Read And Write With Natasha

Watching someone turn a lifetime of confusion into a clear story is one of the most moving parts of my work, and this conversation proves why.  My book coaching client, Author and activist Karen Kendra Holmes, joined me to share the journey behind her memoir, 40 Years and Wandering No More, including the painful “cliff” moment that opened the book and the breakthrough she felt after the Philadelph...

Tyler Snure started building his fantasy world as a kid, published at a young age, and now maps his future toward becoming a full-time author.  In this episode, we talked about what that really looks like day-to-day: writing when your schedule is packed, staying consistent when distractions are everywhere, and making peace with the fact that big goals are built from small, repeatable sessions. Tyl...

Romance can be wildly escapist and still be honest about how sex actually works, and that tension is where this conversation gets really good.  I’m joined by romance author Christina Braver, a former social worker and healthcare tech professional who now writes full-time from the Pacific Northwest, and she brings both heart and clarity to a topic that’s usually reduced to tropes and assumptions. ...

A promise made to a mom at graduation turned into a time capsule of war, grief, humor, and survival. I sat down with author Don Eggspuehler , a former US Marine Corps pilot and Vietnam veteran, to talk about Letters to Mom, a book built from real letters he mailed home week after week, long before email, texts, or video calls existed.  Those pages weren’t written with hindsight or a public audienc...

A lot of people dream about “extra income,” but they get stuck on one question: what do I actually buy, and where do I sell it?  I’m joined by Aaron LaPedis , award-winning author of The Garage Sale Millionaire and How To Become A Garage Sale Millionaire , to break reselling down into simple moves you can repeat, even if you’re starting with almost no money.  Aaron explained why eBay is built for...

Great writing doesn't sell books. Most writers find that out too late. My guest this week is Terry Whalin — editor, former literary agent, acquisitions editor, and author of more than 60 books. He's sat on both sides of the desk, and he's blunt about what new authors get wrong. We start with the myth that a book makes money. Terry's case: most authors need a bigger definition o...

How do you turn a life-changing experience into a memoir readers can't put down? In this episode, author Melinda Lee Schmidt shares the story behind The Rebel Hugger and how a simple idea—asking strangers for permission to hug them—became a powerful memoir about connection, boundaries, belonging, and self-worth. Melinda takes us behind the scenes of her writing process, explaining how she tra...

“Bestseller” has become one of the easiest words to fake in publishing, and it’s costing authors money and readers' trust.  I sit down with publishing expert Michele DeFilippo, who brings decades of real-world experience helping authors produce high-quality books without giving away control, rights, or royalties. We talk about why self-publishing no longer carries the old vanity-press stigma,...

Thirty seconds sounds too small to matter until you notice how many you throw away each day. I sit down with Dr. Gerald Robison , a pastor and longtime Bible teacher turned prolific author, to talk about the mindset behind his book 30 Seconds That Can Change Your Life —and the moment that made him take time seriously.  Facing tongue cancer and the possibility that his time was short, he stopped ch...

Marijuana is getting easier to buy, easier to brand, and easier to shrug off. That's exactly why I wanted a grounded conversation with Dr. Raymond Wiggins, a licensed physician with decades on the front lines and author of Weeding Out the Myths About Marijuana . For him, cannabis isn't abstract.  He shares personal family losses and a disturbing case of sudden psychosis after early use t...

In this episode, I sat down with John DeDakis, a journalist with 45 years in the newsroom and 25 years at CNN, to get  honest about the upsides and downsides of artificial intelligence in writing, publishing, and education, and where he draws the line.  John walked me through his pivot from journalism to mystery and suspense fiction, including what reporters have to unlearn when they move from “ju...

In this episode, I'm joined by Alisa Kriegel , a Manhattan psychologist with a thriving private practice and the author of From Sexless Marriage to Sex Goddess .   Together, we unpack what researchers actually mean by “sexless marriage," why shame and lack of communication keep couples stuck, and how complicated the real causes can be.  Alisa shares personal, unfiltered insights on sexua...

