2024 –
Episode 45: Rebelling Against Self-Help w/ Andrea Reeves
Andrea [on-dray-uh] Reeves (she/her), the neurodivergent mind behind Type C Creative, joins Lore to discuss the ways self-help isn’t so helpful. How do we get out of that external feedback loop of trying to constantly improve ourselves and instead find a place of radical self-acceptance with our art and ourselves? The two discuss finding systems and routines that work for the individual without attributing a story that they’re failing or being a bad person, as well as the beauty of embracing intentional inconsistency: accepting that you’ll be inconsistent and de-shaming those habits that might be less than habitual.
You can find Andrea at typec-creative.com and sign up for her Substack, Rebellious Systems.
Episode 44: Creativity & Neurodivergence w/ Kyra Sutherland
In this episode, Lore is joined by Kyra Sutherland (they/them), joy and confidence coach for autistic and ADHD folks, to discuss how neurodivergence impacts creativity and how practicing imperfection can help us expand how we view creativity and how we view ourselves.
As a kid, Kyra was a creative writer until puberty took hold and the comparison monster made creating too scary. As an adult, they have redefined creativity and how they express it through their business, gender expression, and relationships. You can learn more about them at joyfuldivergence.com and follow them on social media!
Episode 43: Shifting Paradigms w/ Jamie Fiano
In this episode, Lore is joined by Tacoma artist Jamie Fiano (she/her). Jamie and Lore discuss how creativity is more than putting color to a page; it’s how people live and interact with each other. And in that interaction, open themselves up to new ways of being. Creation can be a path to freeing ourselves and each other from old trains of thought that no longer serve us; it can give people a safe place to practice embracing the void and imagining new paradigms. As Jamie so beautifully puts it, “Creativity is the creation of space which is safe, secure, and sacred.”
You can find Jamie at local Tacoma events through Cascade Music Alliance, Creative Colloquy, and open mic nights at Soulberry Coffeehouse.
Episode 42: Meeting Yourself w/ Skye
In this episode, Lore talks with local Tacoma-area artist, Skye. Skye and Lore met the way most artists do…by overhearing the other talking about art and staring like a weirdo until it’s too awkward to NOT introduce yourself and ask about their art…that’s how it’s done, right? Well, we’re glad Lore was weird because now we have this episode to show for it.
Sky shares about how these past few years motivated her to set aside distractions and start taking her art seriously. In doing so, she began to meet herself in an entirely new light. Lore and Skye talk about how art can communicate subconscious needs and desires, how scary it can be to put that final touch on something, and making art with zero expectations.
You can find Skye’s art on her Instagram @divine.reflections333
Episode 41: Let’s Bring the Darkness w/ Dani Abernathy
In this episode of The Ugly Podcast, Lauren speaks with Dani Abernathy (she/they), an Enneagram teacher and Author Accelerator book coach, and they reflect on how their creativity got lost in the shuffle of adulthood, stifled by self-judgment and the pressures of fitting into religious norms. They discuss how stepping away from religion and being honest about who they really are—especially when it comes to gender and sexuality—opened up space to create without fear or the need to prove anything. They talk about how isolating it can be to hide parts of yourself and how freeing it feels to just be real, even if that means embracing the darker or more complicated parts. Exploring and expressing their true identities has made life—and creativity—feel a lot more authentic and fun. This episode also showcases the first ever live ugly art exercise!
Learn more about Dani at daniabernathy.com and take their Untapped Superpower Quiz to discover your writing superpower and receive tools to help you on your writing journey. Follow them on Instagram: @daniabernathyauthor
Episode 40: It Started Out with a Memoir with Sarah Henn Hayward
In this episode, Lauren talks with Sarah Henn Hayward about her experience writing Giving Up God, a memoir about leaving religion.They talk about how she didn’t feel very creative before writing her memoir, but the process of writing it awoke her creativity and led her to continue writing children’s books and fiction.
Long story short, if you say yes to your ideas and get started, you might find that you have way more up in your brain than you ever thought possible!
Check out Sarah’s website to learn more about her work https://sarahhennhayward.com/ or buy her memoir here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/giving-up-god-resurrecting-a-spirituality-of-love-and-wonder-sarah-henn-hayward/20691053?ean=9781957687308
Episode 39: Draw the Dang Beans with Heather Buchanan
Lauren’s guest this week is returning artist, Heather Buchanan! In this episode, they talk about Heather’s new book, Blame the Stars, based on her totally accurate and divinely channeled IG page Horror Scoops, and the intense process she went through to bring this incredibly goofy book to her readers. Lauren and Heather discuss working with the inner critic and being willing to draw the goofy things that pop into your brain–like beans!–and say yes even when your inner critic is telling you no.
You can buy Heather’s book anywhere books are sold, but especially your local bookstore! Follow along for weekly horror scoops on IG @horror.scoops
https://bookshop.org/p/books/blame-the-stars-a-very-good-totally-accurate-collection-of-astrological-advice-heather-buchanan/20598813?ean=9781797226392
Episode 38: Returning to Self w/ Kaighla Rises
Lauren’s guest this week is Kaighla Rises, Pushcart Prize Nominee and award-winning author of Evryn, The Light, to talk about returning home to herself through creativity. There is no one path to healing, but connecting with creativity, getting help for mental health, listening to our inner child, and leaving harmful religious structures and relationships have all brought both Kaighla and Lauren closer to themselves. Get to know Kaighla’s work at kaighlarises.com.
Episode 37: Pineapples & Process w/ April Fitzpatrick
Today’s guest, April Fitzpatrick (she/her), aka “The Pineapple Lady,” is an art therapist whose work centers art as a process that allows people, particularly those who’ve experienced racial trauma, to reclaim agency over their personal narratives. April and Lauren talk about the impressive symbolism of the pineapple for both the therapy process and the human development process, and a broad overview of what happens from a neuroscience perspective when we engage in creative acts. They also discuss the benefits of prioritizing the healing and creative processes rather than chasing after unrealistic performance culture standards.
You can learn more about April’s work at pineappleswithpurpose.com or on Instagram @pineappleswithpurpose
Episode 36: Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud – w/ Sabrina Estudillo Butler
In this episode, Lauren talks with fellow editor and book coach, Sabrina Estudillo Butler, about standing in their values and saying the quiet part out loud. They discuss how it feels in their bodies when they step out of our comfort zones and speak up about social justice, and the inner criticism that inevitably pops up when they are new or feel like an imposter. Lauren and Sabrina touch on the issues in publishing as a white, cis, straight, able-body-centered industry, and why it’s so important to speak about these topics and effectuate change.
You can learn more about Sabrina’s work on her website unpolishedwords.com and follow her on social media for more: @unpolishedwords on Instagram and Sabrina Estudillo Butler on LinkedIn.
Episode 35: Disability Justice w/M Eifler
Today’s episode is all about the importance of queering up the creativity process and Lauren is joined by M Eifler (they/them), a San Francisco-based artist who uses art and technology to explore disability as a hotbed of innovation.
M and Lauren talk about the way M’s disability has helped them evolve their creative approaches, including their #ArtSchoolFromBed series, the importance of starting where their body is rather than a level of skill, and how their disability actually means they do not have the energy for perfectionism. M also shared how they use a scientific-method-type approach to creativity as a way to invite and welcome the messy and ugly (!) results.
You can find M’s work on their website blinkpopshift.com and you can support them on their Patreon and possibly host one of their incredible pieces by becoming a patron.
Episode 34: No Mistakes w/ Jo Bahdo
In this episode, I chat with Switzerland-based writer and fellow healing perfectionist Jo Bahdo about their recent season of writing project, defining what perfection even is, taking steps to heal distrust in ourselves after we haven’t shown up consistently for our craft, and the value in having a “no such thing as mistakes” mindset when it comes to practicing our art.
Jo Bahdo (they/them) is a writer, an avid reader, and a regular cinemagoer and is currently co-directing the Swiss Youth Film Festival in Zurich. They have published two poetry collections and also have two newsletters, one about their current projects and one for writers and creators, all of which you can check out on their website! https://www.jobahdo.com/ You can also find Jo on Instagram @jobahdo.
Episode 33: Grief Time, All The Things w/ Emerson Lee
The Ugly Podcast is back from hiatus, and Lauren couldn’t think of a better person for this episode other than Emerson Lee, their creative partner and former co-host. Emerson and Lauren both share big life events they were and still are currently grieving, how making art and having an expansive mindset is helping them process their grief, how weird time is, and the joy in allowing themselves to explore what they want in this moment, no matter how messy or nonsensical it seems.
