What happens when the thing they punish you for turns out to be the very thing that saves you?

Kirsten Rudberg: author, screenwriter, producer, and host of the Bite-Sized Blessings podcast, lived most of her life outrunning a label she didn't yet have: artist.

Born in Illinois, raised across continents of Guyana, Pakistan, and the American Midwest, Kirsten grew up navigating worlds that didn't share the same rules, the same language, or the same idea of who she was supposed to be. That early exposure to multicultural landscapes, hand-embroidered pillowcases, and the vivid chaos of Lahore's streets wired her for something. She just wouldn't know what for a long time.In eighth grade, school officials banned her from the library. She'd been reading 94 books a year and winning competitions. They were worried she wasn't developing socially. The girl who graduated class bookworm would graduate high school four years later as class clown — not in spite of being forced out of her sanctuary, but because of it.

That's the kind of story Kirsten tells. The kind where the wound and the gift are the same thing.This episode follows her through decades of invisible creative laboring the ideas that percolated while wiping tables and busing dishes in Portland, the corporate Jumbotron moment that sent her packing her entire life into a U-Haul bound for Bellingham, Washington, the 700-question seminary personality test that finally named her an artist and gave her permission to become one. And then the pandemic arrived, the muses sat on her shoulders, and everything she'd been holding for twenty years started pouring out.

Rich and Kirsten go deep on hyper-vigilance as a childhood survival tool turned creative superpower, the Catholic concept of charism: the sacred gift you're born to bring into the world, the liminal space between what science calls real and what the rest of humanity has always known, and why art, at its core, is always about becoming.If you've ever felt like your gifts were too strange, too slanted, too dark to be worth sharing then this one is for you.

Topics covered in this episode:

~Growing up across continents: Guyana, Pakistan, and the American Midwest

~Cultural identity, belonging, and learning to "speak the language" to survive~Being banned from the library — and why it changed everything

~Creativity suppressed by trauma, survival, and the 9-to-5

~The seminary personality test that finally said: you're an artist

~The pandemic as a creative awakening

~Charism — your sacred gift and your only real job

~Hypervigilance, highly sensitive creatives, and complex PTSDSocial justice woven into children's books, short films, and audio storytellingWhy art dies when you take it too seriously?

Connect with Kirsten:

Website: https://bytesizedblessings.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-rudberg-2021361ba

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edisonsucks1

Connect with Rich:

Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠

LinkedIn: @richwrightunltd

Instagram: @richwrightunltd

FB: @theartrec

Instagram: @theartrec

Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdomJoin

Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery

#ArtistRecovery #CreativeJourney #ArtistLife #podmatchguest #MultidisciplinaryArtist #CreativeResilience #Becoming #Charism #HigblySensitivePerson #SoulForward #LongFormPodcast #IndependentArtist #CreativeRecovery #Polymath #ArtistPodcast #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #beaguest ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩

What does it look like when a creative keeps building while quietly carrying the weight of imposter syndrome, a fractured family foundation, and a soul still figuring out if it wants to stay?

Paul Delaurier has spent decades answering that question through his work.A strategic designer and creative technologist born and raised in Detroit, Paul built his career from the ground up — literally starting in a basement office, pitching nail salons and pager stores in suits, cold.

From those early hustle days co-founding Eclipse Productions with mutual friend Dennis Leigghio, to leading brand work with Harley Davidson, The Black Keys, and Hickory Farms, to senior product design roles at NerdWallet and GTB Detroit — Paul's creative journey is a masterclass in quiet resilience.But behind the portfolio was a story he hadn't told.

In this raw and deeply human conversation, Paul and host Rich Wright — who've known each other since the Eclipse days — finally pull back the curtain. Rich shares his own suicide attempt for the first time with Paul, and what unfolds is one of the most honest exchanges the Artist Recovery Podcast has produced. Two creatives from the same orbit, each carrying invisible weight the other never knew about.

Paul opens up about:

Growing up in Warren, MI and how his parents' divorce at age 8 quietly installed a lifelong fear of failure disguised as ambition

✦ Mad Magazine as his first portal into graphic design thinking — and why that fold-out back cover literally rewired his brain

✦ Building Eclipse Layout Services with Dennis Leigghio in a basement, wearing suits to pitch pager stores

✦ The chaos of living, working, and trying to grow up all in the same condo

✦ Navigating imposter syndrome through agency work, startup pivots, and a commute he hated

✦ How a nearly empty gym in a Detroit apartment building changed his body, his mind, and his entire relationship with himself

✦ Why it took until 2020 — and his wife's courage — to finally walk into a therapy room

✦ What he discovered when he stopped pretending everything was fineThis episode is for every creative who shows up to the work while quietly wrestling with something no one else can see.Because the design on the screen and the story behind the hands that made it — they're never the same thing.

Connect with Paul:

Website: https://www.pauldelaurier.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldelaurier

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulmdelaurier

Dribble: https://dribbble.com/pauldelaurier

Connect with Rich:

Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠

LinkedIn: @richwrightunltd

Instagram: @richwrightunltd

FB: @theartrec

Instagram: @theartrec

Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom

Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery

#ArtistRecoveryPodcast #CreativeMentalHealth #ImposterSyndrome #GraphicDesignCareer #UXDesign #DetroitCreatives #PaulDelaurier #MentalHealthForMen #TherapyForCreatives #HealingThroughCreativity #BrandDesign #CreativeEntrepreneur #DesignPodcast #NerdWallet #HarleyDavidsonBranding #EclipseDesign #CreativeCommunity #ArtistBurnout #PhysicalHealthCreatives #CouplesTherapy #VulnerabilityMen #CreativeResilience #DesignCareer #SeniorProductDesigner #MentalHealthPodcast #DetroitMichigan #HealingJourney #BrandStrategy #ArtistLife #CreativeWellness #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd

What happens when a boy raised between two worlds — a rabbi's son in an all-gentile neighborhood, a scholarship kid in the middle of Manhattan — refuses to stop learning, creating, and evolving?Michael Wendroff's story is exactly that kind of full-circle journey.

In this episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, marketing consultant and debut thriller author Michael Wendroff joins Rich Wright for a conversation that spans Queens, New York City, global boardrooms, and the pages of a book that began with a mother's words whispered at birth: "How nice to see you again."

From growing up quietly on the outside of things — finding his first real sense of belonging on a track field — to earning his MBA at 21, working inside a literary agency before anyone knew his name, and building a 30-year global marketing career, Michael's path was never a straight line. It was always a spiral. Always coming back around.His debut thriller What Goes Around, published by Head of Zeus/Bloomsbury and now available in hardcover, ebook, audiobook, and paperback — with foreign rights sold in Italian, Japanese, and Hungarian — explores reincarnation, unbreakable bonds, and the question of whether the soul really does keep returning to learn what it hasn't yet mastered.

In this episode we explore:~Growing up ostracized, and how solitude became a superpower~The publishing world from the inside — agents, editors, and the art of the query letter~The psychology of men's hair color (yes, really — and it goes deep)~Why the pandemic became the permission slip to finally write~What it means to grieve a fictional character you had to kill off~The 50/50 reality of being a traditionally published author today: 50% writing, 50% marketing~Reincarnation, Dr. Brian Weiss, soul bonds, and the spiritual thread woven through this entire life storyWhether you're a writer, a creative entrepreneur, a maker working through your next chapter — or someone who has ever felt like an outsider who somehow ended up exactly where they were supposed to be — this conversation will stay with you. Connect with Michael Wendroff: Website: https://www.michaelwendroff.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwendroffInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwendroffFB: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelWendroffAuthorX: https://x.com/mwendroffConnect with Rich:Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠LinkedIn: @richwrightunltdInstagram: @richwrightunltdFB: @theartrecInstagram: @theartrecArtist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdomJoin Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery#ArtistRecoveryPodcast #MichaelWendroff #WhatGoesAround #ThrillerAuthor #DebutNovelist #BloomsburyPublishing #LiteraryAgent #HowToGetPublished #BookMarketing #AuthorMarketing #CreativeEntrepreneur #MarketingConsultant #ReincarnationThriller #SoulForward #PandemicCreativity #HowToWriteAThriller #PublishingIndustry #QueryLetter #NYUMBA #GlobalMarketing #AuthorInterview #WritingProcess #CharacterDevelopment #BrianWeiss #ManyLivesManyMasters #SpiritualCreativity #CreativeBusiness #BookLaunch #CreativesPodcast #HeartCenteredBusiness #richwrightunlimited #richwrightartist #richwrightunltd #podmatchguest #beaguest @PodMatch_com ​

What happens when a rebel artist stops fighting the system — and starts building her own?In this episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, Rich Wright sits down with Julia Stege — pioneering graphic designer, branding artist, and creator of Magical Marketing — for a deeply honest conversation about creative identity, resilience, and what it truly means to build a heart-centered business.

Julia's story is one that artists, creatives, and soul-driven entrepreneurs will recognize in their bones. From being rejected by her high school Art Honors Society three years in a row, to getting fired from every Manhattan design job she was brilliant enough to earn, to eventually helping thousands of out-of-the-box creatives build authentic brands online — Julia has lived the full arc of the creative recovery journey.

In this episode: → Why creative children are systematically discouraged — and how it follows artists into adulthood → How her rebellious spirit became the engine of her entrepreneurial success → The shift from revolutionary activist to heart-centered brand strategist → Why authentic marketing outperforms hype-driven tactics every time → The Law of Attraction meets branding: how "like attracts like" is the most powerful marketing strategy available to soul-led entrepreneurs → Why you don't have to niche yourself into a box — and what to do instead → The concept of the "world-changing message" that unifies everything you do into one magnetic brand identity → What it means to be a Renaissance creative — and why that's your greatest business asset, not a liability

Julia founded Graphic Girls in 1995 and built brand identities for clients including the Museum of Modern Art, Carnegie Hall, Burger King, Café Gratitude, Birkenstock, and Julia Butterfly Hill. In 2006 she became a certified Strategic Attraction Coach. By 2011 she launched Magical Marketing — a brand built on the principles of authenticity, intuition, attraction, and transformation.Her message is clear: the creative economy rewards those who are willing to be real. In a world of AI-generated noise and manipulative marketing tactics, your authentic voice is your most valuable SEO signal — and your most powerful soul signal.Whether you're a healer, artist, designer, coach, or any kind of creative entrepreneur asking "how do I build a brand that actually feels like me?" — this conversation is the one you've been waiting for.Connect with Julia:https://magical-marketing.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magicalmarketerFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MagicalMarketerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/soultribeattraction/Connect with Rich:Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠LinkedIn: @richwrightunltdInstagram: @richwrightunltdFB: @theartrecInstagram: @theartrecArtist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdomJoin Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery#AuthenticBranding #SoulLedEntrepreneur #CreativeEntrepreneur #ArtistRecovery #MagicalMarketing #JuliaStege #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #artistrecoverypodcast #LawOfAttractionMarketing #HeartCenteredBusiness #BrandingForCreatives #PersonalBranding #YouDontHaveToNiche #RenaissanceCreative #SoulTribe #WorldChangingMessage #GraphicDesignCareer #CreativeIdentity #ArtistPodcast #AuthenticMarketing #SpiritualEntrepreneurship #CreativeResilience #ArtistBurnoutRecovery #BrandingStrategy #FemaleEntrepreneur #IntuitiveBusiness #CreativeBusinessCoach #AttractionMarketing #AuthenticEntrepreneur #HealingThroughCreativity #CreativeConfidence #ArtistMindset

What happens when a child with a photographic memory, ignored by his parents and silenced by nuns, decides to figure out the human race — on his own? You get Jim Marshall.In this episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, host Rich Wright sits down with one of the most quietly revolutionary thinkers alive today — author, inventor, and polymathic scholar Jim Marshall.

With over 50,000 hours devoted to studying human development across psychology, theology, engineering, philosophy, law, parapsychology, and metaphysics, Jim didn't just learn about the human experience — he mapped it.

Jim is the creator of Septemics — a groundbreaking periodic table of human nature consisting of 35 seven-level scales that decode patterns in human behavior for analysis, prediction, and transformation. After 40+ years as a human development engineer, treating and training hundreds of clients, and 28 years of formal education, Jim turned decades of empirical observation into a single system that anyone can use to understand themselves and the people around them.

Rich and Jim explore:

~ Growing up in New York City with parents who paid him no attention — and the moment at 8 years old he decided he was on his own

~ How a strict Jesuit military prep school became the first place Jim truly felt at home — because the teachers were as serious about knowledge as he was

~ The link between writing Latin poetry at 17, meditating daily for over 40 years, and engineering a system that dissolves anxiety and depression at the root

~ Why Jim believes 95% of the problems in industrialized society come down to one thing: people don't understand people

~ How Septemics was born — the 1995 breakthrough moment when a 6-level scale revealed its hidden 7th level, and the mathematics embedded inside changed everything

~ The practical application of 35 scales for relationships, finances, creativity, addiction recovery, and mental health — without chemicals, without guesswork

~ Why most people never ask "how did you do that?" — and what incuriosity costs us all

~ How knowing where someone falls on a scale of motivation, sexuality, conflict, or control doesn't just explain them — it frees you from being upset by them

Jim also shares the hard-won personal story behind his career: the son who grew up without a father's acknowledgment, the decades of scholarship and meditation that replaced emotional noise with clarity, and the quiet, unshakeable confidence of a man who has never made a house payment, never worried about the stock market, and never stayed in a conversation longer than it deserved.

This isn't just an intellectual episode — it's a mirror. If you've ever felt misunderstood, creatively blocked, stuck in a relationship you can't decode, or searching for a framework that actually explains human behavior... this is your episode.

Connect with Jim:

Website: https://septemics.com

Connect with Rich:

Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠

LinkedIn: @richwrightunltd

Instagram: @richwrightunltd

FB: @theartrec

Instagram: @theartrec

Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom

Join Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery

#Septemics #JimMarshall #HumanNature #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #HumanDevelopment #Polymath #MeditationBenefits #AnxietyRelief #DepressionRecovery #RelationshipAdvice #UnderstandingPeople #EmotionalIntelligence #HumanBehavior #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #RichWright #KnowYourself #SpiritualDevelopment #PsychologyAlternative #BiofeedbackTherapy #SocraticMethod #HighAchieverMindset #CuriosityAndLearning #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealthAlternatives #BehavioralPrediction #HumanPotential #LifeTransformation #SelfImprovementPodcast #ConsciousnessExpansion #LongFormInterview #MotivationalPodcast #PersonalDevelopment #MindsetShift #richwrightunlimited #richwrightartist #richwrightunltd #podmatchguest #beaguest ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩

What happens when a little girl who just wanted to please everyone grows up to help transform how an entire corner of an industry works? In this deeply personal episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, host Rich Wright sits down with Jessica Rennard — President of NuSource, long‑time sustainable fashion operator, and one of the most quietly influential voices in the resale and circular fashion space.But before the brand partnerships, the 7,000 resellers, and $9 million in revenue in 14 months — there was a girl on a bike, opening a bagel shop before school. A student who failed out of college. A woman who never quite fit the traditional molds she was offered.Jessica’s story isn’t just about fashion or business. It’s about what happens when you stop trying to fit into spaces that weren’t built for you and start building your own.IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:~ Growing up in West Haven, CT & Valley Forge, PA with divorced parents and the grandparents who helped fill the gaps~ Being diagnosed with ADD in 7th grade — and how it ultimately became an advantage in fast‑paced, high‑chaos environments~How working at Manhattan Bagel from age 14 quietly built her customer service instincts and love for serving people~ Plato’s Closet, a trip to Florence, Italy, and the time when resale fashion really started to click as a career path~ Failing out of college, rebuilding at community college, and finding her stride at a new university~ Launching a boutique inside a nonprofit that grew into one of its strongest revenue drivers~ Building a consulting agency with zero corporate background — and signing 14 clients in about a month~ How COVID became the unexpected launchpad for her mystery‑box resale venture~ The personal cost of finding yourself — and how her divorce became part of her larger breakthrough~ Where NuSource is headed next and what sustainable fashion really needs right nowWHY THIS EPISODE MATTERS FOR CREATIVES: Jessica never had an MBA. She didn’t follow a linear path. What she had was a mind that thrives in complexity, a nose for opportunity, and the lived experience of nearly every resale shop, thrift store, and consignment rack in a 40‑mile radius. If you’ve ever felt behind, underprepared, or like you’re building the plane mid‑flight — this one’s for you.THE BIGGER MISSION:The fashion industry generates enormous volumes of clothing waste every year, much of it piling up in landfills and oceans. Jessica and her team at NuSource are working to flip the script — empowering resellers, partnering with brands, and helping move the needle toward a circular economy where clothing has a second (and sometimes third) life. This is sustainability with real‑world scale and momentum.Connect with Jessica:Website: https://nusource.ioLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicarennardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefashiondisruptorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.nusourceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.nusourceTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefashiondisruptor29Connect with Rich:Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠LinkedIn: @richwrightunltdInstagram: @richwrightunltdFB: @theartrecInstagram: @theartrecArtist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdomJoin Podmatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/artistrecovery#ResaleFashion #SustainableFashion #CircularEconomy #WomenInBusiness #FemaleEntrepreneur #ADDEntrepreneur #ADHDAndEntrepreneurship #CreativeEntrepreneur #EcommerceFashion #ResaleBusinessModel #FashionSustainability #GenZFashion #ConsciousConsumerism #SlowFashion #FastFashionAlternatives #ClothingResellers #NonprofitBoutique #CareerReinvention #WorkingMomEntrepreneur #ArtistRecoveryPodcast #JessicaRennard #NuSourceFashion #SecondhandEconomy #ResaleMarket #PeoplePleaserToCEO #ADDSuperpower #MultitaskingEntrepreneur #richwrightunlimited #richwrightartist #richwrightunltd #podmatchguest #beaguest @PodMatch_com ​

What happens when a kid who cried for three days because summer vacation started — ends up designing custom collectibles for Disney, The Tonight Show, and Nickelodeon from a basement in Nebraska? That's just the beginning of Paul Pape's story.In this deeply honest and wildly inspiring conversation, Rich Wright sits down with Paul Pape — artist, designer, TEDx speaker, and founder of Gamify Business — to explore the winding, sometimes painful, always purposeful road of a creative who refused to be anyone but himself.Paul opens up about growing up as the "black sheep" middle child in Omaha, finding escape in library books, and the sixth-grade teacher who tore apart his solar system project — and unknowingly lit a fire that never went out. From theater in high school, to a scenic design master's degree at UC San Diego, to winning the Princess Grace Award, to building a creative business methodology that translates traditional business into RPG game mechanics — this episode is a masterclass in creative resilience, self-awareness, and entrepreneurial reinvention.But it's not just a success story. Paul shares the weight of sibling trauma, emotional compartmentalization, the loneliness that quietly followed him into adulthood, and how two years of therapy cracked open things he'd buried for decades. He talks about what it means to finally feel — and why his wife of 26 years has been the most important creative collaborator of his life.And then there's the mission: helping the 97% of creatives who graduate with an arts degree and never use it, not because they lack talent, but because nobody ever taught them the business side. Paul's answer? Stop making business feel like business. Make it feel like an adventure.In this episode, we cover:~Growing up Gen X in Nebraska — creek walks, scrap wood builds & zero cell phones~The teacher who punished creativity & what Paul learned from it~Finding theater as an escape, not a fit — and what that difference means~Being the "you'll be fine" person in every room — and the cost of it~Surviving family trauma and the two-year emotional reckoning that followed~How a single Dungeons & Dragons business session sparked Gamify Business~Why creatives make the worst business decisions (and how to fix it)~"Quit selling your sh*t — sell yourself." The philosophy that changes everything~Comparison as the thief of joy — and the ruler analogy that will stay with you~Books, coaching & accessible tools for creatives at every level~Paul's closing truth: "Unlike a game, we do not have three lives. This is your shot."Connect with Paul:Website: https://paulpapedesigns.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulericpapeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulpapedesignsFB: https://www.facebook.com/paulpapedesignsYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/paulpapesnougat/featuredConnect with Rich:Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠LinkedIn: @richwrightunltdInstagram: @richwrightunltdFB: @theartrecInstagram: @theartrecArtist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom#CreativeEntrepreneur #BusinessForArtists #GamifyBusiness #CreativeBusinessStrategy #RPGBusiness #ArtSchool #StarvingArtistMyth #FreelanceArtist #HowToPriceYourArt #CreativeProfessional #ScenicDesign #PaulPape #artistrecoverypodcast #RichWright #TEDxSpeaker #NeurodivergentEntrepreneur #ADHDCreative #CloudThinker #ComparisonIsTheThiefOfJoy #ArtistBusinessCoach #CreativeCoaching #HowToSellYourself #PersonalBrandingForArtists #SantaForNerds #CreativePlayersHandbook #GameMastersGuide #ArtistMentalHealth #TherapyForCreatives #EmotionalIntelligenceEntrepreneur #TraumaAndCreativity #HowToBuildACreativeBusiness #FreelancePricingStrategy #ClientAcquisitionForCreatives #CreativeCommunity #CustomCollectibles #NickelodeonDesigner #TonightShowProps #LifelongLearner #DopamineBusiness #richwrightartist #richwrightunlimited #richwrightunltd #podmatchguest @PodMatch_com ​

What happens when a quiet, neurodivergent kid who couldn't raise her hand in class grows up to found a literary press, publish award-winning fiction, and write the novel she dreamed of since second grade? You get Laura Stanfill — and this conversation is one you don't want to miss.

Laura Stanfill is the founder of Forest Avenue Press, author of Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary, and one of the most quietly powerful forces in independent literary publishing. In this episode, she opens up about growing up in a New Jersey home full of player pianos and air horns, being the quiet kid who found her voice through the written word, navigating a controlling college relationship that nearly broke her spirit, and how moving to Oregon with nothing but a car and a dream helped her rebuild from the inside out.

This isn't just a publishing episode. It's a conversation about resilience, creativity, neurodivergence, and what it actually takes to keep believing in your work when the world hasn't said yes yet.

In this episode:

— Growing up in a house full of musical oddities and how it shaped a creative mind

— How a 5th grade teacher changed everything by letting classmates beg to hear more of her stories

— Writing as a safe harbor for kids who feel like outsiders

— The college years that dimmed her light

— and why none of it was her fault

— Moving cross-country right after 9/11 with no safety net and no plan

— The 6-foot weed growing through concrete that became her metaphor for survival

— Why the book nobody was waiting for

— the one she just played with

— was the one that sold

— The story of Keisha Ajo Fisher: an author who stopped waiting for permission and won an Oregon Book Award

— Real talk on self-publishing vs. agents vs. small presses

— and how to choose YOUR path

— Why honoring your creative spark matters more than chasing what's already selling

For writers, creatives, and dreamers: If you've been waiting for someone to tell you it's okay to do it your own way — this is that conversation.

Connect with Laura:

Website: https://laurastanfill.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laura.stanfill.98

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lhstanfill

Connect w / Rich:

Website: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com⁠

LinkedIn: @richwrightunltd

Instagram: @richwrightunltd

FB: @theartrec

Instagram: @theartrec

Artist Rich Wright’s WOW Essential Spirit Paintings: ⁠https://www.theartistrecovery.com/white-owl-wisdom

#LauraStanfill #ForestAvenuePress #IndiePublishing #SmallPress #HowToGetPublished #SelfPublishing #LiteraryAgent #PowellsBooks #OregonWriters #NeurodivergentCreatives #NeurodivergentAuthor #QuietKids #IntrovertedWriter #WritingAsAChild #WomenInPublishing #MarginalizedVoices #CreativeEntrepreneurship #OvercomingRejection #AuthorInterview #DebutNovelist #HistoricalFiction #LiteraryFiction #WritingCommunity #HowToWriteANovel #CreativeProcess #KeishaAjoFisher #OregonBookAward #WritingForHealing #CreativityAndTrauma #FindYourVoice #SingingLessonsForTheStylishCanary #ImagineADoor #TinPanAlley #WomenComposers #WritingAndMentalHealth #OutsiderCreativity #BookPublishing #HowToSubmit #CreativeCourage #WritingWorkshop #LiteraryPortland #AuthorPodcast #WritingPodcast #BookTok #WritingTok #AmWriting #WritersOfInstagram #podmatchguest #richwrightartist #richwrightunltd #richwrightunlimited ⁨@PodMatch_com⁩