27 min

Episode 4:5 Angela Burton on Why Sharing Stories Is Like “Crossword Puzzles on Steroids‪”‬ Glowing Older

    • Health & Fitness

Angela founded Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops® in her living room and grew it into a turnkey licensing program for senior living organizations to integrate curriculum-based writers’ groups that improve resident engagement, cognition, and joy. She shares the lessons she has learned along the way.

About Angela

Angela Burton is the Founder & Chief Writing Motivator of Feet to the Fire Writers' Workshops®, a creative program that inspires older adults to challenge themselves through expressive writing. Started in Louisville, KY in 2014, Feet to the Fire has expanded to develop a licensed train-the-facilitator program for senior living communities and wellness organizations. The program currently operates in seven U.S. states; in 2020, amidst the COVID pandemic, Feet to the Fire pivoted to launch a consumer version – writer’s kits and virtual groups for those who are socially isolated by the pandemic, a needed way for people to fill up their days, writing the stories of their lives, finding purpose along the way. She landed a spot in 2018 Louisville's WILD Accelerator for Female Founders program and has gained national attention since.

Feet to the Fire was recognized as Next Avenue’s Editor’s Picks for 2018 and has been featured in McKnight’s Senior Living (2019), MarketWatch, Forbes and other publications. When COVID19 restricted senior living communities from having even small-group activities, Burton decided to keep their voices alive by starting a podcast, Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops® OUTLOUD, featuring interviews with and stories read by the writers themselves. Currently the podcast is being listened to in the U.S. and abroad – from Canada to the UK to Ireland and India! Burton was recently named a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging, sharing the spotlight with such greats as Dr. Vivek Murthy and Michael J. Fox, among others.

Burton holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a B.A. in English from the University of Louisville.

Key Takeaways


The relationship between caregiver and client is meaningful and intimate. Storytelling can improve care based on better understand. Stories that people work on together bond them and bind them.
Writing our stories helps us understand ourselves. We are able to look back over the trajectory that has been our world. It's naturally personalized, because no two stories are alike.
Writing is good for your brain—it is a thoughtful cognitive process. Writing is like crossword puzzles on steroids.
The pandemic has shined a light on how much we deeply need each other. We miss the opportunity for basic human interaction. Connection is essential for health and wellbeing.

Angela founded Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops® in her living room and grew it into a turnkey licensing program for senior living organizations to integrate curriculum-based writers’ groups that improve resident engagement, cognition, and joy. She shares the lessons she has learned along the way.

About Angela

Angela Burton is the Founder & Chief Writing Motivator of Feet to the Fire Writers' Workshops®, a creative program that inspires older adults to challenge themselves through expressive writing. Started in Louisville, KY in 2014, Feet to the Fire has expanded to develop a licensed train-the-facilitator program for senior living communities and wellness organizations. The program currently operates in seven U.S. states; in 2020, amidst the COVID pandemic, Feet to the Fire pivoted to launch a consumer version – writer’s kits and virtual groups for those who are socially isolated by the pandemic, a needed way for people to fill up their days, writing the stories of their lives, finding purpose along the way. She landed a spot in 2018 Louisville's WILD Accelerator for Female Founders program and has gained national attention since.

Feet to the Fire was recognized as Next Avenue’s Editor’s Picks for 2018 and has been featured in McKnight’s Senior Living (2019), MarketWatch, Forbes and other publications. When COVID19 restricted senior living communities from having even small-group activities, Burton decided to keep their voices alive by starting a podcast, Feet to the Fire Writers’ Workshops® OUTLOUD, featuring interviews with and stories read by the writers themselves. Currently the podcast is being listened to in the U.S. and abroad – from Canada to the UK to Ireland and India! Burton was recently named a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging, sharing the spotlight with such greats as Dr. Vivek Murthy and Michael J. Fox, among others.

Burton holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a B.A. in English from the University of Louisville.

Key Takeaways


The relationship between caregiver and client is meaningful and intimate. Storytelling can improve care based on better understand. Stories that people work on together bond them and bind them.
Writing our stories helps us understand ourselves. We are able to look back over the trajectory that has been our world. It's naturally personalized, because no two stories are alike.
Writing is good for your brain—it is a thoughtful cognitive process. Writing is like crossword puzzles on steroids.
The pandemic has shined a light on how much we deeply need each other. We miss the opportunity for basic human interaction. Connection is essential for health and wellbeing.

27 min

Top Podcasts In Health & Fitness

Huberman Lab
Scicomm Media
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes
ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
iHeartPodcasts
Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep
iHeartPodcasts
Passion Struck with John R. Miles
John R. Miles