Podcasts about creative life

Reconnecting with creativity, redefining success as a creator, and creating without burnout or comparison with Sabrina Loyer. ----- Welcome to episode 533 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Sabrina Loyer. Building a Creative Life Beyond the Metrics In this episode, we're chatting with Sabrina Loyer about what it really means to be successful as a content creator. Sabrina built a thriving business around helping others go viral, but she also experienced the anxiety, burnout, and pressure that can come with chasing metrics. She shares her journey of moving beyond the comparison trap, creating without boundaries, and learning to view social media as a tool rather than the end goal. Sabrina and Bjork also discuss the two powerful tools that have transformed her creative process (and life!) and Sabrina's practical advice for simplifying content creation and using tools like ChatGPT effectively — all while staying grounded and joyful in your work. Whether you're a seasoned creator or just starting out, this episode will help you reconnect with your creativity, quiet your inner critic, and redefine success on your own terms. Three episode takeaways: How to redefine success — As a creator, it can be really easy to define success by the number of pageviews, followers, or likes you get. But churning out more and more content in service of those goals can be stressful and lead to burnout. It can also zap your creativity! In this episode, Sabrina explains how to refocus your workflow to emphasize joy and authenticity, not just numbers. Two exercises that will transform your creativity — Sabrina explains two exercises she has incorporated into her life — morning pages and artist dates — that help reconnect with your inner child and creative self. How to avoid burnout — Sabrina shares how she works with clients to reorganize their content strategy with pillars, ChatGPT prompts, and mindful creation to avoid burnout. Resources: Follow Sabrina on Instagram and TikTok HairCut Harry “The Story of the Chinese Farmer” by Alan Watts The Artist's Way clearspace Join the Food Blogger Pro Podcast Facebook Group Thank you to our sponsors! This episode is sponsored by Raptive and Yoast. Interested in working with us too? Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities and how to get started here. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership.

Excellence doesn't require obsession—it requires integration. We've all heard the advice: focus on one thing, say no to everything else, single-minded purpose is the path to success. Books like Gary Keller's The One Thing and Greg McKeown's Essentialism make a powerful case for focus. But what happens when that focus becomes obsession? In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate unpacks the dark side of a single-minded pursuit—burnout, isolation, and the crushing disappointment of reaching the “top” only to find it lonely. Drawing on insights from Benjamin Hardy, research from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, and real-world examples from Yo-Yo Ma to Venus Williams, Kate makes the case for a different kind of excellence. One rooted in balance, relationships, and impact. You'll learn: Why obsession is not the same as excellence. How even your biggest achievements can feel hollow without integration. The critical role relationships and contribution play in long-term fulfillment. Practical strategies for pursuing excellence without sacrificing everything else. If you've ever felt the pressure to “go all in” on one singular purpose—or if you've achieved success but still feel something's missing—this episode is for you. Tales from The Lane is the podcast for high achievers and successful creatives who want more than just accomplishments—they want a deeply fulfilling life. Links & Resources: Grab my free Quarterly Retreat Planning Guide Follow me on Instagram: @katekayaian My book: Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Careers – Order here

Control is an illusion—but intention? That's where your real power lies. In this episode, I'm sharing a vulnerable reflection on how life threw me off course and what it taught me about creative flow, focus, and letting go of the hustle.If you've been juggling multiple projects, feeling scattered, or telling yourself “I just need to do more,” this episode is your permission slip to pause and choose what actually matters.We talk about:The difference between control and intention (and how knowing that changes everything)Why staying busy feels safe—but keeps you stuckThe surprising freedom that comes from choosing one clear path (just for now)What to do when life pulls you off track—and how to come back with graceIf you've been craving creative clarity and direction, I hope this episode feels like a breath of fresh air. It's okay to slow down. It's okay to change your mind. And it's powerful to choose again—with purpose.Stay Connected: The Print Life Community: https://printlife.io Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/printlifeofficial/

Some days feels like chaos as a working at home mom. Even to the point of researching private school tuition and wondering if you should get an office job. Mom, if you're juggling work, homeschool, family, and everything in between, then grab your coffee (you need that to conquer the world), let's tame the chaos, and create a plan for working at home mom.Show notes and links: https://lifeunboxed.blog/working-at-home-mom/Grab your guide today! The Momtrepreneur's Guide to Homeschool Curriculum: https://lifeunboxed.blog/homeschool-curriculum/RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:Conquer the World Mom Shirt: https://life-unboxed-blog.creator-spring.com/listing/step-1-coffee-step-2-conquer-p?product=266&variation=6179Schedule vs Routine Course: https://payhip.com/b/xmP9DAvoid to do List Overwhelm: https://youtu.be/Rm49wHjMEnsTo Do List Notebook: https://www.amazon.com/Get-More-Done-Do-Notebook/dp/B0CKMW3Z7SGet More Done Notebook: https://www.amazon.com/Get-More-Done-Do-Notebook/dp/B0CKMW3Z7SLiving a Creative Life for Your Mental Self-Care: https://youtu.be/TEy4hTaPu00Mom's No Good Very Bad Day: https://youtu.be/ZkupJ2o7LlsJournals and Notebooks for Mom + Homeschool Resources: https://geni.us/Jodiethemom~~~REBEL MOM CHECKLIST: A NO NONSENSE GUIDE TO WORKING FROM HOME AND HOMESCHOOLINGDitch the overwhelm and struggle. It is possible to work from home and homeschool confidently. Get actionable suggestions and practical help. https://lifeunboxed.blog/homeschool-and-work-from-home/To learn more about Life Unboxed blog, visit: https://lifeunboxed.blog/about-the-blog-working-from-home-with-kids/FOLLOW JODIE:Website: https://lifeunboxed.blog/Business: https://www.jodierperry.com/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LifeUnboxedFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeunboxedblogInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeunboxedblog/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-647543YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lifeunboxedblog Music for the intro/outro is Like it Hot by Tenoaxehttp://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_3.php?q=1579 Disclaimer: This video and description contain affiliate links. If you purchase using one of these links, I make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me keeps things free for you, and who doesn't love free stuff.Support the show

We sit down with Mark, a digital sculptor who stumbled into the craft during the pandemic and turned late-night experiments of “Dreams” into a thriving career. What started as tinkering with clay shifted into the world of digital sculpting, where Mark now balances family life, a full-time job as a news director, and collaborations with major companies like Bottleneck and Mondo.We get to see the art and hustle behind toy design, from navigating licensing loopholes and copyright quirks to chasing down big ideas before someone else does. Get ready for an inside look at how creativity, collaboration, and community shape the toy scene, including highlights from their own team-up on the Casey Jones/Star Wars mashup that went viral.Whether you're curious about sculpting, fascinated by the toy world, or just love hearing about people carving out their passions, this episode delivers laughs, insights, and plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets.On Instagram: @morehorrificThis Episode is Sponsored by: Empire Blisters – Your go-to source for blister packaging! With 19+ styles and bundle deals, they've got everything you need to make your toys shine. Use code TOYSONTAP10 at checkout for 10% off. Patreon members get 20% off another reason to join!Want to become a sponsor? Email: toysontappodcast@gmail.comSupport the Show on Patreon Unlock exclusive episodes, early access, and behind-the-scenes content: patreon.com/toysontapThanks to Our Supporters: @dketoys | @massiveminihorse | @dimensionxtoys @bootlegtoyco | @pocket_salsa | @dirtyyetti @dan_overdorff_art | @zimotco | @barbarian_rage @mannycartoonstudios | @pickmansvinyls Shaun C. Downey | @richiemanic | @recollectiontoys @rubbercitytoys | @acid9toys | @teneki_toys @angryhedgehogRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!

If you've ever told yourself “I'm over it” with the passion of a daytime soap character only to be, well, not over it—this one's for you. In "Until It's In Your Face," Phoenix Ash invites you into a candid corner of life where unspoken feelings do loud things, nine-year-olds become your emotional mirror, and “just let it go” sounds more like a dare than advice. From sponsor drama to personal epiphanies, Phoenix weaves through the unscripted chaos of life with humor, vulnerability, and a sharp eye for truth. This episode hits everything from the subtle art of overthinking to the quiet rebellion of choosing yourself—even when respect, connection, and timing are MIA. And if you've ever mistaken silence for peace, or over-empathy for connection, Phoenix is here to untangle those knots with you. Plus, catch updates on his latest creative project, “Soil Sheets,” available now on Audible, Kindle, and Paperback. It's the perfect read/listen if you love storytelling that pulls no punches.

What does it take to leap into the unknown for the sake of your creative calling? In this episode, I talk with Lori Tharps, a writer, educator, and creative catalyst who did just that.  Lori shares the powerful story behind her decision to leave a tenured professorship at Temple University to start a new life in Southern Spain.  We explore her journey to create The Sanctuary, a vital community for BIPOC women writers, and dig into her profound belief that storytelling is a tool with the power to change the world. This conversation is a moving testament to the magic that unfolds when you have the courage to build the life you've always imagined.   Chapters 00:00 - Introducing Lori L. Tharps 02:52 - The Childhood Friendship That Sparked a Creative Life 07:25 - From "Lying" to Storytelling: The Gift of a Typewriter 09:47 - What Truly Makes a Good Story? 16:04 - "Watch Me": Defying the Myth That Motherhood and Writing Don't Mix 17:47 - The Physical Feeling of Purpose: Flow vs. Frustration 21:17 - The Leap of Faith: Why She Left a Tenured Professorship for Spain 28:28 - Making Time to Create, Inspired by Our Literary Ancestors 32:53 - The Birth of The Sanctuary for BIPOC Women Writers 37:04 - The Myth of the Solitary Writer and the Power of Community 47:17 - What Does a Real Writing Practice Look Like? (It's More Than Just Writing) 53:34 - The Gospel of Storytelling: How New Narratives Can Save the World   Check out the full video interview on our YouTube channel! https://youtu.be/2mwUOzh-wGk   Connect with Lori: Follow Lori on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loriltharps/?hl=en Lori's Website: https://www.loriltharps.com/   Support the Show Website: www.martineseverin.com Follow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: www.martineseverin.substack.com This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Santiago Cardona and Daniel Espinosa.   Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Leave a review Follow us on social media Share with fellow creatives  

Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life. These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours.If you're listening to this on a podcasting platform rather than Substack, this will be the last episode of this podcast season. Feel free to dig into the podcast archives while I'm on break.During that time, I will still be writing more essays and behind-the-scenes content over on my Substack, so please come hang out with me there at creativeinspiredhappy.com .***Virtual Launch Party + Origami WorkshopYou're invited to my virtual Launch Party + Paper Rose Origami Workshop on Sunday, August 17th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.Come learn to fold your own messages of hope—I'd love to see you there! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.creativeinspiredhappy.com/subscribe

Lisa Valentine Clark tells the story of how she started improv comedy and what opportunities it has brought her. She shares what the art has taught her personally, her approach to acting and what inspires her.

You don't need a formal art education to build a meaningful, thriving creative life—you just need connection, curiosity, and the courage to begin. – Brandi This week on Colour Me Happy Podcast Paint, Play, and Guacamole: A Creative Life with RossoIn this fun and candid episode, Brandi Hofer chats with Rosso of Rosso Art School about her inspiring journey from a busy life in London to a quieter, creativity-filled existence in Oxford. Together, they dive into the balance of motherhood, teaching, and personal art practice—plus a surprise guacamole break when Brandi's kids return home from school! You'll hear all about Rosso's upcoming retreat in Morocco, how she's built a career without formal training, and her passion for fostering inclusive, supportive art communities. This conversation is as refreshing as it is real. About Rosso:Rosso is a self-taught Italian artist and founder of Rosso Art School, currently based in Oxford. With a background in literature and art history, she brings an intuitive and inclusive approach to both painting and teaching. Through international retreats and in-person workshops, she empowers artists of all backgrounds to embrace creative freedom.2 Key Takeaways:You don't need an art degree to succeed—community, persistence, and showing up matter more.Creative retreats and immersive experiences can reignite your inspiration and deepen your practice.Whether you're curious about living a slower, more creative life or looking to reignite your artistic spark, this episode will make you laugh, reflect, and maybe even crave guacamole.Tune in now to get and tap into all Rosso's great advice!  Summer Fun! Still time to join our Free Sketchbook Project!  

Send me a one-way text about this episode! I'll give you a shout out or answer your question on a future episode.Inspired by our Deep Dive into Creating a Learning Environment in the Home with Lyndsey Mimnagh, I am continuing a series of short episodes to give you ideas for pursing Homemaker Culture, that is, filling your own soul with experiences that promote awe, wonder and an appreciation for beauty in the world around you. We've already discussed Cultivating a Creative Life and a Cultivating a Nature- Saturated Life. Today we will discuss cultivating an artful life.In This EpisodeWhy Study the Arts?How to Study the Arts; A Practical Approach to Art, Music & Poetry StudyA Biblical for An Artful LifeNotes & LinksCompanion Blog Post for this Episode-includes all links, Printable Guide for Fine Art StudyMentioned in this Episode:Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists by Mike VeneziaGetting to Know the World's Greatest Composers by Mike VeneziaPhilippians 4:8RC Sproul, "The Christian and Art," April 28, 2009, Ligonier.orgSupport the showHOMEMAKING RESOURCES Private Facebook Group, Homemaker Forum Newsletter Archive JR Miller's Homemaking Study Guide SUPPORT & CONNECT Review | Love The Podcast Contact | Voicemail |Instagram | Facebook | Website | Email Follow | Follow The Podcast Support | theartofhomepodcast.com/support

School is back, and it finally feels like a fresh start. In this episode, I'm sharing five simple ways to add a little creativity back into your days now that the kids are in school. These are small habits that fit into real life, like a quick morning moment, a creative lunch, or even using the school pickup line as inspiration. If summer left your creativity on the back burner, this episode will help you find that spark again.Support the showFollow Moms Who Create:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/momswhocreatepodcastMonthly Meeting Book Club - https://www.facebook.com/groups/momswhocreatebookclubWebsite - https://www.momswhocreate.com/

Crusie ships, corporate climbing and a creative philosophyFrom a young age, Tricia Duffy was immersed in the arts, singing and writing poetry. Leaving school at 16 with no qualifications, Tricia found a way to fulfill her dream of going to America by working on cruise ships, where her passion for entertainment blossomed. On returning to the UK Tricia transitioned into the television industry, where she faced the challenge of working in a male-dominated environment that often sidelined women's creative contributions. She recounts how her successful career in television left her feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from her creative self.After experiencing burnout and personal loss, Tricia started her own consulting business, which provided her the flexibility to reconnect with her love for music, as she joined a choir, a covers band, and began writing her own songs.Tricia applied the philosophy of the 10-year plan, something she had used in corporate environments, to plan for her own creativity, and turned her love for research, and helping others make time for creativity,a  into  she podcast called In 10 Years Time: How To Live a Creative Life. Tricia's story encourages listeners to challenge their own self-doubt and pursue their passions. As she prepares to embark on a PhD journey, she emphasizes the significance of continuous learning and the joy of living a life dedicated to creativity.This episode is not just a personal narrative; it's an inspiring call to action for anyone feeling stuck in their creative pursuits, reminding us that it's never too late to reclaim our artistic identities and live a fulfilling life.I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound Book your Podcast Startup Sanity Check here. Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing claire@creativityfound.co.uk, or book a call here.Support the showWant to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

I'm delighted to welcome Maya Youssef, the world-renowned "Queen of the qanun" and innovative British-Syrian educator .You can also watch on YouTube, and the transcript is linked as well to my website: Maya shares with us how her frustrations with the traditional teaching of Arabic music led her to develop her unique system for teaching musicians and dancers in a completely different way. She also shared her past personal crisis as a victim of domestic abuse and how she found the strength to get out of that danger, which is shockingly pervasive. In fact, she said that she chooses to be vulnerable in sharing this because we never know who is listening. You will be uplifted with clips from Maya's beautiful second album Finding Home, which I encourage you to buy, and you'll find all Maya's projects linked in her website . She also talked to me about her exciting upcoming projects in 2026, including her book about learning and teaching Arabic music, her upcoming album and tours, and her wonderful collaborators. Maya spent the interview with her kanun and you'll hear her demonstrate several times, including a beautiful improvisation on maqam Rast.NewsletterPodcast MerchBuy me a coffee to support this series? Thanks!I've linked several episodes I'm sure you'll love: Ali Omar El-Farouk Shirley Kazuyo MuramotoKelly ThomaMohamed Assani Olcay Bayir(00:00) Intro (02:07) the kanun with demonstrations (08:15) Maya's youth in Syria (12:38) clip of Silver Lining and more about Maya's musical education (19:57) challenges with learning taqsim, and how she developed her method (31:13) qanun music: taqsim on maqam Rast (33:03) improvising, composing (35:18) other linked episodes and ways to support this podcast (36:04) musical influences and composing (38:26) clip of An Invitation to Daydream (38:24) avoiding injuries, album Finding Home, creative process with clip of In My Mother's Sweet Embrace (44:30) Al MacSween, Elizabeth Nott (46:37) about Soul Fever with clip (51:14) Leo Abrahams (53:21) learning from mentors, learning to be entrepreneurial, clip From My Homeland (57:00) surviving domestic abuse and the importance of speaking about it (01:04:01) SOAS graduate school Musicology (01:06:06) Aziza Mustafa Zadeh (01:07:38) two versions of Walk With Me, with clip of version with Leo Abrahams (01:11:05) Maya's upcoming book about learning and teaching Arabic music, new album, balancing her career

In a special interview, Jessica speaks with her voice teacher of 20+ years, Susan Gundunas. Susan is a renowned singer and actor, voice teacher, and mom. Consistently praised for her consummate vocal talent and stage presence across the US and internationally, her notable roles include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Lucia di Lammermoor, Madama Butterfly, Violetta in La Traviata, and Carlotta in the Phantom of the Opera. A voice teacher for over 25 years, Susan has taught hundreds of students 1:1 in her private studio and at UC Berkeley, as well as in her Complete Package Performer Boot Camps. Susan studied Theatre Arts at Santa Clara University and began her career with San Jose Repertory Theatre and Opera San Jose. She is a proud mom of two boys, a stepson, and a stepdaughter.Learn more about Susan at www.susangundunas.com and Susan's vocal studio at www.susangundunasvocalstudio.com. ~Join us for The Ampersand Summit live event in San Francisco on Sunday, October 19th, 2025 from 3-6:30pm at the SF Community Music Center: Registration + more details here This in-person event will bring together people who straddle multiple worlds to meet each other, share what we're working on, and talk openly about what it's like to lead a multi-passionate life.All are welcome, not just people who currently identify as Ampersands, but also aspiring Ampersands and supporters. :)~Are you a high achiever, a leader, or an Ampersand looking for a sounding board? Jessica helps executives, leaders, and founders like you gain clarity and lead bravely. As your trusted advisor and growth partner, she works with you to make the invisible visible and develop an action plan to fulfill your goals. For nearly two decades, Jessica led marketing teams, launched products, and grew businesses at places like Apple, the San Francisco Opera, Smule, and Magoosh. As an Ampersand in many facets, she knows personally what it's like to hold many roles simultaneously, to sit on the executive team, and to find fulfillment. With a BA in Music and a BS in Product Design from Stanford, coupled with an MBA from UC Berkeley and coach training from the Center for Executive Coaching, her unique mix of analytical & creative allows her to bring both depth and breadth of perspective into the coaching process.As a coach, Jessica works to champion you – the full, multifaceted you – so you can thrive.Visit ⁠jessicawan.com⁠ or BOOK AN INTRO CALL: ⁠https://calendly.com/jessicawancoaching/intro-call-coaching⁠CreditsProduced and Hosted by ⁠Jessica Wan⁠Co-produced, edited, sound design, and original music by ⁠Carlos SchmittWant to support this show in a small way? Rate and review it at theampersandmanifesto.com, or buy me a coffee: ⁠coff.ee/jessicawan⁠

From the songs of Taylor Swift to the skate parks of the Midwest, not to mention pep talks for writers and a guide to Columbus hot spots, this episode has something for everyone. Recorded during a panel discussion at the 2025 Ohioana Book Festival, authors Annie Zaleski, Mandy Shunnarah, Maggie Smith, and Shawnie Kelley discuss the art of nonfiction, including their research, writing, and publishing processes. How does one analyze a songwriter's work without quoting the lyrics? What's it like to eat your way around town in the name of writing research? Why is the Midwest an important part of American skate culture? How does one concoct a recipe for creativity? Finally, who's going to make the horror film Tethered to Word Count? Listen to find out.   Shawnie Kelley is the author of all three editions of the Insiders' Guide to Columbus, as well as several books about Cape Cod and food and travel-related articles appearing in national and international magazines. She owns Wanderlust Tours, a cultural and culinary travel company, and teaches cooking classes for The Mix at Columbus State.   Maggie Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, Goldenrod, Keep Moving, and others. Her poems have appeared in Best American Poetry, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Poetry, Ploughshares, the Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Her latest book is Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life.   Mandy Shunnarah is a Southern-born, Midwest-loving journalist, essayist, poet, and roller-skating enthusiast who calls Columbus, Ohio home. Their work has been featured in the New York Times, Electric Literature, the Rumpus, and more. Midwest Shreds is their first book.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and an edited transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.   Annie Zaleski is the New York Times bestselling author of Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs, as well as books or illustrated biographies about Beyoncé, Duran Duran, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, and many other musicians. She's a Cleveland-based journalist whose work has appeared in dozens of publications, including NPR Music, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Salon, Billboard, and others.

