THE ONE THAT GLITTERS with Michelle Lang (Current series: BTS called GLITTER MOUTH)

Michelle Lang
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Want a friend while you create your book, podcast or TV series? I'm here for ya. I'm from a small town in Wisconsin, and I moved to HoIlywood in late 2004. I've been producing, acting, directing, and doing stunts for the past 20 years. (and having 3 kids) Now, I'm moving into my next era of creating the hit dark romance/thriller series THE ONE THAT GLITTERS. Set in Hollywood, THE ONE THAT GLITTERS will be a book series, scripted podcast series and, eventually, a TV series. For now, this podcast is a Behind-the-scenes of my struggles to create art in today's day and age.

  1. 5h ago

    S3 E11 - Amazon pays for my Christmas (Budget how-to tips) Holiday Chaos and Motherhood/Creativity struggle around the Holidays

    [Audio Diary Recorded Dec 29: 2025] In this episode, I emerge from the holiday gauntlet — equal parts exhilarated by Christmas morning magic and completely fried by the mental load of December. I escape to the Glitters office for a rare two-hour focused writing session, only to spiral into algorithm anxiety, minivan guilt, and a sea of self-doubt about whether the book series is actually good enough. The episode captures the messy middle of creative ambition — the moment between the viral posts when you're sitting alone rewriting the same opening for the fifty millionth time wondering what you're even doing — and reminds both me and my listeners that the frustration is just the uphill climb, not the destination. Surviving December as a parent-creator: The mental load of December as a parent is relentless — "between finishing up small business year-end tasks, performances, logistics, travel prep, and my daughter's birthday right in the middle" — I emerge from the holidays creatively fried every single year without fail The Amazon credit card hack: Not sponsored — but my mom's advice to get an Amazon credit card giving 5-7% back all year means "all of Christmas is paid for" by December — a genuinely useful financial hack buried inside an episode about self-doubt The two-hour non-negotiable timer: My solution to monkey mind is a strict two-hour writing timer at the Glitters office — no email, no texts, no social media — "the amount of stuff that will come into my head that takes priority is unacceptable" and the timer is the only thing that keeps me honest Algorithm anxiety between viral posts: Haven't had anything pop off since December 15th when The Stranger hit 10.9 million views — "I feel the burn, I need to prove to myself I haven't lost the touch" — the pressure between viral moments is its own specific kind of creative torture The Wisconsin stairfall mystery: Posted a "crappy nothing of a fall" from Wisconsin that's somehow getting more views than a beautifully crafted point shoes stairfall — "I don't understand the algorithm sometimes" — proof that you genuinely cannot always predict what will land The opening hook obsession: Rewriting each character's opening for what feels like the fifty millionth time because "if the opening hook isn't humming no one's getting to the engine — you can have the best engine in the world and no one's getting there" The eternal people-pleaser spiral: Took the minivan without thinking, spent the rest of the day in guilt spirals about whether Ian had a car for wrestling pickup — "I'm constantly worried about what other people are feeling, doing, thinking" — and this is exactly why for so many years I didn't bother having my own needs Left the minivan doors wide open for hours: The physical manifestation of trying to do too many things at once — texting Ian, feeding the dog, thinking about character themes, walking Layla — "I just, I'm feeling like, can I actually do this?" The self-doubt sea: Some days it's just a relentless loop of "what am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing" — and the only antidote is remembering "what a gift to be standing in a closet pontificating about what I'm doing and not worrying about food on the table" Why she writes when she'd rather perform: "What I love doing is performing — so why am I writing it all? Why don't I just perform?" — the tension between being a writer and a performer captured in one perfectly frustrated question that has no clean answer yet

  2. Oct 28

    S3 E10 - Rats, Floods, and Zero Creativity: A Friday Story

    [Audio Diary recorded 12.12.25] In this episode, I have an absolutely chaotic Friday where nothing goes as planned and I get virtually nothing creative done. What starts as my sacred work day quickly unravels into a comedy of domestic disasters — a flooded yard, giant rats by the cold plunge, a broken bathtub drain, a cancelled dog walker, a forgotten iPad, and an expired hot spin class pack. I attempt to set up ManyChat automation between wrestling pickup and dinner, spiral into a creative block trying to rewrite the series, and end the episode having to move the Elf on the Shelf at midnight. The episode is a raw, honest reminder that some days the house wins — and that's okay. The sacred Friday work day is a myth with three kids: My cherished creative Friday immediately became a carousel of crises — forgotten iPad, cancelled dog walker, post office run, flooded sprinklers, rats by the cold plunge, pest control visit, broken faucets, and a bathtub drain that decided today was its day to die The hot spin class reckoning: I finally went back to the infrared spin class I'd avoided since January — convinced it had caused my mystery rash — only to come home to a flooded yard with no running water, wash my hair with a bucket by the pool, and jump into a freezing cold pool just to get clean ManyChat spirals part two: I attempted to set up ManyChat automation while the kids were at wrestling, watched tutorials for an hour, couldn't get it to do what I wanted, convinced myself it was now hurting my follower growth, and decided the whole thing was stupid — classic analysis paralysis in real time The mile long mural problem: Writing a book series feels like painting a mile long canvas — "the color red needs to be on this side of the mile and it also has to be at the end and dappled perfectly throughout" — the scope of it is so overwhelming that some days you just stare at the canvas and can't begin Getting cozy with nobody listening: I admitted I got genuinely comfortable with the fact that almost nobody could find this podcast — and now that ManyChat might actually send people here I'm nervous all over again about people knowing my business Spheres of chaos — the house edition: Owning a house means you ARE the manager, the plumber, and the sprinkler fixer — "you don't get to just call the manager. No, you are the manager." A loving but honest warning to anyone romanticizing home ownership The creative block is part of the cycle: Some days you pull yourself through mud and get nothing done — and the only way through it is to remind yourself that having three kids, a house, and a small business means some Fridays the house just wins The economy of wording revelation: Even in frustration I landed on something important — my best viral hooks work because of "an economy of wording" with the right balance of elevated language and slang — and that's exactly what the book series needs too What this podcast is actually for: Not for people to hear me complain about rat feces by the cold plunge — but so that anyone trying to build something has someone in their ear saying "I'm struggling alongside you" — because you only ever hear the end story, never the messy middle

  3. Oct 21

    S3 E9 - Book writing Rollercoaster, Sandwiching Content, and High-Vibe Connections

    [Audio Diary Recorded 12.10.25] In this episode, I experience the emotional roller coaster of finishing my read-through of book one of "The One That Glitters"—oscillating between "this is amazing" and "oh no, so much work." I'm frustrated by structural issues: too many characters, unclear through lines, and a cold open that never got an ending scene. My cherished Friday workday gets cut short for my daughter's cello concert, and I'm wrestling with financial anxiety as the swim business income stops for winter. I navigate the brutal reality that my talking head video about the series gets 637 views while stairfalls get millions, forcing me to strategize how to pivot my audience. The episode captures my post-dinner doubts (PDDs) returning as I spiral about algorithm suppression, the pressure after viral posts, and my need to remember that creativity should flow freely rather than be squeezed "out of a dry lemon." The editing phase emotional roller coaster: Some days I read and think "this is brilliant, almost done," other days I realize there are too many characters, unclear stakes, and my cold open "has no ending—I'm like, what in the what?" Financial scarcity vs. abundance mindset: I'm struggling with money anxiety as our swim business income stops for winter and the credit card bills roll in, even though I "got myself a postmated Starbucks" to try to "feel free money-wise" The algorithm suppression reality: My talking head video about the series went to only 637 people out of 20,900 followers—"I'm like, listen, I understand that post maybe is not interesting to strangers, but can you at least show it to the people who have decided to come to my crazy corner of the internet?" Stairfalls get millions, meaningful content gets crickets: "Throw myself down the stairs, millions of people. Talk about like 10 years of work of creating this series, crickets"—this reality is forcing me to think strategically about how to use viral content to my advantage The sandwiching strategy: I'm learning to sandwich meaningful content between viral posts—my video about creating a show got 24,000 views because I posted it right before "The Stranger" which hit 8.5 million Pressure kills my creativity: Unlike some people who need deadlines, I "create the best when I can let the ideas float"—squeezing ideas "out of a dry lemon" doesn't work for me, though I did force myself to sit 2-3 hours daily when writing The famous writer method: There's "a famous writer who reads everything and throws it all away and writes it again"—I'm considering just doing a timeline of what I remember from my read-through to see what actually stuck Post-dinner doubts (PDDs) returning: After dinner I start spinning with negative thoughts, though it's "gotten so much less" than season one when I would "spin so hard every evening"—I'm comparing it to building cold plunge stamina Finding high-vibe allies: I'm meeting amazing people through Whitney Uland's coaching community like Stephanie, who I haven't met in person but feel a "beautiful connection" with—"surrounding yourself with high vibe thinkers, it's almost like those vibes are contagious"

  4. Oct 14

    S3 E8 - I still can’t “YAP” on camera & Advice for handling Haters

    [Audio Diary Recorded 12.2.25]In this episode, I retreat back to my closet after an hour and 25 minutes of "absolute disaster" trying to record in The One That Glitters studio. I couldn't figure out what to say, what to do with my hands, or where to position myself—describing it as "a four-month-old trying to learn how to walk." Despite the technical fumbling, I'm experiencing unprecedented peace about "The Stranger" video hitting 3.7 million views—I slept like a baby and woke up to 744,000 views without anxiety.  I share the gift of Florence Given's advice about haters ("it is not yours to handle"), discuss Ian's unwavering support when I asked to disappear to the studio all evening, and navigate my mom's friends being uncomfortable with my content. The episode captures my commitment to controlling my own pace rather than rushing into things like ManyChat out of scarcity, and my determination to figure out how to move people with art rather than solving immediate practical problems. The brutal learning curve of on-camera work: This is my third time recording in the studio and I "absolutely hated almost every second of it"—I can't figure out how to just talk normally when juggling lighting, direction, camera, and sound, but I'm committed to keep practicing Unprecedented peace with virality: "The Stranger" video hit 3.7 million views and for the first time I slept like a baby, woke up to 744,000 views, and haven't even read most of the comments—I'm "super zen with this virality" The community is answering for me: It's "so cool" that followers are now explaining my content to new viewers (answering "is this fetish content?" with explanations about stunt work) rather than me needing to respond to everyone Florence Given's gift about haters: She said "how do you handle haters? You don't, it is not yours to handle"—this freed me from feeling responsible for negative comments that my brain wants to highlight "in bold yellow" Ian's unwavering support: Through "the very ugly early stages" of figuring out social media, Ian never made me feel "stupid or small or laugh at me"—today he immediately said yes when I asked to disappear to the studio all evening while he handled kid chaos Setting boundaries with my mom's friends: I had to tell my mom I won't "curtail my creativity and messaging" for the comfort of her friends who find my stairfalls uncomfortable—"this content is not for them, and my book series is not going to be for them" Controlling pace from abundance not scarcity: I decided not to do ManyChat because it felt like "hurry go go go" energy and lack—I'm shedding my addiction to that adrenaline-anxiety feeling I had running around with young kids, producing, and running a business The challenge of connecting through art: Art is harder to make resonate than practical content that solves immediate problems (how to make money, unclog toilets, politics)—but "if I can figure out how to move people with art, that is my goal. That is the pinnacle" My typo blindness: I spelled "losing" as "loosing" and I'm "deliciously gifted with an inability to see typos"—my brain unscrambles word puzzles automatically, which means I don't see when things are actually scrambled

  5. Oct 8

    S3 E7 - Viral Posts, ManyChat Panic, and Abundance Energy

    [Audio Diary Recorded 12.2.25] In this episode, I capture a real-time spiral of anxiety and decision-making around setting up ManyChat automation after a follower asked for my podcast link. What starts as excitement about a post hitting 1.9 million views quickly devolves into technological panic about automated bots, fear of my page crashing, and questioning whether I'm acting from abundance or scarcity. The episode documents my conversation with Ian in the kitchen (complete with omelet-making sounds) as I talk through whether to implement this new tool or keep creating content. I ultimately decide not to set up ManyChat in that moment because the energy feels wrong—it's coming from fear and lack rather than calm expansion. The episode ends with me setting up my main podcast studio, acknowledging it's imperfect but committing to the principle that done is better than perfect. The follower discovery moment: A follower who related to my "free" energy asked for my podcast link, making me realize people don't even know it exists—my conversion rate from millions of views to podcast listeners is "atrociously, embarrassingly low" Technology as expansion vs. panic: I spiral trying to determine if setting up ManyChat automation is the next level I need to overcome, or if I'm acting from panic and fear that "this is my one chance" rather than abundance Producer brain creates paralysis: My strength as a producer—thinking through every possible outcome and worst-case scenario—becomes a weakness when it stops creative momentum and sends me into "analysis by paralysis" First time feeling peaceful going viral: This 1.9 million view post is the first time I've felt calm and at peace with viral content rather than losing sleep or feeling nervous energy—a sign I can "handle that much attention" now The energy test for decisions: I use "what do I want to gain, avoid, and maintain?" to assess decisions, ultimately realizing ManyChat feels like "grab energy" and lack rather than calm, expansive love Fear of being seen (again): I recognize I got "very comfortable" with the fact that almost no one listens to my podcast—it felt "cozy and safe"—and now I'm scared of actually having an audience hear my struggles Stopping momentum is the real problem: The ManyChat debate wasn't about right or wrong, it was about the fact that it "stopped all momentum" and drained my energy, preventing me from actually creating content Done is better than perfect: I set up my main podcast studio even though it has ring lights instead of real lights, a microphone I'm not happy with, and earphones that don't work—because "you're never going to get to the most amazing vision of perfection if you don't start somewhere"

  6. Sep 30

    S3 E5 - Holiday Chaos Creation VS. Kids, On-Camera Confidence, and Birthday Joy

    [Audio Diary recorded 11.26.25]In this episode, I navigate the chaos of holiday season with young kids while trying to maintain creative momentum on "The One That Glitters" series. I share my breakthrough experience seeing "Predator Badlands" and finally getting a kid-free night with Ian, which reignited my creative fire.  The episode chronicles my struggle with on-camera confidence, my transition from stunt content to more personal storytelling about the series, and my 44th birthday reflections on reclaiming joy and setting boundaries. I discuss the challenge of accepting unfollows as I pivot my content, the algorithmic struggles of reposting content, and my journey from last year's surrender to this year's "balls out" pursuit of my dreams after a health scare gave me my "whiff of death" moment. The parenting-creativity balance: I discuss how having young kids makes it nearly impossible to think creatively during holiday chaos, but also how becoming a parent made creative work feel like a vacation rather than an obligation when I finally get time for it Overcoming on-camera discomfort: I'm working through my struggle with talking on camera as "myself" versus as a character, realizing I need to get clear on what I stand for—just like I do for characters—before I can be comfortable being seen The danger of demure people-pleasing: I got positive reinforcement for years by being "very humble and demure and invisible" in Hollywood, which led to years of crankiness and losing myself—now I'm done with that martyrdom My "whiff of death" turning point: Last January's health scare (possible vasculitis diagnosis) became my story structure catalyst moment—the thing that made me decide to battle "all these voices in my head saying you're not good enough" Strategic content pivoting: I'm intentionally transitioning from pure stunt content to talking head videos about "The One That Glitters," accepting that some followers will leave but trusting that the right audience will stay and grow Algorithm realities and birthday vulnerability: My birthday car hit post got zero views because Instagram recognized it as duplicate content, which forced me to practice being uncomfortable with "failure" and asking for birthday love despite cringing internally Practicing boundaries like swimming lessons: In the pool I set graceful, loving boundaries after 20 years of practice, but in my personal life my boundaries are still "barbed wirey and full of snaggle teeth" because I'm new at it and insecure they'll be respected Finding your natural joy on camera: I discovered that the only talking head videos I don't cringe at are ones where I'm discussing stunts with natural excitement—now I'm working to transfer that joyful ease onto other topics like the series The long climb back from being dimmed: After someone close to me said "you need to read your own book" as a dig during my swim book tour, I crumbled for 5-6 years—now Ian jokingly said the same thing but this time it's positive because I actually am excited to read my own work

  7. Sep 23

    S4 E5 - Reclaiming Identity, Proving Yourself, and Singular Focus

    [Audio Diary Recorded 11.14.25]In this raw and introspective episode, I grapple with reclaiming my identity as a performer and actor after years of prioritizing motherhood. I chronicle my journey of redefining my Instagram bio as "storyteller, performer" while working through deep-seated imposter syndrome about claiming creative titles I once held with confidence.  The episode captures my breakthrough moment of understanding that I must prove my capabilities publicly before opportunities will come, sparked by receiving multiple stunt work offers through Instagram—validation that my social media content is working. I share my resistance to breakfast routines that don't serve me, my struggle to finish my romance series "The One That Glitters," and my realization that I need to focus on one thing rather than attempting everything at once. Reclaiming identity as a performer: I discuss the difficulty of calling myself an "actor" after 12 years away from consistent acting work, recognizing how motherhood shifted my identity and how I'm now earning that title back through viral content creation The power of believing in your own greatness: "No one is going to pay you to do something that you haven't proven you can already do"—you must bestow greatness on yourself rather than waiting for others to christen you worthy Instagram as career catalyst: Three separate stunt/performance opportunities have come through my Instagram presence, validating that consistently showing up with stunt content is creating professional opportunities The danger of being a "sponge": While being receptive to advice helps with implementation, I recognize I've been too susceptible to others' opinions (like forcing myself to eat breakfast when it makes me feel terrible) Quality over quantity in content creation: I'm choosing to be a perfectionist who posts ideas I believe will "hit it out of the park" rather than peppering the algorithm with daily content The necessity of singular focus: Acknowledging my lifelong struggle with wanting to do everything at once, I realize true success requires choosing one thing and sticking with it for years—currently "The One That Glitters" series Strategic character work for casting: I'm planning to create sketch content as my three main characters (Dakota Everly, Lexi) to showcase specific casting types directors could see me playing—naive characters with martial arts badassery underneath Overcoming resistance to opportunities: Despite anxiety and self-doubt about returning to set as a stunt coordinator, I recognize my body's resistance to growth and push through to show up professionally

