From the thrill of live storytelling to the nuances of humor and audience reactions, this episode is all about finding your voice. Writer and performerCarlos Garbiras joins us to share his journey from writing on Medium to taking the stage at Story Slams and comedy open mics. We dive into the process of refining a performance, navigating audience dynamics, and the surprising ways humor lands—or doesn’t—depending on the crowd. Carlos even gives us a live run-through of his latest Story Slam piece, a hilarious and heartfelt tale about the chaos of Christmas parenting.

If you’ve ever thought about stepping up to a mic, testing your storytelling chops, or just want to hear a great conversation about creativity, this one’s for you!

Listen now and get inspired to tell your own story.

Links:

Unequivocally Ambiguous - Humorous Essays:equivocal.me

The Story Frame - Storytelling Lessons: thestoryframe.com

Video of performance: Parenting during the holidays warrants a message from the US Surgeon General.

Medium Essay:One Brown Nation Under God, Indivisible With Libertad, Tortilla Chips, and Salsa Para Todos

Kristi and Chris discuss their experiences and feelings surrounding the holiday season, particularly focusing on family dynamics, navigating personal space, the pressures of holiday expectations, sobriety, and the impact of alcohol on past gatherings.

This week's episode features writer and podcaster Christina Jumper of the Pickles and Vodka Podcast. Christina shares her journey through mental health struggles, addiction, and the evolution of her podcast. She reflects on her past experiences, the importance of writing, and how podcasting has become a platform for her to discuss mental health openly. We also touch on the challenges of recovery, the significance of honesty in writing, and the transformative power of sharing personal stories. To read Christina's stories visit https://xtinajumper.substack.com/ or listen to The Pickles and Vodka podcast at https://picklesandvodka.substack.com/

Chris and Kristi catch up this week and talk about everything from parenting to sobriety, grumpiness, and Substack.

In this engaging conversation, Chris and Kristi catch up with Julie Fontes, author of the quit-lit memoir “Like a Normal Person.” Julie shares her insights on the importance of community in the writing world, the challenges of revisiting painful memories while writing her memoir, and the reactions of friends and family to her work. Other topics discussed include the emotional roller coaster of launching a book, writing on Substack, and the freedom of self-publishing. To learn more about Julie and/or buy her book, visit: www.juliefontes.com.

Writer Jacqueline Dooley joins us for a focused conversation on writing about grief, the Medium platform, rejections, and more as it relates to the life of writing.

n this conversation, Chris and Kristi discuss their experiences with rejected stories and the impact it has on writers. They share their thoughts on the changing landscape of Medium and the challenges of getting stories boosted.

In this conversation, Kristi and Chris catch up after a year-long hiatus. They discuss their current pursuits and the challenges of balancing other responsibilities with their creative passions. They also reflect on their podcasting journey, the evolution of their identities as writers, sobriety, the challenges of publishing on different platforms, and the pressure to deliver valuable content.

We are joined by special guest Gentry Bronson for an amazing and deep discussion about writing, meditation, vulnerability, creativity, and more.

We are joined by writer Ruby Noir who shares her experience with revisiting trauma as a writer.