Inspired Writer Collective Podcast

BTS with an Indie Author - Part 5, Launch Week Recap Welcome to this special summer series where I invite guest hosts who were pivotal to the writing or publishing of my upcoming memoir to come on the podcast and interview me about the behind the scenes of an indie author leading up to my debut launch. This week is hosted by Laura Thomas , my developmental editor for Lonely Girl who has been a gue...

BTS with an Indie Author - Part 4, One week til launch Welcome to this special summer series where I invite guest hosts who were pivotal to the writing or publishing of my upcoming memoir to come on the podcast and interview me about the behind the scenes of an indie author leading up to my debut launch. This week is hosted by Julie Sedler , a fellow memoirist who has been a guest on the podcast b...

BTS with an Indie Author - Part 3, Two weeks til launch Welcome to this special summer series where I invite guest hosts who were pivotal to the writing or publishing of my upcoming memoir to come on the podcast and interview me about the behind the scenes of an indie author leading up to my debut launch. This week is hosted by Jordan, my fiancé, and someone who is well-versed in what the behind t...

Welcome to this special summer series where I invite guest hosts who were pivotal to the writing or publishing of my upcoming memoir to come on the podcast and interview me about the behind the scenes of an indie author leading up to my debut launch. This week is hosted by Hannah Gordon, my author coach and owner of Gordon Publishing . We chat about looking at the release of a book in terms of the...

This week, Elizabeth Wilson sits down with her developmental editor, Allison Lau, to reflect on her self-publishing journey. These are often the steps you don’t see every day from writers.  Elizabeth decided she wanted more control over the publishing process so she could get her memoir in the hands of readers faster. You’ll hear about how Elizabeth decided on her ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) reader...

Summer has a way of changing the rules. Your routines you’ve had since January or maybe only from Spring Break are about to get upended once again. The weather gets remarkably warmer, you want to be outside more, schedules become less predictable, and the longer days mean everybody’s up later if you have kids at home.  So, when do you find time to write? This is a good question to ask yourself. By...

This episode is your friendly reminder of why email is important for writers. It's easy to get lost in the sea of apps calling for your attention, but at the end of the day, getting your email at the top of someone's inbox is where the connections happen. AI can't replace your voice and your words connecting with readers. When you lean into email, whatever your write there can easil...

What does it really take to call yourself a writer?  At the beginning of this week’s episode, you’ll hear an original poem read by our guest Shahida Alvarado. It brings to the forefront the invisible gates women face when we dare to pursue a creative dream. From thinking about "why now?" to the behind-the-scenes realities of navigating the publishing world, Elizabeth and Shahida talk abo...

Elizabeth Wilson chats with author, Heather Bryant, about her experience publishing & marketing her book My Transparent during the pandemic. It’ll help you remember all of the creative ways you can use to get your book in the hands of readers.  Send us Fan Mail  Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life...

Does the tech side of showing up online freak you out? There’s a way you can get support. This week’s episode digs into what that can look like for you. I hope you’ll listen because there are some exciting offers coming available to you!  Learn about how working in Canva can be simplified or maybe you're interested in having templates done for you? Learn about the apps recommended for schedul...

In this week’s episode, Elizabeth Wilson and Stephanie Oswald, Ph. D. talk about reframing your thoughts about marketing. It’s common that hearing the word ‘marketing’ can send you into a tailspin and make you want to hide. You feel it’s a cumbersome task that requires so much extra time and work, but what Stephanie shares in this episode about her upcoming Unbound Story System small group program...

This week, in Episode 112 of the Inspired Writer Collective podcast, Elizabeth sits down with returning guest Jared Glenn for a candid conversation about one of the most overlooked parts of the writing journey: learning to detach from your story. Elizabeth shares a revealing moment from her own beta reader process when one piece of feedback had her so concerned she went straight to her editor. You...

On the podcast this week, we’re chatting about the CEO/Admin tasks that come with your writing life.  You’re a writer. If you haven’t claimed this identity for yourself, I’d love to hop on a call and dig into what’s standing in your way. I offer this invitation because it took me a long time to finally say “I’m a Writer” and I wish I’d gotten there sooner. I’ve been wanting to write my contemporar...

Elizabeth Wilson chats with memoir writer Anna Dao about the rich oral storytelling tradition that shaped not just how she writes, but why. They talk about what it really takes to find your authentic voice on the page, what happens when fear and people-pleasing get in the way of your truth, and what marketing a memoir actually looks like when you're a first-time author doing it all on your ow...

Have you ever tried following someone's writing advice? You've read all the books with guidelines for getting your outline done or advice about setting up your writing schedule, yet you're still feeling like something's not quite right. Like maybe the problem isn't your commitment to the process, but the fact that the method itself was never designed for the way YOU actual...

Our Memoir Summit was absolutely incredible! You’ll hear more about the experience in this week’s episode. We’re joined by Allison Lau & Sharissa Bradley, who not only brought incredible value as panelists but hopped into the webinars as attendees, so we sat down to chat about what we all took away from the experience. If you missed the Summit, you can order the replays here . When you watch t...

I recently read a book that stopped me in my tracks: ADHD for Smart Ass Women by Tracy Otsuka. I picked it up out of curiosity. I did not expect to see so much of myself in its pages. As a woman who just turned 50, I grew up in a time when ADHD in girls was rarely part of the conversation. If anything, we were given vague explanations about learning differences or processing challenges, but very l...

You're going to want to listen to this episode, especially leading up to our Memoir Summit. Elizabeth chats with Laura Thomas, who edited Elizabeth’s memoir that’s set to be published in June 2026, about the big picture of self-publishing your memoir. It’s so much more than sitting down to write, and you certainly don’t want to do it alone. If there’s anything to take away from this episode,...

Episode 105: Do It Scared You’ll thank yourself later. It’s Stephanie here, and this message is one that I’ve needed to hear for sure! I wrestle so often with my own fears of showing up and allowing myself to be vulnerable with my writing process, or even just being myself. At the end of the day, there’s nothing better than being yourself and finding the people who love all the parts of you. It’s...

In this week’s episode, Elizabeth chats with Hannah Gordon, a writer, editor, and publisher who will be one of the panelists at our Memoir Summit on March 14, 2026. The conversation digs into the power of writing for addressing challenging stories and how this informs whether you’re ready to write your memoir. It’s a very personal decision, but you may also need a coach to support you along the wa...

This week Elizabeth and Stephanie talk about the importance of investing in yourself as a writer. Find the rooms with people who are writing and moving their dream forward. When you put yourself in the right room you’ll be amazed at what happens. It’s only if you’re doing the work of writing you understand the challenges of what comes with the job. It’s not easy. Which is why you need to find your...

Elizabeth chats with Allison Lau, a ghostwriter and developmental editor for memoir and mission-driven nonfiction, about the memoir writing process and Allison’s love for helping writers discover their voice and the story that’s meant to be on the page.  It’s a conversation that takes you deep into the memoir process and the value of inviting a developmental editor along with you. It’s a beneficia...

Stephanie here. I’m solo for this week’s episode.  Do you feel like a lot of writing advice doesn’t work for you? For example, have you tried to read & complete The Artist’s Way and you couldn’t finish. Or, the advice to do your morning pages everyday when you first wake up, before anything else, stresses you out. Then you spiral into thinking you’re not a “good enough” writer because you don’...

When you listen to this episode and learn about the 10 Secrets to Finding Your Way as a Writer we’ve gleaned from mining through our podcast episodes, you’ll quiet your inner critic and discover you’re exactly where you need to be. We invite you to explore the following episodes that connect to each of the 10 Secrets we reveal in this episode:  #10: Episode 68, Episode 86 #9: Episode 97 #8: Episod...

In this episode, Memoir Writing Coach, Elizabeth Wilson, discusses Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, All the Way to the River:  Why All the Way to the River sparked mixed reactions from readers and why those reactions matter for memoir writers How relying on a linear structure can strain a memoir when multiple themes (addiction, grief, love, death) are competing for attention Signs a memoir might b...