May 16, 2024

87. Yes, You Have a Story to Tell!

A chat with wordsmith and coach Robin Finn, who encourages midlife women to find their voice on the written page. Whether your goal is to become a published author or just deepen your self-awareness, here's how a writing practice can help you tap into your creativity, make sense of your past, and discover what you want in your second act.

Are you a writer, or thinking about writing something? Are you trying to figure out what your story is, so you can create your personal brand? Or do you just feel the need to get it all down, in order to process experiences you’ve had? Whatever your writing goals are, you’re going to love this conversation with author and writing coach Robin Finn. Robin helps midlife women tap into their creativity, find their voice, make sense of their past, and discover what they want through writing. Robin and I chat about why you should start a writing practice (or that book you’ve always wanted to pen!), the way to figure out what your story is and how to tell it, and the delicious rewards you’ll reap during the writing process.

Robin and I also discuss:

  • Why every woman has an important story to tell and can be a writer
  • How to find your unique voice
  • The topics that bubble to the surface when midlife women write
  • How writing can help you heal from past wounds and facilitate self-discovery
  • Where to start on your writing project—and how to set the stage for success
  • Why you DO have time to write, even if you work full time
  • Current publishing trends to think about if you’re working on a book
  • Whether or not to get an agent, and when to consider self-publishing
  • How to know if you’re experiencing a “divine download” while writing (hint: it feels great)
  • Tips for creating a story to help develop your personal brand
  • How journal writing can be a powerful tool for self-care
  • Why the world needs more women’s stories

Plus: Robin offers some exercises to help unleash your creativity, and reveals the first thing you should do before starting any writing project. If you’re ready to own yourself as a writer, your journey starts with this episode!


About Our Guest

Robin Finn is an award-winning writer, teacher and coach. She is the founder of the Heart. Soul. Pen. women’s writing workshops, which blend wellness, writing and radical self-expression for women, as well as Hot Writing, where midlife and menopause inspire the desire to say what you mean without apologizing. As a writer, Robin’s (very personal) personal essay on a humorous moment of midlife parenting, “When Our Daughter Walked In On Us,” became one of the New York Times’ most read Stories of 2019. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, BBC radio, and more. She is the author of the novel Restless in LA and the book Heart. Soul. Pen.: Find Your Voice on the Page and in Your Life. A cum laude graduate of UCLA, Robin holds master’s degrees in public health from Columbia University and in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Her writing journey began when she and her child with ADHD were kicked out of Mommy & Me, prompting her to cast off mom judgment, reclaim her voice as a writer, and encourage other women to do the same. Robin lives in Los Angeles where she writes about midlife, spirituality, the creative process, and finding inner peace (sort of). She is a longtime advocate for children with ADHD and learning differences.

Robin may be reached at her website.

About More Beautiful

Founded by journalist Maryann LoRusso, the More Beautiful Project is a podcast, online magazine and community for women navigating midlife. Join Maryann and her guests on the More Beautiful Podcast as they strive for a life that’s more joyful, more fulfilling and more beautiful than ever before. Because this is not your mama’s midlife.

Check out more episodes of the More Beautiful Podcast.


Additional Show Notes

Please note that this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to replace individualized medical advice.

 

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