and she strives for excellence at all levels of editing. Initially pursuing an English degree, her interests later shifted to the life sciences, leading her to study microbiology and psychology at the University of Arizona. She believes her diverse educational background has helped her become a better editor. After years as a freelance editor editing college papers and books for friends, Janice has partnered with Kim to work with Write to Unite clients. Janice and her husband, Steve, currently resides in Oregon.
Hyacinth Wallace
Editor
Compelling stories have always captured Hyacinth Wallace’s attention. INTERWOVEN, her debut novel, ties together her love for a good story and the dream of writing one. Before becoming a writer, she earned her clinical doctorate for physical therapy and worked as a licensed physical therapist. That role gave her a chance to help people in her community, but left little room for creative expression. In 2020, in a leap of faith, she left her job to start over. The years that followed brought their share of uncertainty and underemployment, but they also sparked a deeper understanding: true transformation—both personal and collective—often begins with spirituality and the arts. Together with her co-author, Roi Qualls, she founded Knowetix to explore these themes. Through their work, they hope to inspire others to grow, create, and build stronger communities. Beyond writing, Hyacinth's interests include reading, visual arts; music, audiobooks, and podcasts; threadworks, nature walks, and travel. She currently lives in a seaside Washington town near her mother who was the first to encourage her to write.
Joan Hartley
Licensed Clinical Psychologist | Education Consultant | Author
Joan Hartley is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, holding a degree from the top-ranked university in her home country of Peru, as well as a Master of Science in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology from University College London and the Anna Freud Centre in London. With nearly 15 years of clinical experience, Joan transitioned into an education consultant following a profound personal transformation. Her expertise in personal development has enabled her to collaborate with international organizations, including the World Bank and UNICEF, and to advise government ministries in Mexico and Peru. Joan’s work centers on personal growth, empowerment, and transformation. She believes that inner change is the key to systemic evolution. Her TEDx talk, “The Power of Listening to Your Heart,” and her transformative workshop, “In the Flow,” reflect her commitment to helping others connect with their inner wisdom. Joan’s upcoming book explores her personal journey of awakening and offers insights into living with purpose by tapping into the heart’s power. Joan is a proud mother to two sons, Hugo and Cristobal, and is passionate about supporting individuals on their path to self-discovery and healing. Joan comes to us from Spain.