Slow Down. Do Less. Let the Creativity Flow

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Season two is officially in the books 🎉 This week, we’re doing something a little different: opening up the listener survey and sharing what surprised us, what made us laugh, what made us rethink things, and what we’re taking into season three. We get into: * The biggest takeaways from your survey responses * Who’s actually listening (writers… and surprisingly, a lot of non-writers) * The topics you want more of next season (writer burnout, mental health, money, motherhood, revision, and creative sustainability) * What worked—and didn’t—with guest episodes * Dream guests and future episode ideas * How writers actually pay the bills * Accountability partners, writing communities, and whether we should finally start a Pen Pals Slack * What it means to pursue creative goals when life keeps happening We also reflect on feedback we received this season, talk about how we think about criticism and community, and share what we’re excited to experiment with next. Thank you for listening, emailing, sharing episodes, and spending another season with us. Whether you’re drafting your novel, revising, dreaming about starting, or just here for two friends trying to make something meaningful while juggling real life—we’re so glad you’re here. See you in season three ❤️ Mentioned in this episode: "real eyes realize real lies: on Yesteryear and selling out [https://open.substack.com/pub/haleystewfart/p/real-eyes-realize-real-lies?r=385r2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web]" by Haley at Brain Stew on Substack. 📋 LAST CHANCE to fill out the Pen Pals listener survey. Survey will close on 6/21. https://form.typeform.com/to/kIosWT3L [https://form.typeform.com/to/kIosWT3L ] Write to us: officialpenpalspod@gmail.com Follow us: Instagram: @penpalspod [https://www.instagram.com/penpalspod] TikTok: @penpalspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@penpalspod] YouTube: @PenPalsPod [https://www.youtube.com/@PenPalsPod] SubStack: penpalspod.substack.com [https://penpalspod.substack.com/] Follow Krisserin and Kelton: TikTok: @krisserin [https://www.tiktok.com/@krisserin], @keltonwrites [https://www.tiktok.com/@keltonwrites] Instagram: @keltonkin [https://www.instagram.com/keltonkin], @keltonwrites [https://www.instagram.com/keltonwrites] Kelton's Substack: Shangrilogs [https://shangrilogs.substack.com/] Krisserin's Substack: krisserin.substack.com [https://krisserin.substack.com/] Music by Golden Hour Oasis Studios

The Untold Women Who Shaped the American Outdoors with Heather Hansman

Kelton brings on one of her favorite outdoor writers: Heather Hansman, award-winning journalist, contributing editor at Outside Magazine, and author of Downriver and Powder Days. Heather's newest book, Fierce Country, uncovers the stories of three women — Grand Canyon guide Georgie White, environmental philosopher Dolores LaChapelle, and wilderness guide Anne LaBastille — who shaped how we think about public land, conservation, and who gets to feel at home in the outdoors. Their stories were largely ignored. Heather spent years in archives fixing that. The conversation covers what it actually takes to build a freelance writing career in the outdoor space (grindier than it looks), how Heather knew Fierce Country was a book and not just a great magazine piece, what it was like to report on women who left no living children and whose archives were sitting in a stranger's spare room, and why she thinks the key to pitching is making the editor's job as easy as possible. She also talks about her morning commute ritual, Ann Friedman's advice to "kiss sideways," and why she initially resisted the idea of writing about women at all. Plus: Kelton and Krisserin close out the season with listener shoutouts, survey news, and summer goals — including Kelton's Caribbean rom-com that plotted itself out in one feverish afternoon. Books Mentioned in this Episode: Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow by Heather Hansman Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West by Heather Hansman London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe Horses by Jake Skeets Daytime Moon by Kerri Schlottman Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy Follow Heather: Website: heatherhansman.com Instagram: @hhansman Pre-order Fierce Country at your local indie bookstore or Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/p/books/fierce-country-the-untold-story-of-three-women-who-ignited-america-s-love-for-the-wild-heather-hansman/7cadb59aded8d9cb?ean=9781335013439&next=t] — pub date July 14, 2026 📋 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Pen Pals has a listener survey and we need your feedback to make the show even better. Fill it out at: https://form.typeform.com/to/kIosWT3L [https://form.typeform.com/to/kIosWT3L] — it takes just a few minutes and means the world to us. Write to us: officialpenpalspod@gmail.com Follow us: Instagram: @penpalspod [https://www.instagram.com/penpalspod] TikTok: @penpalspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@penpalspod] YouTube: @PenPalsPod [https://www.youtube.com/@PenPalsPod] SubStack: penpalspod.substack.com [https://penpalspod.substack.com/] Follow Krisserin and Kelton: TikTok: @krisserin [https://www.tiktok.com/@krisserin], @keltonwrites [https://www.tiktok.com/@keltonwrites] Instagram: @keltonkin [https://www.instagram.com/keltonkin], @keltonwrites [https://www.instagram.com/keltonwrites] Kelton's Substack: Shangrilogs [https://shangrilogs.substack.com/] Krisserin's Substack: krisserin.substack.com [https://krisserin.substack.com/] Music by Golden Hour Oasis Studios

8. juni 20261 h 9 min

Slow Down. Do Less. Let the Creativity Flow | Season 2 Finale

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1 month for 9 kr.

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