the courage to keep creating

early bird registration for the creative courage writing intensive is open

I’ve come close to giving up on my dream of being a full-time writer and coach many times.

It wasn’t just a career shift, it was a path of deep personal transformation that demanded more trust and healing than I ever anticipated.

There were seasons when my passion for the work just didn’t seem to match the demand for it. I struggled to find a steady flow of aligned clients and projects that matched my gifts, which makes sense because I was still figuring out what to call the work I was doing and how to position it.

I’d get opportunities—wonderful opportunities—but they weren’t always enough to sustain my family or maintain the quality of life I wanted.

Still, I kept putting everything on the line, believing that if I followed my inner compass, I’d be okay. Not just okay—I’d be abundant. So, I kept going. As an independent writer, I created my own opportunities: self-published books, courses, workshops.

But before things got better, they got much harder.

I remember one day in 2019, I walked into KFC with my kids to get them some popcorn chicken. The total was under $20, but my card was declined. Confused, I checked my balance and saw that there was money in the account. I called the bank, only to find out that my account had been frozen. A private student loan company that had sued my dad and I over a disputed debt when he got sick a few years ago, had won a judgment and frozen my account.

At that moment, the weight of it all hit me. How selfish was I to continue chasing this dream when I was facing such real financial instability? It felt wildly irresponsible to keep insisting on this uncertain path.

I loved the work—it felt meaningful, aligned, and true—but financially, it was feast and famine and being worried about money all the time.

And deep down? I knew I was still playing small in my work. Afraid to take on more than I could handle, afraid to do something wrong, afraid to be fully seen.

At the same time I was having these issues with the loan company, my partner was trying to buy the home we’d been renting. I sold my car to contribute to the down payment and reduce our monthly expenses. I stripped things down to the barest essentials, but the setbacks kept coming, and I felt like I was holding us back.

There were so many times I considered going back to a traditional job—something stable with a biweekly direct deposit! But nothing I applied to worked out. Later that year, I was commissioned to write The Self-Care Check-In, and things started looking up after that.

I used to think the courage I needed was just about putting myself out there and developing my craft. But I’ve learned it takes an entirely different kind of courage to build a life and business from scratch—especially when the path is unclear, unpredictable, and so much harder than you imagined.

What helped me keep going—what keeps me going—is the act of creating.

Writing has been my lifeline. Through the darkest moments, I wrote my way through. I asked for help. I leaned on my partner and family members. I confronted parts of myself I’d long avoided.

This journey has required deep, inner healing.

Learning how to navigate the emotional, relational, technical, operational, and financial sides of this work has been humbling and deeply expansive.

I’ve had to reckon with money wounds and scarcity mindset. I’ve had to face inner child fears of visibility and rejection. I’ve had to learn to advocate for myself and to keep going when I felt exposed and unsure.

Following my creative callings became the catalyst for all of that growth.

It gave me the mirror I needed to see myself more clearly, and the outlet I needed to process my fears and desires. It pushed me into the exact places I had once avoided and showed me that I was strong enough to move through them.

That’s why the offerings I create—books, workshops, and coaching programs—are just the surface. The real reward has been the life and self that this work has helped me reclaim. A career and lifestyle that’s fulfilling, aligned, and true to who I am.

How do you put a price on that?

The longer I do this work, the clearer the path becomes, and the more I trust the process. I understand that my financial struggles were simply plot points in my story, and they don’t define who I am.

Now, my financial journey is evolving into a powerful part of my testimony.

Now, when my courage wavers, I return to my deeper why. I pause. I reflect. I recenter. And I keep going.

What do you need courage for right now, and how can writing be a lifeline?

Whether it’s a decision you need to make, a truth you need to face, or a part of yourself that’s ready to be seen:

How might writing support you in navigating this moment?

Could it offer clarity, release, or a way to process what feels overwhelming or uncertain?

Creative courage is the energy we need to be honest with ourselves. It’s the key to admitting what you want. It’s the key to admitting what hurts. It’s the key to healing. It’s the key to getting unstuck.

It’s the key to:

• reimagining your wounds, limitations, problems, and possibilities.

• setting new boundaries, changing old habits, and giving yourself opportunities to grow.

• making decisions and building connections that align with your authenticity.

• overcoming blocks to gratitude, abundance, and generosity.

• taking off the mask that preserves your outer image and hides your truth.

• making art that adds truth, beauty, and sincerity to a soul-starved world.

• the key to discovering a vision for your life that inspires you.

…

The is what the Creative Courage framework is all about.

Finding the courage to think differently. Finding the courage to ask yourself hard questions. Finding courage to explore the answers through creative expression. Cultivating a lifestyle that fuels that courage.

The parts of ourselves that we most want to hide hold the key to our healing, evolution, and creative expansion. It takes courage to open those doors.

In the Creative Courage Writing Intensive, we break this heart-centered work down into a process that benefits you, not just creatively, but holistically. We examine our programming and remove pretense and ego, so our voices and visions can thrive.

This three-month group intensive is offered twice a year and takes a holistic look at creative courage through self-discovery and personal storytelling. Participants learn how to harness their callings and motivations, build a sustainable creative process, embrace vulnerability, and cultivate lifestyle habits that nurture a fully expressed life.

Early bird registration is now open, and the discounted price will be available until June 21. You can learn more and get all the details here.

---