Gretchen Rubin—bestselling author of The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies on how self-awareness shapes her creative process, the habits that sustain her writing life, and how she wrote her latest nonfiction book Secrets of Adulthood.We discuss:How Gretchen found her voice and path as a writerDealing with naysayers & rejectionBuilding confidence and redefining “success” in the early stagesHow to structure and sustain a long-term writing practiceHer favorite aphorisms—and how she uses them as creative toolsWhy time management is personalHow to simplify big ideas into meaningful insightsAnd more exclusive tips for writers and creativesResources and Links:Books She's Reading:The English Understand WoolPiranesi by Susanna ClarkeUpcountry by Nelson DeMilleGretchen's Website & Books mentionedGretchen's Website: https://gretchenrubin.com/Secrets of AdulthoodThe Four TendencesForty Ways to Look at JFKAbout Gretchen RubinGretchen Rubin is one of today's most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She's known for her ability to convey complex ideas—from science to literature to stories from her own life—with levity and clarity.She's the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, Life in Five Senses and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Secrets of Adulthood.She's also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin and founder of award-winning Happier app which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers' Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS' SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you're enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Ever wonder how a simple walk can boost your mood and confidence? In this episode, I dive into the neuroscience behind walking, exploring how it lights up your brain, releases feel-good chemicals, and builds true body confidence. If you're ready to move beyond weight loss and discover the creative, mental health benefits of walking, you're in the right place! Start Walking TODAY A Walking Plan that WORKS Watch on YouTube

Send us a textWhat happens when you dare to change direction in your 50s? Niloufar Lamakan's creative journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Transitioning from economics and technology to award-winning interior design and published fiction, all beginning in her late 40s.Her debut novel "Aged to Perfection"  features a 60-year-old protagonist navigating dating and sexuality, what Niloufar calls "a rebel yell for older women to say don't write us off." For anyone contemplating a creative shift later in life, Niloufar's story proves it's never too late to reinvent yourself. Aged To PerfectionSophia is determined to grow old disgracefully and refuses to be invisible. She craves fiery passion and steamy romance, not targeted ads for funeral plans. After a heart-shattering breakup, she ditches love to date a new man each week for a year.As she flirts, fumbles and sips fizz through an array of encounters, from an opera buff in a cape to an orgasm whisperer, she discovers it's never too late to rewrite your own love story, even if it's not the one you expected…Follow Niloufar LamakanCosmic Muse: Vol. I: Your Voice (Mercury)Find your mercury placement in your birth chart and activate your personal voice codes. Ruthless TruthIs an opinion platform hosted by Marvin “Truth” Davis. My life and career...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show"Enjoying 'The Conversation'? Support the podcast by buying me a cup of coffee ☕️! Every contribution helps keep the show going.https://ko-fi.com/nadinemathesonDon't forget to subscribe, download and review. You can purchase books by the authors featured in our conversations through my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. By using this link, you'll be supporting independent bookstores, and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Follow Me:www.nadinematheson.com BlueSky: @nadinematheson.com Substack: @nadinematheson Instagram: @queennadsThreads: @nadinematheson Facebook: nadinemathesonbooksTikTok: @writer_nadinematheson

What do you get when you mix childhood wonder, artistic bravery, and a whole lot of cardboard? You get Holly Layman, a soulful, wildly creative artist who's turning an ordinary material into extraordinary expression.In this episode, Holly shares her journey as an artist who works in the unexpected medium of cardboard, crafting large-scale, one-of-a-kind pieces that don't just catch the eye, they tell a story.We talk about:Holly's magical, art-filled childhood and deep connection to nature and horsesWhy she's choosing now to fully step into her place in the art worldHow aging can bring unexpected gifts like confidence, clarity, and courageThe soulful rituals and practical tools that keep her creatively nourishedThis conversation is about more than art. It's about honoring what lights you up, embracing the quirks that make your work (and life) uniquely yours, and trusting the timing of your becoming.Whether you're a fellow creative or just someone finding your own path a little later in life, Holly's story will inspire you to stay curious, stay true, and maybe even pick up some cardboard.SolFul Connections: Less small talk. More soul talk.For more:HOLLY LAYMAN | evolving artist

In this follow-up to last week's episode, we're zooming in. Uranus just moved into Gemini — and while the collective shifts are huge (go back and catch the previous episode for the global and U.S. impact), this episode is all about how this 8-year cosmic shake-up will personally affect you based on your rising sign. Uranus doesn't come in soft — it liberates, disrupts, and awakens. So today, I'm walking you through what part of your life is being lit up and restructured, from your relationships and business to your creativity and parenting style. We cover: How outer planet transits work (and why they really matter) The exact house Uranus in Gemini activates for each rising sign What to expect in love, business, creativity, and parenting The power of embracing the weird, wild upgrades that Uranus brings ✨ Ready to decode your own chart or clear subconscious blocks around what's coming up for you? Keep scrolling for my astrology and energy healing sessions below!

For years, the playwright David Adjmi was considered “polarizing and difficult.” But creating Stereophonic seems to have healed him. Stephen Dubner gets the story — and sorts out what Adjmi has in common with Richard Wagner. SOURCES:David Adjmi, author and playwright. RESOURCES:"The West End is enjoying a theatre revival. Can Broadway keep up?" by Daniel Thomas (Financial Times, 2025).Lot Six: A Memoir, by David Adjmi (2020).Stereophonic, (2023). EXTRAS:"How Is Live Theater Still Alive?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025)."How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

We all have financial responsibilities…but what do you do for your heart? This week’s episode is a meeting of the mentors with Valerie Khoo, CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre, sitting down to unpack creativity with our very own Pamela Cook. Through her work at the AWC, Val has had a hand in shaping the careers of some of Australia’s bestselling authors and writers—showing people you can make a living with your words and how to get started doing it. In recent years, Val’s own creativity has bloomed (pardon the pun ) when she began exploring painting during COVID. She now has a thriving artistic practise, allowing her to create joyful, beautiful pieces. Believing it’s okay to be multi-passionate, Val’s chat with Pam will be inspiring to those of us who have trouble ‘staying in their lane’. SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast Valerie Khoo Website: click here Facebook: click here Instagram: click here Val's Creative Re-Boot: click here Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here Instagram: click here This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Creative Life in Motion Podcast, Karen shares insightful advice to her 40-year-old self and discusses the importance of embracing life at every stage. She emphasizes self-love, the value of life's experiences, and the need to trust one's intuition amidst the noise of modern information overload. Karen also advises on failing bravely, recognizing the essence of one's purpose beyond occupations, and cherishing conversations with loved ones. This episode is filled with heartfelt stories and practical nuggets for anyone in their twenties through forties aiming for a fulfilling life journey. Watch on YouTube

For the entire interview transcript, please ⁠click ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Thomas Haines is an award-winning composer, sound designer, and creative entrepreneur whose work spans film, television, and immersive audio. Based in the UK, Thomas is known for blending emotion, experimentation, and storytelling through sound. He is the co-founder of BrainAud.io, a groundbreaking platform focused on spatial and generative audio experiences. Whether he's scoring a cinematic trailer like Wolf King or exploring how the brain responds to sound, Thomas brings curiosity and authenticity to every project. His journey from teenage pub gigs in Cornwall to internationally recognized composer is a testament to the power of creativity, collaboration, and staying true to your voice.What You'll LearnIn this episode, Thomas opens up about the real-life experiences that shaped him as an artist, the challenges of creative feedback, and why being consistently curious and courageous is more important than being perfect. You'll learn why “failing fast” isn't a failure at all, how nerves can be a sign you're on the right track, and why creating something daily builds the resilience and readiness you need for a lasting career in music.Things Discussed: Thomas reflects on his early years performing in a band that turned cheesy TV theme songs into sleazy disco anthems — and how this offbeat project led to packed pubs, diverse audiences, and his first paid gigs. These moments taught him early that music's power lies in its ability to connect, surprise, and move people in unexpected ways.He shares the importance of just making music — not waiting for permission, not chasing perfection, but playing, experimenting, and showing up daily. Thomas talks about how he still channels the same curiosity and drive he had at 13 years old, and how that raw instinct, paired with daily discipline, helps him meet high-pressure deadlines in his professional scoring work.Thomas also digs into the emotional rollercoaster of sharing music with collaborators and clients. He explains why nerves mean you care, and why embracing feedback — even when it stings — is part of developing creative intelligence. Rather than sticking to one “specialty,” Thomas encourages musicians to explore widely, discover how and when they work best, and build a life around that rhythm.He reminds listeners that you can't wait to be discovered or hired — you have to do the work first. Even if you fail or have to start over, that effort is what strengthens your creative muscles. In his words, “If you want to catch a fish, you actually have to go fishing.”Connect with Thomas Haines Official WebsiteImdbConnect with Jason TonioliWebsite FacebookYouTube InstagramSpotifyPandoraAmazon MusicApple Music

Fine Art Photography with Brooks Jensen: The Making of LensWork, Lessons in Finding Your Photographic Voice, Creative Constraints, and Seeing in SixesBrooks Jensen is a fine art photographer, publisher, teacher, and writer. He's best known as the founder, editor, and publisher of LensWork, an award-winning periodical dedicated to fine art photography with subscribers in more than 70 countries. Under his leadership, Lens Work has become one of the most respected photography publications in the world. His online platform, LensWork Online, offers a staggering amount of material, literally terabytes of content, including videos, podcasts, workshops, and creative inspiration for photographers of all levels.Brooks' personal photographic work is featured in Kokoro, an ongoing downloadable PDF journal that reflects his thoughtful and poetic approach to image-making. Brooks is also the author of 13 books on photography and the creative process, including Looking At Images, The Creative Life in Photography, Letting Go Of The Camera' and many others.Notable Links:Brooks Jensen ArtsLensWork Online*****This episode is brought to you by Kase Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I've tried all of them, but in recent years I've landed on Kase Filters.Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, with zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment.And now, my listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit. beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10Kase Filters, Capture with Confidence.

