Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley
1,100 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 100 ratingsFinding the Throughline: Conversations about the Creative Process invites you into the minds of writers and other creatives as they open up about their process, their doubts, and what kinds of changes they’re thinking about making. The questions are mildly invasive, honestly, and the answers are unvarnished…and so refreshing!
Whether your creative work is writing, painting, making music, parenting, or simply living, Finding the Throughline can help you get—and stay—inspired. Invigorated, even.
For detailed show notes on each interview, visit katehanley.substack.com. And if you’d like to hear these interviews in one ad-free episode (as opposed to broken up into three shorter episodes with a few ads sprinkled in to keep the lights on), become a paid subscriber once you’re there.
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Episodes
Restore Thyself: Give Yourself Alllll the Credit EP: 350
December 31, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutesIt can be very heartening to give yourself credit for all the many things you’ve been taking care of, and recognize yourself for your accomplishments--big, tiny, and everything in between. It can help show your ego that you actually deserve to rest, and normalize why you might be feeling so tired. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Restore Thyself: Processing a Nutty Year So You Can Move On EP: 349
December 30, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutesSomething that makes this whole process a lot more effective is processing what’s come before, so that you don’t have to keep carrying it around with you. My dear friend Paige Chapman, a self-care coach and owner of the virtual yoga studio Mama’s Wellness Joint, talks us through the tools she uses to do just that in her monthly new moon and full moon ceremonies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Restore Thyself: The No. 1 Secret to Getting More Sleep EP: 348
December 29, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutesOne of the best ways to restore yourself is to sleep. Now, sleep is a huge topic that could fill many episodes. Just for today, I’m going to talk about the number one way to make sure you get the rest you need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Restore Thyself EP: 347
December 28, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesThis week is the final week of 2020. Normally, I’d be talking to you about finishing strong, or taking stock of the year that just happened, or setting goals for next year. But this is not that time. This final week of the year on the podcast is about restoration--restoring yourself, your energy, and your spirit. No plans to make. No goals to set. Just refilling the well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A Poem that Perfectly Captures My Wish for 2021 EP: 346
December 25, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutesTo keep things short today, so that no matter what plans you do or don’t have to celebrate Christmas or not celebrate Christmas you’ll have a few extra minutes, I’m sharing a poem I recently discovered that has been like a balm for my soul. It's short, and wonderful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Your Return Ticket from Anxiety-Land EP: 345
December 24, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutesAnxiety is often the result of living in the future--thinking about what hasn’t happened yet, perhaps even dreading it, or just trying to anticipate what might be coming down the pike. The way out of anxiety is to pull your attention back to the present. Here's how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Two Important Supplements for Anxiety Support EP: 344
December 23, 2020 10:00 - 9 minutesThere are two supplements that crop up in articles and books, as well as in the scientific literature, over and over as being important players in brain health, mood, and in things like depression and anxiety. But most of us don't think of them as mental health support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Try This Breath to Get Out of the Swirl EP: 343
December 22, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesIn the coaching world anxiety is often described as excitement without breath. So let's do a REALLY easy--and calming!--breathing exercise to help redirect your body and your attention away from anxiety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Build Your Trust Muscles EP: 342
December 21, 2020 10:00 - 8 minutesA fairly common trigger of anxiety is thinking about all the things that are left to be done. We want to feel like everything is taken care of before we allow ourselves to settle down and just chill. But here’s the thing: That’s never gonna happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Are You Rehearsing Unhappiness? EP: 341
December 18, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutesSo often, when you are feeling anxious, if you examine the thoughts you’ll find that you’re pre-living out an imagined situation--and generally not a positive situation. It's like you're rehearsing unhappiness. Here's how to stop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Schedule Your Worry Time EP: 340
December 17, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesTaking a page from project management, today I’m talking about scheduling your worry time so that you can put up some boundaries around your attention without having to try to stop worrying altogether, which is a pretty tall--as in impossible--order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Tips from an Anxiety Pro EP: 339
December 16, 2020 10:00 - 19 minutesToday I’m interviewing the fabulous Leigh Medeiros, author of The 1-Minute Writer, a developmental editor, and a creativity coach. and someone who has lived with at times severe anxiety for over 30 years for her tips on anxiety's lessons, as well as how to work with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: Two Acupressure Points to Chill the Heck Out EP: 338
December 15, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutesThere are two spots on your body that really help quiet the swirling thoughts of anxiety according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Today I talk you through how to find them and stimulate them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Spotlight on Anxiety: What It Is & Where It Comes From EP: 337
December 14, 2020 10:00 - 10 minutesWhen something feels as high-stakes and as interior as anxiety does, it’s really helpful to shine a light on it and observe it, which helps you see it as something that is separate from you. That's what we're doing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: Finding Your Way to Acceptance EP: 336
December 11, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutesRolling with tough times requires acceptance. Which might seem like you're giving up, but really it's just laying down your resistance. When you can access acceptance, you get to stop putting effort into trying to change things you can’t change. (Which is exhausting, plus futile.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: The Need for Alone Time Is Real EP: 335
December 10, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutesAlone time is also how we catch up to ourselves, process our emotions, and just be, without having to respond to anyone. For those of us quarantined with other people--especially parents with kids--it is also scarce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: How to Be Real with Your Kids (without Crushing Their Spirit) EP: 334
December 09, 2020 10:00 - 25 minutesIt’s a lot harder to be patient and thoughtful -- and honest! -- with your kids when you're with them all the livelong day. Today I’m happy to have my friend Judi Ketteler, author of the book Would I Lie to You? Here with us to talk about how to be honest with kids without being TOO real (especially when you're stressed out). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: Eff the F Bomb EP: 333
December 08, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutesAre you overrelying on the F bomb? It's awfully easy to do... but it’s a slippery slope, and the next thing you know you can be dropping F bombs all over the place, including when it's just not appropriate. (Been there!) (Caution: There is cursing in this episode.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: Tap Back into Empathy EP: 332
December 07, 2020 10:00 - 10 minutesThese are intense, extreme times. Everyone is triggered. And that means it's really hard for us to have empathy for each other--and for ourselves--thanks to something called 'amygdala highjack'. Here's a way out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: You Do You (Let Them Do Them) EP: 331
December 04, 2020 10:00 - 11 minutesYou don’t get to say how the people you love handle their stress. You do get to talk with them about it, but you don’t get to tell them how to do it. Here's what you can do instead to truly support them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: Be Here Now EP: 330
December 03, 2020 10:00 - 8 minutesRight now, it’s impossible to make plans. And our pre-COVID lives already feel like a distant memory. Where does that leave us? Right here, right now. And for the vast majority of us, that is someplace we are not at all used to being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: How to Stop Self-Sabotaging EP: 329
December 02, 2020 10:00 - 9 minutesYou probably think you KNOW what to do when you’re stressed. But Carey Davidson, author of The Five Archetypes, says that the things we typically to do try to calm ourselves down actually only make our stress WORSE. And, naturally, she shares what to do instead that will actually bring us back into balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: Oh the Joy of Wine EP: 328
December 01, 2020 10:00 - 9 minutesLet's take an objective, non-judgmental, genuinely curious look at the things we are using to numb out now. Like, oh, I don’t know… WINE. Because while there’s a time and a place for everything, if you’re automatically choosing to numb instead of feel, it’s gonna start taking a toll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Calm the Eff Down, Revisited: We Are on an Emotional Rollercoaster EP: 327
November 30, 2020 10:00 - 9 minutesLet's take an objective, non-judgmental, genuinely curious look at the things we are using to numb out now. Like, oh, I don’t know… WINE. Because while there’s a time and a place for everything, if you’re automatically choosing to numb instead of feel, it’s gonna start taking a toll. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do Gratitude and Money Mix? (I Say Yes) EP: 326
November 27, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutesOn this Black Friday, instead of focusing on buying what’s on sale, you think about your holiday spending as a way to express your gratitude for the businesses that sell the things you buy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feeling Grateful During a Pandemic--It IS Possible EP: 325
November 26, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutesIt may take a little more mental flexibility to be grateful this year, but the things you appreciate will be even more meaningful. Because having things taken away from us tends to highlight what remains, and forces us to appreciate stuff that we might otherwise overlook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Gratitude for Lazy People EP: 324
November 25, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutesI’m talking with Polly Campbell, author of How to Live an Awesome Life and You: Recharged, who is a great source of guidance for personal development in the real world. (And keeps it real for us lazy folks.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How Gratitude Can Get Your Butt into Gear EP: 323
November 24, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutesHere's a fun Jedi mind trick for you: Rehearse the gratitude you’ll feel in the future as a way to get yourself motivated to do something that feels hard, scary, or even boring today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Gratitude Is About Attention EP: 322
November 23, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesIf thinking about gratitude as something just horribly virtuous is not appealing, you can think of it as an exercise in attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Judgment 101: Examine Your Hidden Beliefs EP: 321
November 20, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutesOur hidden beliefs have a lot of sway over what we do and think, and if you haven’t gone looking for them, ever, or in a while, you’re in for some real a-ha moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Judgment 101: Try on “Maybe” EP: 320
November 19, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutesA way to get out of the black and white thinking that goes hand in hand with judgment is to embrace the concept of maybe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Judgment 101: Outsmarting Judgment, an Interview with Suzanne Kingsbury EP: 319
November 18, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutesTo really break judgment down, today I’m interviewing Suzanne Kingsbury--founder of Gateless Writing, a method of teaching the art and craft of writing that melds brain science, Zen practice, and craft tools. A cornerstone of Suzanne's teaching is that your best thinking is accessed by getting past the critical, ego mind--which is also the source of all those judgments you secretly make about others, and yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Judgment 101: Go on Impression, Not Assumptions EP: 318
November 17, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutesWhile you may know that to assume makes an “ass” out of “u” and “me,” are you aware of how many blanks you subconsciously fill in every day? Whenever you do, you mistake opinion for fact. Luckily, there’s a way out of this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Judgment 101 - Examine Your Biases EP: 317
November 16, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesA crucial part of the journey to being a better person is to examine your biases--the things you judge without even realizing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Impatience Is a Good Thing EP: 316
November 13, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesSometimes, impatience can be the spark that lights a flame on your doing something different--no matter how scary or big or hairy it may feel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What’s Behind Your Impatience? EP: 315
November 12, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesUnderstanding what’s underneath your impatience is an important piece of learning to work with it more skillfully. I’m sharing five possible sources with you today, and I’ll cover one more, which is kind of a biggie, tomorrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Patience 101, an Interview with My Coach EP: 314
November 11, 2020 10:00 - 25 minutesToday I’m talking with Kelli, who was my coach for years and who taught me so much about patience for her take on what it's all about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dealing With Impatience: The Bigger Stuff EP: 313
November 10, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesLet's talk about what you can do BESIDES get impatient when you’re waiting for something big to happen; something that affects the realities of your life, like waiting to hear back from a job interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Curbing Impatience - The Little Stuff EP: 312
November 09, 2020 10:00 - 7 minutesWaiting for the election results and heading into winter after we’ve already been dealing with a pandemic for nine months certainly is a big ole invitation to get impatient. But even in the grooviest of times, patience can be challenging. So let’s take a look at it, starting with those little things that can give you an eye twitch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Digging Deep: One Thing to Tell Yourself That Really Helps EP: 311
November 06, 2020 10:00 - 4 minutesHard times feel even harder when you hold yourself to a standard that made sense when things were basically normal. You've got to cut yourself some slack. But how?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Digging Deep: There Will Be Nostalgia EP: 310
November 05, 2020 10:00 - 5 minutesAlthough it’s tempting to tell yourself, “I can’t wait until this is over so I never have to think about it again,” there will come a day when you will miss parts of what you’re living through now. And recognizing those parts now will help give you strength, courage, and hope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Digging Deep: The Gift of Hard Times, and Interview with Brooke Thomas EP: 309
November 04, 2020 10:00 - 19 minutesToday I’m talking with Brooke Thomas about how the tough times are an invitation to re-connect both with our bodies and with who we are at our core. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Digging Deep: When What You’ve Always Done Stops Working EP: 308
November 03, 2020 10:00 - 6 minutesSomething that can make hard times feel harder is when what you’ve always done to get through the tough stuff stops working. It happens to everyone. So what do you do now?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Making a Sanity Plan for Election Night EP: 307
November 02, 2020 10:00 - 9 minutesIf you’re nervous, or feeling some aftershocks from the 2016 election that you’re not looking forward to reliving, or angry, or insert your own response here, I think it’s helpful to think about what you can do to feel good on election night and the days after. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cynicism Antidote #3: Get Out of Your Head EP: 306
October 30, 2020 09:00 - 5 minutesGetting out of your head and shifting your focus to something other than your thoughts is a powerful antidote to cynicism. Today I share three ways to do just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cynicism Antidote #2: Be an Empty Cup EP: 305
October 29, 2020 09:00 - 5 minuteshe four most dangerous words in the English language are “I already know that.” Deciding that you know better is a recipe for staying stuck and feeling disconnected from others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Finding Faith in Humanity During Tough Times EP: 304
October 28, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutesToday I interview Shelley Moench-Kelley, author of the brand-new book Here’s Your Pill, Kitten, about how a freak accident led to her spending three months as the youngest resident in a nursing home, and how that tough experience helped her have more faith in and more compassion for her fellow humans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cynicism Antidote #1: Look for the Loving Reason EP: 303
October 27, 2020 09:00 - 8 minutesThere’s something you can do when you notice yourself thinking that some particular person or people in general suck, something that keeps you open to possibility and helps you trust that life is happening for you, and not just to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Resisting Cynicism EP: 302
October 26, 2020 09:00 - 5 minutesThis week on the podcast I’m talking about cynicism and how we can keep our faith in humanity strong even when it feels like the whole world’s gone crazy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is Life Getting You Down? Or Could It Be a Lack of Light? EP: 301
October 23, 2020 09:00 - 7 minutesThere’s a very good reason why it might feel so hard to give a darn about your health in winter. And also why your mood might also turn dark. And that is the lack of light. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices