A Really Good Cry Becoming a Whole Person: Shadow Work, Stillness, and the Page with Allie Michelle
Nov 4, 2025
Allie Michelle, a poet and fantasy novelist, shares her inspiring journey through writing and emotional healing. She discusses the transformative power of journaling, encouraging listeners to embrace their 'ugly' feelings. Allie also explores the concepts of shadow work and the hero’s journey in everyday life, emphasizing the need for authentic self-expression. Plus, she reflects on the importance of community and deep female friendships, ultimately framing art as a crucial tether to truth and vulnerability.
37:29
Make Journaling Your Emotional First Aid
- Use a journal as a private space to release “ugly” emotions without judgment.
- Write to relieve feelings so you don’t act from that reactive place in the world.
Name Your Shadow To Gain Control
- Lean into the ugly parts of yourself and name them so you can control their behavior.
- Admit shadow traits and treat them like a character to reduce unconscious reactivity.
Turn Emotional Charge Into Insight
- Use strong emotional charge as fuel for writing and self-understanding.
- If you villainize someone, look for that archetype inside yourself to learn why they trigger you.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Why pain can wake us up
01:35 • 1min
Allie’s journey into poetry and journaling
02:43 • 2min
Journaling as emotional release vs. reaction
04:57 • 43sec
Getting past surface-level journaling
05:40 • 2min
Identifying recurring triggers
07:18 • 2min
Archetypes and the hero’s journey
09:13 • 1min
Ad break
10:26 • 4min
Transitioning between archetypes in life
13:58 • 13sec
Writing a fantasy novel vs. poetry
14:10 • 2min
Storytelling as a way to learn
16:03 • 1min
Journaling practice: hero’s journey for your day
17:28 • 38sec
From self-connection to connecting with others
18:06 • 2min
Making small talk meaningful
20:09 • 55sec
Does pain produce deeper creativity?
21:04 • 2min
Transforming shadow into beauty through art
22:53 • 25sec
Building community: Warriors
23:17 • 1min
Balancing masculine and feminine energies
24:35 • 38sec
Finding strength to be soft
25:13 • 2min
Trusting instinct and feeling safe
27:00 • 1min
Recognizing authentic self
28:06 • 34sec
Art as a tether to truth
28:40 • 26sec
Sharing honest poetry despite fear
29:06 • 23sec
Memorizing poems to stay present
29:28 • 2min
Cultivating deep female friendships
31:12 • 1min
Ad break
32:20 • 2min
The loss of communal connection
34:17 • 2min
What matters most: people over memories
35:55 • 1min
Sharing the hardest topics in poetry
36:58 • 3min
Holding floodgates open for creativity
39:28 • 1min
Words as bridges and ripple effects
40:36 • 1min
Books and where to find them
41:39 • 22sec
What fills Allie’s life beyond success
42:01 • 53sec
Where to watch Allie perform
42:53 • 21sec
Closing reflections and gratitude
43:14 • 20sec
Outro
43:34 • 2min
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Explorations of a Cosmic Soul
Allie Michelle
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the words left unspoken
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Allie Michelle
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Rose That Blooms in the Night
Allie Michelle
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your emotions—but didn’t know how to process them?
Are you carrying feelings you haven’t found the words for yet?
Could journaling be more than just writing—could it actually be a form of healing?
What if your “ugly” feelings weren’t something to fix—but something to understand?
In this episode of A Really Good Cry, Radhi sits down with Allie Michelle—poet, author, and now fantasy novelist—for a heart-opening conversation on emotional healing, self-expression, and the radical power of writing it all down.
Together, they explore how journaling can help us face our inner chaos with compassion, why the messiest emotions often hold the deepest wisdom, and how Allie’s own journey through anxiety, creativity, and self-discovery shaped her voice as a writer. From embracing your shadow to finding stillness in self-reflection, this episode is a gentle invitation to meet yourself on the page.
Whether you’re a writer, a feeler, or just someone looking to reconnect with your inner world—this conversation is a soft place to land.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How journaling can help you process emotions and release shame
- Why embracing “emotional dissonance” can lead to deeper healing
- What it really means to write authentically—and why it’s not always easy
- The difference between self-expression and emotional avoidance
- How to transform anxiety into connection and creativity
- What Allie’s writing journey taught her about purpose, presence, and being human
If you’ve ever felt like your feelings were too much, too messy, or too hard to name—this episode is your reminder: your emotions are not a burden. They’re a doorway to deeper understanding, healing, and wholeness.
Follow Allie:
https://www.instagram.com/alliemichellel
https://youtube.com/@alliemichelle7634
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMkNFBQWK/
Follow Radhi:
https://www.instagram.com/radhidevlukia/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxWe9A4kMf9V_AHOXkGhCzQ
https://www.facebook.com/radhidevlukia1/
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