Every Soul Has A Story

Every Soul Has A Story® LIVE
With guest @meghan.riordan.jarvis @griefismysidehustle

Last night I texted Meghan at 9:30. I sensed like many of us she was wide awake. Processing. Grieving. Feeling. And providing support not only to her own family but her clients as well.

I wrote, “Are you feeling spontaneous?”

“What do you mean by that?” she replied.

I asked her if she’d jump on my Every Soul Has a Story LIVE podcast today. She said she wished she could but she’s booked solid. Then, a rainbow in this horrific storm, Meghan reached out to me literally an hour ago. 🌈

Truth be told, I was still in my pajamas. Feeling the heaviness. Feeling the collective grief. Feeling it all.

So I quickly ended a chat with a friend. Hung up the phone, threw on a shirt, and connected with this beautiful soul. 💜

I have endless questions. But I have no answers. I feel helpless—I know I’m not alone. And I want you to know you are not either.

I hope our conversation brings comfort and healing to your hearts. Meghan also demonstrated ways to connect with our bodies and identify the pain. And she shared other insights as well. Thank you, Meghan. You are a light in our world. 🙏

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Those circuit board games from the 80s—with all the wires and buzzers—are exactly what grief and trauma specialist Meghan Riordan Jarvis says her nervous system feels like right now. In this raw, spontaneous conversation recorded the day after the Uvalde school shooting, Meghan and host Dara Levan skip the platitudes and get real about helplessness, rage, and the physical weight of collective grief. A therapist who woke up at 5 a.m. with her nervous system overwhelmed, Meghan shares why your reaction to this tragedy is 100% appropriate, why "call your congressman" feels like too much right now, and how to actually be with your pain instead of dissociating through Netflix or food.

She leads listeners through a powerful body-based exercise using a "paint" visualization to locate tension, and reminds us that while we may feel frozen, the most important thing we can do is simply stay here—with ourselves, with our grief, and with each other.

0:00 - Impromptu episode on Uvalde
2:00 - Box breathing exercise
5:38 - Processing trauma and helplessness
8:13 - Dysregulation and the body
9:45 - Grief as a full-contact sport
13:28 - Accessing the emotional body
14:23 - Body scan and paint visualization
16:44 - Being with the pain
19:10 - Fight, flight, freeze, and connect
20:33 - Envy, anger, and processing emotions
22:11 - Dissociation and resisting feelings
23:05 - No right way to react
24:51 - Putting on your emotional oxygen mask
25:00 - Final thoughts and community

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://meghanriordanjarvis.com/

QUOTES:
"I show up with my adult self for my emotional child self and I hug it and I hold it. And I don't make any promises."
– Meghan Riordan Jarvis

"Every Soul Has a Story is about connecting community who are also hurting so we feel less isolated."
 – Dara Levan

For years, author and speaker Natalie Silverstein never told her mother she loved her—because those words simply weren't said in her Ukrainian immigrant household. In this raw, honest conversation, Natalie opens up about her complicated relationship with her mother, the painful years of her mother's decline, and the moment her mother finally started saying "I love you" before she passed away.

A first-generation American who grew up speaking Ukrainian at home, Natalie shares how the invasion of Ukraine has brought her parents' refugee story to the surface and shaped her understanding of intergenerational trauma. She also offers powerful advice on how to truly support someone in grief—from what not to say to why "what can I do to help?" is actually a burden. With warmth, wisdom, and a shirt that simply says "Be Kind," Natalie reminds us that hurt people hurt people, that grace is forgiveness plus mercy, and that every single one of us is doing the best we can with what we have.

0:03 - Intro and Saturday podcast
1:05 - Coffee talk and sugar preferences
3:26 - Mother's Day and all forms of mothering
4:18 - First Mother's Day without her mom
7:02 - Ukrainian roots and immigrant story
9:25 - Giving grace to difficult parents
11:57 - "Hurt people hurt people"
13:34 - Finally hearing "I love you"
14:37 - Speaking truth with kindness
18:59 - What NOT to say to grieving people
20:33 - How to truly show up for others
24:31 - People who run from grief
26:30 - Surprising people in positive and negative ways
29:22 - Trauma junkies and drama addiction
30:55 - Genuine kindness vs. performative help


•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://simpleactsguide.com/about-natalie/

QUOTES:

"Everything happens for a reason is one of the worst things you can say to someone grieving."
– Natalie Silverstein

"If your whole life never experiences pain, trauma, or loss, then in my opinion, you're living asleep."
 – Dara Levan

Every Soul Has A Story® with Robert Gwaltney. Dara Levan chats with Robert Gwaltney Jr. Author an advocate for early childhood literacy. Robert shared about his publishing journey, losing his sister at a young age, growing up as one of “four feral boys” in a small Georgia town, and balancing his writing life with a full-time job at Easter Seals of Atlanta. And we chatted about Robert’s stunning debut novel, “The Cicada Tree.”

This is our second conversation in three days. And the first ever Saturday morning EVERY SOUL HAS A STORY LIVE. We didn’t plan to chat twice. But the Universe had other plans.

A gracious, generous soul, Robert pivoted with me. Today’s connective conversation included laughter when my phone fell mid-recording! We decided our collective energy must just be that ebullient. 😂

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Some conversations are meant to be ephemeral—and for debut author Robert Gwaltney Jr., losing their first recorded interview became a beautiful lesson in impermanence. The bestselling author of The Cicada Tree joins Every Soul Has a Story for a Saturday brunch conversation about growing up a "peculiar boy" in Southwest Georgia, eavesdropping on Southern women from his childhood hallway, and finally publishing his debut novel at age 52 after always dreaming of being a writer.

A vice president at Easterseals who spent decades serving children and families, Robert shares how losing his sister to spina bifida at a young age shaped his life's work and his storytelling—and why his novel's 11-year-old female protagonist is a love letter to the Southern women who raised him. From the cruelty he endured as a queer kid in the 1980s to the liberating moment he found his authentic self at 23, Robert's journey reminds us that every soul has a story worth telling—even if some moments are only meant to exist in the ether.

0:03 - Intro and Saturday brunch
1:44 - Deathwish Coffee and rituals
4:24 - The lost interview and ephemera
6:54 - Ephemera and sacred moments
8:23 - Being an introverted Southerner
9:51 - Ambiverts and social spectrums
12:04 - Sister's passing and Easterseals
15:39 - Becoming a writer at 52
17:51 - Writing an 11-year-old girl's voice
19:35 - Looking for sisters through writing
20:41 - No greater truth than fiction
22:30 - Eavesdropping on Southern women
25:09 - Growing up with feral brothers
30:19 - Drum major and creative courage
34:06 - Gratitude for being peculiar
36:37 - Finding authenticity at 23
41:38 - Every day is a gift
43:08 - Final farewell

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://robertlgwaltney.com/

QUOTES:

"Writers, we are lurkers and we're eavesdroppers. We do feel comfortable on the branch, just watching the world."
– Robert Gwaltney Jr

"Every day is a gift. When people say 'I'm getting so old,' I say, 'Aren't you lucky?'"
 – Dara Levan

Dara Levan chats with Steven Rowley on Every Soul Has A Story® Podcast. They talk about grieving (humans and pets), overcoming challenges, rejection in publishing, and Steven’s passion for telling poignant, witty, and heartwarming stories.

Steven is the author of bestselling book LILY AND THE OCTOPUS, THE EDITOR, and his latest novel, THE GUNCLE. His writing has been published in twenty languages. His works are in development stages of being made into feature films.

Steven has worked as a freelance writer, newspaper columnist and screenwriter. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College.

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For years, Steven Rowley was called an overnight success—but the truth is, he was 45 when his first book was published, after two manuscripts that couldn't get off the ground and a near-self-publishing journey that only changed course at the last minute. The bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Guncle joins Every Soul Has a Story to talk about grief, humor, and the stories that balance both with surgical precision. He opens up about being rejected by his publisher after a massive bestseller, why he chose authenticity over formula writing, and how losing a close friend to breast cancer transformed what was meant to be a light comedic novel into a deeply moving exploration of childhood grief. From coming out in 1992 to getting married last year, from pet grief to the upcoming film adaptation of The Guncle (a big studio family film with an LGBTQ lead), Steven reminds us that every soul has a story—and that telling our truth is how we build empathy and humanity.

0:00 - Intro and tech difficulties
1:35 - Steven joins the conversation
3:29 - The Gunkel's origin story
4:50 - Auto fiction and writing about grief
7:05 - Lily and the Octopus and publishing journey
9:44 - The "overnight success" myth
12:13 - Rejection and emotional truth
14:05 - Second book rejected by publisher
16:12 - Choosing authenticity over formula
17:45 - Pet grief and losing Lily
21:42 - Losing a friend to breast cancer
25:21 - Keeping loved ones alive through characters
28:07 - Grant's lisp and humor with kindness
30:08 - Gay representation and stereotypes
33:29 - The Gunkel movie at Lionsgate
35:05 - Coming out in 1992 and 30 years of change
37:35 - Gratitude for living to see age 50
39:51 - Final thoughts and paperback release

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://stevenrowley.com/

QUOTES:

“I was called an overnight success, but people don't see the 15, 20 years of work that goes into putting yourself in a position where you can be seen as an overnight success."
– Steven Rowley

"We dehumanize people so easily. And yet it's harder to deny someone their humanity if you know their story."
 – Dara Levan

Every Soul Has A Story®. Dara Levan chats with author and blogger, Alison Hammer!

If you missed our conversation, you can watch it here! Alison and I chatted about balancing a full-time job and author life. We also discussed #jewishcommunity #jewishbooks and the power of stories that empower, educate, and lift up others. And “protecting the flame,” which is Alison’s mantra for 2022.

Alison is co-writing an upcoming book with @bradeighgodfrey, which will release in June! Check out their process and journey at @alibradybooks.

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Advertising lost a copywriter. The literary world gained a storyteller. Alison Hammer balances a full-time career as a Creative Director with being a multi-published author of You and Me and Us and Little Pieces of Me—and she's about to add co-author to that list with The Beach Trap, coming June 14th. In this conversation, Alison shares how she and her best friend Brady co-wrote a novel while living 1,500 miles apart, why "protect the flame" became her mantra after a crushing burnout, and how she's learned to say no to protect her creative energy. She also tackles the complex topic of writing diverse characters authentically, the rise of Jewish representation in fiction beyond Holocaust narratives, and why the only job of a first draft is to exist. From being on America's Funniest People as a teenager to selling a book on proposal with her co-author, Alison's journey proves that creativity doesn't have to come at the cost of your wellbeing—you just have to know when to protect the flame.

0:00 - Intro and Alison joins
1:30 - Alison's office and background
2:52 - Co-writing The Beach Trap
4:43 - Selling a book on proposal
5:50 - Collaborating across the country
7:19 - Creative director and copywriter
8:37 - Keeping work and writing separate
10:38 - "Protect the flame" mantra
13:36 - Avoiding burnout with boundaries
16:17 - The burnout photo on the cruise
18:23 - Jewish representation in fiction
22:05 - Write what you know vs. pushing boundaries
28:28 - America's Funniest People story
30:22 - Advice: finish the first draft


•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://www.alisonhammer.com/

QUOTES:
"If you're going to do representation, do it right and give them a voice and a history and a character arc."
– Alison Hammer

"You can learn so much by reading a book because it puts you in the shoes of another person."
 – Dara Levan

Every Soul Has A Story® LIVE episode with guest @maggiesmithwrites.​​​​​​​​
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Maggie is a former psychologist and CEO/founder of a national art consulting company. In 2017 she pursued her dream to become a full-time writer.​​​​​ Maggie is also the host of “Hear Us Roar," a podcast for the Women's Fiction Writers Association. ​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​
Her debut novel, TRUTH AND OTHER LIES, will be released next week. The novel is at its heart about how, at a formative age, young women often pattern themselves after someone older and seemingly wiser and how that choice can affect the trajectory of their lives.
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At 26, Maggie Smith opened a retail store in a mall—despite having never worked in retail or business. That fearless, "how bad can it be?" attitude would carry her through careers as a journalist, art gallery owner, PhD psychologist, and finally, debut novelist. Next week, her novel Truth and Other Lies launches—a story of three women, two secrets, and one lie that explores everything from feminism across generations to the complicated dance of mother-daughter relationships. In this conversation during Women's History Month, Maggie reveals how her own contentious relationship with her mother informed the novel's most difficult scenes, why she believes fiction's truth lies in psychological authenticity rather than plot, and how characters like her protagonist Megan Barnes helped her revisit what it felt like to be 25. With a cover designed to represent three women through flowing scarves, her book—and this interview—reminds us that women's stories matter, that friends are the family we choose, and that it's never too late to become who you were meant to be.

0:00 - Intro and tech difficulties
2:21 - Maggie joins the conversation
3:39 - Cover design and collaboration
6:07 - Art career and business journey
8:18 - Journalism, psychology, and writing
10:38 - Feminism across generations
13:36 - Mother-daughter relationships
17:54 - Writing difficult characters
19:40 - Going deeper with the "why" question
21:05 - The hardest thing you'll ever do
27:08 - Truth in fiction
29:57 - Friendship and "framily"
35:10 - Megan's journey to self-worth
38:08 - Writing ideas in the shower
40:25 - Final thoughts and launch

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://maggiesmithwriter.com/

QUOTES:

"Somebody should have told me how hard this was. When I said I was writing a novel, there should have been somebody that slapped my hand and said, do you know what that is?"
– Maggie Smith

"There are so many blessings and silver linings in having more life experience from which to draw upon."
 – Dara Levan

Every Soul Has A Story®. Dara Levan and Dara Kurtz discuss finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. A podcast episode on self-care, love, loss, life lessons and being grateful for everyday moments.

