Babe Cave

What do you do when you've announced a launch... but it feels completely wrong?

In this episode of Babe Cave, host Amanda Polick shares why she's "unlaunching" her newly announced group coaching program—and why that might be the bravest move she's made all year.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

→ How to tell the difference between fear-based resistance and genuine misalignment → The wild story of Hillary Rushford: how a business coach with 200K followers lost a six-figure book deal that went to auction (and what it teaches us about creative disappointment) → Why stopping your business to write a book is a critical mistake → The John C. Maxwell framework that separates failed plans from failed vision → Permission to fail publicly—and why it's more powerful than silent suffering

Perfect for: Writers, creative entrepreneurs, food creators, anyone navigating the messy reality of book publishing, coaches and service providers launching programs

Amanda Polick is a book coach specializing in food writers and cookbook development. She helps creative professionals navigate the disappointments, pivots, and unexpected turns of bringing big projects to life.

Shownotes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/un-launch-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on writing and creativity Connect: Instagram @amandapolick | amandapolick.com Work with Amanda: Apply here

What if the meals you ate this year could reveal exactly where you're stuck—and where you're headed?

In this reflective episode of Babe Cave, Amanda Polick shares her signature year-end practice: using the way you set your table as a mirror for how you show up in your creative work and life.

Through three powerful questions about the meals that defined your year, you'll uncover patterns you didn't realize were there—and design the table you actually want to sit at in the new year.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• How a single meal can reveal the comparison patterns and insecurities holding you back in your creative work
• Why the simplest meals often teach us the most about contentment—and what that means for your writing practice
• The connection between overcomplicating your plate and overcomplicating your manuscript (and why both fail for the same reason)
• A vision casting practice that writers and creatives return to year after year
• Three reflection questions you can journal through tonight to map your fullest year ahead

Perfect for: Writers navigating comparison and imposter syndrome, creatives designing their next year's vision, anyone who journals through transitions, food memoir writers and cookbook authors who understand that how we eat reflects how we live.

Amanda Polick is a writing coach specializing in cookbooks, food memoirs, and fiction. She helps writers stop shrinking their voices and create work they're proud of.

Shownotes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/vision-casting-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on writing and creativity Connect: Instagram @amandapolick | amandapolick.com Work with Amanda: Apply here

Your content calendar won't save you. Your algorithm hacks won't either. Sometimes the entire trajectory of your business changes because you showed up in a room.

In this episode of Babe Cave, Amanda Polick gets honest about hiding behind digital connection—and why face-to-face networking for introverts isn't optional if you want to actually grow your business and community.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why six months of perfect pitch emails lost to one 20-minute in-person conversation
• The five-mile rule for building authentic community
• How one woman at a children's bookstore became Amanda's best marketing campaign without any "marketing strategy"
• The 30-minute rule that makes showing up less overwhelming for introverts
• Why being in the rooms you're already in matters more than finding new ones

Perfect for: Writers, creators, introverts building businesses, anyone tired of chasing algorithms and ready to invest in real human connection

Amanda Polick is a writing coach specializing in cookbooks, food memoirs, and fiction. She helps writers stop shrinking their voices and create work they're proud of.

Shownotes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/irl-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on writing and creativity Connect: Instagram @amandapolick | amandapolick.com Work with Amanda: Apply here

What does the "Great American Novel" really mean—and why should writers care?

In this episode of Babe Cave, host Amanda Polick explores the surprising history of this literary term and why it matters for anyone with a story to tell. You'll discover how the concept was coined in 1868, why its first example was a book that challenged (not celebrated) America, and how thinking of literature as a mosaic changes everything about whose voices matter.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why the Great American Novel hasn't been written yet (and why that's actually good news for writers)
• How to think of your work as an essential piece of a larger mosaic, not a standalone masterpiece
• Why taking up space and being specific makes your writing more powerful, not less
• The connection between examining mistakes and creating truly great art

Perfect for: Writers working on memoirs, cookbooks, fiction, or any creative project who struggle with feeling like their story isn't "important enough" or who are afraid to take up space with their specific perspective.

Amanda Polick is a writing coach specializing in cookbooks, food memoirs, and fiction. She helps writers stop shrinking their voices and create work they're proud of.

Shownotes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/great-american-novel-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on writing and creativity Connect: Instagram @amandapolick | amandapolick.com Work with Amanda: Apply here

When medical professionals—dietitians trained to identify malnutrition and disordered eating—start flooding social media with concerns about a food influencer with millions of followers who's about to release a "healthy eating" cookbook, we have to talk about it.

Tieghan Gerard built Half Baked Harvest into a multimillion-dollar empire with multiple NYT bestselling cookbooks and massive brand deals. But this episode isn't about her success—it's about the responsibility that comes with influence, and what happens when that responsibility gets ignored.

In this solo episode, Amanda examines years of accumulated concerns: readers who consistently report recipe failures (high-altitude baking issues that never get addressed), cultural appropriation accusations, a New York Times profile where Tieghan refused to cook for the reporter, and now medical professionals raising red flags about potential health issues while she promotes wellness content.

This isn't cancel culture. This is about asking: when do we stop staying silent to be nice? When does our silence become complicity?

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why successful food bloggers owe their audiences more than just pretty recipes
• The Netflix show Apple Cider Vinegar that changed perspectives on food influencer responsibility
• The difference between trolling and legitimate professional concern
• How to build a sustainable cookbook career without losing your integrity
• What responsibility actually means when you have influence
• Why staying silent isn't always the kind choice

Perfect for: Cookbook authors, food bloggers, content creators, anyone building a platform in food media who wants to do it responsibly

Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food-memoir coach with 20+ years of storytelling experience, guiding food writers as they shape the stories only they can tell. A former culinary producer whose work appeared across Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, and Food & Wine, she's been an IACP Awards judge and frequent speaker at industry events like the inaugural M.F.K. Fisher Symposium for Les Dames d'Escoffier. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever.

Show Notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/half-baked-harvest-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on cookbook writing and food media at amandapolick.com Connect: @amandapolick on Instagram

Struggling with writing consistency? You're not alone.

In this raw, unfiltered episode, Amanda Polick shares what happened when she almost skipped recording altogether — and why that moment became the perfect catalyst for a conversation about what consistency really means for writers and creatives.

After eight years of wrestling with the same novel, Amanda reveals the simple daily word count strategy that's finally helping her reach the finish line. Spoiler: it's not about waking up at 2am or having perfect conditions.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

→ Why tracking 500 words five days a week beats waiting for ideal writing conditions → The myth of needing "full days" to be creative (and what actually works when you're busy) → How to build consistency that gives you freedom instead of adding more pressure → Why 30,000 words in the wrong direction taught more than any writing retreat → The boring routine principle that captures creative lightning better than inspiration ever could

Perfect for: Writers, authors, and creatives who are tired of beating themselves up for not being "consistent enough" and ready to build sustainable routines that actually work.

Amanda Polick is a cookbook coach, developmental editor, and host of Babe Cave podcast. She helps writers finish their books and build sustainable author platforms without burnout.

Resources: Show notes: amandapolick.com/blog/consistency-episode Newsletter signup: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/creativecellaraudit The Done Club (6-week group coaching): Launching February 2026 Connect: @AmandaPolick on Instagram

What if the reason your author platform isn't growing has nothing to do with the quality of your content—and everything to do with your willingness to show up imperfectly?

Book marketing strategist Stephanie Moon (15 years at Chronicle Books, Harper Collins, Scholastic) joins Amanda to unpack the uncomfortable truths about building author communities. From spending hours on Canva graphics that got zero engagement to understanding why "B-level work" is actually the secret to consistency, this conversation flips traditional platform advice on its head.

In this episode, you'll discover:

→ Why perfectionism is killing your author platform (and the "straight-A student" reframe that changes everything)

→ The cold email strategy that got one creator invited to Fashion Week—and how authors can adapt it without feeling spammy

→ What "everyone wants a village but no one wants to be a villager" really means for your book marketing

→ Why agents and editors ARE watching your content (even when they never engage)

→ How to build your consistency muscle without burning out or spending hours on every post

→ The surprising truth about community: it's never convenient, but always worth it

Perfect for: Authors struggling with platform building, writers who feel stuck in perfectionism, anyone wondering if their content marketing is working, cookbook authors and memoirists looking to build authentic reader connections

About Stephanie Moon: Experienced Book Marketing Strategist with 15 years in publishing, including roles at Chronicle Books, Harper Collins, Scholastic, and Hardie Grant. Two-time IACP judge who has led bestselling campaigns across children's books, cookbooks, and lifestyle titles. She helps authors translate their creative vision into thriving platforms and communities.

Special Offer: Stephanie's "First Five" program (workbook + 30-min strategy call) available for $75 with code BABECAVE through end of 2025!

Resources:

• Show notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/community-episode
• Newsletter signup: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/writinggold
• Connect: @amandapolick on Instagram
• Find Stephanie: @stephmoonco on Instagram | The FAQs on Substack

If you keep asking yourself "Am I really a writer?"—that's your answer. You already are.

In this episode inspired by Steven Pressfield's The War of Art, writing coach Amanda Polick tackles the creative resistance that keeps writers stuck in planning mode and afraid to put words on the page. From her own experience resisting personal material in her novel to coaching clients who avoid their most powerful stories, Amanda reveals why fear is actually your creative compass.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why the question "Am I really a writer?" proves you are one—and why confident people aren't always the real artists
• How creative resistance points directly to your most important work (and why the things that scare you most are exactly what you need to write)
• The difference between amateur and professional mindsets: why waiting to overcome fear keeps you stuck forever
• Why your "easy" lived experiences are actually your strongest material—and how avoiding them makes your work lifeless
• Practical strategies for moving past perfectionism and finally finishing that book you've been dreaming about

Perfect for: Writers struggling with imposter syndrome, creative professionals facing resistance, aspiring authors who keep starting and stopping projects, anyone tired of treating their writing like a hobby

Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food memoir coach guide influencers and creators through the book writing process. Her clients have landed literary representation and Big 5 publishing deals.

Resources: Show notes and full blog post: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/war-of-art-episode Newsletter signup: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/writinggold The Done Club 6-week writing workshop: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/doneclub Connect: @amandapolick on Instagram | amandapolick.com

Are Michelin stars and James Beard Awards actually worth pursuing? Amanda Polick reveals the uncomfortable politics behind best-of and awards lists—and what they really mean for your career.

In this episode, you'll discover:

→ Why restaurant awards are often more about PR relationships than food quality—and what happened when Amanda's Oakland restaurant picks got killed for "not fitting our demographic"

→ The truth about the Michelin Guide's Southern expansion and why Top Chef's Gail Simmons says she "hates that cities judge themselves by awards"

→ How awards impact cookbook deals and platform building (critical intel if you're pursuing a book deal)

→ How to build your food career and define "best" on your own terms, with or without institutional validation

Perfect for: Chefs, food writers, cookbook authors, restaurant owners, and anyone building a career in the food industry

Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food memoir coach who helps food professionals land book deals. She brings insider knowledge from years in food editorial and publishing.

Resources: Show notes & full blog post: amandapolick.com/blog-best-of-episode Newsletter: Weekly insights on food writing and creativity

Connect: Instagram: @amandapolick Website: amandapolick.com

Ever wondered what a cookbook coach actually does? (Most people don't even know it's a thing!)

In this solo episode, Amanda pulls back the curtain on my work helping food creators and influencers turn their ideas into traditionally published cookbooks. From the detailed intake form that reveals everything about working together, to the 4-month breakthrough moment that every author experiences, this is your insider look at the cookbook publishing process.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✨ What makes a cookbook proposal so critical (and why you can't skip sections) ✨ Why platform size matters less than you think—and what publishers actually care about ✨ The counterintuitive truth: Being uber-specific about your story makes it MORE universal ✨ Real stories from the coaching process (including the French translation incident) ✨ Why cookbooks are incredible marketing tools even if they don't make you millions

Perfect for: Food bloggers, content creators, recipe developers, and anyone dreaming of writing a cookbook who wants to understand the real timeline, investment, and vulnerability required.

About Amanda Polick: Amanda is a cookbook coach who has spent 5+ years helping food creators develop proposals that agents and publishers can't ignore. Her blog post on cookbook proposals ranks #2 on Google, and her clients consistently hear from editors that their proposals are "so tight" they can just run with them.

Resources: Show notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/cookbook-coach-episode Newsletter signup for weekly writing insights: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/writinggold Instagram: @amandapolick