Cruel Summer Book Club

In April 2025, I asked Decision Coach and former journalist Nell Wulfhart a big question: Should I quit my job to travel? Spoiler alert: I did! I'm traveling right now!

Listen to this episode to hear us discuss: What kind of questions do people use decision coaches for? Should I quit my job even if it's super scary? Am I financially safe to do so? And what do I actually want my one precious life to look like?

Writer and digital creator Lola Kolade manifested every single detail about the life she’s living now — and she wants to teach you how to do it, too. Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) talks to the inventor of Rat Girl Summer about her success on TikTok, embracing her identity as a writer, the quantum fields and the science behind manifestation, and how every single reality we can imagine is possible for us. Lola reminds each of us to “get off your ass, jiggle it a little bit, and go after what you want in life.”

Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

Follow guest Lola Kolade:

TikTok: @lolaokola

Instagram: @lolaokola

Magazine: lolaokola.substack.com

Podcast: The New New with Lola KoladeColoring book: Being Alive is Good, Actually: A Positive Affirmation Coloring Book For Adults

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

Website: jilliananthony.com

Instagram: @jillathrilla

Threads: @jillathrilla

Resources mentioned:

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Power Vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David R. Hawkins

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy

The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn

Clever Fox yearly planner

After a health scare at 24, writer, photographer, and artist Tatiana Gallardo decided to spend a year facing all of her fears. So she left the country, quit her job to go freelance, and decided to chronicle all her courageous endeavors in a newsletter called BrazenFace. Host Jillian Anthony (freelancer writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) asks Tatiana about her experience being a “coward in recovery,” and the two discuss digital nomad life, going alcohol-free, and what it means to live a fearless life.  

Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

Follow guest Tatiana Gallardo:

Newsletter: brazenface.substack.com

Portfolio: vividtatiana.com

Instagram: @vividtatiana 

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

Website: jilliananthony.com

Instagram: @jillathrilla

Threads: @jillathrilla

Resources mentioned:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Tombow markers

Muji fine-tip pens

Figma

It's Get Sh*t Done September! Host Jillian Anthony has been a writer for 13 years, and she's gathered a lot of tools and resources along the way. In this episode, she shares her ultimate tech stack, aka all the apps, programs, online communities, financial tools, and more that she uses to stay productive, get her work done, and create her art. Plus, she shares her Sunday routine that helps her organize her weekly tasks, fight off the Sunday Scaries, and get eyes on just how much she accomplishes every week.

Resources mentioned:

Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

It's August, our annual reminder to stop and smell the wildflowers. Host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) takes that literally. This is her third summer taking a monthlong sojourn away from her home base of Austin and spending August with friends, family, and nature. Jillian discusses how she has intentionally made August a month to say no to work and yes to travel, beauty, and connection — and how her life as a freelancer made that possible, year after year. This month, her only goal is to exist within the essence of August, the most fleeting month.

Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

Website: jilliananthony.com

Instagram: @jillathrilla

Threads: @jillathrilla

Comedian Zach Zimmerman knows a lot about success, and even more about rejection. The author of the essay collection Is It Hot in Here (or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth)? shares how he cold-pitched his way into the New Yorker and how he handles unruly audience members as a standup comedian. He and host Jillian Anthony (freelancer writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) talk about accepting rejection as part of making your art, dealing with difficulty family members, and how they both got broken up with on flights back from Europe. Plus, Zach shares a simple pep talk for pursuing your creative dreams: Nowhere is it written that you can't do it.

Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so we feel the love.

Follow guest Zach Zimmerman:

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Resources mentioned:

A friend gifted host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) her first Tarot deck when she was 31 — and it changed her life. Today, it’s her most nourishing personal and creative habit. She shares how Tarot helped her move through heartbreak, get to know her highest self, and tap into her intuition. She explains the basics of Tarot, shares some beginner spreads, and discusses how to start exploring Tarot as a way to connect with yourself and your creativity.

Jillian’s favorite part of Tarot is that there is no magic in the deck — the magic is in you. Are you ready to embrace it? 

Follow Cruel Summer Book Club on Spotify and Apple Podcasts now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners! 

Submit your question on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

Website: jilliananthony.com

Instagram: @jillathrilla

Threads: @jillathrilla

Resources mentioned:

Rider-Waite Tarot deck

Mystic Mondays Tarot deck

BiddyTarot.com

Modern Witch Tarot deck

Cat Tarot deck

OK Tarot: The Simple Deck for Everyone by Adam J.K.

Chani Nicholas astrology app

On the first edition of Dear Jilla, an advice column about art, life, and love, host Jillian Anthony (freelance writer and author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) answers a reader’s question about overcoming her fear of Cringe. Jillian talks through her own experiences with pushing past Cringe and offers concrete ways to get to know your deepest fears, befriend them, and eventually use them as powerful tools in your creative process. Cringe is about taking risks, embracing who you really are, and reaching your full potential. The Cringe in me sees the Cringe in you.

Follow/subscribe to Cruel Summer Book Club now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps me reach more listeners!

Submit your questions on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

Website: jilliananthony.com

Instagram: @jillathrilla

Threads: @jillathrilla

Resources mentioned:

Kyle Prue’s self-tape

The annoying act of telling people what you do by Cody Cook-Parrot

A Thing or Two: Cringe
Submit your question to Dear Jilla

Host Jillian Anthony (author of the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter) interviews author and podcast host Madeleine Dore about her many creative pursuits over the past decade. Dore takes us through the winding path of pursuing journalism, interviewing creatives for her newsletter, Extraordinary Routines, then writing her own book, I Didn’t Do the Thing Today. They discuss the tensions between productivity and creativity; the 10-year path to Dore’s first book (and her writing habits); and the importance of accepting your own creative process (and yourself). Plus, they talk about how personal projects can open important doors — even though they sometimes feel like a slog.

Dore’s best advice? “Just take the next step, and make it a very small step.”

Follow/subscribe to Cruel Summer Book Club now so you never miss an episode. And don’t forget to give Cruel Summer Book Club a five-star review — this really helps reach more listeners!

Submit your questions on art, life, and love to the Dear Jilla advice column.

Follow guest Madeleine Dore:

Newsletter: On Things

Book: I Didn’t Do the Thing Today

Podcast: A Social Life with Friends

Follow host Jillian Anthony:

Subscribe to the Cruel Summer Book Club newsletter

Website: jilliananthony.com

Instagram: @jillathrilla

Threads: @jillathrilla

Resources mentioned:

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Milanote

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Written Into Being workshop with Giselle Buchanan