Brook van der Linde (she/her) is a mom, writer, and widow. She went from working with criminal defense attorneys to documenting the lives of those living on the farthest margins of society. She is currently working as a full-time copywriter, piecing together a memoir, creating a writing program for people experiencing incarceration, and carrying a baby for some friends.

*disclaimer — this episode discusses addiction and death*

In this episode, Brook and I discuss:

- Brook's background and what led her to writing and storytelling

- Brook shares about the curriculum she's developing for incarcerated people, including what inspired this work and its mission

- The heartbreaking loss of Brook's partner Kyle to addiction and what this experience taught her

- What held Brook in the grief of losing Kyle

- Brook's recent journey with surrogacy, what inspired her to become a surrogate and what has this experience been like for her

- Birth and death as sacred portals and liminal spaces and the similarities between these universal experiences

You can find Brook's work on her website brookvanderlinde.com and on IG at @brookvanderlinde

You can find my work, including my sound baths, retreats + journeys, substack newsletter, and more on waverlydavis.com and on IG at @heywaverlydavis

I hope you love listening to this beautiful and wise conversation as much as Brook and I loved having it! If you love this episode, if it nourishes you somehow, please subscribe to the pod, leave a review and rating, and share it with a friend, thank you!