Sabbatical Adventures #8: Back to School

213 Nadine is taking a semi-sabbatical this year to study, try new things, & travel, and she's sharing her adventures with you in a podcast series that will air monthly throughout the year. In this 8th episode, she shares the highlights, challenges, and takeaways from August, which was a month of transitions.

Here are the links for her 2025/2026 workshops and retreats:

• Publish the Personal (virtual): Fridays, Sept 12- Oct 17 (almost full)
• Writer Workout Membership (virtual): Every Monday, Try a class on Sept 8
• Revision Retreat: Craft Your Best Draft (In-person): Aug 2026, Madeline Island School of the Arts, WI

Covered in this episode:

• How Nadine is prioritizing rest and creativity as she transitions back to teaching
• The little moments that've marked her son's transition into full pre-teen territory and what she's doing to foster his autonomy
• How to recognize when you're caught in unachievable back-to-school-routine expectations
• How she's using IFS for self-healing and within her relationships
• How honest conversations are healing old wounds
• The number one question that helps lead to repair
• The trick that's helping her re-establish her writing routine

*This is the eight episode in a year-long series for paid subscribers.

Access for the full episode is available when you become a paid subscriber on Substack.

About Nadine:

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is an award-winning author, podcast host, and writing coach. After fifteen years as a writing professor, she founded WriteWELL workshops and retreats for women writers. She interviews today’s top female authors on her podcast, Heart of the Story. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your Heart, is an essay collection and guided journal. She has been featured in Cosmo, Authority, MindBodyGreen, Natural Awakenings,Chicago Magazine, and more. She writes a regular column about mid-life reclamation on Substack.