Writing Your Resilience: Building Resilience, Embracing Trauma and Healing Through Writing

Lisa Cooper Ellison

The Writing Your Resilience Podcast is for anyone who wants to use the writing process to flip the script on the stories they’ve been telling themselves, because when we tell better stories about ourselves, we live better lives.  Every Thursday, host Lisa Cooper Ellison, an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and trauma survivor diagnosed with complex PTSD, interviews writers of tough, true stories, people who've developed incredible grit, and professionals in the field of psychology and healing who've studied resilience. Over the past 7 years Lisa has taught writers how to write their resilience. Each time her clients and students have confronted the stories that no longer serve them, they’ve felt a little safer, become a little braver, and revealed more of their true selves. Now, with this podcast, she is creating a space for you to do this work too.  Equal parts instruction, motivation, and helpful guide, Writing Your Resilience is an opportunity for you to join a community of writers and professionals doing the work that helps us cultivate our authenticity and creativity.  More about Lisa Cooper Ellison: https://lisacooperellison.com Get Your Free Ditch Your Inner Critic masterclass—your shortcut to a confident, S.H.I.F.T.ed mindset: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/

  1. 1d ago

    Encore: The Loneliness of Sibling Loss with Alyson Shelton and Lynn Shattuck

    Send us Fan Mail About this episode:I am currently on break so I can focus on my writing and some much-needed rest. Until I return with new episodes on September seventeenth, I’ve curated a summer rewind series of fan favorites. This week’s episode with Lynn Shattuck and Alyson Shelton was recorded in October 2024 Back then, the Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope anthology was a dream they were working to fulfill. This month, the book celebrated its first birthday. The wisdom in this episode, which fueled the publication of this book, is as timely as ever.  Resources Mentioned During This Episode: Buy The Loss of a LifetimeThere’s No Escape by Alyson SheltonWhat I Want You to Say When I’m Grieving by Lynn Shattuck: My 20-Year-Old Brother Died By Suicide. Here's Why I Almost Joined Him by Lisa Cooper EllisonLynn’s Where I’m From Poem Lisa’s Where I’m From Poem Alyson’s Where I’m From Poem Get Your Free Human Design Report Ditch Your Inner Critic Now  Episode Highlights: 3:23 Silent, Unacknowledged Grief7:45: The Impact of the Hierarchy of Grief12:23 The Benefits of Writing about Sibling Loss18:31: Grieving and Writing in Community23:49 Building the Sibling Loss Anthology32:48 Getting to Know Alyson and Lynn35:23 Lynn and Alyson’s Best Writing Advice Alyson’s Bio: ALYSON SHELTON is an award winning screenwriter and essayist. Her writing is widely published at outlets including The New York Times, Ms. and The Rumpus. She’s deeply proud of her collaborations with other female creatives, most notably, the comic, Reburn  and the films, To Hold The Night and Eve of Understanding. She’s anthologized in Comics Lit Vol. 1 (Accomplishing Innovation Press), No Contact: Writers on Estrangement (Catapult), Root Cause: Stories of Health, Harm and Reclaiming Our Humanity (Editor: Jeannine Ouellette) and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope (Contributor and Co-Editor). She’s best known for her Instagram Live series inspired by George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From which celebrated episode 200 in summer 2025 and its partner podcast, Where I'm From. The poem also provides the spine for her memoir in progress. Lynn’s Bio: Lynn Shattuck writes on topics like grief, parenting, and mental health. She was a columnist at Elephant Journal for ten years, where several of her essays on the topic of grief and sibling loss, and parenting went viral.Lynn co-founded the website lossofalifetime.com, a hub of resources and community for those who’ve experienced sibling loss. She co-edited the essay collection, The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, which was released in June 2025. Connect with Lynn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064888772287Substack: https://lynnshattuck.substack.com/ Connect with Alyson Website: www.alysonshelton.comInstagram: @byalysonsheltonWhere I’m From poem project: https://www.alysonshelton.com/where-im-from.html#/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Byalysonshelton Connect with the Loss of a Lifetime Sibling Loss Group Website: https://www.lossofalifetime.com/Instagram: @lossofalifetimeBuilding Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    48 min

  2. Jun 18

    Linger in the Uncertainty: Jill Christman on Writing Through Grief and Loss

    Send us Fan Mail What do we carry with us from the people we love and lose, and how do we make a choice from the center of our grief? This week, I'm wrestling with these questions alongside memoirist Jill Christman, whose new book The Heart Folds Early is a fierce and tender exploration of the decision to end a pregnancy after a devastating diagnosis. Jill and I talk about how grief from an earlier loss shaped her path toward this choice, the craft of handling time and signposting in memoir, and why she believes memoir is an act of extraction, not accumulation. Episode Highlights 05:31 Serial Memoir Method14:32 Writing To Many Audiences28:10 Making The Hard Decision33:49 Opposite World Exercise34:43 Disrupting Dark Spirals35:38 Finding Levity in Pain Resources for this Episode:  Falling by Jill ChristmanBeautiful Things on Riverteeth MagazineGet Your Free Human Design Report Register for Build Better Memoir ScenesDitch Your Inner Critic Now  Jill’s Bio: Jill Christman is the author of The Heart Folds Early: A Memoir (released March 2026 from the University of Nebraska Press). Christman’s other books include If This Were Fiction: A Love Story in Essays (2023 Foreword INDIES Silver Winner), Darkroom: A Family Exposure (winner of AWP Prize for CNF), and Borrowed Babies: Apprenticing for Motherhood. Her essays have appeared in many anthologies and in magazines such as Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Iron Horse Literary Review, Longreads, and O, The Oprah Magazine. A 2020 NEA Literature Fellow, she teaches at Ball State University and serves as co-editor of River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative and Beautiful Things (a weekly online magazine of micro nonfiction). Visit her at jillchristman.com. Connect with Jill Website: Jillchristman.comBluesky: @jillchristman.bsky.socialInstagram: @Jillchristmanwriter  Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-cooper-ellison-b5483840/  Produced by Espresso Podcast Production: https://www.espressopodcastproduction.com Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    1h 3m

  3. Jun 11

    Writing as the Language of Emotions: Lindz McLeod on Storytelling, Empathy, and Our Shared Humanity

    Send us Fan Mail What if understanding your characters (and your readers) came down to something as simple as a cup of coffee? In this episode, I sit down with author, writing coach, and rule-breaking storyteller Lindz McLeod to explore writing voice, character motivation, and the iceberg principle that makes stories hauntingly unforgettable. Lindz shares the simple but revelatory "coffee question" that unlocks who your characters really are, why the stories that move us most are the ones brave enough to leave things unsaid, and how writing — no matter the genre — is ultimately the language of emotions that connects us to our shared humanity.  Episode Highlights 07:04 Romance, Motivation, and Self Love16:27 Voice Icebergs and Craft Ambition31:39 Building a Craft Anthology34:22 Icarus on a Farm41:28 Collaboration and Closing AdviceResources for this Episode:  Practicing Radical Acceptance with Zebib AbrahamCinema Worms: Hokum and MichaelFinding Your Voice and Crafting Stories that Ignite the Soul with Sue William SilvermanGet Your Free Human Design Report Ditch Your Inner Critic Now Lindz’s Bio: Lindz McLeod (she/they) is a queer Scottish writer whose short work has been published by Apex, Catapult, DIVA, Nightmare, and many more. Her longer work includes the award-winning short story collection TURDUCKEN, as well as books including THE UNLIKELY PURSUIT OF MARY BENNET, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAROLINE BINGLEY, and craft anthology AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE. Her work has been taught in schools and universities, turned into avant-garde opera and animation, and optioned for television. She is currently in her final year of a PhD in Creative Writing. You can find Lindz waxing lyrical about books, cats, and her film podcast, Cinema Worms, on Bluesky at @lindzmcleod, Instagram @lindz.mcleod, and examples of her work can be found on www.lindzmcleod.co.uk Connect with Lindz:  Website: https://lindzmcleod.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindz.mcleod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsey.mcleod.90 Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-cooper-ellison-b5483840/  Produced by Espresso Podcast Production: https://www.espressopodcastproduction.com Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    59 min

  4. Jun 4

    Are You Writing for Others or Yourself? How to Break Free From People-Pleasing as a Writer

    Send us Fan Mail About this episode: Have you ever said yes to something that felt like destiny, only to realize later it took you further from your goals? In this episode, I share a personal story about a writing group experience that taught me one of the most important lessons of my creative life: the difference between people-pleasing and truly following your gut. I break down what people-pleasing actually is, why we do it, and how it shows up in our writing and our lives in ways we don't always recognize, including through the fawning trauma response. Plus, I share the Achilles’ heel question that gets writers into more trouble than almost anything else. If you've ever said yes to something that felt like destiny only to find it took you further from your goals, this episode is for you. Resources for this Episode:  The Fawning Trauma Response with Ingrid ClaytonFawning by Ingrid ClaytonThe Gifts of Adversity by Norman RosenthalGet Your Free Human Design Report Register for Build Better Memoir ScenesDitch Your Inner Critic Now  Episode Highlights 03:19 Defining People Pleasing06:46 Fawning Trauma Response12:34 How It Shows Up Writing15:58 Get Clear What You Want18:52 You Should Write Book Trap27:30 Wrap Up And Journal PromptLisa’s Bio: Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, among others.  Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    32 min

  5. May 28

    Writing, Healing, and Psychedelic Therapy: How Psilocybin, Set and Setting, and Integration Support Creative Resilience with Stacey Simmons

    Send us Fan Mail About this episode:  With a recent executive order expediting the review of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, psychedelic therapy is moving from the fringes into the national conversation — and this week's episode couldn't be more timely. Whether you're curious about what psychedelic therapy is, how it works, or whether it's right for you, licensed marriage and family therapist, and certified psychedelic therapist Stacey Simmons is here to answer those questions and more. Even if you never plan to partake, you won't want to miss the practical takeaways Stacey shares that anyone can apply to their own healing journey. Resources for this Episode:  Can You Trust Your Memories with Stacey SimmonsWhat If You’re Not Meant to Be the Hero with Stacey SimmonsThe Queen’s Path by Stacey SimmonsMushroom Pharmacy: A Practical Guide to Psychedelic Mushrooms by Stacey SimmonsWhat Is Holotropic BreathworkSerotonin Syndrome The Billionaire, The Psychedelics, and the Best-Selling Memoir Get Your Free Human Design Report Register for Build Better Memoir ScenesDitch Your Inner Critic Now  Episode Highlights 03:08 Mushroom Pharmacy Origins07:41 Psilocybin Set and Setting29:46 Integration That Sticks36:12 Who Should Avoid Psychedelics41:46 Memory Truth And Closing Stacey’s Bio: Stacey Simmons is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Psychedelic Therapist. She is a clinical supervisor at Hope Therapy Center in Burbank, California. Her practice focuses on creative professionals, where she works primarily with writers, directors, actors, and musicians. Her research focuses on creativity, archetypes, psychedelic psychotherapy, neuroscience and consciousness research. She is a volunteer researcher with the Semel Institute of Neuroscience at UCLA, as well as a researcher with the Trance Science Research Institute in Paris, France. She holds a PhD from the University of New Orleans, and a Masters degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Connect with Stacey:   Website: https://staceysimmonsphd.com/Facebook: @staceysimmonsphdInstagram: @staceysimmonsphdTikTok: @staceysimmonsphdBuilding Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    51 min

  6. May 21

    Author Platform Strategy: Why Less Effort Gets Better Results with Human Design

    Send us Fan Mail Building an author platform can feel overwhelming, especially when you're doing it alone, on a budget, and wondering if any of it is actually working. In this episode, I sit down with author and adoptee advocate Patricia Knight Meyer to explore a Human Design approach to platform-building that’s rooted in intuition, authentic connection, and knowing where to focus your energy. If you've ever felt like you're grinding away at your platform with nothing to show for it, this one's for you. Episode Highlights 05:42 The Hidden Reality of Being an Adoptee15:54 The Pressure to Build a Platform (and What It Cost Her)21:16 The Human Design Reading Neither of Us Expected30:55 Saying Yes Before Feeling Ready41:03 Why Forcing Visibility Was Never the Answer Resources for this Episode:  Build an Author Platform that Aligns with Your Design and Nervous SystemGet Your Free Human Design Report Register for Building Better Memoir ScenesDitch Your Inner Critic Now  Patricia’s Bio: Patricia Knight Meyer is a journalist, adoption reform advocate, and Baby Scoop Era adoptee. Born in 1970 and trafficked on the black market via a shady attorney who later extorted her parents with the threat of taking her back, she obtained her first legal birth certificate at age 47—a journey she chronicles in her memoir WONDERLAND: Memoir of a Black-Market Baby (Unsolicited Press, November 2026). She founded the adoption blog My Adopted Life and YAYDNA Genetic Greeting Cards, serves on the board of the National Association of Adoptees and Parents (NAAP), hosts the 3rd Friday NAAP Happy Hour, is a sought-after speaker on adoption reform and adoptee rights, and leads memoir writing workshops. Connect with Patricia:   Instagram: @somebodys_baby and @patriciaknightmeyerFacebook: @patriciaknightmeyer and @wonderlandthememoirTikTok: @myadoptedlifeBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/myadoptedlife.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@myadoptedlifeMedium: https://medium.com/@myadoptedlifeBuilding Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    54 min

  7. May 14

    Author Platform Myths Debunked: How to Reach Readers Without Burning Out | Writing Resilience

    Send us Fan Mail Author platform doesn't have to mean performing for an algorithm or chasing followers who don't care about your work. In this episode, I break down what an author platform actually is, why the "magic formula" myth keeps so many writers stuck, and how to build a platform that grows alongside your nervous system–not against it. If you've ever felt like the standard advice just isn't made for you, I want you to know — you're right. There is a way that’s better for you.  Episode Highlights: 06:03 The Biggest Author Platform Myths10:03 What Does “Enough” Actually Look Like?13:01 Why Engagement Matters More Than Followers25:26 The Truth About Going Viral30:36 Building an Author Platform Without Burning Out Resources for this Episode:  My Brother Had Mental Health Issues and Committed an Awful Crime. But I Love Him. Building a Writing Career from Trauma with Tia LevingsHow Recovery Supports Memoir Writing and Book Marketing Tips with Laura Cathcart RobbinsBuilding A Writing Career without Social Media with Amelia HrubyBuild an Author Platform that Aligns with Your Design and Nervous SystemGet Your Free Human Design Report Ditch Your Inner Critic Now  Lisa’s Bio: Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, among others. Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisacooperellison/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacooperellison/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-cooper-ellison-b5483840/  Produced by Espresso Podcast Production: https://www.espressopodcastproduction.com Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    38 min

  8. May 7

    Building a Writing Career from Trauma: Book Launches, Platform Growth & Healing with Tia Levings

    Send us Fan Mail What does it really take to build a writing career out of your hardest story and stay whole while doing it? In this episode, I sit down with author Tia Levings, whose memoir A Well-Trained Wife has become an increasingly timely reckoning with religious trauma, patriarchy, and survival. With her second book I Belong to Me just hitting shelves, Tia pulls back the curtain on navigating back-to-back book launches, genre-hopping with intention, and growing a 110,000-follower platform without burning out or exploiting your own pain. If you've ever wondered how to turn a cooked story into a sustainable career, this conversation is for you. Episode Highlights: 05:23 When Your Story Becomes the Work13:11 The Cost of Visibility and Finding Regulation24:25 Where Memoir and Self-Help Meet35:12 Doing the Work Without Getting Stuck in It Resources for this Episode:  Order I Belong To MeGet Your Free Human Design Report Register for Build an Author Platform that Aligns with Your Design and Nervous SystemDitch Your Inner Critic Now  Tia’s Bio: Tia Levings is The New York Times Bestselling author of A Well-Trained Wife, her memoir of escape from Christian Patriarchy. She writes about the realities of religious trauma, evangelical patriarchy, and the Trad wife life, decoding the fundamentalist influences in our news and culture. Her work and quotes have appeared in Teen Vogue, Salon, Newsweek, and the HuffingtonPost. She also appeared in the hit Amazon docu-series, Shiny Happy People. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, she is mom to four incredible adults and likes to travel, hike, paint, and daydream. Find her on social media @TiaLevingsWriter. Her second book, I Belong to Me, releases May 5, 2026. Connect with Tia:  Read Tia Levings, Writer on Substack]Instagram: ⁠@tialevingswriter⁠⁠⁠TikTok: @tialevingswriter⁠⁠Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

    48 min
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The Writing Your Resilience Podcast is for anyone who wants to use the writing process to flip the script on the stories they’ve been telling themselves, because when we tell better stories about ourselves, we live better lives.  Every Thursday, host Lisa Cooper Ellison, an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and trauma survivor diagnosed with complex PTSD, interviews writers of tough, true stories, people who've developed incredible grit, and professionals in the field of psychology and healing who've studied resilience. Over the past 7 years Lisa has taught writers how to write their resilience. Each time her clients and students have confronted the stories that no longer serve them, they’ve felt a little safer, become a little braver, and revealed more of their true selves. Now, with this podcast, she is creating a space for you to do this work too.  Equal parts instruction, motivation, and helpful guide, Writing Your Resilience is an opportunity for you to join a community of writers and professionals doing the work that helps us cultivate our authenticity and creativity.  More about Lisa Cooper Ellison: https://lisacooperellison.com Get Your Free Ditch Your Inner Critic masterclass—your shortcut to a confident, S.H.I.F.T.ed mindset: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/

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