Firestarters with Shannon Watts

Check out my Substack Live conversation with Zerlina [https://substack.com/profile/2003445-zerlina] on how she knew it was time to make a big change in her life, the signs that lead her there (and continue to show up), and what’s next in her adventure (spoiler alert: she wants to stay in Italy forever). I interviewed Zerlina for my upcoming book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age [https://www.firedupbook.com/]. Pre-order now to read more about Zerlina’s journey and dozens of other women who have followed my formula for embracing their desires instead of fulfilling their obligations. After watching the replay, follow Zerlina on Substack at The Inner Work Dispatch [https://open.substack.com/pub/zerlinamaxwell]. My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering [https://www.firedupbook.com/], you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe [https://shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

"I hope I've helped to create a framework where people find a way and feel like their voice can make a difference because I have seen how just one voice can make a difference." In 2022, after 18 months of fertility treatment, Texan Amanda Zurawski and her husband learned she was pregnant. However, at 18 weeks, doctors told Amanda she had miscarried. And then, because of Texas's abortion ban, those same doctors denied Amanda the healthcare she urgently needed and she nearly died from septic shock. Amanda has since become an advocate for abortion and reproductive care, and was the lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. Texas, the first lawsuit brought by patients challenging a state on its abortion bans since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Her case is featured in a new documentary by the same name. Earlier this year, Amanda was named a TIME Woman of the Year [https://time.com/7216391/amanda-zurawski-texas-reproductive-rights/], a very deserved honor. As you listen to Amanda tell her story, you'll hear how brave and fierce she is, how her life has been turned upside down in all the right ways, and what's next on her journey from athlete to communications professional to an incredible advocate for women's rights. Amanda is the epitome of a Firestarter. To read more inspiring stories from Firestarters like Amanda, preorder my book “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age” at firedupbook.com [http://firedupbook.com/]. My new book Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is available for preorder! Out in June 2025, Fired Up will give you the formula for finding your unique spark and show you how to use it to start fires in your life. By preordering [https://www.firedupbook.com/], you can enroll for FREE in Firestarter University, a year-long online program that includes live monthly workshops, workbooks and resources, accountability check-ins, and a community to help you succeed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe [https://shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Check out my Substack Live conversation with Katherine Goldstein [https://substack.com/profile/116834-katherine-goldstein], author of How to Find Your People: A Guide to the Transformative Power of Community about the importance of finding or creating community. After watching the replay above, make sure you’re following Katherine on Substack at The Double Shift [https://open.substack.com/pub/thedoubleshift]. My upcoming book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is now available for preorder! This book is my guide to figuring out what lights you up and will show you how to live on fire every day. Click here to preorder [http://firedupbook.com/] and get locked into some incredible bonuses. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe [https://shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

“For women, people of color, and anyone on the margins, there’s a culture and society that wants to dominate us; to keep us oppressed and in line. The more that we fight through it, the better off we are and the more fires we can start to disrupt the world around us.” Alencia Johnson is an award-winning commentator, political advisor, leader and now an author who is teaching people how to be everyday disruptors. After working on presidential campaigns of President Obama, Senator Warren, and President Biden, Alencia went to work for Planned Parenthood where she helped create “Stand with Black Women," a campaign to call attention to Black people’s bodily autonomy and dignity. Alencia's debut book Flip The Tables: The Everyday Disruptor’s Guide to Finding Courage and Making Change [https://www.alenciajohnson.com/book], a manual for finding your audacity, shaking up the status quo, and creating a better world, is out now. During our conversation, Alencia and I discuss the life lessons she took away from being raised by activists, the mental and physical health struggles that helped her focus on her personal fulfillment, and how she found the courage to be an agitator for good. Alencia is a strong and compassionate leader, a bold and confident risk-taker, and a courageous warrior for justice and equality. Alencia Johnson is a firestarter. To read more inspiring stories from Firestarters like Alencia, be sure to preorder my book “Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age” at firedupbook.com [http://firedupbook.com/]. My upcoming book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is now available for preorder! This book is my guide to figuring out what lights you up and will show you how to live on fire every day. Click here to preorder [http://firedupbook.com/] and get locked into some incredible bonuses. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe [https://shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

"For those of us not in immediate danger of losing our livelihoods, our lives, our ability to move through the world, this is the moment we need to step up. Right now, more than anything, we all have to be firestarters. Light the match." Luvvie Ajayi Jones is an author, speaker, and mentor who tells stories that inspire and dare people to live more boldly. She started her career as a blogger and in 2016, published her first book, I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual [https://luvvie.org/books/im-judging-you/], which debuted on the New York Times best-seller list. Her subsequent TED talk, “Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable [https://www.ted.com/talks/luvvie_ajayi_jones_get_comfortable_with_being_uncomfortable?language=en]” has been translated into 23 languages and is in the top 1 percent of TED Talks of all time. Luvvie and I discuss what her Nigerian family taught her about community, how blogging turned into a dream career, and why she wrote her new book, Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name [https://luvvie.org/books/little-troublemaker-defends-her-name/], which comes out this spring. Luvvie is a force of nature who wants all of us to become “professional troublemakers”—people who use their voices to make every room they enter just a little better. She exemplifies courage, summons others’ audacity, and teaches us how to create community. Luvvie is a firestarter. Preorder Luvvie’s upcoming book: Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name [https://luvvie.org/books/little-troublemaker-defends-her-name/]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe [https://shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]