Writing Your Resilience: Building Resilience, Embracing Trauma and Healing Through Writing

Send us Fan MailIn this Ask Me Anything session, writer and advocate Meagan Justus brings two questions that so many writers are quietly wrestling with. 1st: when you keep circling the core of your story without being able to reach it, do you shape what you have or keep writing until you get there? And 2nd: when your story involves people or institutions with power, how do you protect yourself while still telling the truth? Together, we dig into why writers circle their stories, how changing names doesn't protect you legally, what the vetting process actually looks like, and what the unfolding controversy around Amy Griffin's memoir The Tell can teach us about the publishing process. Resources:The "but/therefore" principleThe Queen’s PathThe Beat Sheet Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick FlynnSome Ether by Nick FlynnThe Ticking Is the Bomb by Nick FlynnThe Liar's Club by Mary KarrCherry by Mary KarrLit by Mary Karr https://authorsguild.org/How Can I Avoid Lawsuits When Writing Memoir?Legal Vetting for Manuscripts to Manage RiskThe Billionaire, The Psychedelics, and the Bestselling Memoir by Katherine Rosman & Elisabeth EganLawsuit Accuses Writer of Using Classmate’s Story in Best-Selling Memoir by Katherine Rosman & Elisabeth EganExamples of Hermit Crab Essays  Get Your Free Human Design Report Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative ArcDitch Your Inner Critic Now Connect with Meagan: https://www.creativelyvisible.com/https://substack.com/@creativelyvisibleMeagan Justus is a writer and advocate exploring the messy middle of chronic illness, disability, and trauma. Through essays and storytelling, she works to make invisible struggles visible and a little less lonely. Her writing blends honesty, humor, and the occasional chocolate metaphor to explore resilience, self-advocacy, and the stories we discover while living through life’s hardest chapters.Sign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailWhat if the stories we tell about ourselves aren't really ours,  and what if we could finally trace them back to where they began? This is something I’ve been asking myself for years, and today I’m excited to share a few ways you can answer those questions for yourself through Family Constellations work. This week’s guest, Tania Gonzalez-Ortega, is a Family Constellations practitioner with twenty-five years of experience in energy work. During our conversation, we explore the benefits and challenges of the dark night of the soul, how some of what we experience during the dark night isn’t ours, and how we can work with those connections in ways that allow us to live our fullest, most empowered lives.Episode Highlights07:31 The Lessons Inside the Dark Night11:37 The Trauma That Was Never Yours17:16 What Happens in a Constellation Session22:43 When Writing Becomes Healing28:25 The Ripple Effect of Healing Your LineageResources from this Episode: Story Alchemy with Lisa Cooper Ellison on the New Earth Consciousness PodcastWaldorf Education ModelWhat is Family Constellations TherapyThe Dark Night of the Soul, poem by St. John of the CrossDark Night of the Soul by St. John of the CrossGet Your Free Human Design Report Sign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative ArcDitch Your Inner Critic Now Tania’s Bio: Tania Gonzalez-Ortega has been practicing energy work for over 25 years. Her background spans ancestral healing, nervous system regulation, and deep emotional integration. She’s studied in India and the United States and guided hundreds of clients through profound personal transformation. Tania is also a financial educator who helps women and families build real wealth in a balanced, ethical way. Her work bridges two worlds most people keep separate: Inner transformation and financial structure. Yet true sovereignty requires both. She lives in the mountains of Washington State with her husband and son on 64 acres of land that constantly reminds her that stability and growth can coexist.Connect with Tania: Facebook: facebook.com/taniamamaInstagram: instagram.com/@newearthconsciousnessYouTube: youtube.com/@newearthconsciousnessSign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailWhat if the key to unlocking your creativity wasn't about doing more but about finally understanding who you are? In this episode, trauma therapist Jessica Eure and I explore how Human Design is transforming the way we work, create, and heal. From decoding your body graph to learning why you say yes when you mean no, this conversation is a masterclass in radical self-acceptance. Whether you are a trauma survivor trying to reclaim your creative life or a writer searching for more energy and focus, this episode will give you a new map for understanding yourself as well as the practical tools to use it.Episode Highlights00:00 Why Human Design Isn’t What You Think05:10 The Moment You Start Trusting Yourself Again16:45 Where You’re Still Operating from Conditioning21:52 How Human Design Changes Your RelationshipsResources for this Episode:Toward a postmaterialist psychology: Theory, research, and applicationsNeurofeedbackGet Your Free Human Design Report Register for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative ArcDitch Your Inner Critic Now Connect with Jessica: Websites: www.jessicaeure.comwww.virginianeurofeedback.comEmail: jessica@virginianeurofeedback.comJessica’s Bio: Jessica Eure is a mental health counselor and educator working at the intersection of nervous system repair and consciousness. She is the co-founder of Virginia Center for Neurofeedback, where she integrates QEEG-guided neurofeedback and trauma-informed psychotherapeutic approaches to support regulation, resilience, and deep healing. Alongside her clinical work, Jessica has spent 25+ years studying reiki, chakra systems, tarot, astrology, contemplative traditions, and more recently, Human Design, weaving these frameworks into her understanding of identity, purpose, and personal transformation.Sign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailResources for this Episode: Get Your Free Human Design Report Ditch Your Inner Critic Now Do you feel aligned, or are you burning out? It’s a question we must ask ourselves repeatedly during the year of the fire horse. In today’s episode I share the simple Human Design tool you already have at your disposal that can help you stay in alignment as you live your life’s purpose whether you’re wrestling with the big issues or daily decisions. Episode Highlights02:00 The “Am I On Track?” Question04:30 Why Alignment Prevents Burnout06:30 Using Emotions as Your Compass11:00 My People-Pleasing Pattern (Real Story)19:10 Satisfaction vs. Excitement (What Actually Matters)Lisa’s Bio: Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, among others.Sign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailWhat if the condition that made your life unmanageable was also the source of your greatest gifts? In this episode, I sit down with Atash Yaghmaian, a therapist, activist, and author of My Name Means Fire, to explore how writing became the bridge between her many parts, her trauma, and ultimately her freedom. Atash lives with dissociative identity disorder (DID), and shares what that means: not as something to be feared, but as a brilliant survival mechanism that carried her through war, revolution, and abuse in her native Iran. We explore the power of writing from your parts, how reading can be an act of solidarity, and why inner harmony makes you a better human, writer, and friend to the world.Episode Chapters03:02 Coming Out With Dissociative Identity Disorder11:10 Writing a Memoir With Multiple Voices21:25 From the Iranian Revolution to Finding Freedom37:09 Healing the Inner Child Through Writing42:14 DID as Protection, Healing, and ActivismResources for this Episode: Books to Read on IranA Different Side of the Self: On Finding Freedom By Telling My Story in English by Atash YaghmaianFind and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative ArcDitch Your Inner Critic Now Atash’s Bio:  Atash Yaghmaian is the author of “My Name Means Fire.” She is a writer and a psychotherapist whose stories and articles about mental health and Iran have appeared in LitHub, Ms. Magazine, The New York Daily News, The Mighty, and Thrive Global, among others. Born in Tehran, Atash migrated to the United States alone at the age of 19, fleeing war, trauma, and abuse. She blogs at atashyaghmaian.com.Connect with Atash: Website: www.atashyaghmaian.comInstagram: @ayhealingYouTube: @AtashYaghmaianSign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailWould you like to know when to say yes or no, how to tell which piece of feedback is right for you or your book, or how to proceed with greater ease? If you’re working on a book, would you like to spend more time having your characters tell you what to write and less time trying to figure it out? Find out how your intuition can do all of these things and how connecting with it is easier than you think. Episode Highlights01:42 The Voice You Keep Ignoring02:57 What Intuition Actually Is (and Isn’t)05:27 That Quiet Whisper You Can’t Shake07:12 Gut Feeling or Fear? How to Tell11:32 Get Out of Your Head, Into Your Body15:27 Stop Forcing It, Let Answers Come17:10 Journaling That Builds Self-Trust18:53 The Dream That Changed Everything22:16 Signs… or Coincidence?25:36 Test Your Intuition Today27:46 Follow What Feels Alive30:19 A Practice to Come Back to YourselfResources for this Episode: Intuition 101: Developing Your ClairsensesDitch Your Inner Critic Now Lisa’s Bio: Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, among others.Sign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailHow do you keep the faith when your nervous system is fried, your heart is tired, and the world feels like too much? In this editors’ roundtable episode, I’m  joined by Kristin Sancken and Lynn Shattuck for an honest conversation about what actually helps when times are tough. Together, they share personal stories of losing faith in creative projects, the hidden cost of valuing product over process, and the gentle, sustainable strategies they use to care for themselves during hard seasons. This episode explores how to honor the season you’re in, lean into community, and choose care in a culture that tells us to go it alone.Episode Highlights01:57 When It All Falls Apart: The “Empire Strikes Back” Season03:54 Kristen’s Season of Care and Surrender05:56 When the Story Goes Quiet: Lynn’s Memoir Pause07:47 Lisa’s Dark Night of the Soul12:36 Holding Onto Faith When It Feels Slippery13:30 The Power of DadderDays25:24 How Laying an Egg Can Return You To Your Body27:31 Trusting the Cycles We’re In31:36 Journal Prompts + Voices from the CommunityResources for this Episode:Functional Anatomy of the Female PerineumCan You Trust Your Memories? What Neuroscience Reveals About Trauma, Story & Healing |Stacey SimmonsDitch Your Inner Critic NowKristin’s Bio: Kristin Thomas Sancken was born in Panama, raised in Mexico, and came of age in Minnesota before settling in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her husband, two children, and an exuberant Golden Retriever. Her writing has earned numerous awards and appeared in publications including The Guardian, HuffPost, and Columbia Journal. You can find more of her writing at her Substack, Sanctuary of the Holy Others.Lynn’s Bio: Lynn Shattuck writes on topics like grief, parenting and mental health. She was a columnist at Elephant Journal for ten years, where several of her essays on the topic of grief and sibling loss and parenting went viral. Lynn co-founded the website lossofalifetime.com, a hub of resources and community for those who’ve experienced sibling loss. She co-edited the essay collection, The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, which was released in June of 2025.Connect with Kristin:Website: http://www.sancken.com/Instagram: @ktsancken_writerThreads: @ktsancken_writerConnect with Lynn: Website: www.lossofalifetime.comWebsite: www.lynnlshattuck.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064888772287Instagram: @lynn_shattuckSign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailWhat do you do when the memory you need most for your memoir is the one you can’t quite reach? You listen to this week’s guest, Sue William Silverman. Sue is the award-winning author of nine works of nonfiction and poetry and co-chair of the MFA in Writing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She joined me for a deeply honest, craft conversation about what to do when you can’t remember, how to work with fragmented memory, how to use structure, voice, and sensory detail to tell the emotional truth of your story, and how to trust yourself even when certainty is impossible. If you’ve ever felt stalled by memory gaps, afraid of getting it “wrong,” or unsure how to write what you can’t fully recall, this episode will give you both permission and practical tools to keep going. Let’s dive in.Episode Highlights04:48 Writing Memoir When Memory Feels Unstable05:48 From Bad Fiction to Honest Storytelling07:13 The Five Senses Trick for Unlocking Memories09:38 Emotional Truth vs. Perfect Facts20:29 Writing the Gaps: What You Don’t Fully Remember27:30 What You Cut (and Why It Matters Later)30:55 You Don’t Have to Fit Your Whole Life in One Book33:47 Finding the Voice That Can Tell the StoryResources for this Episode: Books by Sue William Silverman: Selected Misdemeanors: Essays at the Mercy of the ReaderBecause I Remember Terror Father, I Remember YouAcetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the SoulLove SickHow to Survive Death and Other InconveniencesWriting Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma by Melanie BrooksThe Part That Burns by Jeannine OuellettePlaying with Dynamite by Sharon HarriganThe Queen’s Path by Stacey SimmonsFinding Your Voice and Crafting Stories that Ignite the Soul with Sue William SilvermanCan You Trust Your Memories? with Stacey SimmonsDitch Your Inner Critic Now Sue’s Bio: Sue William Silverman is an award-winning author of nine works of nonfiction and poetry. Her new book, "Selected Misdemeanors: Essays at the Mercy of the Reader," is longlisted for the 2026 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. Sue has appeared on such programs as The View, Anderson Cooper 360, and PBS Books. She’s co-chair of the MFA in Writing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.Connect with Sue: Website: https://www.suewilliamsilverman.com/Facebook: @SueWilliamSilvermanInstagram: @suewilliamsilvermanSign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan MailListeners, do you ever wonder if your memories are real? Are you writing a memoir and struggling to remember something—or worrying that what you’re sharing might not be “the truth”? Today on Writing Your Resilience, I’m joined by psychotherapist and neuroscience nerd Stacy Simmons for a powerful conversation about memory, trauma, and storytelling. We explore why memory isn’t a recording device, how traumatic memories get fragmented in the brain, what “reconstituted memories” really are, and how writers can work with their memories in ways that heal rather than re-traumatize. Get ready to dive into a conversation that reveals why memory is fragile, not like a flower but like a bomb. Episode Highlights: 4:34: The Types of Memories Memoirists Need to Know12:16: Can Your Bodies Be In Your Memories? The Limitations of Science19:48: What to Do with Trauma Memories and How to Keep from Retraumatizing Yourself  27:33: Navigating Your Conscious Memories35:41: Trusting Early Memories Resources from This Episode: What If You’re Not Meant to Be the Hero with Stacey SimmonsThe Adverse Childhood Experience Survey TestMushroom Pharmacy: A Practical Guide to Psychedelic Mushrooms by Stacey SimmonsWhat Happened to You by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce PerryHysterical PodcastMcMartin Preschool CaseThe Debate on Repressed Memories Identify Your Memoir’s Essential QuestionDitch Your Inner Critic NowStacey’s Bio: Stacey Simmons is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Psychedelic Therapist. She is a clinical supervisor at Hope Therapy Center in Burbank, California. Her practice focuses on creative professionals, where she works primarily with writers, directors, actors, and musicians. Her research focuses on creativity, archetypes, psychedelic psychotherapy, neuroscience, and consciousness research. She is a volunteer researcher with the Semel Institute of Neuroscience at UCLA, as well as a researcher with the Trance Science Research Institute in Paris, France. She holds a PhD from the University of New Orleans, and a Masters degree from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California.Connect with Stacey:Website: https://staceysimmonsphd.comFacebook: @staceysimmonsphdInstagram: @staceysimmonsphdTikTok: @staceysimmonsphdSign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production

Send us Fan Mail Writers, are you writing about trauma and wondering how detailed to get or how to connect the dots when your story feels scattered? The solution might be a memoir in essays that allows you to write about powerful discreet moments that are loosely connected by associations. If that's you, you are in for a treat because this week on the Writing and Resilience Podcast, I'm joined by Melissa Fraterrigo, author of the Perils of Girlhood, named one of literary hub's, 100 notable small press books of 2025.During our conversation, we explore the differences between memoir and memoir and essays, how to use memory as a portal to story, and how learning to trust your reader can help you decide what to share and what to leave out. Let's dive in.  Episode Highlights6:24: The Drivers of Self-Esteem We’re Not Discussing  9:53: Understanding Memoirs in Essay versus Traditional Memoirs17:00: How to Use Memory as a Portal to Story22:15: The Secret to Treating All Characters Well24:40: Tips for Navigating Traumatic Material in Your Essay34:35: The One Unexpected Gift Writing Gives YouResources for this Episode: Identify Your Memoir’s Essential QuestionDitch Your Inner Critic Now Melissa’s Bio: Melissa Fraterrigo’s memoir, The Perils of Girlhood was published by the University of Nebraska Press in Fall 2025, and named by Literary Hub as one of “100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025.” She is also the author of the novel Glory Days (University of Nebraska Press), and the story collection The Longest Pregnancy (Livingston Press). She teaches creative writing at Purdue University and is the founder of the Lafayette Writers’ Studio in Lafayette, Indiana. Please visit melissafraterrigo.com and lafayettewritersstudio.com.Connect with Melissa: Website: melissafraterrigo.com@melissafraterrigoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.fraterrigoSubstack: https://substack.com/@melissafraterrigoLafayette Writers Studio: lafayettewritersstudio.comSign up for Find and Refine Your Memoir’s Narrative Arc: https://bit.ly/4aK5wQIConnect with your host, Lisa:Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedInProduced by Espresso Podcast Production