Have you ever considered that the most profound creative education might not happen in a classroom? What if it unfolds in the buzz of a print shop or behind the lens at a world-changing cultural event? In this episode, I sit down with legendary photographer Roy Lewis, whose journey is a powerful testament to learning by doing. Roy shares how his early days in a Mississippi print shop ignited his creative spark, leading to an unconventional path where Ebony and Jet magazines became his university. He offers a firsthand account of documenting FESTAC '77, the monumental gathering of Black artists and intellectuals in Lagos, Nigeria, and explains how these experiences shaped his iconic eye. This conversation is an intimate look into a life spent capturing our stories, reminding us that the richest lessons often come from the journey itself, not a predetermined map. Chapters   00:00 Introduction to Roy Lewis and His Journey 02:53 Early Influences and First Steps in Photography 06:03 Building Relationships in the Photography World 08:59 Finding His Voice as a Photographer 11:37 The Significance of Festac 1977 14:46 Experiences and Memories from Festac 18:00 Reflections on Cultural Impact and Legacy Learn more about Roy: https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/roy-lewis-40   Support the Show Website: www.martineseverin.comFollow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: www.martineseverin.substack.com This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.   Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Leave a review Follow us on social media Share with fellow creatives  

In this episode of Creative Life in Motion, host Karen dives deep into her experience using AI to create a fat loss plan and shares the honest (sometimes hilarious, sometimes frustrating) reality of what happened next. If you've ever wondered whether AI can actually help with fat loss, or if you want to know what happens behind the scenes when life and hormones throw your best-laid plans a curveball, this is the episode for you! Join Karen for real talk about setbacks, self-discovery, and why sometimes the best “fat loss” advice is actually learning to be kind to yourself. Whether you're searching for practical fat loss strategies, insight on using AI for self-improvement, or just looking for inspiration to approach your own wellness with more self-compassion, you'll find lots to love in this episode. Watch on YouTube

Hello, Protagonists,Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life. These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours. Enjoy!The Invisible Thread: What Authors and Readers Offer Each OtherYears ago, when I was still unpublished and hungry for any connection to the literary world, I had the opportunity to be the conversation partner for a well-known author visiting our local bookstore. I spent hours preparing for the event, and on the day of, I asked thoughtful questions and felt genuinely excited about the discussion we had on stage.But afterward, when she didn't follow me back on social media, I felt stung. Didn't she appreciate what I'd done for her as host in our local community? Wasn't I worth a simple follow?It wasn't until years later, when I was published and began experiencing the reality of public-facing author life, that I understood. That well-known author wasn't being snobby—she was protecting her sanity. The event we'd done together was just one stop on a long tour, one conversation among dozens, not to mention all the press and interviews online. It wasn't mentally healthy for her to follow every bookseller, every conversation partner, and every reader who wanted a piece of her digital attention without drowning in the noise.Then vs. NowThere was a time when a novelist's job was simply to write novels. Authors like J.D. Salinger and Harper Lee could disappear from public view entirely, letting their work speak for itself. Readers had to seek out authors through carefully crafted interviews or rare public appearances, if they encountered them at all.Today, the expectation is radically different. To sell books in the current market, authors are expected to be accessible, relatable, and constantly engaging. We share glimpses of our writing process and our daily routines, and some of us—like me here on Substack—build communities around our creative lives.This intimacy is beautiful, in many ways. But there's also a shadow side to this accessibility.When Knowing Becomes ClaimingThe challenge with parasocial relationships—those one-sided connections where someone feels like they know a public figure personally—isn't that they exist. Parasocial relationships have always existed. People have felt connected to actors, musicians, and even authors for as long as we've had public figures at all.The difference now is proximity and expectation, because digital platforms create the illusion of personal relationship. When an author shares a photo of their morning coffee or talks about their writing struggles, it feels like a text or video call from a friend. The human brain, which evolved for small communities where we actually knew each and every person we interacted with, struggles to distinguish between true intimacy and technologically-enabled accessibility.This confusion can sometimes lead to a sense of ownership over an author's time and attention that feels different from other relationships. Almost every author I know has, at some point, been on the receiving end of a reader lashing out because they were disappointed/upset that the author didn't respond to their email, DM, or social media post.But if we step back and try to look at this objectively, isn't this strange? For example, if a friend recommends a restaurant to you, the friend doesn't expect the chef to come out and personally thank them.Yet, in a world where technology creates a parasocial mirage, it's easy to forget that authors might be fielding hundreds or even thousands of similar messages, or simply taking a much-needed break from being online.The New RealityI think about Suzanne Young, who told me about co-authoring a book with Tom DeLonge from the band Blink-182. During a book signing, a fan approached with scissors because he wanted to cut a piece of Tom's hair to keep as a souvenir. Tom's bodyguard intervened, and afterward, Tom turned to Suzanne and said something like, “Isn't it crazy when that happens?” She laughed and told him that that doesn't happen to authors, it only happens to rock stars.That conversation happened years ago. I'm not sure it would be as clearly true today.Recently, bookstores have had to implement security policies that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. At some events, signs now explicitly state that authors “do not owe fans access, attention, or physical proximity simply by virtue of being public figures.” The fact that this needs to be spelled out shows how normalized certain expectations have become.What We Already Give Each OtherInstead of focusing on the negatives, though, I now want to turn this around and look at the wonderful things we all do for each other. I think it's good to remember that, above all, we love books and we love storytelling. That beautiful common ground is what brings readers and authors together in the first place.What strikes me most about the author-reader relationship is how generous it is on both sides. Readers invest their precious time and emotional energy in our stories. They champion books they love, create communities around shared reading experiences, and offer the kind of support that sustains authors through the inevitable challenges of creative life. This generosity moves me every single day.And authors? We keep showing up to the page, sometimes when inspiration feels elusive, because we know there are readers who need the stories only we can tell. We share parts of ourselves through our work, trusting that these offerings will find their way to the people meant to receive them.The invisible thread between author and reader is real, and it's powerful. Despite what I said before about parasocial relationships, platforms like Substack, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. are great for allowing us to connect like never before. We just all need to remember to set and keep respectful boundaries of mutual admiration. When we honor both the magic of that connection and the humanity on both sides of it, something extraordinary happens. The stories we share and love become bridges between us—not because we know each other in real life, but because we recognize something true and universal in the work itself.What we offer each other—story and attention, creativity and care—is already enough. Everything else is simply a gift.What brings you the most joy in your reading life? I'm always curious about the moments that remind us why we fell in love with books in the first place. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.creativeinspiredhappy.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Art Coaching Club Podcast, I chat with Mississippi-based artist Adam Trest, whose whimsical, pattern-rich style has grown from fine art roots into a full-blown creative business spanning product design, licensing, and storytelling. Adam shares how he found his voice as an artist, transitioned from painting portraits to developing a recognizable, license-ready style, and built a business alongside his wife that blends creative joy with entrepreneurial strategy.

How changing my perspective of ordinary moments became my quiet rebellion.Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life. These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours. Enjoy!This is the audio version of an essay I wrote. If you prefer to read it, it's at CreativeInspiredHappy.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.creativeinspiredhappy.com/subscribe

Have you ever wished you could write your happy ending? In this solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on a personal practice that has been a game-changer for me over the last decade: the quarterly review.  I share how a simple, strategic process, born from my days in program management, can help you track your progress and design a life and career that lights you up.  If you're ready to move from simply having goals to living them, this one's for you.   Chapters   00:00 A Look Back: On Growth 02:50 You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Be Valuable 05:22 The Power of a Quarterly Review 08:08 Writing Your Own Happy Ending 11:05 The Quarterly Check-In: A How-To Guide 12:15 The 7 Questions for Self-Reflection 15:10 Action, Obstacles, and Accountability 16:25 The Magic of a Supportive Partner 17:50 Final Thoughts and Encouragement   To follow along and to create your own Quarterly Review be sure to download the PDF handout her: http://bit.ly/45Dkh73   Support the Show Website: www.martineseverin.com Follow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: www.martineseverin.substack.com This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.   Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Leave a review Follow us on social media Share with fellow creatives  

