If You Had 24 Hours to Live... On Living a Meaningful Life on Your Own Terms with Alexandra Franzen

⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era. I’ve kept it in the archive because it holds grounded, life-giving reflections on time, mortality, and creative living.

⚠️ Content warning: This episode contains gentle reflections on death and the idea of having only 24 hours left to live.

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If you had just 24 hours to live, how would you spend them?

This conversation with writer and entrepreneur Alexandra Franzen invites you to pause and reconsider how you’re spending your time. We talk about mortality, creativity, work, and the quiet joys of ordinary moments. More than anything, Alexandra’s voice offers permission to reimagine what matters and how you move through your days — not someday, but now.

This episode was sparked by her novel, So This Is the End: A Love Story, and the viral question behind it. Whether you’re in a season of burnout, renewal, or simply craving more intentionality, this one gently points you back to what’s essential.

Topics covered: 

• The “24 hours to live” question behind Alexandra’s book
• Letting go of all-or-nothing thinking around creative work
• Her philosophy of treating life and business like one big art project
• How she balances paid work with personal writing
• The impact of nearly turning down a mother-daughter trip
• Why simplicity, not productivity, is often the answer
• How reflecting on death has helped her live more clearly and calmly
• Encouragement for anyone stuck in permission-seeking or pressure to “do more”

Where is Alexandra Franzen now?

Since recording, Alexandra has continued to shape a creative and intentional life. She hosts dreamy writing retreats in Hawaii, co-founded a bookstore called One Idea Books and Gifts, and co-created a popular online course that’s guided more than 1,000 people (ages 8 to 80) in writing and publishing their own books. She is now married and is a mother to a daughter.

Connect with Alexandra and access the archived episode resources here: 
 → dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive