Firestarters with Shannon Watts

(I write at length about many of the ideas below in my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age,” out now. Order this week get enrolled for free in Firestarter University, a year-long, online course starting in the Fall.)

It was so great to have a conversation with Katie Couric. We talked about the need for everyone to get off the sidelines, how increment steps forward lead to revolutions, and the importance of finding your people — all topics I explore in my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age.” Watch our replay above. And be sure you’re following Katie’s new Substack!

For women ready to stop living on autopilot and playing it small, Fired Up will show you how to shatter your self imposed limitations and unleash your potential so you can finally start living the life you’ve always wanted. Click to order.

"There has never been a more important time in our nation's history, or in the world, for women to figure out what it is they have to offer—their abilities, their values and their desires—and to bring those to the table. You deserve to leave a legacy. We all do."

In my first solo episode of this podcast, I’m bringing you behind the scenes of writing my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age,” I talk about the whole book writing process, including how the book came to be (hint: it involved a treadmill and Maria Shriver), the origins of the “fire” metaphor, and why I interviewed over 70 women and what they taught me.

If you’re listening in real time, pub day is tomorrow, June 17. You can get your copy at firedupbook.com and register your purchase to enroll in Firestarter University for free!

Thank you for all of your support. I’m so excited to get this book into your hands and to hear about your firestarting journeys.

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.

I loved this Substack Live conversation with Karen Walrond, an award winning author, speaker, leadership coach. Karen (who is sunshine personified) and I discuss why it’s important to embrace being an amateur, how community compassion can be an act of resistance, and why women need to banish their feelings of guilt for pursuing their desires. Be sure you’re following Karen’s Substack, the make light journal, and please enjoy the replay of our conversation.

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.

Watch the replay of my conversation with Susan Piver, bestselling author and founder of The Open Heart Project. We discuss why Bruce Springsteen is a big part of Susan’s story, her incredible life and career, how the book The Heart of the Buddha found her, and why resting your mind is crucial to creativity.

Susan is featured in my upcoming book Fired Up. Make sure you’ve ordered your copy, and that you’ve subscribed to Susan’s Substack.

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out on June 17, 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.

Watch the replay of my conversation with Katie Phang—prominent legal analyst, political commentator, and podcaster—about all the topics in my new book, “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age,” including the expectations of women in the public eye, how to handle the guilt that can come with motherhood and pursuing your desires, friendship in middle age, and the importance of sharing power at all ages. And be sure you’re following Katie’s Substack!

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out on June 17, 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.

“So I am silenced. I do not own my own truth. I do not own my own reality. I've had movies and miniseries made about me. I couldn't participate. I can't even tell you if they're accurate. I may never own my own voice, but I am going to make sure that other people do.”

Gretchen Carlson is a renowned journalist, a bestselling author, and now an internationally recognized advocate for women's rights in the workplace. Gretchen's life has taken so many twists and turns—from youth violinist to Miss America to journalist to women's rights advocate.

I was interested in learning more about how Gretchen navigated her non-linear journey. What propelled her forward? How did she keep going despite the difficulties she endured along the way? What obstacles did she face internally and externally, and how did she overcome them?

To read more about inspiring stories about Firestarters like Gretchen, preorder my book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age at firedupbook.com.

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.

Watch the replay of my conversation with Gretchen Rubin, author of “Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives,” for her inaugural Substack Live!

"Motherhood is the ultimate experience of caring for others. Beyond biological motherhood, as a mother, you create something new in this world, you care for our interconnectedness with each other, you are thinking about others just as much as you're thinking about yourself, if not more so."

Anna Malaika Tubbs is a powerhouse voice in the world of storytelling and social justice. She's a New York Times bestselling author with a focus on addressing gender and race issues in the United States, especially the pervasive erasure of Black women. Her debut book, The Three Mothers, re-centered the lives and legacies of the mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. And in her newest book, Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us, she brings together research, the stories of freedom fighters past and present, and her own experiences to explain the impact of American patriarchy.

During our conversation, Anna and I discuss how her mother's views on motherhood encouraged her to be an activist and feminist, how she turned her research and policy expertise into storytelling, and why she's focused on telling stories to help us understand that we don't see Black women as full human beings.

To read more inspiring stories from Firestarters like Anna, preorder my book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age at firedupbook.com.

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.

Watch the replay of my conversation with amanda haas. We discuss her journey from stay-at-home mom to single-mother entrepreneur, how she got (and is still getting) through the messy middle of her divorce and dealing with a chronic illness, and why it’s important for your kids to see you follow your desires, not just fulfill your obligations.

"I am a very heart-driven person. And as a woman you feel like you need to suppress that in certain spaces, or it can be belittled. I'm working on embracing and celebrating that that is exactly the kind of medicine I bring to this life—that curiosity, thinking, and expressing, but also a deep empathy that is powerful and not weak."

Jamia Wilson was born in America, the child of civil rights activists, but spent her formative years growing up in Saudi Arabia. Later, she returned to America, believing it to be both her calling and obligation to fight for the nation's promises to its citizens through her unique form of activism: writing. After becoming the first Black woman and youngest person to hold the job of executive director and publisher at the Feminist Press, Jamia moved to Random House where she mentors other authors and ensures diverse voices are elevated.

Jamia is out with her own book, Make Good Trouble: Discover Movements that Sparked Change, which combines her love of writing with activism by encouraging young readers to engage in democracy.

During our conversation, Jamia and I discuss what it was like to grow up as a Black child in another country and what it was like to return to America; how her parents’ activism and encouragement shaped her world view; and why, as an author, she’s so focused on connecting with younger generations of Americans. To read more inspiring stories from Firestarters like Jamia, preorder my book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age at firedupbook.com.

My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering, you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed.