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

Send us a textAuthor, Jennifer Lunden, shares her struggles with chronic illness, the challenges of writing a hybrid memoir, especially when you’ve not trained in science writing, and the grit all writers, but especially writers with disabilities, need to cultivate.  Jennifer Lunden Bio: Jennifer Lunden (she/her) is the author of American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life, which was praised by the Los Angeles Review of Books and Washington Post, and called a “genre-bending masterpiece” by Hippocampus. Her essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Orion, River Teeth, DIAGRAM, Longreads, and other journals; selected for a Pushcart Prize; and recognized as notable in Best American Essays. She has been awarded grants from the Maine Arts Commission, the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, and the Canada Council for the Arts, and was the 2016 recipient of the Bread Loaf-Rona Jaffe Foundation Scholarship in Nonfiction. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and former therapist, in 2012, she was named Maine’s Social Worker of the Year. She lives with her husband, the artist Frank Turek, in Portland, Maine.Resources Mentioned During This EpisodeThe Lady’s Handbook of Mysterious Illnesses“The Hero’s Journey Starring You” on the Hidden Brain podcastSarah Perry EpisodeLaura Davis Episode Episode Highlights7:11 Feedback We Get When Writing About Illnesses12:00 Structuring a Hybrid Memoir22:00 The Two Types of Grit Writers with Disabilities Need31:07 The Three Kinds of Stories We All Have39:48 Jennifer’s Best Writing AdviceConnect with Jenniferhttps://jenniferlunden.com/https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.lundenhttps://www.instagram.com/jleelunden/https://staging.bsky.app/profile/jenniferlunden.bsky.socialConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.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 textAuthor Laura Cathcart Robbins shares book marketing tips she learned while promoting her memoir Stash: My Life in Hiding, and how recovery helped her cultivate the honesty needed to write her memoir. Laura’s Bio: Laura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir, Stash, My Life In Hiding, and host of the popular podcast, The Only One In The Room. She has been active for many years as a speaker and school trustee and is credited for creating The Buckley School’s nationally recognized committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. Her recent articles on the subjects of race, recovery, and divorce have garnered her worldwide acclaim. She is a 2022 TEDx Speaker, and LA Moth StorySlam winner. Currently, she sits on the advisory boards of the San Diego Writer’s Festival and the Outliers HQ podcast Festival. Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeI Was the Only Black Person at Elizabeth Gilbert and Cheryl Strayed’s ‘Brave’ Magic Retreat by Laura Cathcart Robbins“A White Woman Told Me She Doesn’t Think of Me as Black. Here’s How I Reacted.” by Laura Cathcart RobbinsBook Review for Stash: My Life in Hiding by Lisa Cooper EllisonAuthor Platform Is Not a Requirement to Sell Your Novel or Children’s Book by Jane FriedmanOfficial TranscriptEpisode Highlights9:00 The Response to Stash14:00 The Power of Honesty16:00 The Link Between Recovery and Honesty24:00 Channeling Your Energy in a Specific Direction26:00 Marketing Your Book and Yourself34:30 Caring For Yourself As You Market Your Book41:00 Year Two and Working with Book Clubs47:00 How Honesty Builds ResilienceConnect with LauraWebsite: https://lauracathcartrobbins.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauracathcartrobbinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauracathcartrobbinsX: https://twitter.com/lauracrobbinsConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/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 textAndrea Firth  joins the Writing Your Resilience podcast to talk about what personal essays are, how writers can uncover their essay’s aboutness, and how to develop resilient editing practices. As an added bonus, she also offers writers the inside scoop on how to get published on the Brevity Blog. 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.Resources 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 DancygerOfficial TranscriptEpisode 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 BlogConnect with Andrea: Website: https://www.diablowriters.org/andrea-a-firth/Writing Workshops: Diablo Writers' WorkshopInstagram: @andreaafwriterFacebook: @andrea.firth.58LinkedIn: @andreafirthConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/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 textAuthor and writing coach, Suzette Mullen shares tips for structuring your memoir, navigating the dark night of the soul, living with integrity, and learning to listen to your inner voice. Suzette’s Bio: Suzette Mullen (she/her) is a memoir and nonfiction book coach, retreat leader, and the author of the memoir The Only Way Through Is Out (University of Wisconsin Press, 2024), named one of February’s “most anticipated” releases by Lambda Literary. Foreword Reviews calls The Only Way Through Is Out: “Candid, inspirational…  An emotive memoir that issues a stirring call to women to choose self-actualization.” Suzette’s essays have appeared in the New York Times, today.com, and Brevity, among other outlets. In her work as a book coach, Suzette guides writers to find their deeper stories and define their big ideas. She co-hosts the Mainely Memoir Retreat for women memoir writers and supports LGBTQ+ writers through her group mentorship program, Write Yourself Out. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Wellesley College, Suzette is working on her next book, a memoir about the costs and joys of living authentically. Resources Mentioned In this Episode:Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica BrodySuzette’s Free Companion Guide/E-bookWhy Preparing a TED Talk Makes You a Better Memoirist (Even If You Never Intend to Get on Stage)Official Transcript  Episode Highlights2:00 Exploring Cover Design7:00 The Mid-Life Coming-of-Age Story11:00 Identifying Your Inner Voice17:00 Learning to Listen to Yourself  22:00 Integrity and Seeing Clearly26:30 Living Through the Dark Night of the Soul  30:00 Beating Out Your Story and Cutting Your Darlings34:00 Building a Behind-the Scenes Guide36:00 Deciding What’s for Public Consumption  Connect with Suzette:Website: https://www.yourstoryfinder.com/ and https://www.mainelymemoir.com/Instagram: @urstoryfinderFacebook: Suzette Mullen, AuthorFacebook: Your Story FinderLinkedIn: Suzette Mullen, LGBTQ Book Coach, Memoir Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of WriteMore, Fret LessWebsite: https://lisacooperellison.com/InstagramSign 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 textNatalie MacLean joins the Writing Your Resilience podcast to talk about surviving a social media witch hunt, how it impacted her relationship with alcohol, threading a theme through her memoir and marketing your book like a pro. Natalie’s Bio: Natalie MacLean, named the World's Best Drinks Journalist, has also won four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. She’s the bestselling author of Red, White and Drunk All Over. Her new memoir, Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much has just become a national bestseller and has been described as “This decade’s Eat Pray Love.”She hosts the NYT recommended podcast, Unreserved Wine Talk, and offers popular online wine and food pairing classes at www.nataliemaclean.com.Resources Mentioned During This EpisodeNatalie’s Juicy Book BonusesNatalie’s Reader GuideFive Takeaways From the Time’s Investigation into Child InfluencersSigns of Alcoholism or Alcohol Use DisorderSAMHSA’s National HelplineOfficial TranscriptEpisode Highlights4:00 Developing Your Voice5:52: Dealing with an Online Pile On10:00 Caring For Yourself While Writing a Tough Story13:00 Re-evaluating Your Relationship with Alcohol  21:00 The Struggles of Working in the Male-Dominated Wine Industry27:00 Threading the Witch Theme into This Story  32:00 The Power of Book Club Guides and Bonuses38:00 Rebuilding Your Relationship to Social Media After a Pile OnConnect with Natalie: InstagramFacebookTwitterLinkedInTikTokGoodreadsYouTube Threads Unreserved Wine Talk PodcastNatalie’s Book 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 textLennie Echterling joins the Writing Your Resilience podcast to talk about the lessons he learned from landmine survivors, the difference between empathy and toxic positivity, the importance of fostering your posttraumatic growth, and how to use writing to build your resilience. Lennie’s Bio: Lennie Echterling, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus at James Madison University with more than 40 years of experience in promoting resilience, particularly during crises and disasters. He has served as crisis counselor, consultant, and trainer following many traumatic stress events, including tornadoes and floods throughout the United States, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the tsunami in India, the 9/11 attacks at the Pentagon, the shootings