LET IT OUT The Cost of Being “Good” with Savala Nolan
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Mar 3, 2026 Savala Nolan, attorney and writer known for personal essays and cultural commentary, discusses her essay collection Good Woman. She talks about writing urgency at midlife, sequencing essays like an album, motherhood as invisible labor and spiritual work, reclaiming appetite for creativity and body, and the risks and ethics of writing about divorce and sexual assault.
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Questioning The Price Of Being Good
- Good Woman questions female socialization that prizes quiet, agreeable, and pleasing behavior as the path to fulfillment.
- Savala Nolan wrote 12 essays examining motherhood, marriage, sex, food, and history to imagine life beyond being “good.”
Midlife Wakeup Fueled A Reckoning For The Next Generation
- Midlife urgency prompted Nolan's second book: seeing that decades of being 'good' left her hollow motivated a reckoning.
- Her five‑year‑old daughter's unencumbered joy provided impetus to interrupt intergenerational conditioning early.
Choose Good Enough To Preserve Energy
- Accept 'good enough' instead of maximizing every outcome to reduce burnout and preserve creative energy.
- Nolan credits being a non‑maximizer for maintaining peace during book launches and parenting.
