Babe Cave

Let's talk about the thing nobody wants to admit: most writers have day jobs.

In this episode, Amanda shares the story of how she tried to go full-time with her cookbook coaching business, the months of panic that followed, and how a friend's honesty about her retail job changed everything.

You'll discover:

→ What Jane Friedman reveals about writer income throughout history → Why having a day job doesn't make you less of a "real" writer → How Amanda writes 500 words daily in just 30 minutes while working full-time → Why multitasking is physically impossible and destroying your productivity → Strategic ways to use your job's benefits for your creative career

Perfect for: Writers balancing creative work with full-time jobs, anyone struggling with shame about their day job, creatives looking for sustainable career strategies

About Amanda Polick: Amanda is a cookbook coach and host of Babe Cave - a podcast inspired by Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own." She believes in permission slips for doing what you need to do to build your creative life.

Show Notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/day-job-episode Newsletter: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/writinggold Connect: @amandapolick

What if making the WRONG creative choice is better than making the safe one?

In this episode, Amanda looks at creative audacity—the willingness to take bold risks even when you don't know if they'll work.

From LA acting auditions to Elizabeth Gilbert's rejection story to why "easy to read" is actually a superpower, this episode is about leading creative conversations instead of following them.

Discover:

• Why bold choices (even wrong ones) beat playing it safe every time
• The Elizabeth Gilbert story that proves timing matters more than "fixing" your work
• How your personality becomes your unique selling point (stop hiding it)
• Marie Forleo's "everything is figureoutable" framework for handling rejection

Perfect for: Writers and creatives ready to trust themselves, anyone tired of playing it safe, people who want to lead conversations instead of following trends

Flodesk: Get 50% off your first year + unlimited subscribers (ends November 28th)

Show Notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/audacity-episode Newsletter: https://amandapolick.myflodesk.com/writinggold Connect: @amandapolick | amandapolick.com

What happens when nobody signs up for your class, but you leave it posted anyway? Sometimes, two months later, the exact right person finds it—and four years later, you're celebrating their debut cookbook launch.

Jannell Lo is a food creator and writer whose journey to publication defied every traditional publishing rule. She got her cookbook deal without an agent, through a cold email that led to a call with Penguin Random House Canada six weeks later. But between that email and her book launch this week, she raised $150K fighting anti-Asian hate through Dump the Hate, learned to write "hot garbage" instead of perfect prose, and discovered that creative processes don't have to be linear.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

Why platform building happens organically when you focus on work that matters to your community rather than trying to "build platform"

The book proposal elements that actually matter and how a solid proposal makes writing your manuscript exponentially easier

How to break free from rigid creative routines that kill your inspiration instead of nurturing it

Why getting a book deal is about mutual benefit not begging for an opportunity—publishers need you too

The "hot garbage" writing philosophy that helps authors actually finish their manuscripts

Perfect for: Aspiring cookbook authors, food writers, creative entrepreneurs, anyone stuck in perfectionism, writers building their platform, people looking to find their authentic creative process

About Jannell: Founder of My BF is GF blog, championing gluten-free Asian cuisine inspired by her Chinese-Canadian upbringing and her husband Reid's celiac disease. Former line cook (Hong Kong), pastry training (Montreal), catering manager (Toronto). Her debut cookbook My BF is GF: 100+ Asian-Inspired Recipes for Bringing People Together releases October 21.

Resources: mybfisgf.com | @mybfgf | Newsletter signup

Show notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/jannell-lo-episode

Instagram: @amandapolick

Book banning isn't new—it's a 2,000-year-old playbook designed to control what people know and think.

From Emperor Qin Shi Huang burning books in ancient China to 16,000 documented book bans in American schools since 2020, the pattern is always the same: those in power fear ideas that challenge their narrative. In this deep-dive episode, Amanda Polick traces the history of censorship from ancient Rome to the firing of Dr. Carla Hayden from the Library of Congress, revealing how book banning has always been about control, never protection.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• How the Catholic Church banned books for 400+ years
• Why Robin Hood was considered communist propaganda in the 1950s
• How 11 people filed 100 book challenges across different school districts targeting specific communities
• Why libraries and librarians are being criminalized for doing their jobs
• Concrete actions you can take to protect democracy through literacy and library support

Perfect for: Educators, parents, library advocates, democracy defenders, and anyone who believes in the power of free speech and open access to information.

Correction: It's noted in the episode that some states still have obscenity laws on the books, but all 50 states do. Amanda was referring to states that have recently used those laws to specifically threaten comedians.

Show notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/banned-book-episode

Instagram: @amandapolick

After 1955 days, Babe Cave is back with bold conversations about writing, publishing, and creative authenticity.

Host Amanda Polick returns from her journey as a cookbook and food memoir coach with a powerful message: nothing you create is ever really gone, and sometimes stepping away is exactly what you need to come back stronger. This comeback episode explores the messy truth about creative pivots, the danger of playing small, and why authentic boldness matters more than ever in the writing world.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why "failed" creative projects might just be waiting for the right moment
• How to stop being "plain yogurt boring" and show up authentically
• The real reason most conversations about writing and publishing feel stuffy and elitist

Perfect for: Writers, creatives, podcasters, and anyone who's ever stepped away from a project and wondered if they should come back to it.

Show notes: https://www.amandapolick.com/blog/welcome-back-episode

Instagram: @amandapolick

After 3 Seasons of conversations about the in-between things of life, Babe Cave is riding off into the sunset. In this final episode, Amanda Polick reflects on the journey that brought her and you here and shares her own next steps. Welcome to The Pivot Episode. >>> https://www.amandapolick.com

We spend a lot of time thinking about goals and end products and very little time on small wins — like acknowledging that a tiny shift might make the process work better. This week, Amanda shares words of encouragement for the ones who need to linger in the moment a little longer. Welcome to The Recognition Episode. >>> https://www.amandapolick.com

What do a train car full of strangers, a murder in a locked room and a tragic kidnapping all have in common? They're the central players of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Join me and my friend Jennifer as we share our unpopular opinions about this classic murder mystery. Don't kill the messenger, and welcome to The Babe Cave Book Club May 2020 Episode. >>> https://www.amandapolick.com

Sometimes, something sounds really good, but it's just not the right time for you to do it. Or an opportunity could present itself that's just not your vibe. We'll all been there. But what do you do when the person on the other side of the opportunity is CONVINCED that this thing is for you? How do you handle the guilt of saying no, while not violating your own desires? Some of it's easy, and some of it, not so much. Welcome to The Not For Me Episode. >>> https://www.amandapolick.com

In world of followers, likes and the ever-growing "need" to show everyone what you're doing and who you're with, it can leave you wondering if you're living your life or someone else's. This week, Amanda breaks down her decision to go dark on social media for the last 8 months, why she wanted to get back to her younger internet-free self, and how less consuming has led to more creating. Welcome to The Off Line Episode. >>> https://www.amandapolick.com