Listen Now

Nadia Owusu is an author and urbanist who grew up between Africa and Europe and now lives in Brooklyn. In the episode Nadia talks about her memoir Aftershocks and the ways growing up between cultures shaped her life. We also chat about claiming, naming, and accepting mental illness as a part of one’s identity, code-switching, and the gifts of memoir.This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Madisen Ward.

Pam Houston is the author of many books including the memoir, "Deep Creek: Finding Hope In The High Country", "Cowboys are my Weakness" and most recently "Air Mail: Letters of Politics, Pandemics, and Place" (with Amy Irvine). Pam is also a fantastic teacher and the co-founder and creative director of the literary nonprofit Writing By Writers.In this episode we talk all about place, writing, non-traditional parenting, and living an authentic life. She also tells us about her incredible experience running into the narwhal migration!This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Madisen Ward.Episode webpage here.

Rachel Eliza Griffiths is a poet, visual artist, and novelist.We chat about her stunning collection of poetry and photography, "Seeing the Body". Some of the topics we speak on include monumental loss and the grief that follows, memory, languages of sadness, taking action against despair, and pushing away the useless pressure of likability. Rachel Eliza also tells us about her many selves as an artist. This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Madisen Ward.

Josh Telles is a Celebrity and Food Photographer based in LA. He has photographed artists like Nicole Kidman, David Lynch, Mary J. Blige, and so many others. In this episode, Josh tells us about his path to becoming the photographer he is today. We chat about vulnerability in photo making, chronic anxiety, telling other people’s stories through photography, “post-creative depression” and much more!  This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Madisen Ward.

Cig Harvey is a photographer and writer based in Maine. She is the author of three sold-out books, and Blue Violet, her new book of photographs, drawings, and writing will be out in May. In this episode, we talk all about books, intuition, her photography process (hooray for “date nights” with photos!), and the importance of noticing in art making.This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Madisen Ward.

Mickey Guyton is a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter. In this conversation, we talked about being an introvert in the public eye, preparing for motherhood, mentorship, and The Bachelorette. We also talk about the urgency of leaning into who you are. As a Black woman in Country music —a traditionally white-and male-dominated industry— Mickey tells us about the revelatory moment when she embraced all that makes her unique and how her life has changed since then.Mickey has been spotlighted in Billboard magazine as one of Country Music’s “female game changers,” and in Entertainment Weekly as one of the “new queens of country music.” Her new EP, Bridges, featuring the songs “What Are You Gonna Tell Her” and "Black Like Me," is available now.Where to find Mickey:WebsiteInstagramTwitterThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Morning. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Valerie June is a singer, songwriter, poet, and multi-instrumentalist. She also (so wonderfully) describes herself as a “professional dreamer.”In this episode she speaks on finding home on the road and within oneself, her writing practice, manifestation, and how to be a “light worker.” We also chat about being hermit-like, moving through sadness, the joy of nature and letters, and much more! Valerie radiates warmth and you can feel it every moment of this conversation.Where to find Valerie:WebsiteInstagramTwitterThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Ilan Isakov.

Naomi Shihab Nye is a Palestinian-American poet, Young People's Poet Laureate through the Poetry Foundation, and editor of poems for the New York Times Sunday magazine. She has written or edited more than 30 books, most recently Cast Away, The Tiny Journalist, Voices in the Air, and Everything Comes Next.  Naomi is full of poignant stories and refreshing wisdom. In this episode, she reads my all-time favorite poem “Kindness.”  She touches on loss, how to get yourself back on the path to gratitude when you start to get into a worry cycle, collective suffering and unspoken pain, how attentive listening to oneself and others will give you what you need when you need it, and the ways in which the people we lose, stay. She speaks on all these things, and more with a genuine positivity that is contagious. This is a must-listen episode!Where to find Naomi:InstagramTwitterPoetry FoundationThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Dawn Landes is a singer-songwriter and delightful person. In this episode we chat all about art and life. We get into her album ROW about the incredible story of Tori Murden McClure (the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean!), her life as a new-ish mother, our love of memoirs, Patti Smith, and much more.Where to find Dawn:WebsiteInstagramTwitterTed TalkThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Music is by Ilan Isakov.

Lissie is an American singer-songwriter.In this episode we talk all about vulnerability. On feeling “oversized” emotions and the creative side of that, trauma (collective and personal), comparative suffering, and the special bonds we can form with animals. She also speaks on her quarantine experience, what it’s like living on a farm in Iowa,  on the kindness in openness,  and her favorite musical memory. While speaking with Lissie I almost forgot it was being recorded - it just felt like I was speaking with an old friend! I think if you’re a deep-feeling kind of person like me you’re going to get so much out of this episode.This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Christine Shevchenko is a Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. I spoke with her last month about life as a principal ballerina - and what that looks like during quarantine! I love hearing stories about the moment people recognize the thing that brings them to life - and she shares her moment, when she knew she wanted to be a dancer. Christine also tells us what makes global water charities and refugee organizations so important to her, and reflects on falling and getting back up, on stage and in life.Where to find Christine:Website (ABT)InstagramTwitterThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov. 

Tara Schuster is an author, playwright, and Comedy Central’s VP of Talent and Development.We chat all about her new book, "Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: and Other Rituals to Fix Your Life from Someone Who has Been There".  We talk rock bottoms, re-parenting, becoming your own champion and making new friends as an adult. Tara tells us why “should” is her least favorite word and she has some wise words to share about not comparing our pain to others. I so enjoyed this conversation with Tara and have a hunch you’ll be nodding your head “yes!” along with me as you listen to her. Where to find Tara:WebsiteInstagramThe Book This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Carolyn Forché is a poet, translator, and activist whose work has been translated into over twenty languages. Her books of poetry are Blue Hour, The Angel of History, The Country Between Us, Gathering the Tribes, and In the Lateness of the World. Her memoir, What You Have Heard Is True, describes her time in El Salvador shortly before and during the civil war there, and was a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction. Carolyn is also a Co-Chair with Gloria Steinem of Hedgebrook's Creative Advisory Council. In this conversation, we talk about her incredible story, on being a witness to such pain and suffering and the myth of closure. We talk about the art of writing and the emotional aspect of publication. She tells us the greatest cure for our own pain is to have a positive effect on the world, even in some small way, and I wholeheartedly agree. Getting to speak with Carolyn was such an honor, and I’m so grateful to be able to share this conversation with you.Where to find Carolyn:Twitter InstagramGoodreadsCarolyn's Latest BooksThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov. 

Tina Lifford is an actress, playwright and author. She currently plays Aunt Vi on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’s show Queen Sugar, and you might also recognize her from her roles on Scandal and Parenthood. She is also known behind the camera as a playwright, and author of The Little Book of Big Lies.As you will find within moments of listening to Tina, she exudes positivity and light. In this episode we chat about her quarantine experience, her role as Aunt Vi on Queen Sugar, and ALL about inner health, well-being and the human experience. She talks about going from the surviving self to the thriving self, producing authentic art, cultivating inner resilience, and the unifying power of music. She unpacks the powerful phrase ”Up until now, from this point forward” and how daydreaming and reconnecting with gratitude can turn your day around. This conversation felt like a big warm hug for me and I hope listening in gives you this same comfort. This episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Gina Chavez is a bilingual singer-songwriter based in Austin, TX. Singing in both English and Spanish, her record Up.Rooted topped both the Amazon and Latin iTunes charts following a feature on NPR's All Things Considered. Her Tiny Desk concert made NPR’s top 15 of 2015.In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about her Latin roots, releasing music during the pandemic, breaking through the noise as an independent artist, learning how to step back from the comparison game, and self-giving love. She also speaks on her most recent song Ella (about persisting in times of trouble), and her theme music on Brené Brown’s new podcast.Where to find Gina:WebsiteInstagramTwitter