  8. Sep 16

    S3 E4 - Trying to overcome fear of talking to the camera | Unworthyness

    [Audio Diary Recorded 11.10.15] In this vulnerable resistance-filled episode, I'm confessing I forced myself to record 30 days of talking head videos at the studio without makeup (just pink hair extensions) for a challenge where I'll write one word in the book for every follower, but now I'm paralyzed with fear about posting them because what if they only get 300 views and I'm an epic failure? I'm stuck between two paths: keep cranking out stunt stair falls that work even though the emotion isn't bubbling up anymore, or lean into the resistance and recalibrate toward the one that glitters series, but writing this seven-book saga is such a tremendous undertaking and I'm blocked by holiday mental load, sugar hangovers from gummy bears and truffle Cheetos, a throbbing back and cramped middle toe that might be psychosomatic since Ian said at 43 your body goes through massive aging.  The real fear underneath it all is that no one will like me for me—it's one thing to do stunts in my element ignoring the camera, but putting out talking heads will prove I'm not worthy and not likable, plus I've proven I can go viral with stairfalls and I'm terrified of messing up the algorithm that's giving me 10 million views a month even though barely anyone translates to listening to the podcast. Key Themes & Takeaways: Perfectionist paralysis with talking head videos - "I recorded 30 days of talking heads and I'm so scared to post them, what if it gets 300 views? The perfectionist in me says if it doesn't get 10,000 views you're an epic failure" Fear of being liked for me vs stunts - "I deeply have a fear that no one will like me for me, putting those out will prove I'm not worthy and not likable - it's one thing to do stunts in my element, but talking heads is different" Algorithm anxiety and planting seeds - "Fear is I mess up the algorithm doing such a good job pushing my content, but you have to plant the seed where you want to grow toward the series I'm writing" Two paths dilemma - "I can keep doing stunt stairfalls if I want to be successful on social media, or say okay let's listen to resistance and recalibrate, but I just shook off years of angst and don't know what more to say" Watching yourself back is torture - "Watching myself on screen was so brutal, I forced myself to do one take of each, seeing the same spiel 42 times trying to find ebb and flow of personality but not too much" October hibernation resistance pattern - "I work so hard all summer and by October I just want to go on hibernation, this happens every year, I want to eat gummy bears at 2pm which is so unlike me" Seven book perfectionist struggle - "Way it's outlined is seven books and I'm like good gracious I bit off way more than I can chew, can I keep every scene a humdinger? As perfectionist it's so hard to get out of my own way" Long form vs short form brain switch - "One that glitters is such long form content I'm having trouble flipping back and forth to Instagram shortest form content, can't get my brain from one track to other track" Holiday mental load starting early - "Last night I was looking up stocking stuffers already, I can feel my November and December getting absolutely lost to holidays with kids out of school a lot" Compare and despair vs beast mode - "I'm usually in beast mode but I still have these days where I cannot get myself out of quicksand, look at all these other people creating like beasts"

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About

Want a friend while you create your book, podcast or TV series? I'm here for ya. I'm from a small town in Wisconsin, and I moved to HoIlywood in late 2004. I've been producing, acting, directing, and doing stunts for the past 20 years. (and having 3 kids) Now, I'm moving into my next era of creating the hit dark romance/thriller series THE ONE THAT GLITTERS. Set in Hollywood, THE ONE THAT GLITTERS will be a book series, scripted podcast series and, eventually, a TV series. For now, this podcast is a Behind-the-scenes of my struggles to create art in today's day and age.

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