This is the how-to book you need right now, the one with “am I ready to query” and “what does my platform need to look like” and “what if no one buys my book” and “what happens if someone buys my book”. We have a great episode, talking about creating this book, writing this book and living this book—because Kate McKean is not only a very experienced agent, she has also lived the answer to all those questions and that's part of what makes it special. Follow: Kate McKean Agents and Books Also find her at agentsandbooks.com And buy this book! Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life#AmReadingKate: Madeleine Roux, A Girl Walks into the Forest (Dark, feminist and rage-y)KJ: Francesca Segal, Welcome to Glorious Tuga (not any of those above things) Alison Espach, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance (somewhere in between)Writers and readers! KJ, here. If you love #AmWriting—and I know you do—and especially if you love the regular segment at the end of most episodes where we talk about what we've been reading, you will also love my weekly #AmReading— find it at kjdellantonia.com or kjda.substack.com or by clicking on my name on Substack, if you do that kind of thing. Your #tbr won't be sorry.Transcript below!EPISODE 453 - TRANSCRIPTKJ Dell'AntoniaWriters and readers, KJ here, if you love Hashtag AmWriting, and I know you do, and especially if you love the regular segment at the end of most episodes where we talk about what we've been reading, you will also love my weekly Hashtag AmReading email. Is it about what I've been reading and loving? It is. And if you like what I write, you'll like what I read. But it is also about everything else I've been hashtag am doing, sleeping, buying clothes and returning them, launching a spelling bee habit, reading other people's weekly emails. Let's just say it's kind of the email about not getting the work done, which I mean that's important too, right? We can't work all the time. It's also free, and I think you'll really like it. So you can find it at kjdellantonia.com or kjda.substack.com or by clicking on my name on Substack, if you do that kind of thing. Or, of course, in the show notes for this podcast, come hang out with me. You won't be sorry.Multiple Speakers:Is it recording? Now it's recording. Yay! Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. Try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay. Now, one, two, three.KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, and this is Hashtag AmWriting the weekly podcast about writing all the things, short things, long things, pitches, proposals. This is the podcast about sitting down and getting your work done. And I interviewed someone last week, who told me that they did not realize I did the introduction live, to which I was like, "Wait, does it sound the same to you every time?" Because I don't know, in my mind, I go off on a tangent every single time. So I am KJ Dell'Antonia, as you probably know, author of three novels and a couple of nonfiction books, and former editor at the New York Times, and, gosh, I have, I have done a bunch of things, but I'm not going to tell you about them right now, because I am really excited about my guest today, who is Kate McKean, and she is the creator of Agents and Books, which is a Substack slash, an email newsletter. For those of you that are not Substack users, you don't have to know what that is to get this, but I'm telling you fundamentally that if you're listening to my words right now, you should be signed up for that, and you're probably going to need the book that we're talking about, which is called Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life. It is excellent. It is all the books that I relied on deeply when I got into this industry, rolled up in one book, which doesn't mean you won't buy all the others, because we're writers, and that's what we do. We buy books about writing. We're supposed to right? But I feel like sometimes that's what we do, we buy books about writing, anyway. All right, I'm done introducing, Kate I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for coming.Kate McKeanI'm really happy to be here. I'm excited to chat.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, this is going to be good. So this is, this is the book that anyone who is considering traditional publishing needs as both an encouraging guide to how hard it is going to be to get to all the points that you need to get to be ready to even try to traditionally publishing, and then to the process of traditionally publishing. This is how do you know when you're finished? This is how do you know when to pitch? This is how do you pitch. This is how do you deal with the inevitable rejections when you are pitched, this is what happens next. This is the good news and the bad news and the other news and all the news. And the blurb on the front is that it is a wildly generous guide. It is from Sarah Knight, who I adore, and it is! That is, that is most accurate...Kate McKeanThank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaBlurb that I have ever read, I think, or...Kate McKeanSarah was so kind to read. I know she reads the newsletter too, and we know each other from way back when she was an editor at Simon Schuster. And I could not be more grateful that she said the kind words she did.KJ Dell'AntoniaShe's amazing, and they are and you this is a generous book. So I do have questions, but first I just have to gush for a while. So...Kate McKeanI'll take it.KJ Dell'AntoniaI have kind of an unspoken policy of being very judicious in taking writing advice of any kind from someone who has not published. And there are 100% exceptions to that. I have an amazing freelance editor who she reads and she edits and wow. But there are also people who write books about writing from a place of having written things, and that's about it. And. And you know that truly, I mean, first of all, you're, you're an agent, you've, you know, you've been in this industry, you've got masses of experience. And secondly, although this is your first published book, it is not your first finished book, it is not...Kate McKeanNot at all.KJ Dell'AntoniaEven your first pitched book. It's not the book that got you an agent. And you are so generous in sharing those experiences with people, and they're going to help.Kate McKeanI hope so. I mean, it's not lost on me that the first published book I have about writing and publishing books, and I even say it in the book. You know, I've tried to sell several picture books and several novels, and maybe I'm just not a great fiction writer. You know, it's very possible that is true. We'll find out. I don't know. I do have a picture book coming out in 2026, so one of them did eventually work. It's coming out with Sourcebooks, and I'm very excited. It's, you know, I know that people probably think, Oh, well, you're just, you're an agent. You could just, like, walk into a publisher and get a book deal like my friend. I am sorry that it's not true. If it had been true, I would have written 50,000 books by now, because I actually really, I mean, it's my job, but I also like doing it myself, but I'm not. I'm not special, you know, like I'm special and privileged because I know all the ins and outs, but I'm not. Nobody's just like rolling out the red carpet and handing me 1000's, billions of dollars to write a book.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, what I have said about about my fiction writing experience was, and I feel quite certain it was true for you as well. The thing that I had, and I will own it, is that I knew the people that I was sending my query to would look at it, because they knew who I was. That actually just meant it had to be awfully good, because it also means they're going to remember who you are. And if it sucks, they'll remember that next time. Whereas, if you don't have that particular thing and you send out a query that that sucks, the agent is not going to remember your name. So the next time you roll around and you send a better query, it's going to be fine, but the next time that writer rolls around and sends a better query. People are going to be like, well, yeah, I don't know.Kate McKeanYikes!KJ Dell'AntoniaThis was not so great.Kate McKeanYep!KJ Dell'AntoniaYikes! I got to do this again. I got to send another tactful rejection to this person that I so they're coming into it with... So it's good...Kate McKeanYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaBecause you know, people read it and it's not the slush pile and yay. And it's bad because people read it.Kate McKeanPeople, people really do think that it's who you know and publishing, and of course, that helps, like you just said.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Kate McKeanBut also, you don't want to send your books to your best friends. Like, Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, who my agent is—Michael Bourret at Dystel Goderich & Bourret. Jim is one of my best friends in the entire world, in my life. Like, I do not want Jim to be my agent, even though he's fantastic, because I prefer Jim as my friend. Michael and I have been friends for more than 20 years. Jim and I are much closer. And it's not like, oh, I could just throw away my friendship with Michael, but we just know each other in a way that would lend us to be able to work together really well. And I... KJ Dell'AntoniaMy agent is my friend...Kate McKeanYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaBecause she's my friend, but she was my agent first. But I have a friend, a really good friend, that I have dinner with regularly, that's an agent we ditch about, dish about, and we just have, you know, and I don't want her to be my agent, because then we couldn't talk so much smack about…Kate McKeanYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou know, among other things, and yeah. So yeah. I mean, I do like to to start. I like to remind people that it is actually not who you know in this it's faster to get people to read something if you have a way in, we cannot deny that. But people are actually out there looking for great things. You just have to write a great thing, which you know that's hard.Kate McKeanImpossible sometimes.KJ Dell'AntoniaOr impossible sometimes. All right, so how did you decide to do... write through it? Did it seem like kind of the obvious thing? Or did you feel like, oh, that's been done. Like, how, how did you come to this one?Kate McKeanI, I definitely started the newsletter with the idea in the back of my head that maybe this could turn into a book. Because I had, I had turned newsletters and Twitter feeds and Instagrams and all kinds of things like that into books for 20 years. So obviously that was in the back of my head. But I also knew that there are, as you said, tons of other books about writing and publishing out there, and who am I? And what different thing could I bring to the table? And so I started Agents and Books with just a clear goal of, like, writing posts that were like the nuts and bolts of publishing, so that people could have them in this one little place, you know? And it's not the only place in the world you can learn about publishing. But I was like, I want a little place where, you know, if you can click through and find out about option clauses and query letters and, you know, all the little commission rates and royalties and what's earning out and all these things that you could kind of go to one place and click around and see if you could find it, and that was the goal. And then I also ended up talking a lot about the feelings of writing, because they go hand in hand. You know, it's like you're going to write a bad query letter if you are terrified of writing a query letter, and you're going to put agents on these pedestal if you are terrified of agents that you know, like there were these magical beings that can, like, take our magic wands and bestow the power of publishing on you, like we can't... we're just people who like books like, so I wanted to demystify things. I wanted to like, share the nuts and bolts, but, and I wanted to let everybody know that everybody feels this way, like everybody is terrified, everybody hates it. You know, no one is alone and that that felt like the right tack to take in a book, because I guess I hadn't seen that before, or what hadn't, you know, come right out and said it, you know, like, here's how to write query letter, and here's how not to lose your mind while you do it.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Kate McKeanYou know, because the same, that's the same thing, and I thought about it for a long time, you know, to try the right pitch, honestly, for the book.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, no, I can. I mean, one glorious thing that this has going for us at the moment, even besides that, is that it is very timely and immediate. Because I can give you some things about writing query letters that are probably somewhat out. I mean, they're good, but they date quickly. So it has that. But also, you are right. I've not seen that combination of both. Here's how and here's how not to be so terrified that you screw up, and here's how to feel when they start coming back. Or, you know, here's how you're going to feel, because you really don't need me to tell you how to feel. But here's some thoughts on like how to deal with that, and the fact that it has happened to everyone, and also the fact that it has happened to you. Um, I'm that's terrible. I wish you had every single success, but also, since you didn't, I am so grateful that you put that in here.Kate McKean:I mean, my—you know—my beloved book of my heart, literary adult novel, didn't sell. And okay, it did. It didn't. I don't... I can't... I can't magically make it a book. It might be flawed. I don't know. I haven't read it in, like, four years, and I'm fine with that. Um, but I'm going to—I'll just—I'm going to... I'm going to write another one, you know? Because what are the options? Like, I really—I had a moment when my adult novel didn't sell, and I was like, I might—what if I never publish a book? Like, this was my dream. Like, since I was eight years old, I wanted to be a published author. I wanted to see my book on a shelf with my name on it, and what if I don't? Like, what if that just will never happen to me? And it kind of—you know—punched me in the stomach, and... This is telling in so many ways, of the assumptions I was making and the privilege I had and all of these things. But you know that punch in the gut could have made me stop and just be like, "Well, I'm not willing to face that, so let me decide..." Or, if I really want it that bad, I got to go do it again. And just—I'm choosing to do it again. And I cannot control if I publish any more books, except by writing them.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Kate McKeanAnd then that's all I can do. And then I have to hand it over to the other forces in the world to see if anybody likes it. And then, you know—I mean, people got to buy this book, like... but not—I mean, it's not going to be great if nobody buys this book, which, you know... I—it... I can only control so much of that too. But I hope people do.KJ Dell'AntoniaAt least ten people need to be sitting down and clicking right now. It's Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life, Kate McKean— is it Kian or Keen?Kate McKeanKeen.KJ Dell'AntoniaKeen. Kate McKean.Kate McKeanYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaM-C-K... you know, what if you just start with "writer"... I mean, honestly...Kate McKeanThere's only two Kate McKean's in the world on the internet. So I'm one of them.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd I feel like, if you just sort of go "agents," "books," "book," "K," you're going to come up with this. Because...Kate McKeanYep.KJ Dell'Antonia:Yeah. That's what's going to help. And the other thing that I really like about this book is the honesty about all the time that you spent not writing, and I mean, you've already said it, but, and it is true. My number one favorite, well, one of my favorite writing books, which nobody else, as far as I know, has ever read, is it's called something like “87 reasons your book won't sell” [78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might]. It's, you know, and it's in its 80… and 15 why it might and the number one reason, the first reason, chapter one, is because you haven't written it yet. You can't sell that. But, I mean, yeah, proposals, fine. That's but, and that's in here if you're writing nonfiction, it's in here to talk about how to do a proposal. But even that, if you haven't written your way to a good proposal, that's not going to sell either. So...Kate McKeanAnd the fear of being late or too late, or you hang missed the bus is so tied up into that, because I'm going to be 46 this weekend, and I my first ever book will be coming out after I have turned 46 and if you had told me at 26 I would have, like, lied down on the floor and cried. That I had 20 more years to wait to get published, because I thought it was going to happen. You're not, you know, all of the bravado and the ego is you have when you're in your 20s and who's, you know, patted on the head for their whole life and told they were a good writer by every English teacher, you know, bully for me. But like the I didn't write any books, you know, like, I didn't write any books to get published until I was in my 30s, and I couldn't have spent any more time doing that because I was trying to build my career as a literary agent. And that wasn't, that wasn't on purpose. I just had to pay the rent too. So, you know, it was I didn't. I dragged my feet for many, many years, as I write about in the book, and then I had a kid, and then you get... you have so little time that you have to choose so deliberately what you do that it can sometimes make you more productive. And so when I had all the time in the world in my 20s as a single person in New York City, living the life of putting everything on credit cards and being in massive debt and not making any money in publishing, but still having buckets of time. I didn't do any meaningful work, and I didn't write a book in my MFA program. I did write a book's worth of stories and essays, but not anything that could have been published as is, and nothing that I used as a springboard for a longer piece, and that's just what happened. That's fine too.KJ Dell'Antonia:Yeah.Kate McKeanBut I'm not late. This is, this is, I needed to be this person to write this book, and then we'll see what happens next.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. I mean, you know, you can't start any sooner than today if you're starting and but I did. I just I appreciated that this book kind of starts with, go ahead, read this book, but also finish your book. Write what you're writing, like, read it. Get ready, daydream, hope for the best, but also find a time, sit down, get some work done, which is, of course, what we say every week on the podcast, because if you don't do the work, yeah, there's nothing. There's nothing anyone can do for you. Well, I mean, I suppose you could become a famous person and then hire someone else, but that is presumably not anyone trajectory, yeah, that's, that's, that's different. That's, that's not the same thing, all right, so what? What was the hardest bit of writing this? This has got a chapter on pretty much anything anybody could imagine. How to read a book deal, how to query, how to you know, how the editors work, how books are sold, all those things. What was the toughest bit?Kate McKeanThe tough bit, honestly, was the what happens after the book sells. And because I realized that I had, I had a view of it for my seat as a literary agent, and every publisher does it a little bit differently and but I've only seen it through the eyes of the books I have sold. So I had to go and ask a lot of editors. I was like, Okay, this is what I think happens. Is this what happens like, when do you get first pass pages? And, you know, do I get? When does the index gain? You know, like, there were just questions I had. I had to make sure I had a consensus answer instead of the this is what happened to me answer, you know?KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Kate McKeanOr this is my what I think answer. And so it just was, I had to make sure. I had to do more research about that than I anticipated, because I didn't want to make I wanted to make sure I wasn't wrong. You know? Hey, I had to make sure. But it wasn't a hard the writing process at all wasn't what I would call hard. I I'm a fastidious outliner, and I love an outline. Outline is my roadmap, like I know where I'm going in the morning I makes me happy. I'm happy to change it, if I have to, but I love it. I'm an outliner, not a pantser, and when I get going, I can go, but then there's just every other million things to do with a book, you know, like the nine times I've read, and then I recorded the audio last week, and which was so fun, but hard, very, very hard. But maybe it's a little bit like, you know, like you kind of forget the hard part after a while, but I don't have any, like, real pain points with the creation of this book. It was definitely hard. It is a lot of labor. It is a lot of time. There were many times where I was like, if I read this paragraph one more time, I will scream, but yeah, I'd do it again.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo it sounded as I as I read through it like, like, finding your structure was maybe a little more challenging than you expected it to be, because it seems like it would be pretty obvious, but then it sounds like there were things where you're like, well, maybe this goes here, or maybe it goes here. Did it surprise you how much you had to play with the structure in the editing?Kate McKeanYes, it because everything made sense when it came out of my brain.KJ Dell'AntoniaOf course.Kate McKeanYou know, like I could, it makes sense to me that this linked to that and then get... you have an editor. My editor, Stephanie Hitchcock, was wonderful. She was like, oh, yeah, this part does not make any sense. And I was like, Oh, totally. If you step out of it and look at it through somebody else's eyes, you're like, Yeah, I didn't explain anything about, you know, royalty statements or whatever, right?KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, the rule is if somebody else says it doesn't make sense, you have to listen. You don't have to do what they say to do to fix it, but you do have to, you have to... Yeah, because you can't hold the reader by the hand. Say, oh, no, no, no. See what I meant...Kate McKeanYeah, yeah, yeah. And a lot of times the way I wrote the outline was kind of the way it came out of my head and it made sense, but, you know, I'm in a vacuum.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo I'm torn between talking about the writing of Write Through It and talking about, of course, the contents, which are exactly what our listeners are going to be interested in. So tell me what in here to you, sort of answers the most questions that you get as somebody who gets a lot of emailed questions about this process, because you invite them by having, having an email or having, not by having an email address, which is not an invitation to send people questions. People questions, but by having the agents and plus and books email you, you've put yourself out there as a guide for people and there, I mean, I can name only a few agents in the business that do that, and a couple of publicists, and that makes you like, you know, it gives you a certain profile, and people ask questions. So what in here answers the most questions to you?Kate McKeanI think, I personally, I would say the stuff about a platform, about the marketing stuff and platform. Everybody's worried about their platform. Everybody thinks they have to have 1000 followers on Instagram. Everybody was so worried about this. They and it's, it's shifting all the time. I mean, I hope, I hope we don't get 16 new social media platforms in the next month so that this isn't completely out of date, like things are going to change. I mean, Twitter completely changed while I was writing this book, but I but there's a lot about social media in there, yes, but there are so many other things that are your platform that people don't realize and they think that you have to have these numbers before you're allowed to write a book. And that's not how it is. That's not the rule. There isn't this, like, okay, where you get so many on this platform and so many on that add them together, it equals a book deal. Like, no, but it... the reason you need a platform is because you are going to do this marketing for your book, and that is also okay, because you are going to do it better than the publisher. A lot of you know angst about publishers don't market anything anymore, and nothing ever happens. And like they actually do, could they do more? Yes. I wish every book had a billion dollar marketing budget and 17 people to work on it, but that is not the industry we have. So...KJ Dell'AntoniaThere's not really anywhere to do this stuff anymore.Kate McKeanYeah, yeah, there's nowhere to do it.KJ Dell'AntoniaI mean the world... the world has changed.Kate McKeanYeah, there's, yeah, there's no news coverage for books, hardly anymore, you know? And algorithms are horrible, all these things. So, so if you have a way for readers to talk to you directly and get news from you directly, that's your primary marketing outlet. And so that's why you need it, not because the number equals book deal or validation or proof. It's because that's how you sell books. And it's not the only way, and it's not even a great way, but it is a way that readers need, even, I mean nonfiction 100%, it's like one of the most important things when you're writing nonfiction, and it's getting to be more important for fiction. It's just also more it's useful when you're writing fiction, but it's just not as like, don't, don't even try until you've started a TikTok or whatever.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, I just, I just finished a novel that I completely enjoyed, Welcome to Glorious Tuga by — I think her name is Francesca. It's either Sega or Segal [Francesca Segal]. And after I finished it, I thought to myself, you know, I wonder, because, because I'm a writer, readers don't do this, but Is this her first book? You know, does she? Is she somewhere where I can follow her? Because I'm kind of interested in how she did this, I'd like to, and I went to look her up. And fundamentally, this is a person with very little platform that I can see. They turned out to be British. So that is, I think, a little bit different. But there wasn't an email that I could sign up for. There wasn't... I was willing to do all those things. I was kind of jealous.Kate McKeanDefinitely, oh, definitely.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Kate McKeanMy wonderful assistant isn't on social media. And I'm like, Wow, what a life, that's amazing.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, so, I mean, so I there was very little point to that other than that, it's not, apparently required, and yet it's probably required of you. Sorry.Kate McKeanRight, you're not the except…, like, if you don't want to be on a specific platform, then don't do it, because you'll make bad posts.KJ Dell'AntoniaYes!Kate McKeanHate it.KJ Dell'AntoniaYes.Kate McKeanFair game, and also, if your market isn't on there, then don't go on there, or you don't prioritize that.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. But you can still find me on TikTok, and if you would like an example of how to not do something like that. That would be it. Yeah, there's about six things that are pitiful and sad, and I regret them, and I should go take them down, but that would involve looking at them again, and that would be really embarrassing for me. So I'm not going to do it.Kate McKeanI mean, I'm not on TikTok. I do Instagram reels. They're horrible. Reels are like bad Tiktok's from three weeks ago, but doesn't whatever. It's what I have chosen to do. But if, but to the writers out there, if you hate something like you can kind of maybe opt out a specific thing, but that doesn't make you the exception to every rule, right? Like, just because it's hard doesn't mean you get to bail out because everything's hard and you got to do hard things all the time. That's life. Sorry. So yeah. And also, I want to say too, if you are unsafe on a platform. Don't be there, no, but don't that's not a question. No publisher would be like; you should really be on Twitter. And you're like, I'm a trans person. I'm not going to go on Twitter. It is not safe for me. And they'd be like...they're like, yes, cool, cool, yeah, no problem.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah…definitely not. Yeah. So okay, that that doesn't surprise me. I thought you were going to say query letters, but...Kate McKeanI was going to say query letters, but every it's, it's so much, there's always so much query letters.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah and there's others, there's, there's more of an answer to that, like...Kate McKeanYeah, yeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou know, there is a way to do that. There's an accessible, checklist-able, figure out, able, learnable process for that, I would argue that there is not that for social media and platform.Kate McKean100%.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat is a really is a it's constantly changing, and it's different for everyone which query letters really, they do change, but they are not different from everyone. Do not make your quality query letter different from everyone else's. That's a bad idea.Kate McKeanNo. It's so annoying. It's, it's, no one is going to be wowed by the inventiveness of your query letter, and it's like sending a singing telegram to apply for a job. You're like, No, don't. Don't do that. No one wants to hire you, if that's what you're going to do.KJ Dell'AntoniaWhat is… can you... can you give us an example of someone getting creative with a query letter, just for fun that is not going to out the person?Kate McKeanYou know, I would say that. Now, everyone is much more educated about query letters, and so the random stuff doesn't happen as often. The memorable things are people doing. And these are the general examples you'll get too. It's like writing the query letter in the voice of your character, which is like, okay, but I'm not signing your character up. I'm signing you up. I would like to talk to them please, you know? And then there's the inexplicably, inexplicably short ones that are like, here's my book. Thanks. You're like, I need context. Like, even when you go to the store to buy a book, you have context for what you're shopping for you know what section you're in. You know if it's a hardcover, paperback, whatever you have context. And if you do not give me context for a query letter, I don't know what you're talking about. And then the ones that really get me too are the ones that are like, you're probably going to hate this. I'm like, okay, cool. You just made the decision for me. Thank you. I have to make 400 decisions today, and now it's 399 Cool. Thank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, yeah. Okay, so get that one right. But social media, there is no recipe, but at least there is some advice in, in Write Through It. And yeah, I can't, I can't say enough about how much I suspect most of our listeners would really benefit from and love this book. If you have not, yourself, been in the industry for 20 years, and even if you have, you're going to get stuff out of this. What I got out of it, and what I desperately needed was somewhere, I think, towards the end, you talk about how, you know, 20% of the way into a draft, you're going to hate it, and then with 20,000 words to go, you're going to hate it. And I was like, yeah, yeah, I'm there. I'm hating it. We joke around the podcast that we need to create, like, a, like a book growth chart, sort of like for babies, like, oh, you hate your book. You're right on target. Feed it some solid foods next.Kate McKeanYeah, exactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Kate McKeanAnd I get a lot of when you go to write another book, you you're like, wow, yeah. And that's what did I forget. Did I ha, but I did it before. You don't know, you don't know how to write this book. You wrote that book, and it's different every time. And that's like a learning curve that you don't get to until you write your first one, whether it's published or not. But like everybody feels this way, my clients, who are graphic novelists, feel this way. My novelist, my, you know, picture book writers, like every single writer I talked to has been like, oh, how do you do this again? Whoops, I forgot.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, yeah. I like you, and I'm a fan of the outline or the blueprint, or, you know, how, however you do it. And I have just hit a point where I need to go back and redo that and that's hard. I would really much rather just chug along the path that I have set for myself. But sometimes you can't do that.Kate McKeanThat's writing too. It's like, the word count doesn't go up, and that's the metric we all want to use about our productivity. But then you have to stop for a week and do your stupid outline or whatever, and you're like, but I didn't get any work done, but you did, because then the next two weeks you can just write a billion words. And yeah, you know, you built a fire, so...KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd yet, the process is hard and slow, and also hard and slow, and even when it's fast, it's still slow, and even when it feels easy, it'll be hard later. Yeah, and I liked that. That was that that's all in here, but not in a bad way, in a Hello, this is what you have signed up for.Kate McKeanYep.KJ Dell'AntoniaIn a “Welcome” kind of way.Kate McKeanYeah, it's you're in the club. Yeah? Everybody hating writing and not being able to stop.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, yeah.Kate McKeanIt's the thing we love to hate the most.KJ Dell'AntoniaI don't hate it when it's going well, I don't, I don't hate it, but, man, it'd be nice if it were easier and faster and more like, I don't know, walk in the park, okay. But it's not. All right, well, so the book is Write Through this, I'm sorry, Write Through It, and it's wonderful, and I've said that about 56 times. So anything else that people should know about why they should go right out, I would recommend getting it in paper, because I think you're going to want to scribble on it, and I also think you're going to want to go back to it a lot. But you know, y'all do you. It's available in all the formats; apparently it was read out loud, too.Kate McKeanOut loud by me.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah!Kate McKeanI think that it's useful to have as in print. And I did write it thinking that you'd go back and forth and be like, Okay, well, today I'm writing my query letter, I've got to go to chapter three or whatever. And the other thing, the other reason I wrote this book, is that if you are a writer, and the people in your life know it, or if you're an editor or freelancer whatever, and they want to ask you questions about publishing, you can just give them the book like I literally wrote it as like a favor to my friends who are writers and editors, whose uncle corners them at the family reunion and says, ‘So I want to write a kid's book.' And you're like, ‘Okay, I would like to go talk to my cousins, but here, I — here's the book for you.' You know? KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Kate McKeanIt is the service I am providing through this book. And so if you want to avoid having people email you to say, can I pick your brain. Be like, oh goodness, I'm just so busy. But you know what? You should have Kate's book, and just send them a link.KJ Dell'AntoniaI love this. I love this. For all of us, it is absolutely going to fill that need. So maybe you want to have three so you can go and hand one…Kate McKeanI mean, I think good plan, it's a great idea. Just buy a case, stick it in your house.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, maybe put it in the back of your car. You never know when you're going to need this.Kate McKeanNo, I think it's a it makes a great gift for all occasions, even if they're not writers.KJ Dell'AntoniaProbably they'd like to be... everybody. Like, there's some statistic about how many people want to write a book. So, yeah, you could just do it.Kate McKeanWhat the saying? That grads, dads, and there's another one...KJ Dell'AntoniaDads, grads, and...Kate McKeanSomething like...KJ Dell'AntoniaMom! Its Moms, Dads and Grads. I know that doesn't wrap run, but that's the Book Riot podcast that, um, that I will yeah and...Kate McKeanYeah, this is a big book buying season. Is like, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation. So you know what? I think everyone...KJ Dell'AntoniaFor your graduate and your mother and your father who want to write books, I love it, all right. Well, this was fantastic. You can obviously follow Kate on Instagram. We'll throw that in the show notes, but also have multiple links to her agent's, and books, email, slash Substack, depending on how you like to consume these things you should be getting it. Yeah, that's, that's, that's that. Now, the one thing we always like to end a podcast with is asking people what they've been reading and loving lately. So I hope that's not throwing you under the bus because you can't think of anything because you've been doing this, but I bet I am wrong. So it'd be lovely if it's something people can get either now or soon, because I can see you playing out...Kate McKeanI just, I pulled… I just re-read my clients, Madeleine Roux's [inaudible] hard novel called A Girl Walks into the Forest. It is out on the same day that mine go out.KJ Dell'AntoniaOh wow!Kate McKeanI know it's very exciting. And Maddie Roux has written like 25 books. We have been together a long time, and this book is amazing, and it is dark and it is full of feminist rage, and it is has, like, a Baba Yaga character in it.KJ Dell'AntoniaAwesome.Kate McKeanAnd it's just; it's kind of the book we need right now to, like, kind of burn stuff down. So I highly recommend pre ordering it. I loved reading it again all in one place, like I read your earlier draft, but now I can see it again, and, like, I just re- read it as I also wanted to, you know, keep up with my clients work, but I wanted to read it because it was good. Like, it's just good.KJ Dell'AntoniaGreat, amazing.Kate McKeanI'm like, hugging the book right now.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou are. Yeah, no one will see, yeah I know I've been waving your book around this entire time, and no one sees any of it, but it increases our the enthusiasm level in our voice, or something. So that's fantastic. Well, I mentioned Welcome to Glorious Tuga, which is a saga about it's like a bunch of people. I don't even know how to sell it, other than it's kind of like all creatures great and small set on a tiny island where people can only get off and on for half of the year with, you know, lots of animals and lots of fam…, of people interaction and but also one protagonist who sort of brings you through. And I gosh, if I can't come up with, and I love this book, and I have, I'm having trouble coming up with a great way to sell it, but I hope somebody, I hope somebody does it, because it's super fun. So there was that, but I mentioned that in my last podcast. So I also want to add Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach. That was her book before The Wedding People. It is vastly different. It is a single POV, first person narrative of a girl who loses her sister in a car accident at I think, the age of 13, and her ongoing and continual relationship with her sister's boyfriend who was driving at the time, which sounds really awful. But it's not sad. It's weirdly honest. It's a fantastic exploration of not just grief, but like people, and how we think and how we aren't who we think we are should be. But it is not The Wedding People. It's really different, which I found super interesting. So since y'all are writers listening to this, you might find it interesting, too. All right.Kate McKeanExcellent. That sounds great.KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you so much for talking to me and everyone out there who is listening, buy Write through it. And also keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game.Jess LaheyThe Hashtag AmWriting podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

From walking out of school to creating art worldwide, Danny Suede chose his own way forward.What if the life you want is just past the fear?So many of us stay stuck because the obstacles are loud and obvious — the job, the money, the expectations. But the route to the life we dream about? That path is quiet. Subtle. Hidden. In this episode, I talk with artist and creative nomad Danny Suede about the bold decision he made as a teenager that changed everything, and how that one moment opened the door to a life he never imagined — one full of art, travel, and purposeful creation.Danny's story reminds us that we can reimagine what “normal” looks like. That there's nothing wrong with choosing something different. And that starting before you're ready might just be the bravest thing you ever do.Takeaways:Danny's bold decision to leave school at 13 marked the beginning of his own story.Learning doesn't have to resemble a classroom; it can unfold in line with your own curiosity.The most meaningful moments often lie just behind the fears we tend to avoid.Danny Suede is an indie/pop artist, musician, and visual creator who embodies the mantra, "Life Can Be More Of What You Dream."Beyond his music, Danny shares his perspective through his Substack writings and explores creativity through his own art and visuals. He also creates captivating videos on YouTube to inspire a global audience. Danny has retired from social media to fully dedicate himself to his craft. He embraces a nomadic lifestyle that allows him to create without distraction. In 2025, he'll travel the world, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and experiences to shape his music, storytelling, and art.Substack - https://dannysuede.substack.comMusic - https://spoti.fi/3Xf0vKRShop - https://dannysuede.com/collections/allWebsite - https://dannysuede.comMusic Youtube - YouTube.com/@UCQtCkoqH7Yw2ma8KAdhvevQResources: To listen in on more conversations about pivotal moments that changed lives forever, subscribe to "The Life Shift" on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate the show 5 stars and leave a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Access ad-free episodes released two days early: https://patreon.com/thelifeshiftpodcastSubscribe to The Life Shift Newsletter: https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/newsletter/The Life Shift was just named one of the top 60 life-changing podcasts by FeedSpot: https://podcast.feedspot.com/life_changing_podcasts/Connect with me:Instagram: www.instagram.com/thelifeshiftpodcastFacebook:

In this inspiring episode, bestselling author J.T. Ellison shares what it really takes to build a creative life that stands the test of time. From honoring the seasons of your writing career to navigating burnout and rediscovering joy, J.T. offers candid insights into the mindset shifts, boundaries, and community connections that keep creativity sustainable. Whether you're in the trenches of a first draft or navigating the ups and downs of publishing, her wisdom is a reminder that longevity in the creative world isn't about hustle—it's about alignment, intention, and protecting what matters most.Find more on J.T. Ellison here and here.Find more in Nicole Meier here.

“If you're a good designer in five or ten years, you're gonna want to look back on your portfolio with horror and nostalgia and somewhat amusement… because you want to be growing,” says illustrator Debbie Millman. Debbie is the host of the longest running podcast, Design Matters, and the author of the book, Love Letter to a Garden. In this episode, authenticity and growth are at the forefront. Debbie talks about the loss of humanity with the rise of personal branding, how her fascination with origin stories and the universe led her to gardening, and her advocacy with the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization working to help sexual assault victims heal and reclaim their lives.FollowHost: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)Guest: Debbie Millman (Instagram: @debbiemillman | LinkedIn: @deborahmillman | Website: debbiemillman.com/) LinksLove Letter to a Garden (Bookshop.org)joyfulheartfoundation.org/Subscribe to TED Instagram: @tedYouTube: @TEDTikTok: @tedtoksLinkedIn: @ted-conferencesWebsite: ted.comPodcasts: ted.com/podcastsFor the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscriptsWant to help shape TED's shows going forward? Fill out our survey here!Learn more about TED Next at ted.com/futureyou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a dream come true. I sit down with bestselling author and poet Maggie Smith, whose viral poem Good Bones captured hearts around the world. We talk about navigating creative life with honesty and resilience—from managing unsupportive friends to staying grounded when the world starts watching. We also dive into her newest book, Dear Writer, and how artists can protect their joy, set boundaries, and thrive in the AI era by getting weird, staying real, and honoring their process. If you're a writer, artist, or creative soul trying to stay true to your work in a noisy world—this one's for you. In this episode, we talk about: What happened when Good Bones went viral (14:40) Why you don't need to monetize everything you make (18:25) Dealing with unsupportive family and friends (30:00) How to write personal stories safely and honestly (42:10) Maggie's approach to creative rhythm vs. consistency (52:30) Why imperfection, eccentricity, and “making it weirder” matter now more than ever (1:02:00) Guest Bio: Maggie Smith is the author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, Goldenrod, and Keep Moving. Her poems and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Best American Poetry. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio Arts Council, her next book Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life will be released in April 2025. Connect with Maggie Smith: Website: maggiesmithpoet.com Instagram: @maggiesmithpoet Substack: For Dear Life Presented by Create! Magazine Submit to our open calls or subscribe to the digital edition at createmagazine.co Let's connect: Instagram: @createmagazine Host: @katerinaspopova

by Eli Woolery If there's one thing we've learned from the multitude of people we've interviewed for Design Better, it's that the most innovative creators of our time share an unlikely trait: they refuse to stay in their lane. While conventional wisdom pushes specialization, these polymaths build careers by following curiosity across fields—from nuclear engineering to footwear design, from video games to graphic novels. In my own career, it took me many years to realize this, and in some ways my journey began the day after my son was born. I remember that day as unseasonably hot. September 2015 on the Monterey Peninsula—the kind of clear, warm day that follows long stretches of coastal fog. After leaving the hospital where my wife Courtney was recovering with our newborn, I grabbed a quick (wife-sanctioned) surf. The clear horizon promised a month of record warmth ahead. At home, I checked email before setting up my auto-responder for two weeks of paternity leave. Near the top of my inbox: a message from our startup's CEO. Not what I expected. The gist: "We're sorry, but our co-founders had a fight, the company is splitting up, and we have to lay you off." Panic. Losing my job right after our second child wasn't the plan, especially since we'd just moved to the Monterey Peninsula in an era before remote work was widespread. I delivered the news to Courtney at the hospital along with her Starbucks coffee, and couldn't find anything comforting to say. She ended up reassuring me—we were going to be OK. And we were. It became a rare chance for me to spend real time with our newborn son, young daughter, and Courtney. Time to reflect on what came next. And I had a secret weapon—something I hadn't always considered a strength. Continue reading this issue of The Brief on Substack at DesignBetter.com

