Follow Your Curiosity

Holiday Joy Quest 2025

In this week's pep talk episode, I talked about doing less so you can be more in the moment and create a holiday that feels the way you want it to feel.

I've decided to create a weeklong quest to help you do exactly that, and I hope you'll join me. 

We start on December 15, 2025, and it's free and open to everyone. Learn more and sign up here.

Creativity Doesn't Need Permission with Safiya Robinson

My guest today is Safiya Robinson, a storylistener, writer, and explorer of creativity. She is the author of two books and the host of the Writing Black Joy podcast, a space that celebrates the joyful narratives of Black creatives. Her work centers joy, authenticity, and the belief that creativity doesn’t need permission. In addition, she is a keen world traveller who uses her writing to explore her experiences and philosophy on life. Safiya and I talk about our perceptions of creativity, what writing does for us, how AI may be interfering with those benefits (and when it can be very useful), the power of putting your work out there, what we’ve both learned from choral singing, and more.

 

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

04:07 Childhood experiences with writing, music, and letter writing.

08:11 Discovering creativity as an adult, redefining what creativity means.

12:13 Leaning into creativity, starting a blog at age 39.

16:23 Making space for creativity and keeping it alive.

20:25 The impact of AI on student creativity and writing.

24:08 Outsourcing creativity to AI and the value of writing.

28:08 AI and the creative process.

32:00 When AI is useful for cover letters but not for art.

36:02 The balance between making creativity accessible and keeping human uniqueness.

40:05 The origins of Writing Black Joy.

44:10 The courage required to share creative work publicly and its impact.

 

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

CPT #118: What Pro Athletes Know that Creative Perfectionists Need to Learn

Ever feel like your creative work has to be perfect every single time? In this episode of "Follow Your Curiosity," I share that elite athletes only succeed half the time—and why creative people should lower their expectations and embrace imperfection, too. Discover how shifting your mindset can help you get unstuck, trust the process, and keep going, even if you miss more "shots" than not. If you believe every project you start has to turn out well, this episode is for you.

If watching your kids build a pillow fort makes you wonder where the heck that zany, wild, playful part of yourself went... the Stop Performing, Start Living Reset may be for you! It's a pilot offer with special pricing for the first 20 people who sign up. Contact me for more.

Listen Again: Imagination, Inspiration, and Creative Resilience with Lizzie Hopley

Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I offer up my favorite episodes of the year. This year's Thanksgiving selection is my conversation with force of nature Lizzie Hopley. Enjoy!

(Original release date: July 16, 2025)

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Actress and writer Lizzie Hopley was born in Liverpool and trained at RADA. As an
actress, she has worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Globe Theatre and recent screen work includes Black Doves and upcoming feature film Fackham Hall. As a writer, her radio sitcom Green won Pozzitive TV’s Funny Dot Comp 2021 and TV series Bloody Betty is currently in development. She has written and appeared in over 90 Big Finish audio adventures including Dark Shadows and Doctor Who, and her Doctor Who audio play The Curse of Lady Macbeth won the 2022 Scribe Award.

Lizzie joins me to talk about how her childhood love of writing and acting became a vocation, auditioning for RADA—twice—and how she ended up continuing to write even as a drama student, how learning to think of acting and writing as having a target changed her work, and a whole lot more.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Lizzie Hopley shares her creative childhood and love for books.
04:56 Acting out movie scenes alone sparked early passion for performance.
08:45 Family encouraged storytelling, costumes, and imagination at home.
13:11 Difficulties pursuing creative careers; importance of following passion.
17:33 University and RADA experiences shaped her acting and writing path.
22:24 Writing plays began due to lack of desired acting roles.
27:29 Rewriting and feedback are crucial for improving both crafts.
32:54 Learning to target audience while writing; acting versus writing focus.
37:22 Acting training emphasizes focusing on scene partner, not yourself.
43:48 Importance of editors and learning to kill your darlings.
48:21 Confidence and caring less about others’ opinions increases with age.
53:07 Acting and writing overlap at Big Finish; playing her own roles.
57:16 Big Finish’s community impact, creative freedom, and professional development.
01:02:18 Target books and early Doctor Who fandom as creative inspiration.
01:07:04 Embrace varied interests; open doors for yourself in creativity.

Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing, theatre, and Doctor Who.

 

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you’ve been tearing up when you encounter other people’s art because you’ve lost touch with your own, we should talk.

 

CPT #117: Patience

What does it really mean to practice patience—especially when life, creativity, or even a home repair puts you to the test? In this episode, I share candid lessons both from a year of waiting and from my 30 Bad Poems in 30 Days challenge: the struggle to slow down, the urge to keep producing, and why patience might be the most creative tool you can cultivate right now. Whether you're wrestling with a stubborn project or just want inspiration for your own journey, this pep talk is for you.

 

If watching your kids build a pillow fort makes you wonder where the heck that zany, wild, playful part of yourself went...we should talk!

Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! 

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark! 

Confronting Uncomfortable History with Meg Hamand

Meg Hamand has had a heart for storytelling since her first poem was published in an anthology in elementary school. Since then, she’s been published in multiple print and online publications, and her debut novel is the award-winning Diamonds in Auschwitz, which simultaneously tells two stories of love, survival, and hope during World War II.

Meg joins me to talk about the challenges of working with dark and difficult topics, such as taking care of yourself and navigating the line between too much and too little for your readers; plotting historical fiction; and how to do historical research.

She also gives us a sneak peek into her next book, which is currently in progress.

Episode breakdown:

00:00 30 Bad Poems in 30 Days; introduction.

04:42 Meg shares why she loves historical fiction and early writing inspiration.

09:03 Meg describes the origins and themes of Diamonds in Auschwitz.

14:00 Discussion of Terezin, visiting Holocaust sites, and historical accuracy.

18:38 Meg explains researching Terezin, children's art, and real accounts.

23:05 Talking about the heaviness of the subject and book’s emotional impact.

27:03 Exploring character contrasts, children’s resilience, and trauma responses.

32:10 Meg outlines her plotting process, changes during writing, and research.

36:35 Importance of Prague’s setting as character, changes during revision.

42:46 Meg details her next book: Post-Revolutionary Charleston and Shakespeare.

47:26 How classic literature influenced new novel structure and motivation.

51:36 Advice for historical research, blending fiction, and traveling to locations.

Join me for 30 Bad Poems in 30 Days!

 

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.

CPT #116: Procrastination is the Illusion of Rest

So many of us struggle with procrastination. There are many causes of procrastination—fear of failure, fear of success, perfectionism, comparison, exhaustion, and overwhelm, just to name a few. We often need rest, but procrastination isn't the same--and tends to feed your inner critic, while eroding your motivation and productivity.

If watching your kids build a pillow fort makes you wonder where the heck that zany, wild, playful part of yourself went...we should talk!

Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! 

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark! 

Listen Again: ”Unhiding” with Dr. Kelly Flanagan

Kelly Flanagan has been one of my favorite guests, and he'll be back to talk to us again in February. Here's his second appearance on Follow Your Curiosity, in case you missed it or want to revisit it. Please note that the book giveaway mentioned in the episode is no longer available.

Original release date: November 9, 2022

 

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When I started this podcast in 2019, Dr. Kelly Flanagan was one of my inaugural guests, and his episode, “The Gifts of Creativity,” remains one of my favorites. Kelly has just published his first novel, The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell, and I wanted to talk to him about how that experience differed from writing nonfiction, and about the book itself. We delve into those questions and various subjects raised by the book, including how we look outside ourselves (and sometimes to our creative work) to find our worth, the value of letting out our wild sides, how the things we do for security often actually undermine us, and how Kelly sees the intersection of spirituality and creativity. 

The book giveaway is no longer available.

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing and publishing! And you can find Kelly's first appearance on the podcast here.

Check out the show notes at fycuriosity.com, and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! I also post on TikTok, and you can also listen on YouTube. 

CPT #115: The Myth of Multitasking

Is multitasking real? Possible? It depends on your definition, but I'd rather talk about how the attempt affects us—why we feel so pushed to do it, and what's the price we pay? I'm sharing my thoughts in this short episode.

If watching your kids build a pillow fort makes you wonder where the heck that zany, wild, playful part of yourself went...we should talk!

 

Want more tips? Check out all my previous Creative Pep Talks in this playlist!

Could you leave a review? It's really easy, and it helps SO much. Thanks! 

If you'd like to stay up to date on things like my courses and also get podcast and event updates, and my latest musings, subscribe to The Spark! 

How Creativity Helps You Heal: A Memoirist's Journey with Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart has made award-winning films for college and universities, written acclaimed software, and now has written his first book. That book, Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy while Grieving, tells the story of Tony and his late wife, painter Lynn Kotula, as they navigate her Stage IV cancer diagnosis, treatment, and hospice, and Tony’s journey out of grief. Tony joins me to talk about his original journey from writing to software development, how it felt to return to writing via CaringBridge after Lynn’s diagnosis, the process of writing Carrying the Tiger, the nature of grief, and more. 

Episode breakdown:

00:00 Intro
02:12 Introducing Tony Stewart
03:02 Creative Childhood Experiences
08:02 Shakespeare in the Park
11:34 Understanding Filmmaking Client Needs
17:48 Complex Problems Beyond Machine Solutions
19:15 Joy of Reading Book Reviews
24:58 Returning to Writing
26:39 The Beginning of the Book
29:29 Writing Addiction and Motivation
32:40 Overview of the Book
34:00 Writing in Present Tense
38:38 Memoir as Thriller
41:31 Structuring the Book
42:24 Tony's Memories and Reflections
45:51 Creating Realistic Characters
48:27 Exploring Grief
52:04 Anticipatory Grief
56:58 Individuality of Grief Experiences

Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.

 

Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.

Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks!

If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.