The Poetry Lab Podcast

#63 Integrating Self-Care into Your Writing Practice

Writers are asked to do everything, often at the cost of the work itself. In this episode, Ravina rethinks self-care as part of the writing practice, not separate from it. Through boundaries, reduced pressure, and small shifts, you'll find a more sustainable way back to the page. Visit thepoetrylab.com to find the Show Notes [http://thepoetrylab.com/podcast-rss/63] for this episode. The Poetry Lab Podcast is produced by Danielle Mitchell, with special guest hosts Lori Walker, Leonora Simonovis, Ravina Wadhwani, and Annie Freshwater. EPISODE GUIDE Self-care isn't separate from your writing practice—it's how you return to it. 03:00 — Burnout vs. "Writer's Block" Exploring different forms of burnout and reframing writer's block as exhaustion and lack of inspiration rather than a true block. 05:00 — Let Your Practice Change Taking on less, setting boundaries, and allowing your creative process to shift as you slowly return to writing. 08:45 — Releasing Pressure, Returning to Purpose Letting go of timelines and expectations while reconnecting to what it means to be an artist. 09:45 — Prompt: What Is Rising? What is bubbling up inside of you—rage, love, inspiration, belonging—and asking it to come forward. 10:30 — Prompt: What Needs to Be Unearthed? If you could dig something out from within you to release more fully, what would it be and why? 11:00 — Tools for Support Using prompt decks and guided journals as grounding tools to sustain a creative practice. *** If this episode sparked something, get our free Creative Care Package [https://thepoetrylab.com/carepackage] with tools, prompts, and checklists to help you keep writing.

#62 The Fool's Journey: The Courage to Start Creating

Every creative practice begins with a choice: to start before you feel ready. In this episode, Annie uses the Fool to explore creative beginnings, tracing a path through tarot archetypes like Judgement, the Magician, and the Star to show how courage, craft, and hope work together, and why progress starts with simply showing up and writing. Visit thepoetrylab.com to find the Show Notes [http://thepoetrylab.com/podcast-rss/62] for this episode. The Poetry Lab Podcast is produced by Danielle Mitchell, with special guest hosts Lori Walker, Leonora Simonovis, Ravina Wadhwani, and Annie Freshwater. EPISODE GUIDE Starting isn't about certainty. It's about choosing to move before you feel ready. 01:20 — The Energy of Beginning (The Fool) Why new creative starts feel both magical and terrifying, and why that tension is part of the process. 03:30 — Stepping Into the Unknown (The Fool) What it means to begin without guarantees and trust the path as it unfolds. 05:30 — Fear and Stagnation (The Fool Reversed) How hesitation, over-preparing, and distraction keep you from starting at all. 07:00 — Movement Over Mastery (The Fool in Action) A clear directive to stop waiting and start writing, even in small, imperfect ways. 08:45 — Answering the Creative Call (Judgment) How beginning leads to deeper questions about purpose, voice, and what you are here to express. 10:30 — Turning Ideas Into Practice (The Magician) Shaping inspiration into something real through craft, skill, and consistency. 11:45 — Writing Through Hope and Healing (The Star) Why belief in your work and connection to meaning sustain the creative process. 13:30 — Catching the Spark (Ace of Wands) How to act on creative impulses in real time and channel raw inspiration into action. 15:30 — From Idea to Completion (Ace of Pentacles) Moving from inspiration into revision, structure, and the tangible work of finishing and submitting. *** If this episode sparked something, get our free Creative Care Package [https://thepoetrylab.com/carepackage] with tools, prompts, and checklists to help you keep writing.

