In this final installment of my interview with Jodie Noel Vinson, she spills the deets on her favorite writers and books and how- Inspiring figures from history who were chronically ill, including Florence Nightengale and Charles Darwin–lightbulb moment!- I gush about the memoir Easy Beauty, by Chloe Cooper Jones–one of my top reads of 2022 (now available in paperback!)- The essayists Jodie can’t get enough of- Jodie also admits the musical megastar who rose to fame in the 80s that she didn’t really experience until 2020–and how his music is a touchstone for her todayFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Big thanks to our sponsor, AirDoctorPro.com. Use promo code KATE to save up to $300 off an air purifier and receive an extended warranty for free. Support your health *and* this podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 2 of my interview with essayist Jodie Noel Vinson, we talk about the squishier side of doing creative work, including:- How no one wants to claim the term “writer”, and what Jodie has to say about that.- How turning 30 was a bigger deal for Jodie than turning 40 (which she recently did)- Why Jodie reads Proust over and and over, and it’s not snobby- A heartfelt rant on how we talk and think about health as a society- Gleaning insights from difficult experiences, and keeping the insights long after the experience is throughFor full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Big thanks to our sponsor, AirDoctorPro.com. Use promo code KATE to save up to $300 off an air purifier and receive an extended warranty for free. Support your health *and* this podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jodie Noel Vinson is an essayist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Review, Literary Hub, and Ploughshares. Her essays have received honorable mention in the annual Best American Essay anthologies, and she's won multiple awards and residencies, including the Susan Adefat Prize for Creative Nonfiction from Arts and Letters and the Maureen Egan Writers Exchange Award from Poets and Writers. Jodi lives in Providence, where she's also the program director at Lit Arts RI, a co-working space and so much more for the Rhode Island creative community. Fun fact: Jodie taught the Podcasting 101 class that I took before I launched my first podcast, How to Be a Better Person, back in 2019. And now I am so thrilled to be hosting her on Finding the Throughline as one of my very first guests.In this first episode on the practical matters concerns Jodie’s path and how she does her work, we break down:- Jodie’s experience with being one of the first folks to get long Covid, and how that shaped her work–both what she writes about and how she does that writing- The importance of not always succumbing to your drive to get things done- Protecting your most focused work time- The daily habits that Jodie uses to feel good- The writing software she’s recently adopted as a tool- How having a kitten helps with the creative process (even though it also can take time away from work)For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Big thanks to our sponsor, AirDoctorPro.com. Use promo code KATE to save up to $300 off an air purifier and receive an extended warranty for free. Support your health *and* this podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final installment of my interview with Terri Trespicio, she shares the books, shows, and people she can’t get enough of who inspire her. Plus, she answers the fast five questions despite having a moment of panic that she wouldn’t be able to think of anything to say.- How she loves poking holes in the silly things we tell ourselves (like her friend who felt like she had to finish every library book she checked out whether she liked it or not)- The two men Terri considers creative mentors- Her friend, a woman, who inspires her on how to live life on her own terms (she’s internet famous–OK, it’s Laura Belgray)- The historical fiction author she’s staying up too late reading and the show she can’t stop watching once she starts- Her love of meat snacks- Which time of year she hates, and why- Where you’re likely to find her on Friday nights- The utensil most of her favorite types of foods requireFor detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 2 of interview with author of Unfollow Your Passion, TedX speaker, and standup comedian Terri Trespicio, we break down:- The difference between easy and ease- How Terri’s Catholic upbringing contributed to her recurring critical thoughts, and also what it taught her about how to get past them- A ninja trick for where to place your focus when your inner critic is chiming in- In praise of weight lighting, or as Terri says, helping yourself get better at “trembling in the face of resistance”- Why she, as a Gen X women, prefers dating Millennial men- What Terri will and absolutely will not apologize forFor detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terri Trespicio is the author of the fabulously helpful and hopeful book, Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life That Matters to You, which was named one of the best feel-good reads of the year by the Washington Post. Her book is based on her TEDx talk, which is called Stop Searching for Your Passion and has been viewed 8 million times. Terri opens that talk recounting the day she got fired from Martha Stewart's Whole Living magazine, which is where I was lucky enough to meet, work with, and become friends with her.Today, Terri is an in-demand speaker, a brand strategist, a writing teacher, a standup comedian, and always a writer whose work can soothe you, crack you up, and crack open possibilities in your mind all at once.If you can't tell, I love her. In this first part of her interview, we unpack:- The thought process on whether or not you should stop working for yourself and go get a job- How creativity is more like a butterfly than a workhorse- One of the best things you can do to promote creativity (hint: it’s not what you think)- Terri’s morning routine in detail- Writing in your robeFor detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final installment of my interview with Leigh Medeiros, we talk about her most delightful visions of the future, who inspires her, and exactly what happens in her cacao ceremonies.Why Leigh finds many social media videos incredibly inspirationalThe importance of expanding your capacityWhy she loves learning from drag queensWhich social media videos are giving her hope–and getting her to take notesWhy she’s a huge fan of January. Yes, January!And we have a little love fest for condiment-heavy cuisinesFor detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why it’s crucial that you share your work without disclaiming itThe screenplay she almost gave up on because her inner critic was going bananas—a hilarious and so relatable storyWhy it matters that you pursue your art (prepare to shed a tear or two)For detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Medeiros is an award-winning screenwriter, author, and all-around creative who, when she isn't making her own work, is helping others make theirs. Leigh is the author of the One Minute Writer, 396 Micro Prompts to Spark Creativity and Recharge Your Writing. She also writes a column for Script Magazine called The Climate Screenwriter, is the co-producer of the Writing Climate Pitch Fest, and founded the Linden Place Writer's Residency in Bristol, Rhode Island.I am lucky enough to know Leigh in person, and every time I see her, I feel like my batteries get recharged and I just wanna give her a huge hug and take in every word that she says, like manna from heaven.In this first part of her interview, we unpack:How screenwriting is like a bad boyfriendHow her focus on writing screenplays with a climate angle is the perfect intersection of her personal Venn diagramUsing fellowships to spur new ideas (whether you actually get them or not)The podcasts that lit a fire under Leigh’s butt to start writing about climateHow “merging your siloes” uplevels your work and your beingLeigh’s morning cacao ceremony and the unexpected beings she shares it withThe hacks she uses to stay focused when actually trying to, you know, writeSuperheroes have capes–writers should have a talisman, tooFor detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final installment of my interview with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggets, we talk about her most delightful visions of the future, who inspires her, and what she's staying up too late reading (or in this case, listening to).My biggest takeaway was how Tracey focuses on one primary topic--joy--but then spins it in to a lot of different directions, and how that helps her a) create a meaningful legacy but b) also means she doesn't get bored.For detailed show notes, with links to everything we discuss--plus bonus photos!-- visit katehanley.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices