This week’s episode is focused on confidence and the power of knowing that it doesn't matter. I’m joined by Christine Ajisafe, self-love expert, business coach, transformation queen, and soul igniter.

Christine gives you permission to feel inspired by your own ideas, to be turned on, and to be excited! It’s your reminder that you have the key to unlock your own unique magnetism.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

Christine Ajisafe defines creativity as your connection with your turn on and emphasizes that many of the obstacles we face are self-imposed. She reminds you that true confidence comes from realizing these obstacles don't actually matter.

When you feel an idea taking shape in your body, that’s the energy to follow! Christine tells you about her creative blocks and how she moves them out of the way with commitments like going live for 30 days, even if it’s at one in the morning.

Showing up is how you move forward, rather than waiting for the day when you “feel ready”, Christine gives you permission to do it afraid, and you can do it alongside her in the Embodiment Experiment

What are you giving yourself permission to create, share, or do after listening to this episode? Leave a comment on Substack or tag us on IG @chefcarlacontreras & @christineajisafe to share with us.

xo Carla

PS: My mission is for you is to use your voice, share your work, and step into your fullest expression of who you already are through your content! Join Press Publish Club

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

“What ways do you want to be visible in 2025? ” —Carla Contreras

As I close out 2024, I am getting honest with myself about the milestones I hit in this past year. I received awards and recognitions that I would have encouraged my clients to share across all social media platforms, but didn’t.

What I’ve learned this past year as a content creator is that even when you think you are hiding, your work is still visible especially, if you have the courage to press publish. This episode sparked an idea that's been simmering.

Press Publish Club is the space for you to be in community with fellow courageous creatives + entrepreneurs. Join us before Monday January 6th and get a bonus 30-minute Content Strategy Session (worth $150.00). Press Publish Club

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

This episode is an invitation for you to get visible, for you to show up fully, as my previous podcast said.

I tell you about the behind the scenes of my own content creation and invite you to think about how you’ve been both visible and invisible in 2024.

Maybe you might feel the safety of hiding from the big audiences or staying off of social media when there’s an influx of comments to respond to.

But the work still has a life of its own in these digital spaces. And people see it, celebrate it, and feel inspired by it on the other side of the screen.

You’re invited to respond to the journal prompts below and if you need support join us inside Press Publish Club

What ways were you visible in 2024?

What ways were you invisible in 2024?

What ways do you want to be visible in 2025?

Do you need support in doing that? What is going to make you feel more confident in being visible?

What’s your visibility plan for 2025? Leave a comment on Substack or send me a DM @chefcarlacontreras to share your visibility journey with me

xo Chef Carla

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

This conversation focuses on nourishment. I’m joined by my dear friend Layla Khoury-Hanold, a James Beard Award nominated journalist, freelance food and travel writer, and author.

Layla shares how she honors her appetite and nourishes herself in a way that is true and that aligns for her. She invites you to fill your cup first and gives you inspiration to make space for your creative process.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

Layla shares her definition of creativity which she believes is something that is constantly evolving. She gives us a look into her creative process which includes: Research, daydreaming, or putting writing blocks in her calendar.

She gives us a real life example as a parent, partner, and business owner of what has to give in order to support her creative time. Layla is clear about her priorities and asks for help with dinner and releases the responsibility of figuring out the after school schedule for her daughter.

Layla surrounds herself with other writers who understand the ups and downs of the creative process. She’s familiar with the isolating feelings that can come with creation. She prioritizes being in spaces where she feels less alone on her creative journey.

Topics Covered:

Satisfying your appetite for life and getting intentional about how you nourish your creative energy 

Reframing the need to “earn” creative time or be worthy enough to dedicate time to creative projects 

Refilling your cup for yourself vs refilling your cup for others. Read Layla’s essay on refilling your cup on Mother Untitled here

Building your creative community of people who get what you’re going through

How are you nourishing your creativity? Leave a comment on Substack or DM us on IG @chefcarlacontreras & @words_with_layla.

xo Carla

PS: Dreaming of starting your own Substack? Listen to this podcast about building your new digital home on Substack here

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

We made it to episode 100! I am so grateful for you tuning in and listening to this podcast whether it’s your first episode or 100th. I’m celebrating this milestone with a special repeat guest who will remind you that you are part of something larger.

