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In this week’s episode, Elizabeth chats with Hannah Gordon, a writer, editor, and publisher who will be one of the panelists at our Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. The conversation digs into the power of writing for addressing challenging stories and how this informs whether you’re ready to write your memoir. It’s a very personal decision, but you may also need a coach to support you along the way. Both Elizabeth and Hannah offer coaching for memoir writers, so if this conversation resonates with you, you’re invited to reach out and connect. There’s also insight into the publishing world and process from Hannah’s experience in the industry.

Connect with Hannah:

@HR_Gordon (FB, IG, Threads, TikTok)

Website: https://hannahrgordon.com/

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

This week Elizabeth and Stephanie talk about the importance of investing in yourself as a writer. Find the rooms with people who are writing and moving their dream forward. When you put yourself in the right room you’ll be amazed at what happens. It’s only if you’re doing the work of writing you understand the challenges of what comes with the job. It’s not easy. Which is why you need to find your people and we offer spaces for you to show up and invest in your writing journey. If you’ve been following us for a while, you know how often we talk about the value of community. It’s what keeps us showing up each week for all of you. If you’re here, you’re part of our community and we’re so glad you’re here. We’re here to show you it’s possible. No matter what you’re writing, your work as a writer has value.

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

Elizabeth chats with Allison Lau, a ghostwriter and developmental editor for memoir and mission-driven nonfiction, about the memoir writing process and Allison’s love for helping writers discover their voice and the story that’s meant to be on the page. 

It’s a conversation that takes you deep into the memoir process and the value of inviting a developmental editor along with you. It’s a beneficial partnership for all writers to have a trustworthy set of eyes on your work. You can get so close and lost in your own work that you miss the details and pieces that connect with a reader. 

There’s no doubt it can feel incredibly scary to open yourself up to sharing your writing. Memoir, especially, is so deeply personal and it can take a lot to find someone you trust. After listening to this week’s episode, it just might be Allison Lau. You’ll find her to be so genuine and deeply passionate about the work she does. It’ll feel like you’re listening to a dear friend as you dive into her conversation with Elizabeth.

If you aren’t familiar with the different types of editors, this is an opportunity to understand the role of a developmental editor in your writing journey. When you hire a developmental editor, you’re looking for someone who will help you mold and shape your story. It’s not the person pulling out the red pen to mark up every inch of your work. That would be your line editor and these days it’s usually not the red pen but comments in the margins on your Word doc. 

So, there’s really nothing to stress about when hiring a developmental editor. It’s someone who has your best interest at heart, and if you’re not feeling this then you’re not working with the right person. You want to feel like you’re sitting down with a dear friend. Your writing is important to you and finding someone who can help shape it into the best possible story for readers will be incredibly beneficial. 

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

Stephanie here. I’m solo for this week’s episode. 

Do you feel like a lot of writing advice doesn’t work for you?

For example, have you tried to read & complete The Artist’s Way and you couldn’t finish. Or, the advice to do your morning pages everyday when you first wake up, before anything else, stresses you out. Then you spiral into thinking you’re not a “good enough” writer because you don’t do morning pages like everyone in your writing group keeps talking about. 

If so, I can absolutely relate. 

After reading ADHD for Smart Ass Women by Tracey Otsuka, my entire perspective on building a writing life shifted. It was as if I’d stumbled across the fountain of inspiration & affirmation for someone, like me, with a brain that I know works differently, and now I have tools and a plan for what’s next.

I came to the realization I’d been trying to fit my writing into a system that’s meant for someone with a standard brain.

Have you felt this too?

I discovered I’d been so conditioned by the larger system I grew up in to believe that writing is done in one particular way.

Has this stopped you in your tracks with your writing too?

It feels so frustrating to have taken this long in my life, having turned 50 in August, to come to this realization.  

But, there’s magic & beauty in it too. Now I’m fired up to do things differently and embrace the strengths of my brain. I want the same for you too, if you identify at all as having an ADHD brain, let’s chat! 

I’m offering the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program.    

It’s about getting you to a messy first draft so you can move on to the next step.

The first draft is the hardest. You probably have so many first drafts in your Google Drive or wherever you store your writing. I can relate. I find it helpful to have multiple drafts going at one time, but it’s getting one of them to the finished stage that is often the most challenging.

Let’s change that. I’m on my way. Are you with me?

Listen to this week’s episode where I dig into writing with an ADHD brain and why coaching is a highly recommended step for getting that dopamine hit for your brain of getting to DONE. 

If you’re curious about the details of my coaching program you can find them here. 

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

When you listen to this episode and learn about the 10 Secrets to Finding Your Way as a Writer we’ve gleaned from mining through our podcast episodes, you’ll quiet your inner critic and discover you’re exactly where you need to be.

We invite you to explore the following episodes that connect to each of the 10 Secrets we reveal in this episode: 

#10: Episode 68, Episode 86

#9: Episode 97

#8: Episode 13, Episode 64, Episode 87

#7: Episode 10, Episode 77

#6: Episode 8, Episode 85

#5: Episode 78

#4: Episode 94

#3: Episode 4, Episode 56

#2: Episode 80, Episode 89

#1: Episode 42

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

In this episode, Memoir Writing Coach, Elizabeth Wilson, discusses Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, All the Way to the River: 

• Why All the Way to the River sparked mixed reactions from readers and why those reactions matter for memoir writers
• How relying on a linear structure can strain a memoir when multiple themes (addiction, grief, love, death) are competing for attention
• Signs a memoir might benefit from a thematic structure instead of heavy backstory
• The difference between showing lived experience and telling the reader how to interpret it
• Why withholding emotions and bodily reactions creates distance between the writer and the reader
• How self-help interruptions, poetry, or artwork can weaken a memoir if they don’t deepen emotional understanding
• The importance of trusting the reader even when your story invites judgment
• How controlling the reader’s perspective can signal lingering codependency or fear of being disliked
• What it means to be “ready” to write a memoir, and the red flags that suggest more time or distance is needed
• Why relatability comes from emotional truth, not shared circumstances
• Common memoir pitfalls even bestselling authors can fall into
• Practical reminders for memoir writers about vulnerability, structure, and emotional access

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

It’s something you’re encouraged to do at the end of each year.

Do you have to do it?

Well, it’s really up to you.

And it doesn’t have to look the same as what everyone else is doing.

In this week’s episode, we share some of our strategies for reflecting on where we’ve been and where we’re going.

You’ll hear about Elizabeth Wilson's annual journal review.

Stephanie Oswald shares about the importance of celebrating, even the small moments, after a year of curve balls. 

It’s amazing how easy it is to forget about what you’ve accomplished. 

Maybe take some time to review your photos.

Skim through your calendar.

Look at your journal.

Whatever method you use to keep track of important thoughts or moments. 

You’ve done amazing things this past year, and even if you’ve had some tumbles, you’re back on your feet and taking the next step.

So, when you look back, what did you learn about yourself from this year?

What are you ready for this year?

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

Stephanie Oswald chats with guest, Hannah Davis, about marketing your book. It's marketing advice that you can fit into your author life. There are many great insights and actions items for authors. The discussion covers everything from how to show up on social media to the importance of your email list.

Hannah Davis is a marketing strategist and website designer for authors who want to sell more books without sacrificing writing time for posting burnout.

With her 5+ years of marketing knowledge, she wants to help authors make their storytelling prowess their marketing superpower.

When Hannah isn’t designing websites or sending GIF-infused email newsletters, you can find her in the PNW writing or reading a book.

Connect with Hannah

Website
Instagram

Here are some freebie gifts to our audience from Hannah:

A year's worth of newsletter ideas

A book launch content planner

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

Elizabeth Wilson chats with Julie Sedler about whether or not it's normal to have so many emotions when you're writing and editing your memoir. Julie Sedler was our guest, about a year ago, for  Episode 59, when she talked about the importance of knowing why you're writing your memoir.  
Elizabeth Wilson has been editing her memoir and experiencing big emotions. Julie Sedler confirms it's normal and walks through her journey to publishing her own memoir emphasizing that you've written your memoir because it is meant to be impactful.

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Send us a text

Stephanie Oswald chats with author, Lindsay Rice, about her book Birdenwheel:

"BIRDENWHEEL features an ensemble cast of Deadheads in the 1990s who follow the iconic rock band, The Grateful Dead on their summer tour."
You can find the full book description on Lindsay Rice's website here. 

It was such a fun conversation. 

Stephanie first met Lindsay at her book release party in Salida, CO because the Grateful Dead cover band, Roundhouse Assembly, was playing and since following the Grateful Dead is the foundation of the book it had piqued Stephanie’s curiosity. 

Lindsay describes her novel as a braided narrative that weaves together the lives of her characters as they follow the Grateful Dead. 

You’ll have to listen to discover a unique poetry technique Lindsay used to creatively weave the music of the Grateful Dead into her novel. 

There’s a lot packed into this episode from what inspired her characters to how she decided to self-publish. 

At the end of the conversation, Lindsay offers great advice for new writers with the encouragement to keep writing:

" Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. I think writing is a practice and however it works for you, whether it is isolating yourself or it's doing it every single day in a journal, just develop your own practice of writing and be in a community too. I've also had a lot of writing dates with people. I had writing partners over the years where we would just meet and we would either write for 10, 15 minutes and then check in and then we do it again."

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

Stay until the end of the episode to learn about our Virtual Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. 

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

Apply to join the Finish Your First Draft in 90 Days program here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads