Heal and Grow with Creativity

Renata McElvany
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

There's a version of life after diagnosis that nobody warns you about. The strategies stop working. The mask starts to crack. You go looking for yourself and can't tell what's the mask and what's actually you. Heal and Grow with Creativity is a podcast for late-diagnosed neurodivergent women in the middle of that. Hosted by creativity coach Renata McElvany, the show offers reflective conversations and personal stories rooted in lived AuDHD experience. Renata uses expressive art-making as the primary tool in her work, and this show reflects the same approach: slow down, notice what's actually happening, and give it a name. You don't have to have answers to be here. You just have to be willing to sit with the questions. ⭐ Learn more: https://www.renatamcelvany.com/welcome💌 Get the free guide, After the Diagnosis: https://www.renatamcelvany.com/newsletter🎨 Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renatamcelvany/

  1. Mar 10

    045 - Ancestral Gifts, Cooking, Creativity & Healing: A Conversation with Joanna Oyarzabal Méndez

    What does it look like to leave everything familiar behind and build a life that actually feels like yours? In this episode, I'm sitting down with my dear friend Joanna Oyarzabal Méndez — a multi-passionate healer, writer, and creative soul who left her 9-5, moved from California, USA to Oaxaca, Mexico, and began the deeply personal work of unlearning, reconnecting, and coming home to herself. We talk about following intuition when the path isn't clear, cooking as a love language, why creativity belongs to everyone, using art to process difficult emotions, body liberation, neurodivergence, and what it means to be multi-passionate in life and business. This is a conversation about trusting what you carry, honoring where you come from, and giving yourself permission to live differently. 📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Joanna’s SubstackJoanna’s InstagramThe Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor (Book)Dra. Dulce’s Love JournalConnect with Renata 👇🏽 Subscribe to my newsletter.Book a free discovery call here. Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    41 min

  2. Feb 24

    044 - When the Right Decision Feels Like a Mistake: Understanding Your Nervous System's Fear Response

    Have you ever made a decision that felt completely right — and then immediately felt awful about it? You're not broken. You're not impulsive. And you definitely didn't make a mistake. In this episode, creativity coach Renata unpacks why good decisions so often feel bad — especially for sensitive, intuitive, and neurodivergent women of color. Drawing from her own experience of a stressful move, she explores three reasons this happens: the deep-rooted fear of trusting yourself, the nervous system's resistance to change even when it's good for you, and the way intuitive decision-making gets mislabeled as impulsivity. If you've ever second-guessed a choice that felt right in your bones, this one's for you. 📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Get tickets for Pause & Release, A Live Expressive Art Workshop hereListen to next: A Reflection of Friendship and Emotional LaborSubscribe to my newsletter.Book a free discovery call here. Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    13 min

  3. Feb 10

    043 - Creating As a Form of Self-Care with Kait Matthews

    This week on Heal and Grow with Creativity, I’m chatting with our first guest, Kait Matthews. She’s an artist and illustrator born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, of Ojibwe/Potowatomi heritage. She graduated from the Laguna College of Art and Design, and currently resides in North San Diego County with her partner and their four-legged rescues. During our chat we talk about:  Creating as a form of self-care How creating can help us to shift our relationship with ourselves Finding creative community and connection without losing ourselves, and The power of self-talk as we attempt to sit down and createMoreover, we also discussed her passion for painting portraits and how she’s using her art to amplify and celebrate stories, myths, and legends of Indigenous women from around the world. She also shared about her own journey reconnecting to her native heritage and how this experience has shaped her relationship to her art and healing journey.  📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  You can check out her work here:  WebsiteInstagramOther links mentioned in this episode: The Clarity Tarot Deck by Debra Zachau and illustrated by Kait MatthewsThe Flowerwise Oracle by Leigh Podgordski and illustrated by Kait MatthewsFeathers of Wisdom Book by Leigh Podgorsky and Illustrated by Kait MatthewsConnect with Renata: Subscribe to my newsletter.Book a free discovery call here. Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    44 min

  4. Jan 27

    042 - A Reflection on Friendship and Emotional Labor

    Have you ever walked away from a conversation feeling strangely empty—even though you were the one listening, caring, and showing up? Nothing technically went wrong, yet something didn’t feel mutual. That quiet sense of invisibility can be hard to name, but deeply unsettling. In this reflective episode, I explore what it’s like when friendships quietly turn into one-sided emotional labor and when you’re cast as the “unofficial therapist” and begin to question whether your needs are allowed. Rather than offering quick fixes, this is an invitation to notice, reflect, and gently reconsider what you need from connection. 📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Book a free discovery call here. Why You Feel Behind Before Your Day Even Begins (Especially Right Now)Subscribe to my newsletter.Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    8 min

  5. Jan 13

    041 - Why You Feel Behind Before Your Day Even Begins (Especially Right Now)

    Have you ever woken up already feeling behind, before you’ve even gotten out of bed? In this episode, Renata explores a quiet but heavy experience that often shows up at the start of a new year: the sense that you’re already late, already failing, already not doing enough.  For neurodivergent, multi-passionate, and deeply sensitive women, this feeling can hit hard and often without a clear reason why. What if this feeling isn’t a personal failure? What if you haven’t actually done anything wrong? If you’ve been craving clarity, ease, and permission to start your day without already feeling behind, this episode is for you. 📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Book a free discovery call here. Why is expressive art such a powerful tool for self-discoverySubscribe to my newsletter.Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    6 min

  6. 11/18/2025

    040 - Why The Pressure to Make Good Art is Holding You Back

    What if the reason you’re feeling stuck with your creativity isn’t a lack of ideas… but the pressure to make good art? When your creativity becomes a performance instead of an opportunity to play, explore, and get curious, it’s easy to feel like you’re not a “real” artist unless your work looks impressive, polished or instantly beautiful.  But here’s the truth: messy, chaotic, “ugly” art is often the doorway back to creative freedom. In today’s episode, we’ll explore why the pressure to create good art can keep you silent, disconnected, and afraid to try new things.  If you’ve been craving a more spacious, honest, and joyful relationship with your creativity, this episode is for you! 📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Subscribe to my newsletter.Book a free discovery call here. Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    11 min

  7. 11/04/2025

    039 - Why Is Art Making Such a Powerful Tool for Self-Discovery?

    In this episode, I share why art-making is one of the most powerful tools for self-discovery and healing. If you’ve done the therapy, read the self-help books, or tried to optimize your morning routine but still feel disconnected from yourself, this conversation is for you. We’ll explore why so many of us are trained to think about our feelings instead of truly feeling them. And, how creative expression offers a more playful, embodied, and low-pressure way to reconnect with your inner world. Tune in to learn how art-making can help you uncover what’s true for you and bring more ease and meaning into your healing journey. 📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Subscribe to my newsletter.Book a free discovery call here. Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    13 min

  8. 10/21/2025

    038 - How Coaching Can Help You Build a Sustainable Creative Practice

    Are you tired of hearing “just practice” as the answer to becoming more creative? Because let’s be honest, you can practice for years and still feel stuck. What starts as something fun slowly turns into a chore. You feel guilty for not being consistent enough, so you stop showing up. But what if showing up more often, has nothing to do with discipline and everything to do with curiosity? If you’re ready to stop pushing harder and start creating with more ease and joy, this episode is for you.  📝 Read the accompanying blog post for this episode.  🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:  Book a free discovery call here. Check out my 12-week coaching journey, Build a Creative Habit.Subscribe to my newsletter.Renata’s websiteRenata’s InstagramRenata’s YouTube

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

There's a version of life after diagnosis that nobody warns you about. The strategies stop working. The mask starts to crack. You go looking for yourself and can't tell what's the mask and what's actually you. Heal and Grow with Creativity is a podcast for late-diagnosed neurodivergent women in the middle of that. Hosted by creativity coach Renata McElvany, the show offers reflective conversations and personal stories rooted in lived AuDHD experience. Renata uses expressive art-making as the primary tool in her work, and this show reflects the same approach: slow down, notice what's actually happening, and give it a name. You don't have to have answers to be here. You just have to be willing to sit with the questions. ⭐ Learn more: https://www.renatamcelvany.com/welcome💌 Get the free guide, After the Diagnosis: https://www.renatamcelvany.com/newsletter🎨 Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renatamcelvany/

Information

  • Creator
    Renata McElvany
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Heal and Grow with Creativity
  • Show Website
    Heal and Grow with Creativity