Created Creative Podcast

Meet Suzanne Searcy Johnson: writer, poet, simplicity coach, new podcaster, and resident of an Austin-area tiny-home agrihood. We're talking about 120 homes built around an organic farm, where Suzanne leases her land, uses community amenities, and has access to farm stands, a community garden, and optional social activities. It's the kind of intentional community that makes you want to immediately research real estate options.

Suzanne has written multiple books including A Vital Simplicity (based on Charles Wagner's 1895 classic The Simple Life), Beyond Decluttering, and Sixty Candles. And here's what makes her perspective so compelling: Decluttering alone didn't bring her peace.

What actually worked? Recovery. And four essential connections: nature, other people, spirituality, and inner creativity and intuition. When those four things were in place, she stopped bringing excess into her life in the first place. Because the real problem was never the stuff. It was what the stuff was filling.

Suzanne shares her writing process, her favorite creators, and then gets coached by Dawn on a delicious creative dilemma: finish her "My Grown-Up Gap Year" book or pursue a novella that's been calling to her?

This episode is for anyone who's tried decluttering and still felt like something was missing—and anyone ready to explore what simplicity actually looks like when it starts from the inside out.

LINKS:

Learn more about Suzanne: https://suzannesearcyjohnson.com/

Get Dawn's coaching! bigpicturebigpurpose.com

00:21 Garage Door Wins

00:56 Small Town Safety

02:31 Meet Suzanne

03:29 Why Austin Agrihood

04:25 Life in the Community

05:39 Heat and Tiny Home Comfort

06:28 Farm Stand and Garden

07:55 Events Without Pressure

08:36 Buying and Leasing Setup

10:08 Tiny Home Tour Details

10:54 Books and Vital Simplicity

14:12 Beyond Decluttering Journey

17:15 Connection Over Consumption

18:43 Spiritual Connection Benefits

19:26 Integrity and Inner Voice

19:58 Writing Beyond Decluttering

22:00 Nature Walks for Inspiration

22:43 Book Timelines and Style

23:44 Favorite Creators and Books

25:33 Building a Weekly Podcast

26:39 Coaching Through Book Blocks

28:52 Publicity Timing and Launch Load

31:18 Connection First Networking Story

Dawn and Ruth welcome Rev. Dr. Yolanda Denson-Byers, senior pastor at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Edina and author of See Me, Believe Me, a book written to name the common experiences of racism and discrimination faced by clergy of color in predominantly white congregations. Now in its second edition and widely used, the book centers the crucial distinction between intent and impact. Because good intentions don't cancel real harm.

Yolanda shares her Holy Spirit-led writing process, her promotion strategies (including how alma maters can be powerful amplifiers), and why spirituality and creativity are simply inseparable for her. She describes her creative worship practices, all proof that worship itself can be a radical creative act.

The episode closes with Dawn coaching Yolanda on her next book: a more tender, story-based project that requires a different kind of courage. They talk about how courage grows in small steps, the "ish" mindset for artists, and the sacred question of what you choose to share and what you keep close.

This episode is for anyone who needs permission to try the unlikely thing, name the hard truth, or take the next small brave step toward something that matters.

LINKS:

Have a business idea and want to get it moving? Join Dawn's Discern by Doing for Business Course. A new group is starting now: https://bigpicturebigpurpose.lpages.co/discern-by-doing-for-business/

00:23 Grant Win Story

01:22 Broadway Near Miss

02:52 Seminary Sold News

03:32 Seminary Memories

06:40 Guest Intro Setup

07:42 Meet Pastor Yolanda

08:27 Why She Wrote Book

11:17 Spirit Led Writing

12:50 Intent Versus Impact

16:04 Publishing Proposal Path

18:06 Finding Your Voice

21:16 Promoting The Book

22:23 Promotion Without Competition

23:04 Alma Mater Amplifiers

23:49 Favorite Creative Spotlight

24:58 Spirituality Fuels Art

27:41 Pentecost Worship Experiments

31:52 Pray Without Ceasing

33:33 Courage Builds Creativity

35:16 Ish Mindset for Artists

38:35 Next Book Coaching Session

41:41 Rituals and Accountability

45:20 Tenderness and Consent

45:58 Final Thanks and Sendoff

Dawn and Ruth welcome Pastor Sarah Jones, program director of the ELCA's Church Property Resource Hub, launched March 2025. Sarah's doing some of the most important and emotionally complex work in the church right now: helping congregations navigate the grief of underused or ill-fitting buildings and find new life on the other side.

Here's what makes Sarah's work so compelling: She's not just talking about real estate decisions. She's talking about the messy cocoon stage of transformation. The grief, the loss, the uncertainty that comes when a congregation has to reimagine what their building is actually for. That's not a spreadsheet problem. That's a pastoral one.

Sarah shares beautiful success stories: a neurodivergent school sharing space with a congregation, a church house repurposed for family visitation. She emphasizes moving away from membership growth as the main metric and toward community impact, because a building that serves the neighborhood might matter more than one that serves only Sunday morning regulars.

Her practical advice? Clarify your mission first. Then invite local stakeholders to tour your space. Build partnerships before you desperately need them.

This episode is for anyone navigating institutional change, letting go of what was, and wondering what comes next.

LINKS:

The Church Property Resource Hub: https://www.elca.org/how-we-serve/churches-and-church-leaders/property-resources

Check out Discern by Doing for Business with Dawn Trautman! https://bigpicturebigpurpose.lpages.co/discern-by-doing-for-business/

Clergy Appreciation Month is October! Order a ConseCrate for your favorite minister here: consecrate.cratejoy.com

00:42 Finding Common Ground

02:34 Church Connections

03:17 Episode Setup

00:02 Meet Pastor Sarah

05:14 Hub Origin Story

07:01 What The Hub Does

08:33 Grief Before Change

09:47 Community Asset Mindset

11:49 Faith Language Tools

12:35 When Churches Reach Out

14:09 Beyond Growth Metrics

16:36 Bible Study Resource

17:08 Church With Too Much Space

17:54 Mission First Then Invite Community

20:59 Who To Bring In

22:01 Vincennes Family Visitation House

24:08 Daytona School Partnership

26:46 Future Church As Community Hub

28:20 Field Trips And Examples

29:05 Marketing The Good Futures Game

31:14 Lead With Grief And Hope

34:08 You Are Not Alone

Dawn and Ruth are ACTUALLY AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR and this episode is pure joy. They kick things off debating corn on the cob textures (very important), sampling falafel and navigating the beef-heavy food options, and getting complimented on their outfits within minutes of arriving. Then someone from Dawn's Indiana school days recognizes her in the crowd because the Great Minnesota Get-Together really does bring everyone together.

They dive into the sacred traditions: Princess Kay of the Milky Way butter sculptures (yes, they carve life-size butter heads of royalty), including a story about someone who actually ATE a carved butter head at a graduation party. They watch bovine judging with appropriate commentary, and critique the 4H musical choreography, which was apparently overly ambitious for a 10-day rehearsal process. Points for effort though.

But here's where it gets really good: In the Creative Arts building, they run into John Munson of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic fame. Who won fifth place in the bread competition. They take photos, they fan-girl appropriately, and they immediately invite him to be on the podcast.

Because creativity really is EVERYWHERE at the Minnesota State Fair, from butter sculptures to bread competitions to rock stars in the Creative Arts building.

Pro tip from Dawn and Ruth: Go midweek for smaller crowds. You're welcome.

This episode is pure Minnesotan joy from start to finish, and proof that the best creative inspiration sometimes comes from the most unexpected places.

00:00 Welcome to the Fair

00:29 Corn on a Stick Debate

01:33 Great Get Together Run In

02:10 Why We Came Back

02:46 Butter Sculpting Legends

04:25 Bovine Judging Commentary

04:51 4H Musical Reactions

06:15 Semisonic Celebrity Sighting

07:36 Bread Prize Plot Twist

10:18 Fair Reflections and Food

13:02 Creativity Everywhere Finale

Dawn and Ruth kick things off with State Fair anticipation (Minnesota, obviously), late summer updates from New York City, outdoor concerts, forest school prep, a son's backpacking trip to Yosemite, and taking another child to NDSU. Summer is winding down in the best possible way.

Then they welcome Victoria Hoppes, a children's and youth ministry staff member in Indianapolis who writes, bakes, and tap dances, because creative outlets aren't a luxury for ministry leaders, they're a necessity.

Victoria shares her delightful State Fair baking life: entering the Indiana State Fair's open arts and culinary competitions, selecting and tweaking recipes, using her church community as taste testers (best congregation perk ever), and submitting entries without needing county-level wins first. She's earned honorable mention ribbons and once won $15. She's basically living the dream.

But then the conversation shifts to something really practical: How do you build a volunteer culture around a large, highly decorated VBS week? Victoria's strategies are gold—building genuine relationships before you need anything, offering take-home kits that make volunteering feel manageable, and sharing stories and photos that make people want to be part of something meaningful.

The episode closes with Dawn coaching Victoria on restarting her Substack by September 30 and identifying potential publishers for her writing.

This episode is for ministry leaders who need permission to pursue creative outlets AND practical strategies for building the volunteer culture that makes ministry actually sustainable.