Jessica Danel built a thriving preschool business, scaling from a home daycare to a 140-student facility. But when the 2008 recession hit at the same time her newborn faced serious medical challenges, she was forced to make difficult decisions that changed her life and business. In this episode, Jessica shares the lessons she learned from growing, selling, and rebuilding—and how those experiences...

Quitting a stable job to write full-time sounds bold, until you hear what it actually takes.  Autho r Carla Vergot , a former special education teacher and the voice behind the Lily Barlow series, joins us to talk about the moment a planned sabbatical became a life pivot, including her husband's cancer diagnosis, which arrived just as she left teaching. She shares how writing became both an e...

In this episode I sit down with author and speaker Douglas Schmi dt to discuss his upcoming book,   The Power of Self-Leadership: The Path to Unleash Your Talents, Strengths, and Superpowers . We talk about the connection between learning and leadership, why habits matter more than motivation, and how small daily decisions can shape your future. Douglas shares insights from books like Atomic Habit...

A head-on crash took author Laura Van Wormer o ut of the writing life she knew and forced her to rebuild from scratch, including her voice.  What she did, though, was that she didn’t just return to storytelling; she invented a new lane for herself through a serialized fiction podcast.  Laura, a best-selling novelist and former Doubleday editor, joined me to explain how The Class of 74 became a nar...

Thirty-one children's books. Written in a creative sprint. Published within months. When Kelly Anne Manuel tells that story, the most surprising part isn't the speed; it's the clarity of purpose behind it.  Her mission is to give kids a steady stream of comfort, confidence, and language that feels fun to live in. In this episode, I sit down with Kelly Anne Manuel, a children's...

He started writing at 16 during lockdown, finishing a massive first draft he’ll never publish, but instead of stopping there, he kept going. That persistence turned into real momentum for Harrison Stockland, a rising crime-thriller author known for his “twisted originality” and willingness to embrace the gritty choices that traditional gatekeepers often want softened.  His debut novel, Watch It Bu...

You've probably been told to "just let it go." Dr. Angela Longo says that's the wrong instruction and offers an alternative: replace it. I'm joined by Dr. Longo, a UC Berkeley–trained biochemist with decades of experience spanning stress biochemistry, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and holistic healing — and the author of Relationshifting: Tools for Living Quan...

He calls himself Virus the Poet, and the name is the point: take something with a negative meaning and flip it into art that spreads in a better way.  I sat down with Viral Gore to talk about what it looks like to build a modern poetry career that lives both online and on real stages, with real people, and real stakes. We got into why poetry became his most natural channel for expression, how spok...

Crankiness might be the most honest creative fuel we all share, and Stephen Joseph has built an entire writing life around it. I sat down with Stephen, a first-generation American, practicing attorney, seasoned negotiator, and 53-time marathon finisher, to talk about how irritation can become humor, clarity, and surprisingly practical life lessons for writers and readers. We trace his “cranky” ori...

What does it take to turn real life into a book readers can’t put down? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Amanda Edgar, award-winning author, ghostwriter, and founder of Page and Podium Press, about the craft and business of memoir and prescriptive nonfiction.  Amanda shares how she helped document firsthand stories from the summer of 2020 for a follow-up to her 2018 Black Lives Matter book, and wh...

Want your book and brand to break past your own audience?  I sat down with SEO strategist and author Brandon Leibowitz to map the fastest path: guest podcasting. Brandon lays out how stepping onto trusted shows earns the backlinks and third‑party mentions that search engines crave, while also unlocking new readers who arrive pre‑warmed by the host's credibility. We dig into why backlinks stil...

Richard McColl is a British writer, publisher, and podcaster who built something entirely his own in Colombia, and the lessons he's learned apply wherever you're trying to get your work into the world. In this conversation, we dig into Fuller Vigil, his boutique indie press publishing English-language books about Colombia with tight prose, lived experience, and beautiful design.  You can...

A single moment on a New York subway platform can flip a life.  That’s where author and coach Deborah Mallow decided to stop living by default and design days that actually felt good. We invited her to share how that choice turned into a practical, design-forward guide: Six Steps to Fewer Days That Suck. We walk through each step with real-world examples. Start with the decision to change, then st...