It's All Poetry

Oh, hello to all you Picketing Poets, Lie-In Linguists, and Walkout Word Nerds. In this week's episode, Nicole is joined by Alexa Speed, an old friend, former colleague, and the creator behind Cut Off The Spigot. Nicole and Alexa dive into the unexpected and surprisingly recent history of the word boycott. A word born in rural Ireland that became a global tool for resistance. So grab your pick...

Oh, hello to all you Punctilious Poets, Long-Standing Linguists, and Venerable Vocab-ulites. In this week's episode, Nicole is joined by the founder of Kindred and Kin, Juliette Joseph, to discuss the word ritual . Together, Nicole and Juliette trace its meaning from the present-day little rituals that help keep us sane back to the ancient rituals that were meant to keep the Earth spinning. So...

Oh, hello to all you Partnered Poets, Like-Minded Linguists, and Gregarious Grammatists. In this week's episode, Nicole sits down with writer, facilitator, and mother Sara El-Sayeh to discuss the word belonging. As Nicole and Sara trace the roots of the word, they uncover surprising connections between longing, community, and the human need to be woven into something larger than ourselves. So take...

Oh, hello to all you psychic poets, legendary linguists, and veiled verbalists. In this week's episode Nicole sits down with tarot reader, creativity coach, and writer Cecily Sailer to discuss the word mystic. Together they trace the word from Greek initiation rites and Christian mystics to modern tarot and awe inspiring moments. So let's order up some Connecticut Pizza, sit down to solve...

Oh, hello to all you pioneering poets, luxurious linguists, and visionary verb-ivores. In this week's episode Nicole sits down with painter and artist, Tara Leaver to discuss the fascinating word art. Together, they wander through etymology, creativity, discipline, abstraction, suffering, collaboration, and the tension between structure and freedom. So get ready to taste all the flavors, take...

Oh, hello to you Potent Poets, Luring Linguists, and Vigorous Verbivores. In this episode, Nicole sits down with the founder of Cultural Cartography, Leila Rao, to discuss power . From its centuries-old household roots to the unseen ways it shapes our relationships, our workplaces, and how we view ourselves. So cancel that “power lunch,” pass out the coffee, and let’s defy gravity as we define pow...

Oh, hello to all you Prepping Poets, Line-Running Linguists, and Seasoning Semanticists. In this week’s episode, we welcome back the writer, artist, and the always wonderful Cody Cook-Parrott. Nicole and Cody sit down to discuss the word practice. From its roots in alchemy, travel, and transformation to the modern mindset of grind, punishment, and proficiency. So grab your coziest quilt, snuggle u...

Oh, hello to all you Pining Poets, Longing Linguists, and Wistful Word Nerds. In this week’s episode, Nicole sits down with artist-researcher and psychotherapist Adrienne Sloan to discuss the word nostalgia . In searching for its meaning and origin, they go from dinosaurs and extinct sounds to perfume and a “contagious” wartime sickness. So, get your “animal brains” ready, listen closely for “whis...

Oh, hello to all you Progressive Poets, Eccentric Elegists, and Bohemian Balladeers. In this week’s episode on “Radical,” Nicole has a thought-provoking conversation with the founder of Coalition Snow and Zawadisha, Jen Gurecki. They discuss the meaning of “radical,” how it became associated with extremism, and why reclaiming it is so important in today’s political and cultural landscape. So, let’...

Oh, hello to all you Polished Poets, Exquisite Etymologists, and "Gaudy Gifts who love to gab" and welcome to It's All Poetry. In this Episode, Nicole is joined by the splendid silversmith and jewelry maker Erika Rose to discuss and define the word jewel. Nicole and Erika explore the meaning of jewel as a word shaped over centuries, and as a practice shaped day by day at the jewelry...

Oh, hello to all you Planet-Friendly Poets, Renewable Rhapsodists, and Symbiotic Scribes. In this week’s “energy-efficient” episode, Nicole talks with content strategist, storyteller, and co-founder of the sustainability marketing agency Right On!, Kim Grob. Together they unpack the complicated and sometimes controversial word sustainability . From overused buzzword to something quietly pushed to...

Oh, hello to all you Perceiving Poets, Lucid Linguaphiles, and Observing Epeolatrists (that’s a deep cut). In this episode of IAP, Nicole looks inward with the help of astrologer, writer, and somatic practitioner Verena Borell. Together, they explore childhood wonder, spiritual hierarchies, the body’s wisdom, and the idea that awareness often unfolds like a spiral. So give your nervous system a br...

Oh, hello to all you playful poets, language lovers, and verbivores. In the second episode of season four, Nicole is joined by the founder of Nourish, Michaela Ayers. Michaela is a facilitator, interdisciplinary artist, creative caregiver, and our new favorite Nebraskan. Join Nicole and Michaela as they go from coloring outside the lines to feeding social revolution through creative acts of defian...

Oh, Hello to all you polished poets, reword nerds, and lexomancers. We are back! And in our "first draft" episode of season 4, Nicole is joined by the founder of Framing Devices, Emily Doucet. Emily is a writer, a researcher, and editor. Which makes her perfect for this weeks deep dive. Emily and Nicole trace the word "edit" through publishing houses, cutting room floors, and g...

Nicole is joined by Dr. Kate Henry, productivity coach and author of Tend To It , for a thoughtful conversation about gardens, grief, and living with intention. In This Episode, You’ll Discover… How chronic illness reshaped Kate’s relationship with productivity The difference between tending something and trying to control it Why care doesn’t always need an outcome to be meaningful How small, priv...

In this episode, Nicole sits down with the founder of Slow and Steady Studio, Amanda Laird. The two explore steadiness as something alive, wobbly, and deeply human. From burnout and business growth to nervous systems and bent knees, this conversation redefines what it means to stay steady when everything feels like it’s shifting. In This Episode, You’ll Discover... Why steadiness often looks more...

In this episode, somatic astrologer Britt Broekhaus and Nicole peer into why being seen is so often terrifying, how invisibility can feel like a refuge, and what the rhythms of the sun and moon can teach us about the seen and unseen. In This Episode, You’ll Discover... Why visibility is inherently risky How astrology reframes visibility as cyclical rather than constant The surprising connection be...

In this episode, Nicole and grief companion Uma Girish unpack grief as a loss of connection, a physical experience, and an invitation to live more meaningfully. In This Episode, You’ll Discover… Why beginning a new year with the word grief can be unexpectedly liberating How grief lives in the body, not just the mind Why shame so often sneaks into the grieving process What it means to companion gri...

Two-Spirit Shoshone and Hoopa doula, writer, and public health storyteller Madison Murphy Barney joins Nicole to explore entanglement as intimacy, responsibility, ancestry, and hope. And why none of us were ever meant to do this alone. In This Episode, You’ll Discover… How codependency and connection aren’t the same thing What quantum physics reveals about collective responsibility Why caring for...

What if the word productive isn’t just about getting things done — but a reflection of centuries of moral judgment, capitalist pressure, and deeply internalized self-worth stories? (I mean, duh). In this beautifully honest and thoughtful conversation, Nicole is joined by executive function coach Dr. Taylor Allbright to untangle the heavy (and often conflicting) layers of what productivity means —...

“Wealth” often sounds like a number. But what if it’s actually a feeling? In this cozy conversation, financial therapist Rachel Duncan shares her personal and professional journey redefining wealth as stability, safety, and values-driven living. Tune in to learn… Why the word wealth feels quieter—and maybe safer—than rich How inherited shame around money can shape our financial choices for decades...

Is scale about climbing higher, shedding layers, or finding balance? Nicole sits down with writer and longtime collaborator Sarah Kuiken to explore this multitasking word that spans fish, ladders, piano keys, and marketing funnels. Expect laughter, etymology, and the occasional side quest into AI, gratitude, and why scaling your joy might just be the truest form of growth. In This Episode, You’ll...

What makes something truly magical ? The ritual? The mystery? Or simply the act of believing something more is possible? In this episode, Nicole sits down with ( Sarah Dittmore and Kaitlyn Gulock ), co-hosts of The Empress and the Fool , to explore the word “magic" —from its earliest roots in science and spirit, to the quiet everyday moments that shimmer with potential. In This Episode, You’l...

What if attention isn’t a currency to be spent, but a gift to be given? Feminist creator Amelia Hruby invites us to reimagine the way we relate to focus, presence, and the constant pull of the digital world. Together we explore what it means to reclaim your attention from the systems designed to monetize it, and how giving attention (rather than paying it) can become a radical act of care. In this...

What if I told you that “money” was once the name of a goddess? That’s right—long before debit cards and two-day shipping, the Romans worshipped Juno Monetta, the goddess whose temple literally minted coins. Today, financial coach Katie Scott joins Nicole to unearth how ancient warnings, modern shame, and personal money stories shape the way we think about value. In This Episode, You’ll Discover…...