00:16 State Fair Traditions

01:00 New York Summer Stories

03:03 Outdoor Gear and Adventures

03:47 Backpacking and Big Changes

05:58 State Fair Plans and Guest Intro

07:14 Meet Victoria Hoppes

08:46 Creativity Beyond Ministry

11:22 Entering the State Fair

14:39 Recipes and Test Kitchen

16:32 Judging and Ribbon Keepsakes

18:54 Baking as Self Care

19:35 Landing Writing Gigs

21:59 VBS Creative Build

24:08 Recruiting Volunteers

29:14 Inspired by Kids

30:51 Publishing Under Your Name

35:19 Substack Deadline

37:14 Wrap Up and Farewell

We Took a Slow Summer and We're Not Sorry About It

Dawn and Ruth are back, a little sun-kissed and finally figuring out their recording software (only took all summer, but who's counting?). They're calling it a "slow summer" and honestly? We should all be taking notes, because the creative recharge is REAL.

Ruth’s been holding down the fort at church through a heavy season of funerals and pastoral care — because ministry is beautiful and also absolutely exhausting, and now she's got a full fall lineup brewing: revamped confirmation, chair yoga (yes, really, and we are here for it), new Bible studies, and the return of the beloved "Dinners for Eight" to get people actually talking to each other in person again. Revolutionary concept, apparently.

Meanwhile, Dawn has been deep in the absolute labyrinth that is New York City school applications *for a THREE-YEAR-OLD* and came out the other side with a forest school pick that has flexible scheduling and scholarship support. She's also going full curious-mom mode on homeschooling, worldschooling, and what "woke homeschooling" actually means (spoiler: it's more interesting than the discourse would have you believe).

They also survived a chaotic, delayed trip to Indianapolis, shout out to community support and sensory rooms, and have big plans for filming at the Minnesota State Fair because of COURSE they do.

Join our Patreon and be part of our creative community: https://patreon.com/u11072417?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

00:18 Slow Summer Catch Up

00:31 New Recording Software

01:30 Creative Work and Funerals

01:58 Fall Plans at Church

03:33 Forest School Decision

07:13 Homeschooling and Off Peak Life

10:20 1990s Summer Vibes

10:49 Travel Chaos to Indianapolis

12:53 Airport Meltdown Moment

14:06 Finally Making Indy Work

15:06 Sensory Room Survival

16:57 State Fair Plans Ahead

17:30 Fall Work and Speaking

17:56 Woke Homeschooling Deep Dive

21:39 Unschooling Questions and Rules

23:06 Podcast Return and Farewell

Dawn's calling in from Barcelona, where she's living the slow travel dream with her young daughter through a nearly free apartment swap. They're doing neighborhood life, playgrounds, homeschooling, and Dawn's managing remote work across a six-hour time difference.

Dawn shares Barcelona gems: the 1992 Olympics legacy, imported Egyptian sand for the beaches, Gaudí's unfinished World Heritage basilica that's still under construction, intense regional pride and dialect, a youth soccer system that puts American sports parents to shame, and Mount Tibidabo's real-life connection to Friends (yes, really).

But then Ruth shares something vulnerable: a six-to-eight-week relationship that ended abruptly after her birthday. During that season, she created almost nothing. Then afterward? She wrote prolifically, turning that experience into something beautiful.

This becomes the heart of their conversation: seasonality in creativity. Sometimes you're in Barcelona discovering joy in slow mornings and new neighborhoods. Sometimes you're processing heartbreak and can barely write a grocery list. Both seasons matter. Both serve the creative process.

They talk about making room for joy, trusting that creativity will return when it's ready, and how Ruth's essay-based book project with Paul keeps evolving.

LINKS: We'd love to have you becoming a patron! Support this podcast and stories of creativity: patreon.com/u11072417

00:00 Soap Opera Opener

00:09 Apartment Swap Spain

01:25 Slow Travel Life

03:05 Homeschooling Abroad

03:44 Remote Work Time Zones

04:28 Barcelona Fun Facts

06:54 Spain Reflections

08:09 Birthday Date Twist

11:49 Joy and Seasonality

13:41 Book Project Update

17:10 Summer Creativity Plans

21:25 Wrap Up Make Room

(The audio ended abruptly on this episode but we are posting what we have - please check out Brian's music - he is amazing!!)Dawn and Ruth open the Created Creative podcast by celebrating Ruth’s birthday, discussing Memorial Day and a graveside service involving ashes finally buried after 12 years, then Dawn shares attending a live meeting about a world-schooling organization offering furnished apartments, Finnish-system schooling, and community in multiple countries on three-month cycles. They introduce an interview with Brian, a singer-songwriter, author, and chaplain in Fort Wayne, Indiana, whom they know from Youth Encounter. Brian describes starting songwriting in college, releasing CDs, then taking a 20-year break due to life demands and discouragement, before returning during COVID after mentoring a young songwriter and joining an online workshop. He built a practice of writing and publicly posting a completed song every Monday, producing 59 songs in a year, refining his lyric-focused storytelling voice; one song, “Threadbare,” was published in American Songwriter. He now prioritizes relational engagement over chasing streams while preparing an EP.

Join Created Creative Podcast's Patreon: patreon.com/u11072417

Learn more about Brian Spahr's music: https://brianspahrmusic.com/home

Here is the link to the crowdfunding page https://threadbarecreative.com/welcome-to-struggleville-junction

And here is the playlist of "Threadbare Songs"

https://untitled.stream/library/project/zL0z4lXtFXsrf03Aguv3P

00:00 Songwriting Rhythm Breakthrough

00:21 Birthday Banter and Holidays

00:50 Memorial Day and Veterans

01:17 Twelve Year Ashes Story

03:01 Spain Update and Worldschooling Pitch

04:12 Choosing Countries and Timing

05:56 Closed System Schooling Explained

06:46 Introducing Brian Interview

07:13 Brian in Fort Wayne

07:42 Wildwood Studio in Brooklyn

08:29 Pastor to Chaplain Career Path

09:06 Youth Encounter Team Days

09:52 Catching Up With Tammy

10:21 Songwriting Origins

11:09 Music Industry Shifts

12:00 Why He Stopped Writing

13:02 COVID Spark Returns

14:55 Monday Song Challenge

16:54 Finding His Voice

19:51 Validation Versus Streams

21:28 Relational Music Making

22:53 Making Time To Create

23:50 Advice For The Hiatus

24:48 Closing Thanks And Links

Dawn and Ruth are shifting Created Creative to every other week episodes. Why? Running a top 5% podcast (yes, our humble little podcast is in the top 5% in the world) comes with an admin and editing load that’s getting heavy, and they need help.

They're asking listeners to join their Patreon to help hire support and keep the show ad-free. In return, patrons get to join monthly "Created Creative Conversations" for community and coaching. They explore why people pay to belong to communities like NPR, churches, and yoga studios, while acknowledging how weird it feels to ask for support for less tangible creative work.

But here's the core message: Creative projects are allowed to change. Rigid rules choke creativity, and "the magic is in the pivot"—as long as you communicate openly instead of just quitting.

Dawn and Ruth model this beautifully, sharing life updates that show them both pivoting: funerals and sermon writing, painting projects, planning for Spain, and decluttering goals.

This episode is for anyone who's felt guilty about changing direction on a creative project, or who thinks pivoting means failure. It doesn't. Sometimes the magic happens precisely when you're brave enough to adjust course and keep going, don't cha know.

Because the opposite of quitting isn't sticking rigidly to the original plan—it's staying curious enough to let your project evolve.

LINKS: Join our Patreon: patreon.com/u11072417

00:00 Magic In The Pivot

00:21 Why We Need Patreon

01:14 Community Membership Mindset

02:24 Patron Perks And Coaching

03:49 Changing The Rules

05:23 Life Updates And Sermons

07:31 NYC Plans And Kid Crafts

09:09 Decluttering Ten Percent

11:03 Asking For Support Feels Weird

12:02 Pivot Advice And Wrap Up

What do you do when you have no ashes the night before Ash Wednesday? You burn something, of course. And then twenty years later, you write a novel about it.

That's exactly what happened to novelist Thomas Maltman, who teaches at Normandale Community College, is married to a Lutheran pastor, and has four novels under his belt, including Ashes to Ashes (currently in Minnesota Book Award contention).

The real-life Ash Wednesday mishap became the premise for his latest book: What if the ashes wouldn't wash away? What if this happened in a small town? How would people react? That's how you turn an awkward church moment into compelling fiction.

Dawn and Ruth also dive into Thomas's writing process. He shares his morning routine, drafting by hand with full permission to "write badly," then revising through typing, printing, and reading everything aloud. He talks about the value of writing community, headphones, and why you should always start new projects during those long publishing waits.

This episode is for writers, obviously, but also for anyone who's ever wondered how real life becomes story. Because sometimes the best fiction starts with the moments that make you think "you can't make this stuff up."

LINKS: Join our Creative Community and support this podcast by joining our Patreon: patreon.com/u11072417

00:21 Springtime City Vibes

01:15 Confirmation Walk Treats

02:12 Botanic Garden Learning

02:59 Meet Thomas Maltman

04:56 Ashes to Ashes Origin

09:22 Writing in the Morning

10:23 Publishing Without an Agent

12:09 Writing Anywhere Tools

14:14 Finding Readers Today

17:29 Long Form Comeback

17:52 Start Small Write Rough

18:46 From Journal To Draft

20:39 Living In Story Worlds

23:21 Embodiment And Truth

24:50 Writing For Love Not Money

26:48 Favorite Creators And Community

27:58 Fantasy Roadblocks Coaching

29:56 Find Your Genre Audience

32:02 Gargoyles To Novellas