The Positive Pen ©

Thank you Nat Sang , rhonda doruiter , Mark Segal , and many others for tuning into my live video! What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan? Sometimes the unexpected journey leads us exactly where we need to be. On this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I welcomed Jen Simpson, children’s book author, co-founder of Author Gold, and founder of Devorah Press, for a conversation ab...

Thank you Saira Anwar , rhonda doruiter , Lynn busby , Surabhi Dobhal , Storm Whisperer and many others for tuning into my live video! What if the monsters we fear are actually reflections of ourselves? On this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I welcomed Emma Steel, author of Myths & Monsters , for a fascinating conversation about storytelling, imagination, fear, and the parts of human n...

Sometimes the smallest memories of childhood leave the greatest impressions on our lives. Today on Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I had the pleasure of welcoming Ahmad Shah Karimi , author of Hands at Work: Stitches of a Childhood from Afghanistan . Ahmad joined me from Berlin, Germany, to share a remarkable journey that began in a small Afghan village and eventually led him far from the home and...

Thank you Mama's Homestead , Bonnie Bluewater 🐦 , Lessons Along The Way , Jason Stephenson , and many others for tuning into my live video with Pam | Echoes of Ancient Wisdom ! Join me for my next live video in the app. Sometimes the stories we write take us to places we’ve never been, only to help us understand something about ourselves that has been there all along. Today on Stories, Soul Work...

Thank you Saira Anwar , Bonnie Bluewater 🐦 , rhonda doruiter , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me on the next Stories, Soul Work & Substack for another conversation that matters. Today on Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I sat down with Dr. Deborah Vinall for a conversation every parent, teacher, and anyone who cares about young people should hear. We talked about trauma—but mo...

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Thank you, Kanyin Abebi , rhonda doruiter , Karl Tame , Emma Steel and many others, for tuning into my live video! Join me on the next Stories, Soul Work & Substack for another conversation that matters. Today on Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chellie Grossman for a conversation about something that touches every part of our lives: leadership . But this was...

Thank you Author Gold , A New Dawn Healing Arts , rhonda doruiter , Tom Janiak , Harriet Corvine , and many others for tuning into my live video with Nat Sang ! Join me on the next Stories, Soul Work & Substack for another conversation that matters. Sometimes the most important question we can ask ourselves is also one of the simplest: Is this it? On this episode of The Positive Pen: Stories, Soul...

Thank you Bonnie Bluewater 🐦 , rhonda doruiter , Amar | Travel & Stories , and many others for tuning into my live video! On this episode of The Positive Pen: Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I sat down with my longtime TikTok friend Gary to talk about his wife, April—the woman he met online more than two decades ago, built a family with, laughed with, and ultimately had to say goodbye to. Their s...

Thank you Sarah Oehler , rhonda doruiter , Tom Janiak , Deanne Ames Original Junior-Senior and many others for tuning into my live video! How authenticity, courage, community, and the willingness to pivot can help us build a life that actually fits who we are. What happens when the life you are supposed to live no longer feels like the life you want? On this episode of The Positive Pen: Stories, S...

Thank you Sara da Encarnação , Deanne Ames , Johnmark Guzman , Harriet Corvine , Karl Tame , rhonda doruiter and many others for tuning into my live video! Some stories aren’t measured by dramatic moments but by the quiet, everyday decision to keep showing up. On this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I sat down with Chris B. Writes , a poet, caregiver, father, and advocate whose writing...

Thank you Chellie Grossman , rhonda doruiter , Tom Janiak , Karl Tame , Bridget and many others for tuning into my live video with Ruth Urman ! Finding the Beauty in Being Present: A Conversation with Ruth Urman and Luminous Touch Some conversations stay with you long after the recording ends. My conversation with Ruth Urman , creator of The Elegant Bohemian Life and author of the forthcoming memo...

Thank you Kathy Washburn , Sacred Storylines 🎨 , rhonda doruiter , Karl Tame , Original Junior-Senior , Sue Rumack Life Debunked , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. What if the oldest stories humanity has ever told are still shaping the way we see the world today? On this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack, I welcomed author, linguist,...

Thank you Deanne Ames , Danni Levy , rhonda doruiter , and many others for tuning into my live video! On this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I sit down with Craig Sefa—pastor, teacher, author, and spiritual director behind Reflections of Something —for a conversation about faith, identity, grief, creativity, and the complicated realities of being human. Craig’s writing is not afraid to...

In this deeply personal episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack, host John Rinaldo welcomes back writer, journalist, and storyteller Sarah Oehler for an honest conversation about cancer, creativity, fear, community, and finding the courage to begin again. When Sarah first joined the show nearly a year ago, she was still discovering her voice and place o… This is a public episode. If you'd like to...

Thank you Vonnie G. Clemens Jr. , Sacred Storylines 🎨 , Harriet Corvine , Summer Willan , Debi Hassler-Never Forsaken , and many others for tuning into my live video with Nat Sang ! Join me for my next live video in the app. In this inspiring episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack, host John Rinaldo welcomes Emma Steel, Joe Nichols, Nat Sang, Linda Meris, and Patricia Grenelle for an engaging c...

Thank you Florence Acosta , The Warden’s Archive , Lynn J. Broderick , Hundred Tomatoes , Danni Levy , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. From Amish Country to Peru: A Journey of Healing, Self-Discovery, and Hope On this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , I had the privilege of sitting down with writer, healer, and creator Megan Youngm...

Thank you Michelle Renée , Giuliana , Anthony Giovacchini , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. 💨Ashley Schmitt🫟™️ joins Stories, Soul Work & Substack to share the story behind The Tribal Dream-Stackers , a growing community dedicated to helping writers, creators, and independent voices find confidence, connection, and visibility. Drawing fro...

Thank you Megan Youngmee , Sara da Encarnação , Nat Sang , Denise Olivieri Yagel , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. Some conversations stay with you long after they end. This was one of them. In this deeply personal episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , John Rinaldo sits down with Jess, writer of Letter From the Deep End , for a heartfe...

Explore our featured collection of independent Substack authors for June 2026. Discover inspiring stories, thought-provoking insights, and outstanding books spanning fiction, memoir, personal growth, spirituality, history, and more. Support independent writers, find your next great read, and connect with voices that deserve to be heard. Craig Sefa Karl Tame Danni Levy Belinda Drakes Mind Reset Lif...

Thank you ThickOnine , rhonda doruiter , Anthony Giovacchini , and many others for tuning into my live video! What happens when you stop chasing success and start listening to yourself? In this thoughtful episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , John Rinaldo sits down with Camille, writer of The Soft Space , to explore the journey from achievement to authenticity. Speaking from Mallorca, Spain,...

Thank you Chris B. Writes , Florence Acosta , John Thompson , Deanne Ames , Roland Millward , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. In this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , John Rinaldo sits down with Lynn J. Broderick for a raw and honest conversation about grief, creativity, motherhood, writing, and the emotional rollercoaster of life...

Thank you Megan Youngmee , Deanne Ames , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. In this deeply personal and emotionally layered episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , John Rinaldo sits down with psychologist, author, and trauma survivor Patricia A. Grenell to discuss her memoir We Were a Nice Normal Family — a story that moves beyond appearanc...

Thank you Robert C. Worstell , Deanne Ames , Dr Craige Golding , Franky Dyson , Mary Ann McGee , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. In this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , John Rinaldo sits down with Mary Baker, a licensed clinical counselor and life coach with over two decades of experience helping people reconnect with themselves....

Thank you Jenny Lynn , Nicola Farnhill , Cit Ananda , Lynette K Dodd , rhonda doruiter , and many others for tuning into my live video with Sandra-Lynne ! In this episode of Stories, Soul Work & Substack , John Rinaldo sits down with Sandra Lynne for a conversation that moves beneath the surface—into the quiet, often unseen work of healing, returning, and becoming whole again. What emerges is not...