The Author Within

Vicky Truong
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Self-Improvement

The Author Within is a podcast about what it means to consciously create your life and become the person capable of living it. Hosted by Dr. Vicky Truong, a therapist, researcher, legal professional, and lifelong student of human behavior, the show explores the forces that shape who we become in relationships, creativity, adversity, leadership, identity, and the choices we make when the life we've built no longer fits. Through thoughtful conversations with people from different disciplines, careers, and walks of life, The Author Within looks at how people reinvent themselves, develop mastery, navigate adversity, and create meaningful lives on their own terms.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    The Author Within - EP 3 - How Do We Learn to Trust the Creative Process?

    Steve spent over 20 years as a one-person traffic engineering firm while secretly discovering he could write. In this episode, host Vicky Truong talks with Steve about his winding path from broadcasting school to screenwriting classes to finally getting his short film, The Camera, a fictional story inspired by his mother's experience in a Japanese-American incarceration camp during WWII. Along the way: three years of grant rejections, a hard lesson from martial arts about relaxing into power, and what it means to create without needing anyone's approval. Key Takeaways - Steve realized he was in the wrong field only after seeing genuine passion in colleagues who loved their work. - Three consecutive years of grant rejections eventually led to funding on the third try. - Despite glowing feedback on an acting role, Steve chose to keep pursuing writing because it was the thing he couldn't walk away from. - Steve reflects that if his earlier screenplays had succeeded, he might never have written his most meaningful story. - A martial arts lesson in using internal energy over muscle taught him a principle he later applied to creative problem-solving. Guest Bio Steve grew up in the Chicago suburbs, moved to California after earning a civil engineering degree, and spent over 20 years running his own traffic engineering firm. Alongside that career, he trained as an on-air radio broadcaster in Los Angeles, appeared as a supporting actor in a feature film, and eventually turned to screenwriting. His short film, The Camera, inspired by his mother's experience in a WWII Japanese-American incarceration camp, is now headed to film festivals. He lives in Laguna Beach with his wife and two sons. Connect with Steve: www.mariwwalker.com If this conversation resonated, leave a five-star review and subscribe to The Author Within Podcast. New episodes explore transformation through creativity, conscious leadership, relationships, and purpose.

    The Author Within - EP 3 - How Do We Learn to Trust the Creative Process?

  2. 1d ago

    The Author Within - EP 2 - How Does the Way We Lead Ourselves Shape How We Lead Others?

    Vicky Truong sits down with Mitch, her friend of 15 years, a 40-year husband, father, grandfather, triathlete, and 30+ year CPG industry veteran, for a wide-ranging conversation on staying centered in a chaotic world. They dig into the five unconscious beliefs that once ran his life, how he learned to talk honestly with his wife about money and fear, and what it really means to lead, sell, and love from a place of service rather than ego. Key Takeaways Identify your unconscious limiting beliefs before you can change the behavior they're driving - Mitch names five that shaped decades of his life. A consistent morning routine (reading, writing, prayer, meditation, breath work) can act as "armor" for how you show up in a chaotic day. Money and fear go unspoken in a lot of relationships - naming them out loud, even awkwardly, can dissolve most of the pressure around them. In both relationships and business, ask "is this about me, or about serving the greater good?", it reframes decisions from leadership to sales. Progress doesn't require having it all figured out - faith plus consistent, disciplined action compounds over time. Guest Bio Mitch has spent over 30 years in the CPG beverage, snack, and nutrition space, working across startups, Fortune 100 companies, and family-owned businesses, including as company president. He's a husband of 40 years, father, grandfather, and triathlete. Connect with Mitch: Mitchell.Brantleyiii@gmail.com If this conversation resonated, leave a five-star review and subscribe to The Author Within Podcast. New episodes explore transformation through creativity, conscious leadership, relationships, and purpose.

  3. 1d ago

    The Author Within - EP 1 - How Can We See Friendship As an Art?

    In the debut episode of The Author Within, host Dr. Vicky Truong sits down with her close friend and fellow therapist, Nhu Truong, to explore a relationship that rarely gets therapeutic attention: friendship. They dig into narrative therapy, why friendship deserves the same depth of conversation as romance, and how presence, curiosity, and honest disappointment shape the friendships that last. Key Takeaways - Friendship deserves the same intentional, therapeutic attention typically reserved for romantic and family relationships. - Curiosity, staying interested in who your friend is now, not just who they were, is the antidote to friendship stagnation. - Being explicit about what you can and can't offer a friendship (time, presence, frequency) builds more trust than trying to meet every expectation. - Disappointment is inevitable in long-term relationships; how you sit with it, rather than avoiding it or cutting someone off, determines whether the friendship survives. - Presence often matters more than advice: "we don't want to be taught, we just want to be seen." Guest Bio Nhu Truong is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Orange County, California, who recently transitioned to full-time private practice. With eight years of clinical experience, including community mental health work with teens and young adults, and training in narrative therapy at Pepperdine University, she now offers friendship therapy alongside more traditional individual work. Connect with Nhu: https://www.nhutruongtherapy.com/ If this conversation resonated, leave a five-star review and subscribe to The Author Within Podcast. New episodes explore transformation through creativity, conscious leadership, relationships, and purpose. Connect with me: https://drvickytruong.com/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drvickytruong/

    The Author Within - EP 1 - How Can We See Friendship As an Art?
  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

About

The Author Within is a podcast about what it means to consciously create your life and become the person capable of living it. Hosted by Dr. Vicky Truong, a therapist, researcher, legal professional, and lifelong student of human behavior, the show explores the forces that shape who we become in relationships, creativity, adversity, leadership, identity, and the choices we make when the life we've built no longer fits. Through thoughtful conversations with people from different disciplines, careers, and walks of life, The Author Within looks at how people reinvent themselves, develop mastery, navigate adversity, and create meaningful lives on their own terms.

Information

  • Creator
    Vicky Truong
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Author Within