Sophia Chang Show: Books. Biceps. No BS.

FREE Character Toolkit: https://www.sophiachang.com/character I hate character sheets. Okay, I hate this writing advice. Character sheets as step one is dead wrong and I’m going to tell you what Hollywood actors actually do to find the heart of a character fast. *No character sheets were harmed in the making of this episode. If your characters feel flat, sound the same, or read like a Tindr dating...

Are your parents right and you should have been an accountant, not a writer? Find out with this FREE Decision Tree: https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie You know what's more motivating than following your bliss? Spite and envy. This is Part 2 of my conversation with Kevin Chung on Substack LIVE and it went places. I talk about my 100% query request rate and how dropping out of grad school—TWICE...

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask:Are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant, not a writer? FREE Decision Tree: https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie Madonna. Babs Bunny. Sophia Chang. The trifecta of reinvention. (In my childhood dreams, at least.) Kevin Chung from Standout Creatives interviewed me on Substack LIVE and this is Part 1: my origin story about reinven...

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask: Are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant, not a writer? FREE Decision Tree: https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie Happy Asian American Month! We’re 12 days in because THIS Asian was taken out by an immunosuppressed spoonie’s worst nightmare: the common cold. Stop coughing with your mouth open, people. But I’m here! Wearing lucky...

FREE 3 Hollywood Secrets to Author Voice workbook: https://www.sophiachang.com/hollywood Part 2 where I answer your questions from my 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice presentation including: "Is my voice boring?" — the two questions to ask yourself before you panic What if you sound like AI? (Plot twist: your "proper" voice might be your superpower) How to turn...

Author voice, character voice, narrator voice…what even is the difference?! And do I really need to know all three? This was the question blowing up the chat during my presentation 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice at last month’s Perfect Your Process Summit. There were so many good questions and not enough time, that I am now answering them in a Substack LIVE. This is your no-stre...

What is author voice—and why is it the #1 thing agents and editors look for? In my first Substack live video, I share why I'm presenting at the Perfect Your Process Summit 2026, how my Hollywood acting career taught me what makes a writer's voice unforgettable, and how you can join me for free. 3 or 4 years ago I fell down the online writing summit rabbit hole. As a disabled writer, it was my only...

STOP stretching! Your body is a gummy worm. No, I haven’t gone John Mayer on you. I've been working with fascia expert Erin Tietz for years, and she's the only one whose exercises provided any relief during my bedridden sciatica years. She’s helped over 120,000 people around the world and now she’s on The Sophia Chang Show to explain what fascia is and walk you through two exercises you ca...

I started a podcast because I'm a loser. This episode is the origin story I've never told: going blind, ending up in a wheelchair, and the freedom that comes with nothing left to lose. (Any Janis Joplin fans here?) It's about the almost-but-not-quite Hollywood successes, my dad's mountain range philosophy, and why Navy SEALs know something about drowning the rest of us need to hear...

Ready for that digital detox? This is the morning routine that actually helped me when I was too depressed to get out of bed. This episode is a moment-by-moment peek behind the curtain into my morning as a digital minimalist. It's mostly no phones, lots of protein, and being a Cullen vampire. All resources mentioned in this video are in this FREE GUIDE:5 Daily Desk Habits That Ended 8 Years of...

FREE Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing decision tree: https://sophiachang.com/freebie My Spotify Wrapped for Creators just exposed ALL of you. Taylor Swift lovers, K-pop Demon Hunters fans, Drake apologists (boo!) and apparently... a Minnesota Vikings superfan who also loves books and biceps. We need to talk. This is my 2025 podcast year in review: 12 episodes, 6 incredible guests, hilariou...

Ah yes, hellworld, give us the rise of Digital Minimalism Influencer. Six years after crowning Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism my 2019 book of the year, I return with a solo episode to report on the state of digital detoxing in a world where anything that promises peace and deep work will eventually become a product. In this episode: Why "escape Instagram by joining my forum" is jus...

