The Creative Soul Podcast

Hi loves! I'm back after a podcast pause to share a life update at 13 months postpartum. In this episode, I talk about:

• 13 months postpartum reflections
• Motherhood, identity + becoming more yourself
• Grief, marriage shifts + changing relationships
• Overwhelm, mental load + healing old patterns
• Trusting intuition in parenting
• Traveling to Morocco with a 1-year-old
• Creativity in a full season of life
• New book project: “10 things” from baby’s first year

PRE ORDER MY NEW BOOK! I Collect Stories Like Seashells. Pre-order here.

@leyavandoren

In today's solo episode, I share what it feels like being 8 months postpartum.

We talk about:

• Postpartum nourishment
• Navigating changing postpartum identities
• Yoga & why the practice makes me feel held
• SLEEP, caffeine, & my DC matcha tour
• Herbal infusions
• Postpartum hair loss and the spiritual reasons behind it
• Making friends and finding community as a new mom
• Travel anxiety
• Planning mine and babies first international trip

& lots more!

PRE ORDER MY NEW BOOK! I Collect Stories Like Seashells. Pre-order here.

The First Forty Days by Heng Ou

@leyavandoren

In this episode, I share what’s currently lighting up and inspiring my creative soul. We dive deep into synchronicities, creative inspiration, and gentle reminders that magic exists in the details of daily life.

We talk about:

• The lessons and magic from my September writing group, Mundane into Magic
• How to build a simple, consistent creative practice
• The power of a 5-minute brain dump and the “10 Things” daily writing ritual
• Reflection from reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir All the Way to the River
• What it really means to let go and let God
• How surrender is shaping my journey as a new mom
• The process of writing and self-publishing my upcoming memoir, I Collect Stories Like Seashells
• The reminder that your creative legacy can begin with your immediate community

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Mundane into Magic
• Create for Yourself, First on Substack
• All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Emma Watson on On Purpose
• Elizabeth Gilbert on Soul Boom

Connect with Leya @leyavandoren

Pre-Order I Collect Stories like Seashells: https://leyavandoren.com/book

HAPPY 5 YEAR BIRTHDAY TO THE CREATIVE SOUL PODCAST! In this heartfelt solo episode, I reflect on five years of podcasting and what it takes to show up for your art - even amidst transition and change.

We talk about:

• The journey of celebrating the 5-year anniversary of The Creative Soul Podcast and 160+ episodes recorded.
• What it means to treat creative projects like living beings with birthdays, growth, and their own evolution.
• Lessons I've learned about trusting my voice, creating sustainable rhythms, and navigating overwhelm.
• The cosmic synchronicity of the podcast anniversary aligning with my baby’s six-month birthday.
• Why creative structures (like journaling, voice memos, or podcasting) help build trust and confidence in your artistic voice.
• Encouragement to honor your own creative soul projects and start, even if it feels messy, small, or unknown.

Whether you’re in a season of transition, doubting your creative voice, or looking for inspiration to start your own project, this episode is an invitation to trust your soul’s nudges and celebrate the art you’ve already birthed into the world.

Creative Resources Shared:

• Ashley Love Creatives

Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren

I'm so excited to share this conversation I had with my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doula, Elizabeth Beeker! We talk about the role of a doula in birth and the spiritual aspects and elements of birth.

We also talk about:

• What observing birth work in Kenya taught her about Western birth practices
• Surrender in birth
• The importance of prenatal preparation
• What to do if you're experiencing prodromal labor
• Navigating miscarriage and loss
• Why hiring a doula for birth is key

Creative Resources Mentioned

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
• Call the Midwife

Connect with Elizabeth:

Facebook: By Design Birth Services

What if your everyday life could feel like art? In this creative minisode, I share a simple daily writing practice to transform the mundane into magic and help you reconnect with your creative soul. Plus you'll receive an invitation to a live 4 week writing circle starting September 9th, 2025.

We talk about:

• Why the mundane moments of your life hold the most creative inspiration
• A simple daily practice to spark creativity in just a few minutes a day
• How to overcome fear, perfectionism, and the resistance of the blank page
• The power of record-keeping through writing and journaling
• How to tell the stories your creative soul wants to tell
• Ways to romanticize your everyday life and infuse it with beauty
• How writing connects you to your inner voice and creative soul

Join the live writing class: Mundane into Magic here

Connect with me on Instagram @leyavandoren

Read my Substack here

In this solo episode, I share the magic of the summer season - from what I'm buying at the farmer's market, to reframing our creative purposes, to making our day jobs work for us, to balancing multiple identities, to navigating seasons of change and transformation.

We talk about:

• The sensual, creative magic of summer abundance
• What I’m cooking and loving from the farmer’s market
• Living seasonally and honoring nature’s rhythms
• Saying goodbye to our Michigan home and honoring the woman I became there
• The cyclical nature of change: beginnings, middles, and endings
• Why I stopped feeling shame about my “day job” and how I reframed it as part of my creative purpose
• Creativity, authenticity, and the soul’s calling in a content-driven world
• Redefining success as a creative and understanding your role in the collective

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• The Social Change Ecosystem Map by Deepa Iyer
• Birth Story Workshop
• My upcoming book I Collect Stories Like Seashells – releasing Fall 2025

Subscribe to my Substack for weekly writing, seasonal rituals, and soulful musings: leya.substack.com

Let’s stay connected:

Instagram: @leyavandoren

Dalia is an Assyrian-American director and writer focusing on explosive theatricality and subverting existing narratives. She was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood and Entertainment 2025. Her Broadway credits include serving as Associate Director of Sweeney Todd and as the Resident Director at Phantom of the Opera.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it really means to be a director
• Learning to trust your creative vision
• Making mistakes in the rehearsal process
• How overstimulation kills creativity
• Why collaboration is a mirror for self-growth
• Telling ancestral stories
• Finding the stories that matter to us

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Everything is Waiting for You by David Whyte
• Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Connect with Dalia:

@your_gal_dal

www.daliaashurina.com

In this solo episode, Leya shares her life updates being four months postpartum.

We talk about:

• The importance of honoring and processing our birth stories
• How you can reflect and honor your birth story, months and even years later!
• What I'm navigating postpartum
• Feeling more feminine becoming a mother
• Why motherhood is bringing me deeper into compassion
• How motherhood is strengthening my spirituality

Birth Story Reflection Workshop: Find the replay here.

Read my Substack here.

Connect with Leya @leyavandoren

Lindsey Simcik is a creative force, entrepreneur, and media personality best known as the co-founder and co-host of the critically acclaimed Almost 30 podcast. Alongside her co-host Krista, she also launched Morning Microdose, a wildly popular daily show serving up the best bits of Almost 30. She created “New Mom on the Block”, a brand designed to support new moms in owning their unique flavor of motherhood through resources, products, and a vibrant community.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to know when is the right time for a creative idea
• Determining what season you're in
• What to do in a waiting season
• Navigating a healing season, integration season, and chaos season (Hello Saturn Return!)
• Embodying different roles in marriage
• Finding embodiment through motherhood
• Allowing our creative and spiritual practices to change with the seasons of life

Creative Resources Mentioned:

• Time Passages App

Read the Book: Almost 30: A Definitive Guide to a Life You Love for the Next Decade and Beyond

Connect with Lindsey: @lindseysimcik