Write Your Story with Ally Fallon

AI isn’t exactly new anymore, but the questions around it are only getting more personal. As it becomes more woven into our work, creativity, communication, and everyday lives, it’s worth asking: what are we comfortable handing over, and what should remain deeply human? In this episode, I’m not talking about the usual fears around AI taking creative jobs or writing all future boo...

If you’re like me, you’re used to letting your productivity lead. Your efficiency lead. Your organization lead. Your hard work lead. Your responsibility lead. What would happen if you let creativity lead? By creativity, I don’t mean art, although art is a welcome byproduct of creativity.  By creativity, I mean…  Your curiosity. Your imagination. Your vitality. Yo...

One of the primary reasons creatives stay stuck is that we are trying hard to make something “good” I tell aspiring authors I coach that the fastest way to write something terrible is to sit down hoping to write something amazing. Something profound. Something worth reading. Instead, if you sit down intending to tell the truth, the truth will take you exactly where you need to go. It m...

I can still remember being told by well-meaning adults in my life that “you can’t make money from your creative work.”  But is that really true? In this episode, I trace back my beliefs about money and creativity and share what I’m learning about the inevitable connection between the two.  Thanks for following along!    Check out The Illusion of Money he...

I don’t know about you but I have a hard time being wrong.  I like to have all my ducks in a row, all my affairs in order, all my t’s crossed and i’s dotted so that nobody can ever come after me for not being intelligent or prepared.  But I’m learning this obsession with being right is getting in the way.    Of my creativity.  Of my love.  Of m...

Do you feel lonely even when you’re surrounded by people? Does it sometimes feel like nobody “gets” you?  Do you worry that if people really knew you they wouldn’t stick around?  On today’s episode, I’m exploring the wound that so many of us carry (especially women) which is a fear of being truly seen.  If you share this wound, you likely don&rsqu...

New writers are often told to “just put yourself out there,” but unfortunately, there are people in the publishing world who take advantage of that hope and excitement. In today’s episode, I’m sharing a publishing scam that can be difficult to recognize at first glance, along with the warning signs, industry context, and practical advice that can help you make informed deci...

Do you ever feel like you’d be more creative if you were simply more disciplined?  Like you need to get your life together to get some creative work done? That if only your proverbial ducks were in a row, then you’d have access to the creative genius you’ve always imagined? What if the opposite is true? In today’s episode, I explore the relationship between creative re...

Can you make money from your creativity? Of course.  But does capitalism get in the way of your creativity? Also, I will argue, yes.  On today’s episode I take up a conversation that has been going on for centuries: a conversation about the tension between art and commerce.   Or as I will call it: creativity and capitalism. Except this time I take the conversation beyond...

When you are in a situation that is uncomfortable or unwanted — a job, a relationship, a season of grief or pain — the tendency is to push that experience away.    You look for a way out. You look for a solution.  You look for a quick fix.  You look for an escape door.    But this event or experience has something it wants to show you. It is teaching you.&...

It’s no secret I’ve been stuck in my creativity lately (and my fertility). So as a way to reignite my life force energy, I’m going back to the basics. I’m forgetting about my audience and moving toward what makes me happy.  Which has me thinking: If you’re creating your art for an audience, is it really art?  Is creativity with a specific end in mind really...

I watched the most recent cult document released on Netflix over the weekend called Trust Me: The False Prophet . It is an absolutely disturbing and important show. It’s the most recent in a long line of cult documentaries and crime podcasts I’ve watched over the years and I have noticed a pattern, a list of behaviors and dynamics that can coerce otherwise intelligent, successful, big-...

This week I asked my 4 year old a question that I realized was actually for me: How much would it take for you to be happy?  As I watched him wrestle with this big question, I realized I have the same dilemma he does, the same dilemma all human beings face as we think about how we will love and live: do we surrender everything to discover love?  Or do we fight for what’s “rig...

What if the one thing you’re avoiding is the single thing that could get you unstuck?  In this episode, I admit that I’ve been feeling creatively stuck lately and wondering if I’ll ever get out of this rut. The truth is I’ve been feeling frustrated, flat and under-inspired.  I haven’t been writing much of anything.  I was starting to wonder (after 6 yea...

If you didn’t listen to my episode a few weeks ago about how the worst people in the world sometimes have the most confidence—this week I’m revisiting the topic.  This time, I’m coming in hot with some real-world examples of how my four and five year old kids taught me about confidence.  While watching my preschoolers have the quintessential childhood experience o...

You are not a problem to solve.  Your life is not a problem to solve.  Your body is not a problem to solve.  It’s easy to lose track of that.  It’s easy to get stuck in a loop of endless problem-solving, thinking that if you can just think harder, work harder, be smarter, or chase down the right information, you might finally feel at peace in your own life.  Bu...

Have you ever had a situation where your mind said “yes” but your body said “no”? Or vice versa — your mind said “no” and your body said “yes”?  Maybe someone asked for your help and your mind told you that helping was the kind, generous thing to do but you also felt your stomach tighten, your breath constrict and voice shake as you agreed...

There are only two real responses to suffering: Push it away. Or say to it: “yes and thank you” There is no “right” way to suffer, and in fact, most of us have tried both responses many different times.  But once you discover what’s possible when you soften into suffering, you can’t unsee it. In today’s episode I’ll share an update on my health...

There are so many things falling apart right now and if you’re someone like me who likes to: - Hold things together  - Bring things together - Keep things together  This time is probably uncomfortable at best and maybe painful at worst.  I’m today’s episode, I’ll share with you something that is currently falling apart in my world and share how I’m copi...

Have you noticed how the worst people in the world — those with the least character, next to no ethics and the lowest possible bar for human decency — have the most confidence? They have no issues taking up space, asserting their ideas or taking the lead role. Meanwhile those of us with huge hearts, a million skills and good intentions sit around questioning our ideas, holding back our...

I’ve wondered again and again how I can make a meaningful contribution during this dark time in human history and I keep coming back to this:  The power of our breath.  The simple act of showing up and intentionally breathing changed my life irrevocably many years ago and still continues to sustain me when I’m feeling “off” or desperate or stuck or frustrated that...

Sometimes the world feels like it's becoming more dark and depraved by the day.  If you’re taking any amount of news or current events, you have to be feeling some measure of fear, frustration, rage and helplessness (or you’re not paying attention).  What do we do with all of these feelings coursing through our bodies?  On today’s episode, I’ll share the invi...

You might think that when you sit down to write a book, you use mostly your brain, your intellect, or your thoughts to concoct the perfect argument, the most interesting story. I believe there’s more to it than that.  I’ve written 14 books and helped hundreds of authors write, edit and publish their works and I’ve witnessed an invisible and inexplicable x factor responsible...

From the 14th floor of a hotel room in downtown Nashville while the entire city is under a layer of ice, I send you this not-so-subtle nudge to use your voice. You may have told yourself that you’d write your book “someday,” or that you aren’t a real writer anyway, or that nobody would listen to what you have to say, or that you’d speak up if you had a bigger platform...

Here we are, at the start of a new year.  How is it going for you? How does it feel to start fresh?  Beginning something new can feel exhilarating. After all, anything is possible, all is new. But being a beginner can also feel intimidating and overwhelming.  After all anything is possible, all is new.   In today’s episode, I want to talk about what it means to be a begin...