#61 Leaving Academia? Challenges in Teaching Mindset and Lifestyle

In this personal episode, Leo reflects on her decision to leave a tenured academic career after nearly two decades of teaching. She explores the emotional and systemic challenges of academia, including burnout, institutional constraints, and questions of identity and creative freedom, while honoring the role poetry played in guiding her toward a more expansive, self-directed life. Visit thepoetrylab.com to find the Show Notes [http://thepoetrylab.com/podcast-rss/61] for this episode. The Poetry Lab Podcast is produced by Danielle Mitchell, with special guest hosts Lori Walker, Leonora Simonovis, Ravina Wadhwani, and Annie Freshwater. EPISODE GUIDE What happens when the dream job no longer fits? This episode explores the courage it takes to leave and begin again. 01:20 — The Decision to Leave After nearly two decades in academia, Leo names the moment she chose to walk away from tenure. 02:30 — The Reality Behind the Dream What academia asks of you beyond teaching, including bureaucracy, gatekeeping, and silence. 04:10 — When Staying Becomes Survival The emotional, physical, and mental toll of remaining in a system that no longer aligns. 05:20 — Why I Left A clear and candid breakdown of the core reasons, from lack of growth to imbalance and emotional labor. 07:40 — You're Not Alone Zooming out to the larger pattern of academics leaving and what that reveals. 09:15 — Life After Academia What opens up on the other side: clarity, creative freedom, and teaching on your own terms. *** If this episode sparked something, get our free Creative Care Package [https://thepoetrylab.com/carepackage] with tools, prompts, and checklists to help you keep writing.

#60 Making Friends with Your Own Voice

You don't need to find your voice. You need to trust it. This episode unpacks how doubt, comparison, and over-editing pull you away from your natural rhythm—and offers practical ways to reconnect with the voice that's already yours, messy, honest, and powerful. Visit thepoetrylab.com to find the Show Notes [http://thepoetrylab.com/podcast-rss/60] for this episode. The Poetry Lab Podcast is produced by Danielle Mitchell, with special guest hosts Lori Walker, Leonora Simonovis, Ravina Wadhwani, and Annie Freshwater. EPISODE GUIDE What if the voice you're searching for is the one you've been editing out? This episode shows you how to return to it. 02:15 — The Myth of "Finding Your Voice" Why the idea that your voice is hidden or missing might be the very thing holding you back. 04:00 — Your Voice Is Already Here What voice actually is and how it shows up in your instincts, rhythms, and emotional imprint. 06:00 — How We Start Writing Away from Ourselves How doubt and imitation creep in, pulling your voice further from what's already there. 09:15 — What Gets in the Way Comparison, over-editing, feedback fear, and platform pressure that flatten your work. 10:30 — How to Build Trust with Your Voice Practical ways in, including voice notes, writing letters, and letting messy drafts stand. 14:00 — What Happens When You Stop Forcing It Writing becomes faster, more honest, and more connected when you stop performing. 16:00 — Finding Your Way Back (SOS Plan) What to do when your voice feels distant, including grounding, small truths, and quiet re-entry. *** If this episode sparked something, get our free Creative Care Package [https://thepoetrylab.com/carepackage] with tools, prompts, and checklists to help you keep writing.

#59 The Empress: An Invitation to Create

In the debut episode of her new Creative Tarot series, join host Annie Freshwater as she explores The Empress, tarot's archetype of creative fertility and abundance. Through personal reflection and insight, Annie reframes creativity as something organic and cyclical rather than forced, unpacks the deeper roots of creative block, and offers a guided meditation to help you reconnect with your body, replenish your inner resources, and invite inspiration back in. Visit thepoetrylab.com to find the Show Notes [http://thepoetrylab.com/podcast-rss/59] for this episode. The Poetry Lab Podcast is produced by Danielle Mitchell, with special guest hosts Lori Walker, Leonora Simonovis, Ravina Wadhwani, and Annie Freshwater. EPISODE GUIDE What can The Empress teach you about your creativity? This episode shows you how to work with this tarot archetype to restore flow. 04:20 — The Empress and Creative Energy A model of creativity that is intuitive, embodied, and never forced. 06:00 — Feeding The Empress Within Why inspiration begins with the senses and how pleasure and beauty fuel your creative life. 07:00 — The Empress Does Not Force Letting go of control and learning to nurture your work with care instead of pressure. 09:30 — The Empress Reversed: When Creativity Dries Up Understanding creative blocks as lack, not failure, and what they reveal about your needs. 12:00 — An Empty Cup Cannot Create Burnout, overcommitment, and the emotional realities that stall your creative process. 14:00 — Returning to The Empress A personal path back to writing through imperfection, patience, and self-trust. 16:00 — Inviting The Empress In Shifting from control to invitation and tending your creativity with intention. 17:00 — Embodying The Empress (Guided Practice) A meditation to reconnect with your body, release tension, and restore creative flow. *** If this episode sparked something, get our free Creative Care Package [https://thepoetrylab.com/carepackage] with tools, prompts, and checklists to help you keep writing.