Writing Your Resilience: Building Resilience, Embracing Trauma and Healing Through Writing

Send us a textThis week, I’m joined by Wendy Dale, the author of The Memoir Engineering System, for a conversation that will change the way you think about structure, scenes, and what actually makes a memoir work. We talk about why “this happened, then this happened” isn’t a story, how connected events create momentum, and why your job as a memoirist isn’t just to show—but to transport your reader. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the messy middle, overwhelmed by pages, or unsure how to shape your lived experience into a compelling narrative, this episode is for you.Episode Highlights03:04 Wendy's Background05:50 The "This Happened Then This Happened Problem09:37 What Makes a Good Memoir12:07 The Secret to Becoming a Great Writer16:26 The Most Important Elements a Writer Must Consider26:03 What Readers Really Want 33:15 The Real Work Scenes Must DoResources for this Episode: Story Cure: A Book Doctor's Pain-Free Guide to Finishing Your Novel or Memoir by Dinty MooreSurvival Math: Notes on an All-American Family by Mitchell JacksonWhat My Bones Know by Stephanie FooIdentify Your Memoir’s Essential QuestionDitch Your Inner Critic Now Wendy’s Bio: Wendy Dale is the founder of Memoir Writing for Geniuses. She offers coaching and classes for newbies and professionals to write their memoirs using principles instead of a process of trial and error. Her memoir Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals was published by Three Rivers Press, a division of Penguin Random House. She is also the author of the book The Memoir Engineering System, the result of 15 years of research, which details a six-step process that allows writers to craft their memoirs from the ground up with no structural errors. Her motto is “Make your first draft your final draft.”Connect with Wendy:Website: www.geniusmemoirwriting.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@memoirwritingforgeniusesSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDiSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textAs we step into 2026, many writers feel ready to begin—yet remain stalled or exhausted from the year before. In this episode, I show you how to reclaim momentum through creative alignment and the one thing you must do to harness your success. We explore the three essential things every writer must do: shed limiting beliefs, build supportive habits, and set boundaries that honor who you’re becoming—so you can step into the year with clarity, sovereignty, and authentic momentum.Episode Highlights1:53: Why Your Momentum is Flagging or Lagging6:09: Shedding Unhelpful Beliefs12:33: Modifying Your Habits16:34: Evaluating Your Relationships28:10: The Most Important Practice to Cultivate in 2026Resources for this Episode: What’s Up with the Year of the Fire HorseWelcome to the Year of Fire Horse 2026: Exploring Chinese Zodiac Horse's Cultural Meanings & TraditionsWhat Are You Ready to ShedIdentify Your Memoir’s Essential QuestionDitch Your Inner Critic Now Lisa’s Bio: Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, among others.Sign up for Revise Your Memoir series:  https://bit.ly/4ooLTDiGet a taste of the series by signing up for Identify Your Memoir’s Essential QuestionSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textIn this encore conversation, author and teacher Melanie Brooks and I explore the lifelong impact of silence—within our families, our communities, and our writing lives. Drawing from her memoir, A Hard Silence, Melanie shares how unspoken truths shaped her understanding of grief, identity, and faith, and what it took to finally claim her voice on the page. Together, we discuss how silence keeps writers stuck, the power of finishing the stories that haunt us, and how narrative medicine helped her weave two complex narratives into one.Episode Highlights2:55: The pain of living with secrets5:54: Navigating anticipatory grief15:45: The transformative power of finishing your story20:00 The magic of timing and the stories we tell ourselves26:00 The influence of narrative medicine on Melanie’s story30:00 Marrying two stories into one37:00 Melanie’s best writing adviceResources for this Episode: My Family Kept My Dad's Secret For Years. I Wasn't Prepared For What Telling The Truth Would Mean.Interrogating the Cost of Silence and Finding My VoiceDitch Your Inner Critic Now Melanie’s Bio: Melanie Brooks is the author of A Hard Silence: One Daughter Remaps Family, Grief, and Faith When HIV/AIDS Changes It All (Vine Leaves Press, September 2023) and Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017). She teaches professional writing at Northeastern University and creative nonfiction in the MFA program at Bay Path University in Massachusetts. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast writing program. She recently completed a Certificate of Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. Her work has appeared in Psychology Today, the HuffPost, Yankee Magazine, the Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, and other notable publications. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two children (when they are home from college), and two Labs.Connect with Melanie:Website: melaniebrooks.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanie.brooks.1690Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniejmbrookswriterX: https://twitter.com/MelanieJMBrooksLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/melanie-brooks-504826121Book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-hard-silence-one-daughteSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textJoin me and Pushcart Nominee, TedX Speaker, and multi-passionate creative, Acamea Deadwiler for this encore episode where we talk about normalized violence, how our attachment styles can influence the way we approach our memoirs, and the importance of connecting with your inner compass. During our conversation, you’ll also learn what transcendental meditation is and how Acamea used her TM practice while writing her memoir, Daddy’s Little Stranger.Acamea’s bio: Acamea Deadwiler is a Pushcart Prize nominated memoirist and essayist who received praise from Publishers Weekly and authored the memoir, Daddy’s Little Stranger. Her work has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, North American Review, and Beyond Words Literary Magazine, among other publications. Acamea’s media features include the New York Post, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, and the FOX television network. She is also a TEDx speaker. Currently residing in Nevada, Acamea is an Indiana native. She is a fellow in the MFA program at Randolph College.Resources Mentioned During This Episode:How Different Attachment Styles Affect RelationshipsWhat is Transcendental MeditationDitch Your Inner Critic NowSign Up for Revise Your Memoir Episode Highlights1:00 The Stories We Carry7:00 Dealing with Normalized Violence11:29 Choosing the Right Moments When Trauma Is High15:30 Writing About Abandonment18:00 Attachment Styles and Storytelling24:12: Essay Collections vs Memoir28:00 Writing About Bad Behavior35:19 Transcendental Meditation and Writing41:50 Connecting With Your Inner Compass43:00 Acamea’s Best Writing AdviceConnect with Acamea: Instagram - @acameaTwitter - @acamealdWebsite - acameadeadwiler.comBook - Daddyslittlestranger.comSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textJoin me and Andrea Firth for this encore episode of the writing your resilience podcast where we explore what personal essays are, how writers can uncover their essay’s aboutness, and how to develop resilient editing practices. As an added bonus, learn the inside scoop on how to get published on the Brevity Blog. Episode Highlights4:00 The Difference Between Memoir and Personal Essay7:00 Exploring the Inciting Incident for Your Essays14:00 Common Struggles Essayists Have: Aboutness21:00 The Power of the Braided Essay25:00 Resilient Editing and Workshopping34:00 Submitting to the Brevity BlogResources Mentioned During This Episode: The Beauty of a Busted Fruit by Natalie DiazSecret Words by Andrea FirthBroken Glass by Andrea FirthOld John by Andrea FirthBrevity Blog Submission GuidelinesSnot-Bubble-Cry Dance Parties that Boost Your Creativity by Lisa Cooper EllisonLooking at an Eclipse: A Braided Essay About Braided Essays by Lilly DancygerDitch Your Inner Critic Now Andrea’s Bio: Andrea A. Firth is a writer, editor and educator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is an Editor at Brevity Blog and cofounder of Diablo Writers’ Workshop where she teaches creative writing and provides developmental editing. Andrea has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Saint Mary’s College of California. She was a finalist for The Missouri Review's 2021 Perkoff Prize in nonfiction, and her work has appeared in Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, Allium, The Coachella Review among others. Learn more about her and read her recent work at www.andreaafirth.com.Connect with Andrea: Website: https://www.andreaafirth.com/Substack: Everything Essay! with Andrea FirthInstagram: @andreaafwriterFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.firth.58LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreafirth/Sign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textJoin me and Hannah Sward, author of Strip: A Memoir, for an encore episode where we go behind the scenes of her writing process—how she wrote her first draft by hand, in one long, unfiltered sentence; how she found the courage to put her full truth on the page; and how she distilled years of experience into a memoir that moves with incredible precision and power. You’ll also learn transcription tricks, sex scene-writing tips, the unexpected doors publishing your book can open, and some somatic techniques for navigating your vulnerability.Episode Highlights4:46 Hannah’s memoir writing process10:16 Transcription tips17:47 Somatic strategies for writing vulnerable scenes, including sex scenes23:35: Placing insights into your book24:37 Tricks for writing concisely 28:57 The post-publication life of your book 34:39 Writing what’s next Resources for this Episode: “My life after meth: Learning to open and close the curtains” by Hannah Sward“The Sharp Edge of A Shell” by Hannah Sward“Making Even The Smallest Mistake Filled Me With Terror. Then 2 Little Words Changed My Life.” by Lisa Cooper EllisonDitch Your Inner Critic Now Hannah’s Bio: Hannah Sward, daughter of the late poet Robert Sward, is the IPPY Gold winning author of Strip: A Memoir. For the past 25 years, Sward’s work has been widely published in literary journals in the US, Canada, and the UK. Her most recent work can be read in the LA Times, HuffPost, The NY Times (Tiny Love Stories) and The Rumpus (Voices on Addiction). Sward is on the board at Right to Write Press, a nonprofit that supports emerging incarcerated writers. She believes strongly in good literary citizenship and is actively involved in the literary community. She lives in Los Angeles where she is working on her next book. Learn more at hannahsward.comConnect with Hannah: Website: hannahsward.comIG: @hannahswardauthorThreads: @hannahswardauthorBlueSky: summerjar.bsky.socialSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textWhat happens when you commit to showing up—again and again—for your writing life? In this special bonus recording in celebration of my 100th episode,, I reflect on ten years of creative work and the ten lessons I learned about growth, resilience, rest, and trusting your own process. If you’re questioning your path, feeling stuck, or wondering whether your effort matters, this episode will remind you why it does.Episode Highlights2:48: The Most Important Thing to Know6:04: Failing Up versus Floundering9:03: The Counterintuitive Nature of ProgressResources for this Episode: Quantity Leads to QualityGratitude Leads to GreatnessDitch Your Inner CriticRevise Your MemoirLisa’s Bio: Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, among others.Sign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textHave you been trying to fit your life story into the hero’s journey and find it’s just not working? What if it doesn’t fit the mold because you were never meant to be the hero, but rather you were meant to be the queen? In this 100th episode of Writing Your Resilience, I’m joined by Stacey Simmons, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Psychedelic Therapist, and author of The Queen’s Path. Together, we explore sovereignty, archetypes, and why so many women’s stories end before they ever claim their full power.Episode Highlights4:35: Understanding Sovereignty9:25: The Hero’s and Heroine’s Journey15:30: Blindness and Entering the Divide22:05: Our Curses and Marks25:15: The Dangers of the Queen’s Path31:20: Exercise: MIPEs, MISORs, and Our Commitments38:33: Sovereignty Is for Everyone41:52: Psychedelics and SovereigntyResources for this Episode: The 5 Elements of Dramatic Structure: Understanding Freytag’s PyramidDefinition of an ArchetypeStacey’s  Bio: Stacey Simmons is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Psychedelic Therapist. She is a clinical supervisor at Hope Therapy Center in Burbank, California. Her practice focuses on creative professionals, where she works primarily with writers, directors, actors, and musicians. Her research focuses on creativity, archetypes, psychedelic psychotherapy, neuroscience and consciousness research. She is a volunteer researcher with the Semel Institute of Neuroscience at UCLA, as well as a researcher with the Trance Science Research Institute in Paris, France. She holds a PhD from the University of New Orleans, and a Masters degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California.Connect with Stacey: Website: https://staceysimmonsphd.com/Facebook: @staceysimmonsphdInstagram: @staceysimmonsphdTikTok: @staceysimmonsphdSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textWhat if the pressure to “find the silver lining” is actually keeping you from healing?In this episode, Dr. Risa Riger and I unpack the subtle—and sometimes harmful—ways toxic optimism, avoidance, and “bouncing back” culture disconnect us from our own truth. Together, we explore what real resilience looks like, why honesty must come before hope, and how trusting your capacity to be with discomfort can transform the way you meet your life.Episode Highlights2:13: The Self-Owned Mindset3:50: The Problem with Silver Linings7:44: The Fallacy that Everything Happens for a Reason12:15: Building Self-Literacy19:11: The Unsustainability of Bouncing Back26:10: Cultivating Self-Trust Resources for this Episode: Disruptive Conversation with Acamea Deadwiler Disruptive Conversation with Dana Cohen M.D. Disrupting the Inner Critic: Writing Change and the Self-Owned Mindset with Dr. Risa RygerWriting to Heal with Laura DavisSign Up for Revise Your Memoir Dr. Ryger’s Bio: Dr. Risa Ryger is a Clinical Psychologist, International Speaker, Author, Founder of 93% Consulting, and the Creator of The Self-Owned Mindset(TM). As an Expert in Change, she knows that positive change can happen at any point. Her goal is to help women build confidence and self-trust to powerfully step forward into their lives through developing their Self-Owned Mindset.” Dr. Ryger has held clinical appointments including Professional Associate of Psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Clinical Instructor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College. She has served as a Consulting Psychologist for Victim Services NYC and on the Advisory Council of Mindfulness Without Borders. She has presented to Microsoft, Mastercard, CitiBank, United Bonds UAE, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Her Justice. She is a contributing author for Mind Body Green, Thrive Global, and The Female Quotient. She hosts a weekly Instagram Live Series, Disruptive Conversations with Dr. Risa Ryger, to highlight female disruptors in their fields. Her debut book on The Disruptive Self-Ownership Process(TM) is set to launch in early 2026. Dr. Ryger earned her Master of Science, Master of Philosophy, and Doctorate from Columbia University. She is the proud mother of two amazing daughters and lives in NY with her husband and two dogs, Penelope and Sammy – the dog who smiles.Connect with Dr. Ryger:  Instagram: www.instagram.com/dr.risarygerWebsiSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us a textMany writers find themselves wrestling with experiences that fall outside linear time, logic, or the way stories are “supposed” to unfold. In this final Ask Me Anything episode of 2025, I sit down with my student Linda to talk about how to weave the spiritual, the uncanny, and the beyond-belief into memoir with clarity, groundedness, and literary intention. From magical realism to lyric memoir, we explore the craft choices that honor your truth while still guiding your readers. Episode Highlights2:24: Writing About the Spiritual and Mystical6:12: Magical Realism in Memoir11:11: Tackling the Mystical Through the Lyric MemoirResources for this Episode: Ditch Your Inner Critic NowTelling the Truth: Memoir, Myth and Magical Realism10 Lyrical Memoirs That Will Enchant YouBeloved by Toni Morrison (novel)The Warrior Woman by Maxine Hong Kingston (memoir)On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (autofiction)Craving Spring by Anne Batchelder (memoir)We The Animals by Justin Torres (autofiction)Be with Me Always by Randon Billings Noble (lyric memoir/essay collection)The Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (lyric memoir)The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch (lyric memoir)My Name Means Fire by Atash Yaghmaian (memoir)The Queen’s Path by Stacey SimmonsLinda McKittrick’s bio: Linda is an avid rancher and gardener, former HIV/AIDS, and hospice social worker, living in the Sonoran Desert. She is currently working on a memoir. When she is not writing she enjoys seed saving, creating in the kitchen, and participating in citizen science projects for bats and fireflies.Connect with Linda: Email: needleworker1@mac.comSign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production