2023 –
Note: The Ugly Podcast is going on hiatus for the time being. New episodes will hopefully begin airing in the new year. Thank you for your understanding. (Of course you’re welcome to shuffle through my archived episodes for the time being 😊)
Episode 32: Perfectionism as a Superpower” w/ Erika Steeves
In this episode, Lauren is rejoined by their fellow editor and twin perfectionist, Erika Steeves! She’s back to talk about perfectionism but through the lens of Katherine Morgan Schafler’s book, The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control, the book that asks the question: What if your perfectionism is actually a superpower?
Both have been deeply impacted by this book as it aligns so well with the path they’d already begun with their perfectionism and then adding another layer of shame shedding by transforming what had been perceived as a weakness into a superpower. How cool is that? Be sure to check out Erika’s first episode on perfectionism, Tolerating Imperfection. And follow her on Instagram @erika.steeves.edits.
Episode 31: Make It Mighty Ugly w/ Kim Werker
In this episode, Lauren is joined by publisher, editor, author, and maker, Kim Werker, to discuss their parallel discoveries: that ugly art makes everything better! Kim made her discovery seventeen years ago at a fateful crafting party where, in a bout of intense imposter syndrome, she was inspired to make a hideous doll…on purpose. Ever since then, she’s fallen in love with making ugly things and wants everyone else to join in on the euphoria. Sound familiar??
The two talk about their shared love of ugly art, their original creative wounds, the immense consequences of having the courage to saying yes to new and scary things, and the ripple effect it has on the people in your life.
To keep in touch with Kim, you can follow her on Instagram @kpwerker, or head to her websites ninetenpublications.ca or digitsandthreads.ca. You can also buy her book, Make It Mighty Ugly, to learn more about her story and how you can integrate more ugly into your life!
Episode 30: Journaling & Legacy w/ Merle Saferstein
On today’s episode, Lauren is joined by Merle Saferstein, writer, journaler, and legacy work educator. Together they talk about the joys of journaling, how it’s useful to get to know ourselves, process messy feelings, and consider new perspectives to navigate our relationships and worries. They also talk about Merle’s work as a legacy educator and how she helps people live more intentionally by asking them to live out the legacy they want to leave behind. Merle has been journaling since 1974, and for fourteen years, she culled through her 359 journals taking excerpts according to approximately seventy topics. In June 2022, Living and Leaving My Legacy, Vol. 1, a book containing eleven of these topics, was released. The second volume will be published this month on June 20.
As the director of educational outreach at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center for twenty-six years, Merle worked closely with hundreds of Holocaust survivors helping them to pass along their Legacy of Remembrance to hundreds of thousands of students and teachers. When she retired from the Holocaust Center, she developed a course entitled Living and Leaving Your Legacy® and teaches and speaks to audiences locally, nationally, and internationally.
You can get in touch with Merle at merlersaferstein.com and you can find her books on Amazon!
Episode 29: Burnout Recovery – w/ Gauri Yardi
After a brief hiatus for a vacation, Lauren brings you the latest episode of The Ugly Podcast with Gauri Yardi, a writer and multidisciplinary creative, naturopath and creative wellbeing coach. She creates resources for tired and burnt-out creatives to help regain the energy to make their incredible art through holistic nervous system care. Gauri noticed that when professionals would discuss burnout, they would talk about mindset and sleep, but rarely about the way stress impacts our body. She’s determined to change that.
The two discuss why it’s so hard to rest, how it can be downright painful sometimes when people are used to being flooded with stimuli, and the ways they can start to care for their nervous systems using what Gauri calls the Four Pillars. Gauri’s accessible approach to nervous system care sets people on the path to healing and finding a fulfilling creative practice that avoids burnout. You can find out more about Gauri’s work through the links below!
Instagram: @gauri.yardi
Website: gauriyardi.com
Creative burnout quiz
Ebook/Audiobook: A Creative’s Guide to Burnout
Re.Creation Masterclass
Episode 28: Opening the Valves – w/ Sophie Cannata-Brown
Sophie Cannata-Bowman is an anti-perfectionist book editor and writing coach, a playwright, theatre performer, rock climber, and amateur herbalist. In today’s episode, she joined Lauren to look at improvisation and the ways it can help creatives get unstuck and find a more joyful writing practice. They talk about Sophie’s experience growing up around creativity and storytelling, her study of plays and acting and the ways a writer’s words can be translated by actors.
In the writing world, there are a lot of rules that people want creatives to follow and a heavy focus on critique. But what if everyone focused more on opening the valves of creativity and emotions? How far could we stretch ourselves if we allowed improvisation to lead the way rather than form and function? Maybe we’d have a little more freedom to find joy in our practice.
You can get in touch with Sophie to learn more about her coaching and editing services at sophiacbowman.com or on Instagram @the.antiperfectionist.editor.
Episode 27: Tolerating Imperfection w/ Erika Steeves
Lauren was joined by kindred perfectionism buddy and editor of speculative fiction, Erika Steeves. They discuss how ugly art has helped them build up a sort of tolerance for imperfection–because what is perfectionism but having zero tolerance for imperfection?–and slowly, over time, they’ve been able to do those scary things even when their bodies continue to scream at them.
Erika is a freelance copyeditor who works primarily with indie authors of speculative fiction. She’s also the Lead Editor for the indie publisher House of Zolo, which strives to publish powerful speculative literature that reimagines the world and our place in it. She loves editing and reading science fiction, dystopia, and horror, and on her downtime enjoys making art!
You can get in touch with Erika through Instagram @erika.steeves.edits or through her website erikasteeves.com.
Episode 26: One-Year Extravaganza w/ Emerson Lee
Lauren is joined by their original co-host and lifetime creative partner, Emerson Lee, for a vulnerable conversation about coming to terms with the messy middle. Both are painfully honest about where they’re at with their businesses, which resulted in a monster vulnerability hangover after recording, but they believe it’s important to share with people how things are going and how they’re truly filled with so much self-doubt these days. But the important thing is that Lauren and Emerson are not letting it stop them from looking ahead and celebrating what they’ve accomplished in one year of podcasting.
They talk about the limitations people place on themselves, coming to terms with art when it doesn’t yield fame and fortune, and the futures of their businesses and exciting things to come. If you haven’t already, go follow Emerson on Instagram at @letsmakemoments for education around disability justice, dementia, and living fully. You can also purchase their MoMoMaps and Treasure Hunt sessions at makinghappymemories.com/services.
Episode 25: Four Pillars of Successful Completion w/ Cami Ostman
This week Lauren was joined by Cami Ostman, the founder of The Narrative Project. She’s written for Adventures Northwest and the Psychology Today blogger series as well as her own blog: 7marathons7continents.com. Cami has been profiled in O Magazine, Fitness Magazine, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post. Cami believes words are powerful and that we CREATE our identities with words—as we write, we become! The two chat about Cami’s original creative wound, how she came to write her memoir, Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, and her four pillars of successful completion—the ingredients necessary to finish writing your book (or tackling any big challenge in life!).
Cami runs The Narrative Project, which offers programs and resources for writers to get their books done. Cami’s nine-month program provides the four pillars we talk about in this episode so that you can finish your story. At The Narrative Project, they believe that writers are the change agents and movement makers in the world, and that everyone deserves to share their story. If you’d like to get involved with them, go to thenarrativeproject.net and sign up for their free monthly Mastermind Your Book meeting, complete their Inner Critic quiz, or apply to the nine-month program!
Episode 24: Creativity and Trauma w/ Mae Wagner
Lauren was joined by Mae Wagner, an author, speaker, advocate, trauma mentor, and community builder, to discuss what it means to use creativity to process trauma. They talk about how creativity allows people to shed light on parts of themselves that thrive in darkness, paving the way for healing and self-discovery.
They also talk about Mae’s own relationship to creativity and the freedom that came with taking her own advice she’d been giving to clients for years: Yes, she too was creative and was allowed to delve into her messy creativity without the pressure of perfection. To learn more about Mae’s work or to purchase her memoir, head to rainydayinmay.com or connect with her on Instagram!
Episode 23: Finding Your Style – w/ Heather Buchanan
This episode is with Heather Buchanan (she/her), an artist, writer, and accidental astrologer from Calgary. You may know her from her distinctive, goofy, watercolors and oil paintings with noseless faces as well as her weekly, totally real, horoscopes, “Horror Scoops.” Lauren and Heather discuss Heather’s days of painting portraits and when she realized that she wanted to find her own style rather than relying on what other people wanted to see and what would make her money. Along with that process came putting in hours of work that no one would ever see, dealing with the fear of showing work that’s completely different than people were used to seeing, and learning to trust her inner weirdo.
Listening to Heather’s story can give us so much hope in the creative process. Particularly in the hours of work that no one will see–those scribbles and doodles, those tiny poetry blurbs and short stories and first drafts–it’s all flexing the creative muscles and getting to know who you are and what you want to bring into the world. And when we bring our authentic weirdness into our art and share it with the world, we give others permission to show up in their weirdness too. What a gift!
Episode 22: Imposter Syndrome w/Leisa Greene
Leisa Greene (she/her), the founder of Indie It Press, spent the first forty-one years of her life completely unaware that she had anything creative to offer the world. Coming into her creativity later in life, Leisa immediately felt the imposter syndrome. “Who do I think I am?” “I haven’t been dreaming of this since I was a kid, so I must not be a real writer.” In learning to navigate the creative process, she began learning more about imposter syndrome and how all artists of every medium and every level experience imposter syndrome. And in fact, the antidote–if there is any–is to simply realize that we’re not alone. In this episode, Lauren and Leisa talk about the origins of Indie It Press, a platform for indie artists who struggle with imposter syndrome, which aims to rip down the gates that prevent so many new writers from pursuing their dreams by giving them a place to share their work, get published, and improve their craft.
When Leisa joined Lauren for this episode, they thought they’d be talking about the imposter experience–and they did–but what they ended up connecting over the most was their deep gratitude for this creative life they get to explore. Their conversation turned into a joyful celebration of why they both keep going even though they feel like frauds. And that’s what all creatives deserve! Because even though we might always feel like imposters, expressing creativity is also where we find the most belonging.
You can connect with Leisa on Instagram @indieitpress or indieitpress.com or follow her personal Instagram page @leisa_greene. This year with Indie It Press is the Year of Creativity, and they’re offering new membership packages and courses for writers to advance their skills and join a community of creatives. Head to their website to learn more!
Episode 21: Gateless Writing w/Meg McIntyre
Lauren’s guest today is Meg McIntyre, a developmental editor, writer, journalist, and certified Gateless Writing teacher. Her new Gateless Writing salons aim to take down the inner critic and get writers more deeply in touch with themselves and their creativity. Gateless Writing is a framework developed by acclaimed author and Fulbright Scholar Suzanne Kingsbury and is based in neuroscience and Zen principles. In a communal space, it removes the fear of rejection from the creative process, allowing you to quiet your inner critic and encourage your creativity to thrive. The emphasis on critique and harsh feedback that permeates writing culture can make us feel like we just can’t “hack it” or that we have nothing to say that’s worth hearing. But the beauty of Gateless Writing is in moving away from what is “good” or “bad” and instead finding what resonates and what is powerful, and then letting it go by speaking it aloud to each other.
Lauren joined Meg’s first Gateless Writing salon a week before recording this and was electrified by the experience. It was humbling and bolstering all at once. They talk about how using this method helped Meg realize that she has more to say and has inspired her to get back to writing for the sake of writing, and she is now working on her first novel. You can try out this method with Meg by signing up for her upcoming Gateless Writing salons in January, February, and March. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter as well to stay in the know about future salons and offers, and follow her on Instagram @bymegmcintyre for more delightful writing content.
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2022
Episode 20: Writing Bad Books w/Alex the Undercover Novelist
In this episode, Lauren is joined by Alex the Undercover Novelist, the host of the Novel Marathon podcast and a lifelong writer and learner. She started the Novel Marathon podcast after years of writing classes and a failed NaNoWriMo attempt as a way to hold herself accountable and help other writers through their book writing journey. The two talk about exchanging a fixed mindset for a growth mindset and realizing that it’s never too late to start allowing yourself to grow and change.
Alex has made it a point to insist that this first novel she’s writing is BAD. Doing so allows her to continue moving forward and remember that the next draft can and will be better because she’s always learning. If you’re interested in joining Alex on her current marathon or want to join her on next year’s marathon, be sure to subscribe to Novel Marathon at novelmarathon.com/newsletter. You can also follow her on Twitter, Substack, and Instagram.
Episode 19: Overthinking w/Lauren Henderson
In today’s episode, Lauren is joined by another Lauren who is basically their twin. Lauren Henderson is a self-proclaimed creative dabbler. She’s been an engineer for consulting firms for twelve years and is specialized in technical editing and quality control. Throughout most of those years, she’s had creative side hustles, including book review blogging, selling used books, making pottery, and freelance editing. After deciding to pursue freelance editing about two and a half years ago, she ran into roadblocks around mindset and childhood trauma and since then has been leaning into her creativity as a way back to herself and her purpose. Her current creative hobbies include watercolor, writing, energy work practices, and most recently, performing in a musical.
The two talk about how easy it is to get stuck in their heads about creative pursuits, either holding themselves back entirely or fixating on things to save them from how they’re feeling. It’s so easy to let the mind run the show and get stuck on a hamster wheel of perfectionism and inaction. What Lauren Henderson has come to learn is that getting back into the body and learning to recognize our own creative spirits can help break the cycle. And you just might find that it’s not as scary as you thought it would be! To stay in touch with Lauren, you can follow her on Instagram @laurehender.
Episode 18: Creating with Kiddos w/ Rey Ward
Lauren’s guest today is Rey Ward, a youth development professional who uses art and creativity as part of a trauma-informed practice when serving young clients. Working with kids has taught them infinite lessons on seeing beauty in imperfection and finding healing in the process rather than the result. Lauren and Rey talk about how creativity gives them space to run free and get the brain zoomies out—because people are just a bunch of weird little animals after all—and how kids need that unstructured space to let go of the perfectionism that’s already ingrained in them at such a young age.
Lauren and Rey talk about the freedom that comes along with reframing one’s worldview to see that there are no rules in creativity (or in life). Everyone has the freedom to make this life what they want it to be, so how can we connect to those parts of ourselves that want to roam? How can we center those parts of ourselves that are pushed to the wayside? What do we really want and how do we want to express ourselves?
Episode 17: The Creative Process w/ Anni Kamola
In this episode, Lauren talks with Anni, an author, developmental editor, and writing coach, about the creative process in all its forms and rhythms. There are those times when you’re in the groove and you feel aligned with everything that’s on the page, and—maybe more often than not—there are those other times when you aren’t sure you could use a keyboard if your life depended on it. They discuss honoring your feelings in the moment AND taking the next step forward. Listeners can get in touch with Anni on Instagram @anneliese_kamola_authoror sign up for her mailing list and get “20 Tips for Writing Through Those BIG FEELS!” at www.anneliesekamola.com.
Episode 16: Making Art for Yourself w/ Kharysa Watt
Lauren’s guest today is Kharysa Watt, a horticulturalist turned freelance editor and a pencil artist. They talk about growing up without cable, Digimon, and the wild days of early internet videos on sites like Albino Blacksheep that inspired Kharysa to start drawing stick figure comics. They also chat about the journey to making art for yourself and all the stumbling blocks therein–from fearing what your parents and peers think to learning that it’s ok to leave things unfinished and to take breaks when you get frustrated.
We can’t control how other people react to our art, but we can learn that it’s ok to do things for ourselves and no other reason. To learn more about Kharysa, be sure to follow her on Instagram @kaylx.editing.
Episode 15: Creating Community w/ Gabrielle Goodloe
On today’s episode, Lauren talks with friend and fellow editor, Gabrielle (Gabby) Goodloe, about the importance of creating community in the writing world. Both have felt the gut punch of their writing being rejected, and it turned them away from writing for years. They discuss the importance of finding people who support and encourage you, who see your brand of creative genius and celebrate you for it. And they touch on some of the more harmful messages seen circulating the writing world.
At the end of the episode, They introduce their new writing group, The Writer’s Helm, which is opening its doors to writers of all kinds who want to find a place of community, accountability, and learning. They are supporting authors through all stages of writing, from shaping the earliest draft to navigating the rough journey to publishing. If you’ve ever felt adrift in the writing seas, if anything they’ve said in this episode resonates with you, go to scribeandsunshine.com/thewritershelm to learn more and join the crew!
If you’re interested in learning more about Gabby, you can connect with her on Instagram: @developmentaleditor or at her website: gabriellegoodloe.com
Episode 14: Healing through Creativity with Medora Frei
My guest in this episode is an intuitive abstract artist based in the Midwest. Art has always been Medora’s way of composting pain so that something new can thrive from it. Experiences, in all their diversity of intensity and meaning, are what she most portrays with paint. She started creating abstract work in 2018 after a traumatic event, and her passion is to help others heal using art. She creates art in her spare time and loves being able to give back to her community through donated works and classes.
We talk about using art to help us through disease, chronic pain, and mental health. We can’t control what happens to us or our loved ones, but we can let our frustrations and our emotions out on a canvas or a page and start to find beauty amid the chaos. You can connect with Medora and see her work on Instagram (@medorafrei.art) or through her website (medorafrei.com).
Episode 13: Growth Part 2
In this episode, Lauren and Emerson revisit their conversation on growth and share an important update about the podcast. The Ugly Podcast is both growing and shrinking! Growing in that guests will be joining in the following episodes to explore various topics on creativity and mindset in an explosion of creative genius. And shrinking in that the beloved Emerson is stepping away from the podcast for the time being. The two chat about the reasoning behind this change and celebrate their wins and how far they’ve come together as creatives and entrepreneurs. Growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it happens when people are supported and feel empowered to play and change. Be sure to thank the people in your life who’ve helped you grow.
Do you have a message or story to share about creativity? If you’re interested in being a guest on The Ugly Podcast, message Lauren on Instagram @scribeandsunsine! And be sure to stay connected with Emerson’s work. You can find them at @letsmakemoments on Instagram or at makinghappymemories.com.
Episode 12: Fun and Creativity
Lauren and Emerson discuss fun and creativity and how to merge those two things. Creativity is not always associated with fun, and they want to change that. They get into what kinds of things they find to be really fun and try to figure out how they can incorporate their preferred genre of fun into creativity to break up some of that “homework energy.” The consensus? Creating is magic. And everyone should all be a little more silly.
Episode 11: Overwhelm
Lauren and Emerson chat about what overwhelm feels like in their bodies and how it comes up in their businesses–which is a lot, to be honest. But there’s hope! They discuss their strategies for dealing with overwhelm and how they view breaks and crying and naps as tiny moments of resistance and how it’s ok to let go of false timelines and ideas that are no longer serving your pursuit of “whelm.”
Episode 10: Small Joys
In a difficult world, Lauren and Emerson cling to small joys to make it through their days. In this episode, they talk about what brings them joy, why they focus on these things, and how they intentionally integrate small joys into their days.
Episode 9: Rejection
Rejection sucks. Plain and simple. And it’s something that, as business owners and creatives, we have to deal with on a constant basis if we have any desire to grow. In this episode, Emerson and Lauren talk about our experience with rejection–how it feels in our bodies, ways we cope with rejection, and how we empower ourselves to keep moving forward. We discovered that an episode about rejection had a surprising amount of joy and playfulness!
Episode 8: Growth
In this episode, Emerson and Lauren take a look at personal growth and ways they’ve changed since starting their businesses. While growing, there are so many feelings, from excitement to fear, and it’s tempting to numb those feelings or stand still to avoid growth, but they’ve learned that it’s worth it to lean into growth and trust in what they will discover.
Episode 7: Creativity with Guest Mary Van
In this episode, Lauren talks with sister-in-law Mary about their creative journeys, what they’re working on, and what they’d like to create in the future. Mary is an English teacher and literary magazine/newspaper advisor and has been one of Lauren’s biggest supporters throughout her creative journey. They talk about the importance of accountability, letting go of perfectionism, and projects that they’re working on or would like to work on in the future, all while Lauren’s 5-year-old nephew squawks in the background from time to time.
Episode 6: Ebb and Flow
In this episode, Emerson and Lauren talk about our experiences with the ebb and flow of our businesses, of our creativity, and of our daily lives. Often it’s frustrating and exhausting to experience the rollercoaster of ebb and flow, and sometimes it can be encouraging to remember that change will come. We discuss our personal coping mechanisms for dealing with ebb and flow, and we discover the importance of finding gratitude for the ebbing times that, like a painful labor, can deliver some really great things.
Episode 5: Perfectionism
Emerson and Lauren do a deep dive into perfectionism–the thing that’s been controlling our lives for the past thirty years! We talk about how it’s affected us throughout our lives and how we’ve begun to navigate it by addressing our fears, remembering that we’re safe, changing what we can, and reframing what we can’t. You’ll be introduced to the concept of a “bug graveyard,” and your life will never be the same–well, it will, but you’re gonna laugh more often.
Episode 4: Improvisation
In this episode of The Ugly Podcast, Emerson and Lauren talk about using improvisation in our businesses and personal lives. This could also be known as the Episode of a Thousand Analogies; that’s the only way we could conceptualize how improvising makes us feel: skydiving, playing Dance Dance Revolution, riding rollercoasters. We discuss that horrible feeling called uncertainty and how both of us used to use certainty as a way to help us feel safe. It can be so scary to take action and improvise through uncertainty, but doing so has helped us take huge steps in our businesses and come into our authentic selves.
Episode 3: How Do You Want to Do This?
Episode 2: Authenticity
Episode 1: Creativity
