Heal and Grow with Creativity

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...

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 stre...

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 se...

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...

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...

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...

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 expr...

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...

Let’s be real for a second. A lot of people don’t actually want to be creative, they just want to be seen as creative. In a world of grifters, sellouts, and AI, it’s easier than ever to slap on the “creative” label without actually practicing your craft.  But here’s the problem: this clout-chasing version of creativity is keeping you stuck and creatively blocked (without you even realizing it). In...

If you’ve been wanting to be more creative—but keep collecting ideas, saving recipes, or buying art supplies without actually making anything—this episode is for you! Your creativity doesn’t need more inspiration, it needs you to show up. Avoid the number one mistake newbie creatives make: chasing results instead of practicing.  In this episode, you’ll learn why starting small and creating often m...

If you’ve been thinking about starting an ambitious creative project but end up feeling overwhelmed before you even start, this episode is for you!  Most people make the mistake of feeling like they have to know everything about a project before getting started. But overthinking only leads to overwhelm & analysis paralysis. Leaving us frozen and never actually getting started.  This is why in...

Are you too tired to be creative at the end of the day? You’re not alone. In this episode, we explore how rest can transform your creativity and why slowing down is essential for a sustainable creative life. What you’ll learn in this episode: - Why exhaustion and hustle culture block your creativity - Why rest is not about doing more  - How to redefine rest as part of your creative practice - 3 si...

Have you ever wondered if something as simple as making art could actually change your life? In this episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity , I’m sharing how I found hope and healing in the middle of one of the most stressful and challenging seasons of my life, without quitting my job, fixing all my problems, or waiting for life to be perfect.  If you’ve been feeling stuck, uninspired, or hopele...

Have you ever tried learning a new creative skill only to end up overwhelmed, stuck in full of self-doubt? You are not alone! After 10+ years in the creative industry, I have seen how curiosity turns into burnout because we are taught to chase results, not joy.  In this episode, I'm unpacking three common obstacles that sensitive multi-passionate creative beginners face and what they can do i...

This is part 3 of my multi-platform 3-part series called My Multi-Passionate Life: A Creative Diary .  In this episode, I reflect on why small creative projects are a powerful tool to develop our self-knowledge and validate our own personal growth journey as multi-passionate women. I also discuss how these types of projects can help us navigate and make sense of different seasons of our life throu...

This is part 2 of my multi-platform 3-part series called My Multi-Passionate Life: A Creative Diary .  In this episode, I share the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on since starting this series. I open up about what it’s been like returning to my art after a two-year break, including the challenging moment of not receiving the response I had quietly hoped for. I also talk about navigating perfec...

For the next three episodes of Heal and Grow with Creativity , I’m inviting you into a special multi-platform series called My Multi-Passionate Life: A Creative Diary . This is part one of three. In this episode, I’m reflecting on what came up after filming my first creative vlog. I’m taking you behind the scenes—sharing the emotional and mental process of deciding to show more of my art publicly,...

In this episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity, Renata shares lessons learned from her journey as a multi-passionate creative over the last 3 years. She shares the mindsets, the shifts, and how she found alignment to her true self. She is now sharing her knowledge and wisdom with women who are now in a similar spot. Listen to the episode for support and encouragement.  Read the accompanying blog...

In this episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity , Renata talks about the power of hope and joy in times of crisis and uncertainty. Renata makes the case for why we need to prioritize hope and doing things that make us feel happy even when there is suffering going on in the world. Renata also shares simple ideas to reconnect with hope and joy that don’t require us to spend money.  Read the accompa...

Are you a multi-passionate, neurodivergent woman of color feeling weighed down by outdated ideas of success? 🌟 It's time to redefine success on your own terms — and reconnect with what truly matters to you: your core values, special interests, and your beautiful, complex creative self. In this episode, you'll learn how to:   ✨ Break free from the pressure to succeed and perfectionism  ...

If you’ve ever felt like you’re falling short no matter how hard you try, this episode is for you. Renata dives into the often-overlooked connection between perfectionism, burnout, and unrealistic expectations—especially for neurodivergent, multi-passionate women of color. Living with chronic fatigue, chronic illness, or executive dysfunction which can make even the most “simple” tasks feel imposs...

In this raw, unfiltered episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity , I'm going off the cuff to talk about what’s really happening to creativity in 2025. This isn’t a polished, scripted take. It's a love letter. A truth-telling. A call to action. As AI-generated art floods our feeds and productivity is prioritized over presence, I'm asking: what does it mean to be truly creative in a w...

Have you been curious about creativity coaching but weren’t quite sure what to expect? In this episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity , I’m walking you through exactly what a typical session with me looks and feels like. This episode is especially for you if you're neurodivergent, a deep feeler, or someone who’s felt disconnected from your creativity and is craving a safe space to reconnect...

Curious about working with a creativity coach? In this episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity , Renata pulls back the curtain on her unique approach to coaching multi-passionate and neurodivergent women of color. She shares how she supports clients, the philosophy that shapes her work, and why creativity is such a transformative tool for self-discovery and healing. If you've ever felt overw...

In this episode of Heal and Grow with Creativity , Renata talks about the power of healthy distractions, blissful ignorance, and self-preservation. Why they aren’t always a bad thing, their connection to our ability to enjoy our creativity and art making. And, why this can be a powerful strategy in our healing journey when done intentionally.  Read the accompanying blog post for this episode . Lin...