Life has a way of teaching us exactly what we need to learn. For Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey, PsyD, that lesson came in the form of spasmodic dysphonia - a condition that challenged her relationship with her voice just as she was building her coaching practice. But what could have been a setback became a catalyst for deeper transformation, leading her to discover the profound healing power of art and wellness practices.Today, Clarissa is an international best-selling author, award-winning Transformational Coach, and internationally collected abstract artist whose work touches lives across the globe. Through her top-rated podcast Painting Your Path™, she guides women in midlife and beyond to rediscover their authentic selves - helping them break free from imposter syndrome, release perfectionism, and reconnect with who they are before the world told them who to be.Drawing from her own journey of healing through art and personal development, Clarissa creates transformative experiences that blend creativity, wellness, and self-discovery.Her programs, including Painting Your Path to Self-Expression, From Cubicle to Creative Life, and The Courageous Leadership Summit, have empowered over 4,000 creatives and professionals to step into their full potential. Whether working with clients one-on-one, in intimate groups, or through immersive retreats, she brings her unique blend of tough love and unwavering belief in possibilities to every interaction.While her expertise has been featured in VoyageLA, Bold Journey, Medium, and top-rated podcasts like The Art and Soul Show and Thrive Radio, Clarissa's greatest joy comes from witnessing the moment when someone realizes they can paint their own path forward - just as she did when she discovered that every challenge, even losing her voice, can lead to a beautiful new canvas.Find more from Clarissa here: https://linktr.ee/ClarissaCastilloRamseyGet your Jumpstart Journal here: http://subscribepage.io/YCauoKWork with me: www.karaleighgarrison.com/coaching

Kate McKean joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Write Through It: An Insider's Guide to Publishing and the Creative Life. Kate is a literary agent at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency and writes the extremely interesting and popular Agents + Books newsletter. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Discussed in this episode: The Two Kinds of Book Auctions The Book Riot Podcast Live at Powell's on July 9th, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Antoinette is joined by renaissance creative, Franchesca Ramsey. Our convo covers a wide range of topics, including self-discovery, societal critique, and political commentary. Franchesca details the many pivots she's made in her career & personal life while providing insight into how she seamlessly & successfully incorporates her many talents into her brand. To end, Franchesca generously provides us with advice on navigating advocacy & authenticity while growing in your chosen field. Join us.Follow FranchescaWebsite: https://www.franchesca.net/IG: https://www.instagram.com/chescaleigh/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@franchesca_leigh?lang=enBlack History, For Real Pod: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zRwxDOXqAgX6bzr2Q1Sa9Let Me Fix It Pod: https://shows.acast.com/lemme-fix-itContact Around the Way Curls:Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz6aYqKi7g-kZvFFWaxT2gQHotline: (215) 948-2780Discord: https://discord.gg/PjVjBBQuEmail: aroundthewaycurls@gmail.comPatreon: www.patreon.com/aroundthewaycurls for exclusive videos & bonus content00:00 Political Commentary and Social Media Influence26:21Navigating Doja Cat's Behavior and the Need for Healing29:04 The Art of Career Pivoting and Financial Stability35:43 Blending Creative Talents and Tapping into Your Network53:55 Accountability and Integrity in the Entertainment Industry54:32 Navigating Career Choices and Activism in the Entertainment Industry56:28 The Power of Personal Growth and Reflection01:03:28 The Art of Storytelling in PodcastingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Creativity is our birthright." Author/Poet Maggie Smith Do you notice in midlife that you have stories and wisdom to share but maybe you don't know how to express them on paper?   Our guest this week is NYT Best Selling Author and Poet, Maggie Smith.  Maggie's new book, DEAR WRITER: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life, explains how to do it.  We discuss important ways to foster your creativity with the first one being, attention.  Do you stop and pay attention to the "beauty emergencies" around you? Learn ways to start or enhance your creativity in midlife. Show Notes/Links: www.hotflashescooltopics.com Book Link: DEAR MAGGIE  Find Us Here! Website I [http://hotflashescooltopics.com/] Mail I [hotflashescooltopics@gmail.com] Instagram I [https://www.instagram.com/hotflashesandcooltopics/] Facebook : [www.facebook.com/hotflashescooltopics] Twitter I [https://twitter.com/CoolFlashes] YouTube I [https://www.youtube.com/@HotFlashesCoolTopics] Pinterest I [https://www.pinterest.com/hcooltopics/] Want to Leave a Review for Hot Flashes and Cool Topics? Here's How: For Apple Podcasts on an iPhone or iOS device: Open the Apple Podcast App on your device. Click on the “search” icon Type into the search bar “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” and click on the show Towards the bottom, look for “Ratings and Reviews” Click on “Write a Review” and leave us your thoughts and comments! For Apple Podcasts on a computer: On the Apple Podcasts website, go to the search bar and type “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” After clicking on the show, find the “Listen on Apple Podcasts” button and click on it The “Hot Flashes and Cool Topics” podcast should open on the Apple Podcasts application Keep scrolling on the page until you see “Ratings and Reviews” Click on “See All” If you want to give us a five-star rating, hover over the empty stars! If you want to leave your thoughts and comments, click on “Write a Review”!  

Acclaimed poet Maggie Smith says everyone is creative — yes, even you.

Description: … We need art and beauty now more than ever We need creators to create And Jen admits to being a metaphor whore Thought-provoking Quotes: “The thing that really kept me going was writing. Writing was the way that I came home to myself.” – Maggie Smith  8:00 Nobody wants my cookbook. The next step will be call Doordash – Maggie Smith 9:00 Every decision you make is a creative decision.  10:15 I always want to grab people by the shoulders…. 13:45 Even if you're not a writer, if you have a good therapist, they'll probably tell you to write. 27:15 The quality of your attention in the world is your gift. 31:00 I am so grateful that people make things 35:00 I may look like I'm alone when I'm writing 35:30 I think it's important to debunk the myth of the solo creator (similar to the tortured artist) 42:00 I would hate for people to think that fully formed poems come out. Just get it down. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life by Maggie Smith - https://amzn.to/42EPzrc Sturgill Simpson - https://sturgillsimpson.com/ Good Bones poem by Maggie Smith - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89897/good-bones Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith - https://amzn.to/3Gal2Kd Moving Forward After Pain Rips Your Script: Maggie Smith - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-36/moving-forward-after-pain-rips-your-script-maggie-smith/ The Friendships That Save Us: Maggie Smith - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-54/the-friendships-that-save-us-maggie-smith/ The Dear Writer Book Tour - https://maggiesmithpoet.com/dear-writer-book-tour/ You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith - https://amzn.to/3Ep8sWK Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott - https://amzn.to/42yKoJi Joan Didion – https://www.joandidion.org/ My Life by Lynn Hejinian - https://amzn.to/3Eo6J40 Sayeed Jones - https://www.readsaeedjones.com/ Guest's Links: Website - https://maggiesmithpoet.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maggiesmithpoet/ Twitter - https://x.com/maggiesmithpoet Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/maggiesmithpoet Substack - https://maggiesmith.substack.com/ Connect with Jen!Jen's Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Psychologist Zorana Ivcevic Pringle says creativity isn't a trait. It's a choice, something you can foster and prioritize. In this episode of Life Kit, in collaboration with NPR's science podcast, Short Wave, Ivcevic Pringle explains how to bring creativity into your everyday life, overcome creative blocks and stick with creative ideas and projects.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Trump's trip to the Middle East is wildly off the scale of any past corruption and offensive to American tradition, the Supreme Court hearing arguments in the first case in Trump's attempts to limit birthright citizenship, and the buzz about a new book from Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the Trump administration admitting White South Africans as expedited refugees from a nonexistent “genocide” while removing deportation protections from Afghan refugees.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with author Maggie Smith about her new book, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life.   Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Research by Emily Ditto Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss how Trump's trip to the Middle East is wildly off the scale of any past corruption and offensive to American tradition, the Supreme Court hearing arguments in the first case in Trump's attempts to limit birthright citizenship, and the buzz about a new book from Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the Trump administration admitting White South Africans as expedited refugees from a nonexistent “genocide” while removing deportation protections from Afghan refugees.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with author Maggie Smith about her new book, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life.   Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Research by Emily Ditto Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. --- This was an INCREDIBLE CHAT. I left so pepped. If you are overwhelmed by the blank page, scared to try and fail, or feel the pressure to exist in a vacuum, this episode is for you! In this episode, Poet Maggie Smith is back with her brilliant new book “Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for the Creative Life”. I LOVED this book and this chat JUST AS MUCH. This episode is CHOCKED FULL of creative insights from Maggie and her new book, you are going to love it! SHOW NOTES: Maggie Smithhttps://maggiesmithpoet.com/book/dear-writer/ Good Boneshttps://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89897/good-bones Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for the Creative Lifehttps://maggiesmithpoet.com/book/dear-writer/ Katherine Faheyhttp://www.thecrankiefactory.com/115034631.html Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com SPONSORS:SQUARESPACEHead to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss anti-Trump sentiment in foreign elections with former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, why the Trump administration has done relatively little about medication abortion so far and whether it will last, and how looming Medicaid cuts will hurt millions of Americans. For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss whether and how to pay attention and respond when Trump “jokes” about the possibility of serving a third term as president. In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with author Maggie Smith about her new book, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Ethan Oberman Research by Emily Ditto Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump administration's first 100 days and recent polls, the state of American health policy and underlying DOGE cuts with reporter Dan Diamond, and a potential radical shift in American life if the Supreme Court allows a religious charter school in Oklahoma. For this week's Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily and David interview John about his professional and personal experience of covering the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome for CBS Evening News.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with author Maggie Smith about her new book, Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life.   Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Research by Emily Ditto   Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices