In this episode, we explore the subtle, often-justified reasons writers wait to start or finish their work—and why that waiting carries a significant relational cost. We dive into the difference between true writing resistance and the need to simply honor the work by giving it a proper container, rather than forcing it with pressure and deadlines.

Key Takeaways:

• Waiting is a Decision: The decision to wait, even if it feels like the responsible thing to do, is still a choice that can accumulate a quiet cost over time.

• The Real Cost is Relational: The cost of waiting isn't just fewer pages — it's the fading relationship you have with your own writing.

• Resistance is Often Mislabelled: What's often called "resistance" is frequently grief, fear, or a nervous system signaling that the work cannot be rushed but also cannot be ignored.

• Writers Need a Creative Container, Not Pressure: Pushing through ("Be more disciplined!") often backfires. Instead of deadlines, writers need to honor the work with a container, where a draft can take its time to become what it needs to be with attention and flow.

• Start Something, Anything: I share a quick personal story to illustrate that starting something (a food blog) led to something else (stories about working motherhood and life lessons, then books) that was truly calling.

• Meet Your Draft: The path forward involves greeting your drafts without judgment, asking them, "What do you need from me?" and then listening.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:30 The Quiet Cost of Waiting

01:27 Personal Journey and Realizations

03:15 The Subtlety of Waiting

03:46 The Real Cost of Unfinished Work

05:20 Honoring the Writing Process

06:04 Conclusion and Call to Action

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Today, I explore the "energy-first" and "body-first" approaches to writing plans.

As writers, we think we have two choices:

1) the strict, color-coded calendar
or …

2) the unpredictable pull of pure inspiration

Discover how to create a surrendered structure—a flexible creative container that holds your writing goals while allowing you to stay responsive to intuition, flow, and the joy of writing what's truly alive in you now.

Key Takeaways for Writers:

• Prioritize Energy Over Rigidity: Most writing plans fail not from lack of discipline, but because they're not flexible to the writer's nervous system.

• Embrace the Balance: The most resonant writing comes from a balance between structure and spontaneity. Your plan should give you enough flexibility to anchor your work—not leave it feeling caged in.

• Listen to Your Body's "Yes" or "No": These are the only two answers your body can give you (good news!) It's your brain that jumps in to rationalize.

• Pivot as Needed: A surrendered structure means having a foundation for writing, while trusting intuitive nudges to shift the plan when something sparks your attention.

• Commit to a Creative Container: Establish a consistent commitment (e.g., publishing once a week) to create a place for your writing.

• Investigate What You Avoid: If a writing task keeps slipping off your plan, investigate whether it's no longer aligned or if a short 15-minute burst of action will create clarity.

A live, intimate writing experience for people who know they have a story — and are done circling it.

This is for memoir, personal nonfiction, and truth-telling that doesn't come from force, formulas, or fear.

Join us: https://theintuitivewritingschool.com/the-living-draft

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction & Episode Summary

2:45 Prioritize Energy Over Rigidity

4:00 Embracing the Balance of Planning & Your Energy

5:15 Listen to Your Body's "Yes" or "No"

6:45 Pivoting Your Writing Plan

8:00 Committing to a Creative Container for Your Writing

9:30 Investigate the Writing You Avoid

11:00 Treating Unfinished Drafts with Love

12:30 Invitation to The Living Draft

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In this episode, I'm inviting you to step out of the race you didn't consciously agree to and into kairos: the right time, the alive moment, the moment when your words actually want to emerge.

This is a conversation about writing that honors cycles, nervous systems, and lived wisdom — rather than forcing momentum that isn't ready just because the calendar says, "new year."

If January has you feeling behind, overthinking, or resistant, I invite you to try a different starting point.

In this episode, I explore:

• Why "just be consistent" advice often backfires for intuitive writers

• The difference between linear time (chronos) and opportune time (kairos)

• How rushing your writing disconnects you from your real voice

• Why some seasons are meant for listening, not publishing

• What it means to treat your work as a living draft rather than a performance

This episode is especially for you if you're writing:

• a book or long-form project that feels tender or alive

• from experience, memory, or the other side of your transformation

• toward a next chapter that hasn't fully named itself yet

You don't need a new resolution. You may just need to start at the right moment.

🎧 Listen now and let your writing meet you where you actually are.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Women Write Podcast

00:29 The Concept of Kairos: Right Time to Write

01:43 January: A Time for Reflection and Quiet Beginnings

03:03 Understanding and Embracing Kairos in Writing

04:14 Practical Applications of Kairos in Writing

05:38 Personal Experiences with Time Management and Writing

07:09 New Beginnings and The Writing Threshold Session

08:31 Join the Intuitive Writing School Community

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When I published my book, Unfussy Life, I was also publishing the stories I almost didn't tell. I started my writing journey safely, with plant-based recipes, occasionally sneaking in a small family moment.

I learned quickly that stories create connection in a way that advice alone never could. But when it came time to write my own book, I froze. I was writing — as in putting words on a page, but I wasn't sharing the WHY behind the words.

That first draft was 50,000 words of hollow advice — 95% ego and performance. It took being told by a stranger, "This isn't a self-development book. It's memoir," to finally see what was missing from my manuscript.

Once I started adding my stories — about layoffs, immigration, love, and starting over — the book came alive, not because they were dramatic, but because they were true.

I realized that force doesn't create truth, and linear thinking doesn't unlock story.

The parts we're most afraid to share are often the most resonant. I now write with flow, not force.

What I see in so many writers isn't a writing problem, but a relationship with their draft that's frozen in fear and perfectionism. They're waiting for clarity, permission, or the perfect time to start.

The Living Draft is my answer to this. It's a live experience built for people ready to stop circling and start allowing the book that's already here, safely and with an open heart.

Key Takeaways:

• Stories spark connection, while advice on its own doesn't.

• Being "blocked" often has nothing to do with creativity or skill — it's often hiding.

• Pushing through your writing with intense discipline often yields technically fine but hollow, lifeless work.

• Writing with flow, non-linear thought, and instinct—rather than a rigid outline or strategy—allows your true voice to shine.

• Start seeing your book draft as a living, breathing piece of work that only needs a different kind of attention to come to life.

• The most resonant parts are often the ones writers are reluctant to write.

Early enrollment now available for 📖 The Living Draft.

Timestamps:

00:00 The Stories I Almost Didn't Tell

01:07 The Journey to Writing My Book

02:47 The Breakthrough Moment

03:34 Transforming My Writing Approach

08:38 Introducing the Living Draft

11:08 Invitation to Join the Living Draft

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In this episode, we challenge the persistent advice that "to call yourself a writer, you must write every day."

Absolutely not.

I used to think that I needed to write every day to make progress, get seen, and practice.

Even top athletes don't practice daily, so why should you as a writer?

You'll hear me share what writing every day looked like for me, and how, when I stopped writing daily, it changed everything.

What you'll discover today:

• Why the "write every day" rule is BS.

• The problem with following a plan regardless of how you feel.

• How Energy-First Planning helps you show up for your writing more consistently — and for the long run)

• How the four phases of the moon can drive your writing activities without burning you out (New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon, Waning Moon).

• Why resting when it's time to rest can help you avoid burnout later and produce better work.

• How to create YOUR Energy-First plan this month

The goal is more writing flow, not force. Writing with your energy cycle is a creative guardrail that creates harmony and momentum for a writing practice that lasts.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

00:29 The Myth of Writing Every Day

02:10 Energy First Planning Explained

06:39 Aligning Writing with Natural Cycles

09:34 The Four Phases of the Moon for Writers

13:40 Creating an Energy-First Writing Plan

15:45 Invitation to 13 Holy Nights of Intuitive Writing

16:53 Conclusion and Community Invitation

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