Lily King is the author of five award-winning novels including Euphoria which was named one of the 10 best books of 2014 by The New York Times. Her most recent novel Writers & Lovers was published in March this year, and I LOVED it. In addition to her novels, she has published many stories and essays including a piece for Modern Love (An Empty Heart Is One That Can Be Filled). If you haven’t read it already, it’s one of my favorites in the column.In this episode we talk about her new book, how she’s coping during quarantine, and re-imaging her book tour, virtually. She packs so much wisdom into this conversation, including on what she really needed to hear as a young writer. I hope you are all staying as well as can be during this unsettling time and finding silver linings where you can. Getting to virtually meet Lily was one of my week’s highlights and I hope listening in makes you feel a little better, too.Where to find Lily:WebsiteTwitterInstagramGoodreadsThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Under the name Quiet Creature, illustrator and fine artist Jane Beaird’s work has been featured by Glamour Magazine, Teen Vogue and highlighted by national political organizations,  celebrated actors, and prominent advocacy groups including Planned Parenthood and The Women's March. She made the cover art for this podcast, too! She also works in the Film and TV world as an actress and stand-in.Jane is based in Brooklyn, NY but is currently quarantined in New Orleans. We talk about this unsettling time, and what it feels like to move through the world as  a highly sensitive soul. She also shares about being a visual artist, a stand-in for Anne Hathaway, and what it’s like working on a film set as an empath. One of the many things I loved about this episode is that we talked honestly about various shades of mental illness, and I so appreciate Jane being open about her own story with Persistent Depressive Disorder (also called Dysthymia).  You know when you meet a new friend and it just feels like this immediate kinship and soul connection? That is exactly what it was like when we met, and I know you are going to fall in love with Jane, too.Where to find Jane:WebsiteInstagramThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music by Ilan Isakov.

Letitia VanSant is a folk singer-songwriter based in Baltimore, MD. She has received many awards and accolades for her songwriting including being named among Paste Magazine’s “10 Country Artists to Watch” in 2020. Her new album Circadian was released last month, and is an honest and powerful reflection on significant themes.In our conversation we touch on re-imagining dreams, quieting your inner critic, the delicate balance of holding people accountable for their actions while also leaving room for compassion, and the many layers of loneliness.I know it’s a time of heightened anxiety for so many of us right now. Having a conversation with Letitia about topics outside of the pandemic was a welcome distraction for me, and I hope that listening in might be able to help you a little bit, too.Where to find Letitia:FacebookTwitterInstagramWebsiteThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme Music is by Ilan Isakov.

Jessica Ciencin Henriquez is a Colombian-American writer and editor. Her personal essays and narrative journalism have appeared in the New York Times among many other publications. Her essays have also been featured in multiple anthologies, including Oprah's Little Guide to The Big Questions, and she is the author of the forthcoming memoir: If You Loved Me You Would Know.Jess is also a wonderful writing teacher which is how we met! In this episode, we speak on growing up between two vastly different cultures, on the necessity of vulnerability in art, on the key element that helps transform pain into gratitude. She notes that all of her success has followed rejection and shares a wonderful story that serves as a reminder that when the door doesn’t open, it’s not your door, and something better is around the corner.  We also talk about our shared feeling towards the suggestion of growing a “thick skin” (spoiler, we don’t like it).Jess drops so much wisdom as I knew she would. I always feel lighter and so inspired after talking to her and this was no exception. I’m thrilled for you to get to know her, too!Where to find Jessica:WebsiteInstagramTwitterThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music is by Ilan Isakov.

Allison (“Alli”) Russell is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters. She is also a mother and describes herself as a “connection seeker.”I recently sat down with Alli in New Orleans, and I was so grateful to spend this hour with her. Alli has an incredibly powerful story. To me, she is a shining example of someone who has walked through darkness and come out on the other side beaming with warmth and beauty.In this episode you’ll hear Alli speak about her time in foster care, finding the strength to escape an abusive home at such a young age, on creating community, motherhood, finding love in chosen family, how music changed her life, and more.Alli is an extraordinary artist and human. Throughout this conversation, as you’ll hear I laughed, I cried, I was so moved by Alli’s story. I know you will be too.Where to find Birds of Chicago and Our Native Daughters:Birds of Chicago WebsiteBirds of Chicago on InstagramBirds of Chicago on TwitterOur Native Daughters on NPRThis episode was audio produced by Aaron Moring. Theme music by Ilan Isakov.Podcast webpage here.