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
Sign Up For My Writing Your Resilience Newsletter and Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: Five Brain Hacks that Will Supercharge Your Productivity, Creativity, and Confidence: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 45 minutes
- Episodes
- 86
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
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,…
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 yours…
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 boo…
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…
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…
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 s…
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 …
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 Writ…
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…
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 edi…
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—…
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.…
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 as…
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 pr…
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 Stru…
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. …
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 imp…
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 Thanksgi…
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’…
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…