In the first installment of Through Art's Open Door, I chatted with Broadway actress Jennafer Newberry Peery, who plays Glinda in Wicked on Broadway.

Jennafer shares what it's really like to perform in one of the most beloved musicals in the world while balancing family life, motherhood, and the demands of eight-show weeks. We explore art as a spiritual practice, the courage it takes to remain tender in a world that rewards efficiency, and why changing our minds may be one of the bravest acts of justice available to us.

Jennafer reflects on the works of art that have become thin places in her own life–from film and poetry to sunsets, theater, and holding her daughter in her arms.

Whether you're an artist, a parent, a person of faith, or simply someone longing to reconnect with wonder, this conversation offers an invitation to notice the beauty that is already speaking to you.

• Arrival (2016)

• Hamnet

• "There Is Something" poem by Ted Loder

• "On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter

• Preorder Art Is How God Loves Us

• Follow Jennafer Newberry Peery on Instagram: Instagram

• Sacred Salon: An Evening of Music and Conversation in New York City

• Other launch events

I'd love to hear about the works of art that have become thin places in your own life. In fact, we are doing a call for guest-post submissions over on Substack. You can learn more and submit yours by visiting: https://artistsforjoy.org/artsopendoor

In this episode, I share a personal look at the "gremlins of self-doubt" that arrive during a book launch. Inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, let's discusses how to treat fear as a passenger rather than the driver, using a "Fear to Focus" framework to turn anxieties into actionable truths.

• Joyster Monthly Meetup: Friday, June 12th. Topic: "Courage to share your work without losing your joy." Free for Joysters or $5 for a one-time pass.

• Book Tour: Stops include NYC, South Carolina, Williamsburg, VA, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Visit artistsforjoy.org/launch for more info.

• Support the Show: Join the community at patreon.com/artistforjoy.

• Follow Along: Follow @ArtistsForJoy on Instagram for daily updates leading up to July 7th.

Life is moving fast! Today we are slowing down for our quarterly check-in on the big and small things saving our creative lives right now. From medical advocacy and fitness apps to custom book merch and the magic of a 3:00 PM dinner routine, we're celebrating the "professional confetti explosion" season in full force.

The "OMG It's Happening" Meme

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Follow Aileen Weber on Instagram: @Aileen.Webber

Join the Vitality Coaching App ("Buns to Sun"): Sign Up Here(Tell her Merideth sent you!)

Favorite Protein Powder #1 (mix with coffee): Ancient Nutrition Collagen (Vanilla)

Favorite Protein Powder #2 (for smoothies and drinking plain mixed with water): Ballerina Farm Farmer Protein

Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle Perfume: Nordstrom link

Aerin Fragrance Discovery Set: Estee Lauder

The "Art is How God Loves Us" Book Launch Hub: * See all Summer 2026 Tour Stops & RSVP: artistsforjoy.org/launch * Reserve Your Custom Launch Mug (4 Glaze Options!): Fill Out the Waitlist Form Here * Check out our wonderful partners: Black Oak Arts Pottery & The Inspired Foundry

Join the Joysters on Patreon! This podcast is 100% listener-supported. Become a paid supporter to get access to hours of creative recovery content and join our next Monthly Meetup on **June 12th at 12:00 PM EST** as we talk about "The Courage to be Known." 👉 patreon.com/artistsforjoy

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This week on the podcast, I'm sharing a story about a "no" that truly leveled me. As I head into the studio this Monday to record the audiobook for my new book, Art Is How God Loves Us, I couldn't help but think back to the moment I found out I wouldn't be narrating my first one. I was sitting in a middle seat on a cross-country flight when the email arrived, and I spent the rest of the trip quietly crying.

I'm replaying this episode now because it's a powerful reminder that no feeling is final. We often interlace our identity with our creative output, making rejection feel like a verdict on our very selves. Through the story of my friend Ian's "failed" rockstar dreams and the incredible resilience of the migrating salmon, I explore how we can sit with our tender disappointments without letting them keep us stuck. Whether you're nursing a fresh wound or an old one, I hope this encourages you to keep swimming toward the open waters of your next chapter.

Listen in to hear my thoughts on why we aren't "tortured" but simply "tender and trying," plus a listener question about whether finding your artistic "style" actually matters.

Original show notes:

This week's episode explores the challenge of persevering through creative disappointment. We meet Ian, a musician whose band falls apart, and learn the tool that is helping Merideth cope with a recent and painful rejection. Listen for encouragement to embrace your sensitivity and vulnerability and to find ways to move beyond disappointment to create with more joy and freedom.

Read last week's podcast on Substack

Submit a question or comment to Merideth:

via IG

via email: [email protected]

via phone: 302-415-3407

Support us on Patreon

Join the next "The Artist's Way" Creative Cluster

Leave a review on Apple Podcast

Learn how to leave a review

In the middle of a busy season—like, say, launching a new book—it is so easy to view time as a resource to be earned rather than an experience to be felt. In this episode, I explore the "Workaholic Quiz" from Week 10 of The Artist's Way and ask: Is your busyness fueled by joy, or is it a shield against the vulnerability of being still?

Using Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's "7 Types of Rest" and the design concept of White Space, we discuss how rest isn't a reward for finishing your work—it's the fuel that makes the work possible.

• Pre-order the New Book: Art Is How God Loves Us (Coming July 2026!)

• Join the Launch Team: The Sacred Studio Google Form (Last call to read with Merideth in June!)

• Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: Learn more about her research at RestQuiz.com or her main site, DrSaundraDaltonSmith.com.

• The Joyster Community: Join us on Patreon for a 7-day free trial and watch the full replay of our "The Artist's Rest" Meet-Up.

• Connect on Substack: Art's Open Door

• Instagram: @artistsforjoy

Today on the podcast, Merideth chats with Winfield Bevins—author, artist, and founder of Creo Arts—to talk about his latest book, How Beauty Will Save the World.

In a world that feels loud, fast, and fractured, Winfield invites us back to something slower and truer: beauty. Not the surface-level kind, but the kind that heals and reconnects us to God, ourselves, and each other.

Links:

*Read more about Winfield Bevins*Get How Beauty Will Save the World*Learn more about Creo Arts*Follow Winfield on Instagram

*Become a Joyster (Paid Supporter) on Patreon: Get access to hours of creative discovery and recovery content

*Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

*Tell me what you think of this episode via IG @artistsforjoy or via email [email protected]

*Pre-order Art Is How God Loves Us and read the latest sample chapter on Substack now!

This week, I'm joined by Shannan Martin to talk about her new book, Counterweights and how we can hold hope when life feels unbearably heavy.

Counterweights aren't about denying pain or replacing grief with surface-level happiness. It's a way of naming what steadies us: the ordinary, specific things that help us stay upright. We cannot counter what we won't weigh.

In our conversation, we talk about the evolving creative life, the grief and celebration of finishing a book, and how the practice of counterweights helps artists stay soft and grounded when everything feels like too much.

Also:

• Why more time and space don't necessarily make creativity easier

• The every-hour crisis of writing a book and learning to surrender it imperfectly

• How introverts can build a real, local community by simply noticing who's nearby

Shannon shares how working in a community kitchen, watching the sky, and paying attention to the particulars of her own neighborhood all become spiritual practices. These are reminders that we don't have to choose between being honest about what's hard and delighting in what's good.

Links:

Get Counterweights

Sign up for Shannan's Substack, The Soup

Our Enneagram 8 episode featuring Shannan

Download the Curtain Call Questions

We all grapple with that hyper-sensitive, judgmental part of ourselves, the ego, which is an integral—yet often painful—aspect of being an artist. This week on the podcast, I've found a new, surprisingly visceral metaphor and a spiritual practice that is helping me embrace less defensiveness and find a much deeper resonance.

Links:

• Join us for "The Art of 'Yes And'" with Sara McMahon on Patreon

• Become a Joyster (Paid Supporter) on Patreon: Get access to hours of creative discovery and recovery content.

• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

• Tell me what you think of this episode via IG @artistsforjoy or via email [email protected]

• Pre-order Art Is How God Loves Us and read the latest sample chapter on Substack now!

Have you ever felt like your creative self (your inner Maker) and your get-it-done, logistical self (your inner Manager) are constantly battling it out? We all need both of these energies to create a sustainable, joyful life—but getting them to play nicely together is the real trick.

In this episode, I dive deep into the Maker vs. Manager dynamic, including my own recent creative block, and share four practical ways to finally get them working in sync. Learn how to reorient your inner Manager to become an enthusiastic Artist Manager—someone who is dedicated to creating the perfect conditions for your inner artist to thrive.

Links

• Become a Joyster (Paid Supporter) on Patreon: Get access to hours of creative discovery and recovery content, including the monthly Joyster meet-up from Friday, Feb 13th, Filling the Well

• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

• Tell me what you think of this episode via IG @artistsforjoy or via email [email protected]

• Pre-order Art Is How God Loves Us and read the latest sample chapter on Substack now!

This week we are diving into my quarterly practice of naming what's bringing me joy this season. It's a fun, unscripted (!) episode full of big and small things that are truly "saving my life right now."

Links:

• A question that's helping me take action (Read a Substack essay about this one next week!)

• A Cohort that I'm participating in this year

• New Writing Rhythm

• This item saved our sweaters

• This is my favorite Galentine's gift

• A deck and an IG account that are helping me parent with more joy.

• A book launch update!

• Writing and sharing poetry

PS: I definitely got the numbering wrong on the episode (told you it was unscripted!) So please feel free to ignore that!