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0:00 - Double Dara intro
3:13 - Sending out 75 Valentine's cards
4:10 - Speaking to a sorority about self-love
5:52 - Breast cancer journey and self-discovery
7:33 - Breast cancer support and the "after"
9:39 - Who she was before vs. who she is now
11:50 - Losing her mom at 28 with a newborn
13:49 - Not judging others on their path
16:28 - Feeling emotions without being afraid
19:06 - Finding extraordinary in ordinary
23:45 - Toxic positivity and authentic gratitude
27:01 - Boundaries, saying no, and intentional living
29:50 - Books: I Am My Mother's Daughter and Crush Cancer
32:43 Connection and loving one another

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://crazyperfectlife.com/

QUOTES:

‘"We're on a polarity planet and you can't just take the highs without the lows."
– Dara Kurtz

"Awakening is painful—living with your eyes and heart wide open means letting in pain too."
 – Dara Levan

Gabi Coatsworth has been trying to figure out how America works—all while holding onto her British accent, her love of proper tea, and the belief that love never truly dies. In this heartfelt February conversation, the award-winning British-born author shares the story behind her memoir Love's Journey Home, a moving account of falling in love with her husband Jay at first sight in Copenhagen, walking away because he was married, reconnecting five years later, and ultimately returning to care for him when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer—only to fall in love with him all over again.

Gabi reveals why memoir isn't autobiography, how writing by hand unlocked memories she couldn't access through typing, and why the emotional truth of a story matters more than getting every fact perfectly straight. From barbershop quartets singing in hospital rooms to the voice of her late husband still guiding her, this conversation is a powerful reminder that love—in all its complicated, imperfect, enduring forms—is always worth writing about.

0:00 - Intro and month of love3:09 - Recording her audiobook
3:45 - British in America for 40 years
4:35 - The proper way to make tea
8:15 - The Crown and British secrets
10:14 - Fiction inspired by real life
13:19 - Memoir vs. autobiography explained
16:27 - How Gabi met Jay in Copenhagen
18:45 - Gabi's career in market research
19:53 - Reconnecting five years later
21:48 - Falling in love again during illness
25:28 - Love looks different at different phases
27:31 - Writing memoir by hand
29:50 - Love never dies
33:14 - Final thoughts and tea

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://gabicoatsworth.com/

QUOTES:

‘’If anybody here is thinking of writing a memoir, is start it by hand. Because when you're writing by hand, your brain has time to catch up with the words and bring back more stuff to your memory."
– Gabi Coatsworth

"Love looks differently at different phases.  So much happens on a page we can't just do in our heads."
 – Dara Levan

For 12 years, Dan Blank has been helping writers and creators share their work with the world—without the ick factor that makes so many authors cringe at the word "marketing." A self-described introvert who takes daily naps and thrives on routine, Dan has built a thriving business teaching authors how to develop platforms, launch books, and connect authentically with their ideal audiences. In this conversation, he shares how "document don't create" can transform your social media strategy, why giving yourself permission to mess up is essential for creativity, and how thinking about your audience as one person at a time makes putting yourself out there infinitely more approachable.

 From his morning writing routine to his weekly newsletter (sent every Friday for over 15 years), Dan reveals the systems that keep him grounded and productive. Whether you're a novelist terrified of self-promotion, a poet wondering how to find your readers, or any creator looking to share your work with more confidence, this episode will reframe how you think about platform-building—and remind you that your unique voice is your greatest asset.

0:00 - Intro and first podcast of 2022
1:36 - Dan's office and typewriter collection
5:04 - 12 years working with writers and creators
6:37 - Co-creation: the magic of art
7:06 - Who Dan works with and how
8:35 - Word-of-mouth business and referrals
9:55 - Introverts and marketing
11:40 - Superpowers, boundaries, and daily naps
17:56 - Deadlines as creative motivation
20:26 - Leaning into your strengths
23:38 - Creative success pyramid and systems
26:07 - Time blocking and daily routines
29:30 - Dan's art background and creative journey
32:38 - Document don't create
39:46 - Permission to mess up
45:11 - Favorite part of life and final advice
48:14 – Outro

•    https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
•    Website: daralevan.com3
https://wegrowmedia.com/

QUOTES:

I have always felt that you can create art just for you and not share it. And that's a wonderful thing. But if you do want to publish it or share it, to me, that's where art becomes complete."
– Dan Blank

"If I can impact one life, whether through every soul has a story here, whether it's through writing, photography, anything, then that's a life that's fulfilling and worth living."
 – Dara Levan

Dara Levan chats with author and blogger, Gabi Coatsworth on her memoir, "Love's Journey Home" and finding love the second time around.