Writing Your Resilience: Building Resilience, Embracing Trauma and Healing Through Writing
The Writing Your Resilience Podcast is for anyone who wants to use the writing process to flip the script on the stories they’ve been telling themselves, because when we tell better stories about ourselves, we live better lives.
Every Thursday, host Lisa Cooper Ellison, an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and trauma survivor diagnosed with complex PTSD, interviews writers of tough, true stories, people who've developed incredible grit, and professionals in the field of psychology and healing who've studied resilience.
Over the past 7 years Lisa has taught writers how to write their resilience. Each time her clients and students have confronted the stories that no longer serve them, they’ve felt a little safer, become a little braver, and revealed more of their true selves. Now, with this podcast, she is creating a space for you to do this work too.
Equal parts instruction, motivation, and helpful guide, Writing Your Resilience is an opportunity for you to join a community of writers and professionals doing the work that helps us cultivate our authenticity and creativity.
More about Lisa Cooper Ellison: https://lisacooperellison.com
Get Your Free Ditch Your Inner Critic masterclass—your shortcut to a confident, S.H.I.F.T.ed mindset: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/
Episodes
141 episodes
Writing Through Collapse: Eiren Caffall on Illness, Climate, and Finding Your Memoir's Form
How do you tell a story of resistance that invites others in? Through the power of your metaphors—something today’s guest, Eiren Caffall has truly mastered. During today’s conversation, we explore how chronic illness and a love for nature shape...
How to Protect Your Writing Time, Energy, and Creative Worth with Carolyn Fallert
Have you ever felt like your creativity isn’t enough or that your artistic endeavors are secondary to everything on your to-do list? Have you tried all the strategies only to find yourself struggling with this yet again? Join me and my client, ...
How to Navigate the Business of Writing and Publishing: Expert Advice from Jane Friedman
Writers, if you've ever wondered how to navigate the ever-changing world of writing and publishing, then you are in for a treat. Jane Friedman, who has spent nearly 25 years in the book publishing industry is here today to talk about the ...
The Art of Intimacy: Crafting Connection in Memoir and Essay with Lilly Dancyger
Join me and editor extraordinaire Lilly Dancyger as we discuss her latest book, First Love, an intimate, electric collection of essays on friendship, identity, and what it means to grow into yourself in community. During our conversati...
Writing with Purpose: How to Understand Your Audience and Create Compelling Content with Krystal Proffitt
Whether we like it or not, writers are content creators. And one of the biggest struggles I watch writers face is understanding their audience—what they want, what they need, and how to authentically engage with them. In this episode, podcas...
Are Trauma Triggers Ruining Your Writing Life? Here's What to Do
If you’ve ever sat down to write about a tough experience, only to find yourself avoiding the page, feeling emotionally wrecked, or questioning whether you should even be writing this story—you are not alone. Writing about trauma can b...
The Power of Words: Samman Akbarzada on Finding Her Voice After Fleeing Afghanistan
Imagine working tirelessly for years to publish your first novel—only to have the moment of celebration collide with the collapse of your country. Imagine being forced to flee, leaving behind everything you’ve ever known, and yet… still finding...
The Creative Cure for Writers: Trauma-Informed Approaches for Memoir and Embracing Your Creativity with Jacob Nordby
Do you struggle to see yourself as creative? Or have you ever wondered where your creativity comes from, and how to maximize it? This week, I’m joined by Jacob Nordby, founder of A Writing Room Collective and author of Blessed are the Weird...
Embracing the Full Catastrophe: Writing About Loss and Finding Belonging with Casey Mulligan Walsh
Have you ever been told what you’re writing is too dark, too sad, or that it needs more levity? Have you wondered how a story of tragedy can grow into something more than the sum of its parts?Join me and my client, Casey Mulligan Walsh a...
Counterintuitive Editing: Finding Balance Between Inner Reflection and Outer Action + Writing Tips for 2025 with Sarah Chauncey
Join me for a conversation with Sarah Chauncey, a veteran writer, developmental editor, and the author of P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna, as we dive into the inner and outer work of editing, the power of allowing rather than forcing, a...
Writing Through Shame: Hannah Sward on Memoir, Resilience, and Being Present
This week, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a powerful voice in memoir, Hannah Sward, author of Strip. In today’s conversation, Hannah takes us behind the scenes of her writing process—how she wrote her first draft by ...
Using the Akashic Records to Awaken the Powerful Writing Voice within You with Amy Robeson
Every writer wants to be successful, but sometimes we just get stuck or feel uninspired. Even when things are going well, we can be baffled when our big wins don’t feel more successful. This week, I’ll explore these struggles alongside my guest...
Writing Rituals: Staying Grounded While Being Vulnerable with Natalie Buster
How do you write about really tough, or even traumatic, life events, in a way that connects with your audience and the truth, without losing yourself? It’s a question so many writers ask me. This week, I’ll answer it with the help of my guest, ...
How to Gaslight-Proof Your Writing Practice
Have you ever dismissed your feelings, discounted your writing wins, or told yourself you should feel differently about your writing projects? If so, you might be gaslighting writing practice. Join me as I discuss what gaslighting is, how it sh...
When Agents Say No: Overcoming Setbacks with Jessica Yen
When you get negative feedback from an agent on your writing you can do two things: adapt and improve your writing, or quit. In this episode, I am speaking with Jessica Yen, a Camp Structure graduate, about the recent challenges she faced while...
From Captivity to Clarity: Reclaiming Your Voice and Writing Your Truth
What’s holding you hostage or keeping you stuck? In Jessica Buchanan’s case, it initially seemed like the Somali pirates who held her hostage for ninety-three were her biggest problem. But as she completed a powerful exercise during her captivi...
The Power of Micro Memoir: Grief, Storytelling, and Experimentation with Amy Lin
How do you dive into the marrow of an experience we’ll all one day share, yet so many of us struggle to talk about? And how do you write into a topic so widely covered that it feels impossible to say something new? Today, I’m joined by Amy Lin,...
Why Practicing Gratitude Can Transform Your Writing and Your Life
Today, I am grateful. Grateful for my fellow writers, all of you listeners, and for this podcast. In this episode, I am holding space for those who might be struggling with the Thanksgiving holiday while exploring how gratitude can ...
Writing with Hunger: Mindset, Goals, and the Publishing Shift with Ariel Curry and Liz Morrow
When you hear the phrase hungry author, what does that mean to you? How might a hungry author approach their goals and what might they’re willing to do to achieve them? Join Sourcebook’s nonfiction editor Ariel Curry and ghostwriter Liz Morrow ...
Forgiveness to Friendship and Why It's Never Too Late with Gayle and Mildred Kirschenbaum
Is there an age when it’s too late to publish a book, forgive a person, or take a chance on yourself? Not if you’re Mildred Kirschenbaum. With the help of her daughter Gayle, Mildred is a 101-year-old Instagram sensation and debut author who is...
Bright Spots, Neurodiversity, and More Chicken in Your Memoir with Kristin Jarvis Adams
If you’re writing about a medical drama or other high-intensity journey involving another person, how do you write about these events without swallowing your story of transformation? What would you do if your agent’s feedback to you was “more c...
The Loneliness of Sibling Loss with Alyson Shelton and Lynn Shattuck
November is Worldwide Bereaved Siblings Month, yet most siblings grieve alone. They’re told to be strong for their parents, or they get subtle, and, sometimes not so subtle, cues to move on. Yet the loss of a sibling is the loss of a life...
Breaking the Silence on Sexual Assault with Cheyenne Wilson
Many survivors of sexual abuse and assault silently carry questions about what happened to them. Am I truly a victim? Should I report what happened? If so, what are the steps? How do I disclose this to family members? Join me an...
Writing about Absent Fathers and Attachment Styles with Acamea Deadwiler
Join me and Pushcart Nominee, TedX Speaker, and multi-passionate creative, Acamea Deadwiler, as we talk about normalized violence, how our attachment styles can influence the way we approach our memoirs, and the importance of connecting with yo...
Self-Acceptance, Dating Disasters, and Life After Loss with Debbie Weiss
Join me and Debbie Weiss, author of the memoir Available As Is, as we discuss how multiple major losses impact the way we see ourselves and the world, the challenges of dating when you’re over fifty, and the most important thing ...