With Donald Trump set to return to the White House for season 2 of his dystopian presidential freak show, Democrats and liberals like me are bracing for a potentially major blow to the democratic institutions and processes of the United States. Based on the past actions Trump has taken to expand and hold onto power, and also on promises he has made to further consolidate power and weaken or eliminate checks and balances against him, concerned citizens on the left, and also many on the right...
Dec 12, 2024
1 hr 18 min
Amy Low was a recently divorced mom with two teenage kids when she received some of the worst news a person can hear. She had stage four metastatic colon cancer and a large tumor on her liver with a very low chance of long-term survival. Against the odds, Amy has lived five years with her diagnosis, and the experience has changed her. Incredibly, Amy used this time to write her memoir, a beautiful book, The Brave In-Between: Notes From the Last Room. The "last room" refers to Amy's way of t...
Nov 27, 2024
1 hr 19 min
Writing success comes to those who stick with it, and Diana Raab has stuck with writing for more than sixty years. Over that time she published fourteen books, ranging from poetry to self-help to memoir. How does she do it? Simple: She finds bliss in the act of writing! In fact, 'Writing From Bliss' is the name of one of her most beloved books. In today's episode, Diana shares wisdom from the book to help all writers lean more deeply into bliss. She also tells the fascinating story of her lo...
Aug 21, 2024
50 min
Two books published in one season? That's the kind of summer writer and illustrator Swan Huntley is having. Her novel I Want You More is a sapphic thriller and a rip-roaring beach read that I could not put down. Her other new release, You're Grounded: An Anti Self-Help Book to Calm You the Fuck Down, features her whimsical illustrations and some simple yet sagely guidance to help you cultivate mindfulness. Different as they may seem from each other, Swan explained to me that the books are bo...
Aug 7, 2024
1 hr 1 min
Every writer experiences doubt—in our abilities, in the worthiness of our creativity, and more. But it doesn't have to stop us in our tracks, according to Amy L. Bernstein, a novelist, award-winning journalist, blogger, and certified book coach. Her forthcoming book Wrangling the Doubt Monster is set to publish in January 2025, and she explores the topic of creative self-doubt in her Substack Doubt Monster. This deep, inspiring conversation delves into the causes of creative doubt and how Am...
Jul 24, 2024
1 hr 5 min
Melissa Urban is a truly inspirational human who has dedicated her life to helping people boost their health and happiness. She is the co-founder and CEO of Whole30, a 30-day food elimination and reintroduction program that helps identify hidden food sensitivities and restore a healthy relationship with food and the body. The original Whole30 book (just one of Melissa's seven New York Times bestsellers!) was published in 2015. For 2024 it has been entirely re-imagined and updated with new re...
Jul 10, 2024
1 hr 7 min
"If you can read, you can write." - Terri Trespicio, author of Unfollow Your Passion We don't just have one major passion in life or a single road to success, and fixating on finding yours could be making you miserable and keeping you stuck. That's the core message in Terri Trespicio's book, Unfollow Your Passion. It's also the topic of her TEDx Talk, which has been viewed more than eight million times. In this episode of The Selfish Gift, Terri tells Maggie the surprising story behind...
May 15, 2024
1 hr 17 min
It's famously difficult for a first-time, unknown author to get a memoir traditionally published, much less to have traditional publishers get into a bidding war over it. Laura Cathcart Robbins defied all the odds when she burst onto the "quit lit" scene with her brilliant, brave recovery memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding (Atria/Simon and Schuster, 2023). Stash is the candid account of an affluent, Hollywood wife and mother struggling with addiction, and her battle to get sober even as h...
Apr 24, 2024
51 min
cw: Sexually explicit material Rena Martine is a former deputy DA turned intimacy coach who helps women discover and express their authentic desires, inside and outside of the bedroom. This week on The Selfish Gift podcast, Rena offers heartfelt guidance on how to safely and courageously explore the outer limits of your sexuality and relationships. From sex parties to ethical non-monogamy to same-sex attraction, Rena reveals all in this explicit conversation. Most importantly, she shares gui...
Mar 21, 2024
1 hr 2 min
Time management is not the secret to a productive and rewarding life. Instead, we should be managing our energy, says Simon Alexander Ong, life coach, speaker, and author of Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment. In this episode, Simon explains that energy is the life force that determines how we show up each day and emphasizes the need to prioritize activities based on our energy levels. He also highlights the four dimensions of energy: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, and shar...
Mar 13, 2024
1 hr 3 min
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