I’m joined by Sofia Adler, an energy worker and certified mindful meditation teacher. Sofia works with a variety of energetic modalities that help you connect back to yourself, the land, and the universe.

Tune in as Sofia and I explore the many ways that energy can support you, your creativity, and your life force. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

Sofia Adler defines creativity as connecting to the universal life force and remaining open to the infinite possibilities of what can be created. When approaching creativity with the belief that anything can be created, our capacity for abundance expands.

Sofia blends a variety of energetic modalities to help people heal and reconnect with themselves, others, and the universe. She shares examples of how she uses this energy inside of her own business too, to spark ideas and channel language that helps her connect to her ideal clients.

Sofia tells us how she nourishes her creativity by doing nothing, stepping back, and journaling. When she gives the creative process space, she can listen to where the energy wants to go next.

Sofia believes in dissolving creative blocks by removing old emotions and energies that are no longer serving us so that we can keep moving forward, growing, and evolving – rather than being held back by past experiences.

What is your current relationship with your energy? Tag us on IG @chefcarlacontreras & @sofiaadler_ to let us know how you reconnect with yourself and your creativity!

xo Chef Carla

PS: Dreaming of starting your own Substack? Listen to this podcast about building your new digital home on Substack here

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

This week’s episode is an invitation to show up this holiday season as the most authentic version of yourself. I’m joined by Alexa Juanita Jordan, a certified life coach, published author, and playwright. 

Alexa takes us behind the scenes in creating her newest offering, Holiday Survival Kit, designed to support people through the holiday season’s rawest moments.

We peel back the layers of holiday expectations and get real about the support we deserve to give ourselves through one of the busiest (and most social) times of the year. 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

Alexa Juanita Jordan opens the episode with a grounding meditation to help you get into the energy that you want to embody this holiday season and shares her process of creating the Holiday Survival Kit.

She talks about the resources inside of the kit as tools that can hold people through the vulnerable moments that can often feel so isolating. Moments like being back in your childhood bedroom or navigating grief around the holidays when nobody knows the “right” thing to say to you. 

As someone who loves to let ideas marinate for long periods of time, Alexa is a strong believer in not rushing or forcing the creative process. She shares how she can feel the energetic difference between a flow state vs. blocking off time in the calendar to “do it.”

Alexa tells us how she moves through creative blocks by identifying the root cause and shares a powerful cooking metaphor for helping us understand what is standing in our way. 

Topics Covered:

Grounding meditation practice designed to support you this holiday season 

Defining creativity as the truest and most authentic expression of yourself

Marinating on ideas and trusting the pieces will come together without force 

Embracing the complexity of one's identity and experiences 

Navigating the holiday season’s rawest moments with the Holiday Survival Kit

Previewing Carla’s favorite part of the kit with Alexa’s sneak peek into Hallmark vs Reality 

Overcoming creative blocks by identifying the root cause and taking breaks when needed

How are you nourishing your authenticity this holiday season? Tag us on IG @chefcarlacontreras & @alexajordancoaching so we can celebrate you!

PS: Dreaming of starting your own Substack? Join us live on 12/7 for the Build Your Substack in a Day Workshop. Sign up + learn more here

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

In this week’s episode, we’re shaking things up a bit! I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing the behind the scenes of my upcoming Substack workshops. I’m joined by Dear Self with Love founder, Jenna Knapp. She is also my workshop co-teacher, virtual assistant, and the founder of Have Cake Creative.

Jenna is a creative assistant who supports me in pressing publish on the Nourishing Creativity Podcast and Sunday newsletter, each week. Being supported by Jenna has made me realize how important it is to have community around getting your work out into the world. This is exactly why both our workshops include virtual coworking after each session!

In this episode, Jenna and I share what we love about Substack, our personal experiences with the platform, and the inner-workings of the workshops we are offering to support others who are ready to press publish and are seeking community and support in getting it done.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here

What’s in This Episode:

Jenna Knapp and I reflect on being introduced to Substack (years ago!) and what makes this platform different from other social media and newsletter platforms. We both have unique ways of sharing their creative projects through Substack and highlight the flexibility people have to express themselves in this space. 

