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8. Learning to Write, Live, and Love Through Loss | Katie Hawkins-Gaar
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Katie Hawkins-Gaar.
Katie is a former journalist, freelance writer, and the author behind the popular bi-weekly newsletter, My Sweet Dumb Brain. Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Glamour, and more.
Just a few years ago, Katie experienced — and continues to experience — the incredibly tragic and sudden loss of her husband and, as she explains in today’s episode, she began writing, journaling, every day as a way of processing and coping and just getting everything that was going on inside of her out onto the page.
Today Katie and I talk about why it’s so important to share our experiences of grief, the hardest part of sharing her life online — and why she didn’t expect it, and how she’s navigating being in a new relationship.
We also talk about:
- Why she started her newsletter following the death of her husband, Jamie — and why she called it “My Sweet Dumb Brain”
- What grief has taught Katie about her relationship with herself
- Why she decided to start sharing her experiences and processing after Jamie died
- How she takes care of herself while writing about really heavy topics
- How she dealt with the response to her personal story after publishing personal essays in Glamour, The New York Times, CNN, and more
- . . . and so much more goodness.
Katie is a beautiful and honest writer — the kind of writer whose work I love to read and whose talent and prolificness I aspire to model.
I’m so grateful we shared this conversation together — and I hope you find it as encouraging and inspiring as I did.
—
Follow Katie:
- My Sweet Dumb Brain Newsletter
- Treat Your Future Self Workbook
Other Notable Links:
- Don’t Keep Your Day Job Podcast
- Don’t Keep Your Day Job Facebook Group
- Maid by Stephanie Land
- Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies
- Katie’s Glamour Essay
- Katie’s New York Times Essay
- Katie’s CNN Essay
CREDITS
Editing & Sound Engineering: Jordan Johansen
Music: “Kenton” by Dr Crosby (Licensed via Marmoset)
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By Jenna Britton
5
1313 ratings
In today’s episode, I’m joined by Katie Hawkins-Gaar.
Katie is a former journalist, freelance writer, and the author behind the popular bi-weekly newsletter, My Sweet Dumb Brain. Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Glamour, and more.
Just a few years ago, Katie experienced — and continues to experience — the incredibly tragic and sudden loss of her husband and, as she explains in today’s episode, she began writing, journaling, every day as a way of processing and coping and just getting everything that was going on inside of her out onto the page.
Today Katie and I talk about why it’s so important to share our experiences of grief, the hardest part of sharing her life online — and why she didn’t expect it, and how she’s navigating being in a new relationship.
We also talk about:
- Why she started her newsletter following the death of her husband, Jamie — and why she called it “My Sweet Dumb Brain”
- What grief has taught Katie about her relationship with herself
- Why she decided to start sharing her experiences and processing after Jamie died
- How she takes care of herself while writing about really heavy topics
- How she dealt with the response to her personal story after publishing personal essays in Glamour, The New York Times, CNN, and more
- . . . and so much more goodness.
Katie is a beautiful and honest writer — the kind of writer whose work I love to read and whose talent and prolificness I aspire to model.
I’m so grateful we shared this conversation together — and I hope you find it as encouraging and inspiring as I did.
—
Follow Katie:
- My Sweet Dumb Brain Newsletter
- Treat Your Future Self Workbook
Other Notable Links:
- Don’t Keep Your Day Job Podcast
- Don’t Keep Your Day Job Facebook Group
- Maid by Stephanie Land
- Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies
- Katie’s Glamour Essay
- Katie’s New York Times Essay
- Katie’s CNN Essay
CREDITS
Editing & Sound Engineering: Jordan Johansen
Music: “Kenton” by Dr Crosby (Licensed via Marmoset)