Julia Craven is an award-winning journalist, founder of Healthy Futures on Substack, and creator of The Library of Black Wellness.

In this episode, I sit down with Julia to explore the question: What does it mean to write with reverence?

We get into the quiet pressure a lot of us feel—the sense that everything we create has to be optimized, polished, and somehow productive. At some point, writing started to feel like another kind of self-improvement project. So we talk about that… and about what it might look like to loosen our grip a little. To create spaces where what we’re curious about can move through us, instead of forcing it into shape.

Julia brings a lot of wisdom to this conversation. As a journalist and storyteller, the way she thinks about writing goes beyond craft. It’s connected to ancestry, community, and the people who came before us. We talk about storytelling not just as something we do alone, but as something we inherit and carry forward. And how our voices are shaped by the places and communities that hold us.

This conversation felt grounding in the best way. A reminder that writing isn’t only about producing something—it’s also about paying attention. Listening to yourself, your history, and the people you’re connected to.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to turn your creativity into something “on demand”…
If you’ve been wanting to write from a place that feels more honest and connected…
If you’re trying to build a space where your curiosity can just breathe a little…

I hope this episode meets you there.

Maybe it’s an invitation to slow down.
To remember who you’re writing with.
And to treat your own voice with a little more care.

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Connect with Julia:

• IG: @rocketjuju
• Healthy Futures Substack
• The Library of Black Wellness

Connect with Janaye (host of The Write Channel):

• contact@itsthenextpage.com
• itsthenextpage.com

In this episode, I sit down with my mother, Apryl Turnbull, for a conversation that feels very close to my heart.

We talk about her lifelong relationship with writing — from journaling as a child, to studying journalism, to a career in corporate communications, and now returning to creative writing in retirement.

Apryl shares how her practice has shifted over time and what it looks like now: slower, more intentional, and often rooted in nature alongside her beloved tree, Mystic.

We explore how audience shapes voice, how reconnecting with our younger selves can open creativity, and how writing can become an act of listening instead of something to control.

In a moment that still feels tender to me, Apryl also shares a message she channeled from Mystic for listeners of the show.

I hope this conversation meets you gently.

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What advice do you have for writers who may be stuck/blocked?

Soar with Purpose. Attune to your why, your sacred song that lives within. Let your voice emote all the secret treasure that lies within you. As trees, we grow roots deep and deeper, to allow the nourishment from the Earth to sustain us as we grow. We don’t yield to fear, as our roots are buried in the courage that Mother Earth gives us. Relinquish your ego, let your mind rest and settle into the whispers of your soul for your soul needs to lead the way.

Let your mind become a partner and take instruction from your soul and allow your creativity to dance, play, be joyful and free. Embrace your inner child who remembers how to imagine without judgement, without self-consciousness. Play with your inner child daily to help release your mind traps. This taps into the creative flow that is within your soul.

Allow yourself to be the vessel for Divine Source to flow through you, all of your innate gifts, insights, wisdom, your uniqueness, your story, your song.

Write it freely, sing it, dance it, whatever Muse resonates most. Let yourself be known, be seen. Ease and flow is the way to grow strong in your creative attunement with Source. Trust that inspiration is never going to dry as water flows to parched places, let your wisdom be a balm to your soul and to others.

Remember why you came. You are the student and the teacher. Be the creator/creatrix, the manifestor of your story.

We honor you all!

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Connect with Apryl:

• at@mysticvibesllc.com
• Instagram:myst_icvibesllc

Connect with Janaye (host of The Write Channel):

• contact@itsthenextpage.com
• itsthenextpage.com

Welcome to The Write Channel with Janaye Jordan. If you’re a writer of any kind, this space is for you.

In this first episode, I share how the podcast began, with a quiet moment in nature that shifted the way I think about writing and creativity. It opened up a deeper curiosity in me about where words come from and how stories move through us.

I talk about the questions that guide this show: how writers find flow, move through blocks, and stay open to inspiration.

This episode sets the tone for the conversations ahead — exploring writing not just as a craft, but as something we listen for and grow into over time.

My hope is that you find inspiration, resonance, and the courage to tune in to where words begin.

Connect with me at itsthenextpage.com for writing coaching, editing, or self-publishing support.

For inquires: contact@itsthenextpage.com