Jenna and I emphasize the importance of mindset and confidence in the creative process, and how the workshops aim to cultivate a supportive community while also empowering participants with clear action steps and accountability to launch your creative project on Substack.

Jenna and I share behind the scenes details of their upcoming Substack workshops:

Recorded Workshop Getting Started With Substack & Building Your Community 101

New Workshop Date Saturday 2/1 Build Your Substack In A Day

Topics Covered:

Getting started on Substack, even without a newsletter 

Fostering genuine connection on Substack (it’s a special corner of the internet!) 

Celebrating community and receiving support throughout the creative process

Honoring your nervous energy (hello, fear of being seen) and nurturing your mindset as you prepare to launch a creative project 

Moving through doubt and taking action, even if it’s messy action 

The unlimited ways the Sustack platform can be used 

Details about the 101 Workshop 

Details about the Build Your Substack In A Day Workshop

What creative projects are you working on? What wants to be born through you? Leave a comment below or tag us on IG @chefcarlacontrears & @havecakecreative so we can cheer you on! 

xo Chef Carla

PS: Are you craving community this season? Dreaming of starting your own Substack? Join for the recorded workshop Getting Started & Build Your Community On Substack 101 or for the live Build Your Substack In A Day!

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

Welcome to this week’s episode, which is all about celebrating the shift from creating in isolation to launching your work into the world. I’m joined by Beth Galton, an award winning photo-based artist. 

Beth shares about her experimental creative process and what it was like to be an artist living in New York City during the pandemic. 

She also shares the fear and doubt that can come with sharing a new project publicly. Plus, using your voice when you were told to be “seen and not heard.”

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

Beth tells us about how she became a photographer after quitting her secure job as an administrative assistant. After just one day in a photography studio, she knew she found what she wanted to do. 

That certainty led her to assisting established photographers while she honed her craft before later launching her own commercial photography career. 

Beth opens up about what it was like to use photography to process the isolation and anxiety of the C*VID pandemic and how she prepared for the shutdown as an artist. 

Beth shares her struggles with self-doubt and fears of putting her personal work out there, and how she is working to overcome those challenges through promoting the Kickstarter campaign for her new photo book project. 

Topics Covered:

-Approaching the world in your own creative way, even if you’re not a traditional artist 

-The power of being in community with others

-The power of finding a creative medium as a form of self-expression and using it as a path to finding your unique voice 

-The isolation of the pandemic and what it was like to be in NYC during lockdown  

-Connecting to nature through photography and using found materials as inspiration

-Struggling with self-doubt and a fear of putting personal work out into the world

xo Chef Carla

PS: Dreaming of starting your own Substack? Join us on November 21st for Getting Started & Build Your Community On Substack 101!

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

In this week’s episode we dive into how creativity is impacted by place, movement, and magic. I’m joined by Deb Driscoll, an author, spiritual teacher, and energy guide. Her playful approach to the creative process is magnetic!

In this week’s episode we dive into how creativity is impacted by place, movement, and magic. I’m joined by Deb Driscoll, an author, spiritual teacher, and energy guide. Her playful approach to the creative process is magnetic!

In this episode, Deb shares how she began writing a memoir. She chats about the necessity of moving ideas up and out by listening to the body, and how healing is an important ingredient in the creative process. 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

What’s in This Episode:

Deb tells us about how her creative process is a playground, a world she has created for herself by fine tuning what does and does not nourish her creativity over the years.

After relocating from New York City to the island of Tobago, she was able to bring her first memoir into existence. By the sea she could think – she finally had quiet, nature she could immerse herself in, and a place to move the ideas within her muscles up and out onto the page. 

Deb expresses the desire for more time to work through bigger creative projects while honoring the never ending to-do list of being a business owner. Deb highlights the importance of quieting the noise, installing spiritual scaffolding as a way to open the creativity channels, and how stepping away from the work is a necessary step in the editing process.

Deb believes that healing is a creative process and we are all creating our realities everyday. Subscribe to her newsletter and enjoy her free 5 day Attune Activation here.

Topics Covered:

Alchemizing earthbound experiences, challenges, and big life loss including the first man she loved, her father, and son Sage

Navigating the frustration of not having more time for bigger creative projects

Returning to the role of student in a member class as a way to immerse oneself in community and creativity 

Relocating from New York City and changing environments as a form of nourishing her creativity  

Prioritizing movement as a way to listen to the body rather than getting mind locked

Giving your intuition permission to work in the background as a form of editing 

Reconnecting to childlike joy and experiencing delight within the creative process 

Celebrating the relationship between magic, healing, and creativity

xo Chef Carla

PS: Dreaming of starting your own Substack? Join us on November 21st for Getting Started & Build Your Community On Substack 101!

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

Welcome to this week’s episode, which is all about carving out time for creative projects and breaking down the big vision into small steps. I’m joined by Bassam Tarazi, a financial advisor, author and speaker. His commitment to his creative practice is inspiring, in this episode he shares how he sits through discomfort, overcomes procrastination, and prioritizes what he values. 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create.

What’s in This Episode:

Bassam shares how his creative process is closely linked to his relationship with time. Rather than focusing on the finish line, he zeros in on where he can find thirty minutes in his day. He sets his phone to airplane mode, puts on a timer and rides the wave all the way until the end. Bassam’s approach is strategic and realistic, listen as he shares how he breaks down huge projects into verbs and small action steps.

Bassam highlights the importance of committing to these bite-sized chunks of time where possible as a new father and full-time financial advisor. He also discusses his mindfulness practices, finding value in the discomfort, and his method for getting to the root of procrastination. Bassam firmly believes in the power of small, consistent efforts over time to achieve significant results. You can learn more about Bassam’s course, book and blog here.

Topics Covered:

Using your own personal life experiences to create something from out of thin air

Committing to 30 minutes a day inside of your creative practice and releasing the finish line

Behind-the-scenes of crafting a TED Talk (Watch Bassam’s TEDx Talk!) 

Sitting through the discomfort of the creative process 

Practicing presence by being where your feet are

Getting honest about the source of procrastination and  and releasing self-judgment when creativity has to take a temporary back-burner 

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts, leave a comment below!

Eat Well,

xo Chef Carla

PS: What’s the verb you are working on? Is it your visibility and expanding your presence on or offline this season? Maybe you want to start your own podcast or Substack? Join us inside The Confident Content Collective.

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

Welcome to this week’s episode, which is all about sharing other people’s stories, building community, and evolving with the creative process. I’m joined by Sophia Musoki, a Ugandan food blogger, podcast host, writer, and photographer. Her passion for food storytelling is palpable, in this episode she spreads her deep love for Ugandan food and culture.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create.

What’s in This Episode:

Sophia shares the behind-the-scenes of how her podcast, Our Food Stories, was developed and how it originally evolved from her recipe blog into a podcast highlighting what other Ugandans are cooking. Her podcast invites people from all over Uganda to share their food stories, recipes, and traditions. I highly recommend tuning into the podcast because the stories people share bring you right into their kitchens, traditions, and hearts. 

When it comes to feeling creatively blocked, Sophia’s process is to take a step back, take a digital detox, and reengage with slow activities. When she turns off her phone and dives into a novel by an African author, she returns to her work being able to see things in a new light. Now that her blog is no longer her primary focus, Sophia is rediscovering the pleasure of cooking and trying new recipes she finds on TikTok without feeling the outcome must be perfect.

Topics Covered:

Sophia’s explanation about how being creative is second nature to her and how creative thinking plays a part in her writing.

The behind-the-scenes of how Sophia created her podcast and how she is a creative vessel for sharing other people’s food stories from Uganda.

How Sophia’s podcast feels like the tradition of African elders sharing stories around a fire after dinner. This articleis where Sophia shares what her family’s Christmas Eve is like.

What it’s like to create something new after being creatively burnt out.

How stepping back to let other people share their stories sparked Sophia’s creativity, inspired deeper learning, and helped build community.

Sophia’s transition from cooking for her blog to cooking for herself. Cooking has become pleasurable again since she feels less pressure without having to test recipes and make them perfect.

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts, leave a comment below!

Eat Well,

xo Chef Carla

PS: Are you working on your visibility and expanding your presence on or offline this season? Maybe you want to start your own podcast or Substack? Join us inside The Content Retreat Collective

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.