at Virginia Tech, and landmine explosions in the Middle East. His awards include JMU’s Distinguished Faculty Award, Virginia Counselors Association’s Humanitarian Award, Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award, Virginia Counselors Career Service Award among many others. Resources mentioned during this episode: The Paradox of Empathy: When Empathy HurtsThriving in a Time of CrisisThe Book of Forgiving: The Four-Fold Path Four Healing Ourselves and Our World by Desmond Tutu and Mpho TutuWriting to Heal with Laura DavisGood Night Jung by Lennie Echterling Episode Highlights4:41 Lessons from Landmine Survivors  10:00 Triggers for Resilience12:00 Defining Posttraumatic Growth15:00 The Problem of Toxic Positivity22:00 The Power of Being with Another Person’s Story27:00 The Struggle to Trust30:00 Embracing and Exploring the Chaos Story35:00 The Role of Neuroplasticity in Storytelling38:00 Lessons Learned from Final Conversations42:00 Making Every Day Valentine’s Day47:00 The Power of Expressing Gratitude  54:40 Lennie’s Best Writing Advice56:20 Lennie’s Resilience PracticeConnect with Lennie: Email: echterlg@jmu.eduConnect with your host, Lisa: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 textSue William Silverman joins the Writing Your Resilience Podcast to talk about the power of creative nonfiction, how to use metaphor, masks, and language to harness its power, and how this work can lead to personal growth.As you listen along, here are a few questions to ponder: Which of your stories yearn to be told?  How do you uncover their many emotional truths? What do those truths look like on the page and sound like when you read them out loud? Sue’s Bio: Sue William Silverman is an award-winning author of eight works of nonfiction and poetry. Her most recent book is Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul. Her previous book, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences," won the gold star in Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Award and the Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature. Other works include Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey through Sexual Addiction, which was made into a Lifetime TV movie; Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You, which won the AWP Award; and The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew. She is faculty co-chair of the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.Episode Highlights: 4:00 Why We Write Creative Nonfiction 8:00 Metaphors in Creative Nonfiction Writing 24:00 Using Masks to Externalize the Narrator and Connect with Their Voice 30:00 Writing, Creativity, and Emotional Truth 36:00 Creative Nonfiction Writing and Personal Growth 42:00 Writing, Memoir, and Essay Collections.48:00 Writing, Resilience, and Self-ExpressionResources Mentioned During This Episode“Innocence & Experience: Voice in Creative Nonfiction” by Sue William Silverman“INTERVIEW & REVIEW: Sue William Silverman, Author of Acetylene Torch Songs” Connect with Sue: Website: www.SueWilliamSilverman.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SueWilliamSilvermanInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/suewilliamsilverman/Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRgFacebook: 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 textIngrid Clayton joins the Writing Your Resilience podcast to talk about Complex PTSD, how narcissistic abuse leads to self-gaslighting, its impact on the writing process, and how Ingrid confronted these experiences while writing her memoir Believing Me. Here’s a list of questions to ponder as you follow along: Have you ever doubted your own experiences? Have you ever felt like if you just did the right thing, you’d be good enough and the problems in your relationships would end? Is there something about yourself you struggle to believe in? While writing, have you considered what story your body wants to tell?  Ingrid Clayton’s Bio: While Ingrid has a clinical background, she believes there is no theory, diagnosis, or therapy that can replace the power of shared experience. Her recent memoir is written from the heart, where all our hurt lives—so it speaks the same language. In addition to raising her beautiful son, Ingrid believes that gaining the courage to write Believing Me is her greatest achievement to date.Episode Highlights5:00 Childhood trauma, gaslighting, and self-gaslighting13:00 Writing a memoir and healing through the process25:00 Trauma writing and grounding techniques for writers38:00 Self-publishing vs traditional publishing 52:00 Self-publishing as a process of trusting myself 1:07 Healing trauma and self-expression Resources Mentioned During this Episode: “What Is the Fawning Trauma Response?” by Ingrid Clayton“What Is Self-Gaslighting?” by Ingrid Clayton“Fix Your Partner” Instagram ReelStand Up Therapy Variety Show Episode OneStand Up Therapy Variety Show Episode TwoContact Ingrid: Website: https://www.ingridclayton.com/Instagram and YouTube: @IngridClaytonPhD Get a free copy of her PDF on the fawning response: https://www.ingridclayton.com/fawningtraumaresponseGet a copy of Believing Me: https://www.ingridclayton.com/booksConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-ellison-b5483840/Sign up for Create Your Memoir’s Beat Sheet: https://janefriedman.com/craft-your-mSign 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 textWelcome to season two of the Writing Your Resilience Podcast!  After celebrating season one’s fantastic interviews, I decided to kick things off right by having a fireside-style chat with you about a topic that keeps coming up: Forgiveness. Whether we’re on a healing journey or writing the tough stuff, forgiveness can be a complicated thing to grasp and work through. In this episode, I talk about what forgiveness is, what the process looks like, and how it’s related to the writing process. As you listen along, consider the following questions: What do you think about the word forgiveness? More importantly, how do you feel about it? What do you want to know about it? And finally, what relationship do you think it has to the writing process?Episode ResourcesWriting Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma by Melanie BrooksIt’s Not You: Identifying and Healing From Narcissistic People by Dr. Ramani DurvasulaWriting to Heal with Laura DavisPracticing Radical Acceptance with Zebib AbrahamLeaning into the Mystery of Your Stories with Brett Will TaylorRecovering from Cults and Religious Trauma Through Writing with Tia LevingsTo Write a Better Memoir, Learn This F-WordEpisode Highlights2:00 Why People Hate Forgiveness7:00 Forgiveness Myths9:00 Defining Forgiveness13:00 Forgiveness Prerequisites22:00 The Process of Forgiving30:00 Two Powerful Writing Exercises36:00 Renewing and Releasing Relationships with Yourself and Others48:00 Empowering Yourself Connect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-ellison-b5483840/Sign up for Create Your Memoir’s Beat Sheet: https://janefriedman.com/craft-your-memoirs-beat-sheet-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/Produced by Espresso Podcast Production: https://www.espressopodcastproduction.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 textWelcome to the last episode of Season 1! This season has been amazing, and I am so grateful for all the listeners who return week after week to learn from my featured guests. After weeks of  asking other writers questions, I decided to invite some of the writers I work with onto the podcast to ask me questions!In this episode, you’ll first meet Sara Pam Neufeld, a yoga teacher and former journalist who’s working to complete the first full draft of her memoir about her quest for balance when life turned upside down. As you listen to our interview, here are some questions to consider: What makes it difficult to tell your story? Is it something internal or is your answer based on something you learned or a way you were trained?In the second part of this episode, you’ll hear from Lisa Rizzo, author of the award-winning poetry collection, Always a Blue House, and In the Poem An Ocean. Lisa’s putting the finishing touches on her memoir-in-progress. As you listen to her interview, consider these questions: Is there a craft technique you'd like to try, or would you like to push the boundaries of storytelling by trying something new? Connect with Sara Neufeld:Website: https://www.sarapamneufeld.comResources from Sara Neufeld’s InterviewYour Life as Story by Tristine RainerAcetylene Torch Songs by Sue William SilvermanA Few Keys to AlignmentWake Up With Joint RotationsImprove Your Back and Hip TightnessConnect with Lisa Rizzo:Website: http://lisarizzowriter.comResources from Lisa Rizzo’s InterviewThe Year of Magical Thinking by Joan DidionStash: My Life in Hiding by Laura Cathcart RobbinsWild by Cheryl StrayedThe Glass Castle by Jeannette WallsHeavy by Kiese LaymonSafekeeping by Abigail Thomas The Burning Light of Two Stars by Laura Davis After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry Believing Me by Ingrid Clayton(re)using found forms: the hermit crab essayConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRgFacebook: https://www.facebook.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