34 episodes

All lives contain the shadows of the lives we nearly lived: moments where we turned left instead of right, where we closed one door and opened another. The paths we choose create the story of who we are, but the unlived life – the wish unfulfilled, the need unmet, the question unanswered – has much to teach us, if we let it. 

Whether we regret our decisions or rejoice in them, we rarely allow ourselves to explore the possibility of what might have been. We don't want to get lost in the past, stranded without a map back to the here and now.

This podcast is the map.

Each episode, host Miriam Robinson interviews an author about a path their life might have taken. They return to the moment their paths diverged and together, step by step, write the story of their unlived lives.

Most interview podcasts explore the story of our lives. 
This podcast explores the story of our unlived lives

#MyUnlivedLife

Please send pitches to myunlivedlifepod@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Unlived Life Miriam Robinson

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 8 Ratings

All lives contain the shadows of the lives we nearly lived: moments where we turned left instead of right, where we closed one door and opened another. The paths we choose create the story of who we are, but the unlived life – the wish unfulfilled, the need unmet, the question unanswered – has much to teach us, if we let it. 

Whether we regret our decisions or rejoice in them, we rarely allow ourselves to explore the possibility of what might have been. We don't want to get lost in the past, stranded without a map back to the here and now.

This podcast is the map.

Each episode, host Miriam Robinson interviews an author about a path their life might have taken. They return to the moment their paths diverged and together, step by step, write the story of their unlived lives.

Most interview podcasts explore the story of our lives. 
This podcast explores the story of our unlived lives

#MyUnlivedLife

Please send pitches to myunlivedlifepod@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Vanessa Walters

    Vanessa Walters

    Vanessa speaks to Miriam about what her life might have looked like if she hadn’t gotten married at the age of 30 and moved with her husband to Lagos - the setting of her incredible novel - and had instead moved to LA to pursue a dream of screenwriting. Along the way they discuss the way place can change you; ways to change your life, step by tiny step; and how the women of Selling Sunset manage to sell houses in those ridiculous stilettos.
    Vanessa Walters has a background in international journalism and playwriting and is a Tin House and Millay Arts resident. She is the author of two previous YA books and film rights for her novel The Lagos Wife have been optioned by HBO. Born and raised in London, she currently lives in Brooklyn. The Lagos Wife is out now and can be found in your local bookshop.
    Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 5 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.

    Produced by Neil Mason

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 9 min
    Karrie Fransman LIVE at the Margate Bookie

    Karrie Fransman LIVE at the Margate Bookie

    In this episode, recorded live at the Margate Bookie Literary Festival, Karrie and Miriam go right back to the beginning and discuss what might have happened if she’d been born a boy instead of a girl. Along the way they try to examine our own gender biases, talk about whether it’s easier for men to take up space in the world, and also whether it’s easier for women to express themselves creatively. They also closely examined Karrie’s wardrobe choices…
    Karrie Fransman is a comic creator and artist who tells visual stories in books, newspapers, animations, sculptures, on Ipads and in virtual reality. Her comics strips and graphic stories have been published everywhere from The Guardian to the Times and the Telegraph, and her art has appeared in the Southbank Centre, National Portrait Gallery and the Manchester Art Gallery. She is the creator of several graphic novels and her most recent incredible books, Gender-Swapped Fairytales and Gender-Swapped Greek Myths are out now and available in your local bookshop and at Bookshop.org
    Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.

    Produced by Neil Mason

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 52 min
    Joanna Biggs

    Joanna Biggs

    Joanna and Miriam discuss what her life might have looked like if she’d studied and then pursued a career in dance, as opposed to following what she considered to be a more traditional, intellectual route for her education. Along the way they talk about the intelligence of the body, gendered attitudes to both success and competition, and the romantic dalliances of Sylvia Plath and Simone de Beauvoir.
    Joanna Biggs is an editor at Harper's Magazine, and previously was associate editor at the London Review of Books. She has also written for the New Yorker, the FT and the Guardian, as well as appearing on BBC Radio 4. Her first book, All Day Long: A Portrait of Britain at Work, was published in 2015, and was one of the Observer's books of the year. Her new book, A Life of One’s Own, is a piercing blend of memoir, criticism and biography, interspersing her own life story with an examination of how women writers across the centuries carved out intellectual freedom for themselves. It’s out now and available in your local bookshop and on Bookshop.org.

    Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.
     
    Produced by Neil Mason

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 13 min
    Andy West

    Andy West

    Andy and Miriam discuss what might have happened if his father - who was incarcerated when Andy was 12 - had in fact not gone to prison, and stayed in his life throughout his teenage years. Along the way they talk about what it means to break intergenerational cycles, the fine line between our lives and those of others, male friendship and a little something called positive catastrophising. 
    Andy West has taught philosophy in prisons since 2015. He holds a BA in philosophy from the University of London and has written for 3AM, The Guardian, The Times Education Supplement, The Millions and more. His first book THE LIFE INSIDE: A memoir of prison, family and learning to be free is out now and available in all good bookshops.
    Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.
     
    Produced by Neil Mason

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 12 min
    Dr Jandel Allen-Davis

    Dr Jandel Allen-Davis

    Dr Jandel Allen-Davis and Miriam discuss what might have happened if, only a few years ago, she’d walked away from her highly successful career to pursue her art full time. Along the way they talk about what it means to risk it all for your passions, the difference between seeing and looking, and whether it’s always necessary to pick a lane. Jandel is also a wildly prolific artist, and so they talk about pretty much every material under the sun.
    Dr Jandel Allen-Davis is the President and CEO of Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes in patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injuries. Before this, she was Vice President of Government, External Relations and Research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado. Jandel is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and was in active practice for 25 years. She is also one of Miriam's mother’s closest friends, who she's known since she was a teenager, which made this episode a particularly special one.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr
    Jackie Morris

    Jackie Morris

    Jackie and Miriam discuss what might have happened if Jackie had learned to play the violin as a teenager, and used her skills to busk as a traveling storyteller across Spain, Africa, Mongolia and beyond. Along the way they discuss what it takes to become an artist, the joys and perils of traveling alone and how learning languages is a lot like inhabiting other lives. Jackie also encounters a lot of fabulous wildlife, and learns to ride a motorcycle.
    Jackie Morris is an author and illustrator. She studied illustration at Hereford College of Art and Bath Academy and has illustrated many books, and written some. The Lost Words, co-authored with Robert Macfarlane, won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2019, and she was nominated again for The Unwinding in 2021. Her accordion books - Fox and Otter - are out now with Unbound.

    Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.
     
    Produced by Neil Mason

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    • 1 hr 4 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
8 Ratings

8 Ratings

Nathan James Vanden Avond ,

Wow!

I stopped byt this podcast after seeing one of my fave singers, Miki Berenyi, listed as a guest. And what an absolutely amazing and interesting concept for a show. Loved it so much and can't wait to listen to other shows. So great!

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