How to Be Alive

Ep.10: Imagination as the Great Alchemizer of Grief w/ Fariha Róisín

Imagine a world where your creativity has the power to heal your past, build bridges of connection, deepen your spirituality, and dismantle systems of oppression. Fariha Róisín—-a Muslim, queer, Bangladeshi multidisciplinary artist and writer—has used their writing to do just that. Today on the podcast, they’re joining Carter to cast a vision of the true alchemical power of writing toward healing both the personal and the political. Fariha wonders at the impulse they had to write a book as a twelve year-old, the ripple effect of vulnerability and sharing your work, and why we should be looking to the wisdom of the Earth to teach us about repair. . . We’re also getting into… - wellness outside of appropriation and commodification - creativity as a safe container for emotional exploration - Fariha’s mission to demystify Islamophobia and claim their Sufi intellectual ancestry - the power of vulnerability and the ripple effect of sharing your work - …and what this all has to do with the character of Trump, the Epstein files, global genocides, and the war in Iran . . Born in Ontario, raised in Sydney, and now living in the UK, Fariha Róisín is the author of two poetry books—How to Cure a Ghost and Survival Takes a Wild Imagination—a novel called Like a Bird, the guided journal, Being in Your Body, and the part-memoir, part-journalistic takedown of Western wellness culture, Who is Wellness For? . . . Stay in touch with Fariha Róisín: Via their website: fariharoisin.com [http://fariharoisin.com] On Substack: @fariharoisin [https://substack.com/@fariharoisin] On Instagram: @fariha_roisin [https://www.instagram.com/fariha_roisin/] or https://www.instagram.com/fariha_roisin/ [https://www.instagram.com/fariha_roisin/] . . . This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer--who offers one-on-one work and creative workshops. Keep in touch with Carter: Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/ [https://carterumhau.substack.com/] Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/ [https://www.carterumhau.com/] Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle [https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle] If you’re interested in receiving support from Carter in a therapeutic, coaching, or consulting capacity—or you just want to say hi!—please reach out at hello@carterumhau.com [hello@carterumhau.com] I can’t wait to hear from you! . . . Original music by Aaron Davidson Editing by Hans Anderson . . DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe [https://carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep.09: Living the Questions + Answering the Call w/ Nneka Julia

Filmmaker and writer Nneka Julia makes work that asks just as many questions as it answers, and that’s the hope. Nneka’s multidisciplinary work circles questions of identity and belonging, how to care for one’s inner child, and the emotional gauntlet that can be the creative process itself. In this conversational interview, Nneka tells the story of how she moved past the expectations she felt as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, and what finally sent her out of her comfort zone and toward the calling to be the artist she’d always sensed she was. We get into the origin stories of her podcast, Passing Through, as well as the stunning short-form film project that is her Letters From A Stranger series. . We also talk about… - the trials of both being middle children! - the Rainer Maria Rilke quote that Carter couldn’t stop thinking about in relation to Nneka’s work - how directing her first short film helped Nneka unlearn people-pleasing tendencies - why making art is a gift—not a selfish act - what Sade and Frank Ocean have to teach us about patience - a proposed antidote to the soul-draining dissociation of social media . . . Stay in touch with Nneka Julia: On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nnekaj/ [https://www.youtube.com/@nnekaj/] On Intagram: @nnekaj or https://www.instagram.com/nnekaj/ [https://www.instagram.com/nnekaj/] On Substack: https://www.lettersfromastranger.com/ [https://www.lettersfromastranger.com/] Craft & Release: https://www.craftandrelease.com/ [https://www.craftandrelease.com/] . . . This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau [https://www.carterumhau.com/]--a therapist, artist, and writer. If you’re interested in receiving support from Carter in a therapeutic, coaching, or consulting capacity—or you just want to say hi!—please reach out at hello@carterumhau.com [hello@carterumhau.com]. I can’t wait to hear from you! Keep in touch with Carter and get a deeper look at the podcast via my newsletter...in your inbox, weekly-ish: Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/ [https://carterumhau.substack.com/] Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/ [https://www.carterumhau.com/] Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle [https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle] . . . Mentioned in this episode: - Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (which is where the phrase “living the questions” comes from) - morning pages, a tool from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - the music of both Sade and Frank Ocean - The Writing Life by Annie Dillard - Knights of the Seven Kingdoms and Game of Thrones - Dense Discovery, a favorite newsletter of Nneka’s: https://www.densediscovery.com/ [https://www.densediscovery.com/] - BRICK, the device Nneka and Carter both use to manage screen time: https://getbrick.com/ [https://getbrick.com/] . . . Original music by Aaron Davidson Editing by Hans Anderson . . DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe [https://carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep08: Creativity is a Place You Go w/ Shira Erlichman

What would be different about your relationship to yourself if you thought of creativity as a place you can go, rather than simply what you make? In this spiritually-imbued conversation, author, artist, and musician Shira Erlichman offers gem after gem of creative wisdom and inspiration, talking with host, therapist, and fellow artist Carter Umhau about what the creative process has to teach us about being human. Shira also shares how writing poetry became a vehicle through which to befriend the medication she takes for Bipolar Disorder, and how it has taught her to engage past and future versions of herself. If you’ve ever wondered how creativity can support your mental health or your own becoming, this is the episode for you. . Also in this episode: - how to engage the desires you have for your life when you’re scared - the trippy experience that inspired Shira’s new novel - the Audre Lorde quote and Buddhist meditation that Shira returns to again and again - what quantum physics and IFS have to do with each other - how creativity can help us divest from the narrative imposed by capitalism and Empire about what life is supposed to look like . . Shira Erlichman is the author of Odes to Lithium (Alice James Books, 2019) which won the Publishing Triangle’s Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry and is the writer-illustrator of the children’s book Be/Hold: A Friendship Book (2019). She was a finalist for the Lambda Award, a Silver Medalist for the Nautilus Award, and the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship. She has been a returning guest host on The Slowdown. She runs In Surreal life: an Online Global Creativity School and is a Visiting Faculty Mentor at the Randolph MFA. Look forward to her debut novel Tangerapple (Knopf, 2027), and her second book of poetry, IS (Alice James Books, 2028). . Stay in touch with Shira Erlichman: - via her website: www.shiraerlichman.com [http://www.shiraerlichman.com]  - @Sheer_Awe on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sheer_awe]  - through Shira’s Substack [https://shiraerlichman.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] . . . This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer. If you’re interested in receiving support from Carter in a therapeutic, coaching, or consulting capacity—or you just want to connect!—please reach out at hello@carterumhau.com [hello@carterumhau.com] I can’t wait to hear from you! . Keep in touch with Carter and get a deeper look into the podcast, it's guests, and Carter's work: Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/ [https://carterumhau.substack.com/] Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/ [https://www.carterumhau.com/] Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle [https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle] . . . Original music by Aaron Davidson Editing by Hans Anderson . . DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe [https://carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep.07: The Sacred and Mundane Across Life Stages w/ Megan Brady Moon

From the scooped out center of a cantaloupe to a bubblegum pink stack of hay in an Icelandic field, film photographer Megan Brady Moon’s work seeks out the sacred within the mundane. Through this exploratory conversation, Megan—who is based in Seattle— finds words for the ways in which photography was initially a place to mirror the intimate, solitary, and sometimes lonely experience of being single throughout her twenties and early thirties. Now married and a mother, Megan wonders at the ways in which her creative process is forever changed. Graciously, Megan however does NOT join in on the chorus of parents out there saying that you haven’t truly lived until you’re a parent. (And childless Carter adamantly agrees.) This episode provides a beautiful example of how the way we are asked to develop creatively is always the way we are asked to develop personally too, and vice versa. . . In this episode we also talk about… - the trip to a retirement community that inspired Megan’s first rolls of film - cultivating presence and the capacity to notice and respond - the calming quality to Megan’s photos - the art of mothering as a creative act in and of itself . . Stay in touch with Megan Brady Moon! On Instagram: @megonfilm [https://www.instagram.com/megonfilm] or https://www.instagram.com/megonfilm [https://www.instagram.com/megonfilm] Megan’s website: mmbrady.com [http://mmbrady.com] . . . . This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer who facilitates workshops and conversations at the intersection of healing and creativity. Beyond her own creative practice, this podcast, and her classes, Carter also works with clients one-on-one in creative mentorship and therapeutic coaching. . Keep in touch with Carter and get a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast: Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/ [https://carterumhau.substack.com/] Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/ [https://www.carterumhau.com/] Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle [https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle] . . . Original music by Aaron Davidson Editing by Hans Anderson . . DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe [https://carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep.06: Creating a Sense of Home Through Pie w/ Stacey Mei Yan Fong

For author and baker Stacey Mei Yan Fong, pie is more than delicious dessert: it’s a vehicle of storytelling, a place to process emotion, a study guide of the US, and a way to formulate a sense of home. In this conversation, Stacey and I explore the creative process behind her book, 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States Through Pie. Stacey shares how baking has been a practice ground for building resilience, exploring her identity, and quieting the noise around her. In this podcast all about how creativity can show us how to be human, Stacey offers a delicious perspective on what it means to show up with tenderness, using her creativity to ask big questions and build connection, one pie at a time. . In this conversation we also talk about… - why Stacey prefers the monikers of “human” and “homemaker” - whether she considers herself an artist or not - how pie has taught Stacey how to still hold hope for the US (despite the complex feelings she has about being an immigrant right now) - why Dolly Parton has Stacey’s heart and how her relationship to music makes her feel alive . Stacey Mei Yan Fong was born in Singapore, lived in Indonesia, grew up in Hong Kong, and moved to the States to pursue a degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She now calls Brooklyn home. Her work has been featured by Good Morning America, NPR, CBS Sunday Morning, The James Beard Foundation, America’s Test Kitchen, Eater, and beyond. She is an IACP award winning author. . . . Mentioned in this episode: - Bold Fork Books: https://boldforkbooks.com/ [https://boldforkbooks.com/] - the music of Dolly Parton, Bon Iver, Rilo Kiley, the Beatles, and John Denver - chefs Hetty Liu McKinnon and Alison Roman - Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson . . Stay in touch with Stacey! On Instagram: @staceymeiyanfong or https://www.instagram.com/staceymeiyanfong [https://www.instagram.com/staceymeiyanfong] Via her website: https://www.50pies50states.com/ [https://www.50pies50states.com/] . . This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer (who also happens to have extensive backgrounds in both fine dining and eating disorder treatment, too!). Keep in touch with Carter and get a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast: Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/ [https://carterumhau.substack.com/] Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/ [https://www.carterumhau.com/] Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle [https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle] . . . Original music by Aaron Davidson Editing by Hans Anderson . . DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe [https://carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]