Should authors write other races and cultures in their books? People have become sensitized to the point of fear of asking--but WE want you to ask us about race and culture! Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, queen of dictation from Episode 66 , is back on the show to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. From Choctaw code talkers to Chinese cheerleaders, Sarah and I share candid stories about my childho...

Your ears do not deceive—I actually put a man on my show. Former chemist and Wall Street analyst, Amran brought his insider knowledge of the financial industry's wildest excesses to his satirical thriller Leverage, published by Atria Books in August 2025. It’s a fun, fast, biting read about Ali Jafar (yes, two names from Aladdin), a hedge fund analyst who loses $300 million in a single day and...

If your back sounds like bubble wrap when you finish writing, gaming, or working at the computer—this episode is your rescue plan. Mobility coach and Body Nerd Show host Alex Ellis joins us to talk repetitive strain, and how a few minutes a day can change everything. No yoga mat, gym, or guilt required. I also introduce a new segment where I ask my guests a very important question… You’ll learn: •...

All right, let’s get the Napoleon jokes out of the way. I’m short, flamboyant, and I love to dictate—my novels, that is. I first started dictating text messages when I went blind in 2017, and what started as a necessity has turned into the only way I’m able to complete seven novels. This week I’m chatting with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer, author of 19 books—and counting, host of The Confident Fiction A...

If you need one reason to watch this interview on video: Mara’s disobedient dog. I didn’t think The Sophia Chang Show could get any more honest, but this week with author Mara Williams we crank the No BS to high gear—busting three of the biggest myths about traditional publishing. Mara writes contemporary fiction about strong, messy women, and together we trace our own winding journeys from dance...

Launch Day Special—and we get deep on this one! Celebrating the release of Try Your Worst with fellow Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow and Stonewall Honor winner Chatham Greenfield. In this follow-up episode to last week, we dive into life one year post-publication, billionaire-on-billionaire romance tropes, and discovering your hero David Levithan knows your book (!!) We also talk about the tab...

We're finally three-quarters gay this episode! My first-ever video guest is Chatham Greenfield, Reese’s Book Club inaugural LitUp fellow, Stonewall Honor recipient, Lambda Literary nominee, and author of the unputdownable lesbian YA romance TIME AND TIME AGAIN. Or, as I have dubbed them: Gay of the Year. Watch our candid conversation on writing while disabled, the guilt that comes with chronic...

What does it mean to be a lonely extrovert with limited energy? Sophia talks friendship, popularity, and the impact of chronic illness on finding and keeping connections. the weird things introverts say about extroverts the value of quality friendships over quantity a love letter to every extrovert who craves community but struggles to find it 00:00 The Extrovert Paradox 02:57 The Introverts Doth...

Little known fact: Sophia was completely bedridden when she got her Reese's Book Club fellowship AND her agent. After a year and a half of typing, college admissions coaching, and suffering in pain on my back, I was finally saved by the power of the deadlift. This is the story of how I became a lifting bro not to get swoll, but to write. 00:00 Writing with chronic pain 03:10 The Pain Industry...

I'm BACK! Author and extrovert Sophia Chang returns from the land of the analog to give a 5 Year (+8 Month) Update on digital minimalism and life without social media. What has changed? What has not? And can you actually build a platform offline? (spoiler: she's back for a reason...) And most importantly--will there ever be any more bathtub episodes??? 00:00 Where Have I Been? 01:31 What H...

The social media hate has turned to horror. This episode covers: why I sound like a mouth breather (it's CPAP) my goal to be rich enough to get on Cal Newport's podcast why I took down episodes I recorded when I started this podcast why my own escape from social media feels paltry in the face of its increased danger the Gen Z writer who gets it Algorithms Hijacked My Generation. I Fear For...

The one education epidemic that is harming kids from early childhood education on—and why you need to address it before you even think of college. Sold A Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong on American Public Media Wise Child Coaching Work with Sophia Share your reading education wins and mishaps with Sophia in an audio message Requisite Disclaimer: this podcast and episode do not const...

Sophia‘s one and only 2022 episode— a belated update on three years of digital minimalism and whether deleting social media makes you better than everyone else. The answer is yes, you addict. Also, liberal tears and Republican boats.