Deesha Dyer, Obama's Social Secretary, On How She Tackled Imposter Syndrome, Parties at the White House & More

This is the second half of my conversation with one of my favorite authors, Melissa Broder. She is the author of several novels, the essay collection So Sad Today, and five poetry collections. She's appeared in the New York Times, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, VICE, and New York Magazine. In Part 2, we talk about grief, losing a parent, writing her most recent novel Death Valley, our favorite grocery stores, how to tell people what’s going on in the midst of a changing and challenging situation, finding humor, the messiness of bodies and aging, advice to write consistently, the journal prompts she uses daily, and questions from a previous guest. If you missed Part 1 last week, we talked about about everything from wellness culture and mental health to limerence, long-term relationships, and her writing process.  Show notes:- Find Melissa  on Instagram- Her books: So Sad Today, Milk Fed, The Pisces, Superdoom,  Last Sext & her newest, Death Valley- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- PIVOT zine: sign up for my paid Substack & we'll mail you a copy- The Self-Compassion workbook Melissa mentions- Speechify (the text-to-speech app I use to edit my writing) If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 407: Bad Thoughts with Nada Alic (part 2 of 2)Episode 308: Writing, Feelings & Friendship with Leah Clancy

This week, I spoke to one of my favorite authors, Melissa Broder. She is the author of several novels, the essay collection So Sad Today, and five poetry collections. She's appeared in the New York Times, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, VICE, and New York Magazine. I’m splitting this one up into two parts… Today you’ll hear the first half of our conversation where we talked about everything from wellness culture and mental health to limerence, long-term relationships, and her writing process.Next week, in Part 2, we talk about grief, losing a parent, writing her most recent novel Death Valley, our favorite grocery stores, how to tell people what’s going on in the midst of a changing and challenging situation, finding humor, the messiness of bodies and aging, advice to write consistently, the journal prompts she uses daily, and questions from a previous guest. Show notes:- Find Melissa  on Instagram- Her books: So Sad Today, Milk Fed, The Pisces, Superdoom,  Last Sext & her newest, Death Valley- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- PIVOT zine: sign up for my paid Substack & we'll mail you a copy If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 406: Bad Thoughts with Nada Alic (part 1 of 2)

What you’re about to hear is a conversation between writer Verônika Shülman and myself, recorded last week at a party! In honor of the release of my new zine, Pivot, I hosted a party at NOTO and invited all of my friends. It was so nice to be in the same room with everyone after being stuck inside for most of the summer with a broken leg—in that time I had put together this zine, which is about the lessons I learned in the last decade and how I learned them.My friend and neighbor Verônika hosts this episode. She begins by reading from a book we both love (I Love Dick by Chris Kraus), then reads a bit that she liked from Pivot, and asks me to read an essay from it—which I do. My friends Maddie and Dexter also ask questions and we talk about more writers we love. If you want a copy of Pivot, below is how to get yourself a hard copy. Show notes:- Find Verônika on Instagram- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- PIVOT zine: sign up for my paid Substack & we'll mail you a copy - My book on journaling | WRITE kit- Check out NOTO!  If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 458: Introducing PIVOT with Simi BoticEpisode 423: I Can't Believe I'm Still Doing This...10 Years! With Sacha Jones

This week, Simi Botic—author, founder of Unmeasured, and my best friend—joins me to talk about PIVOT, a new zine of essays I compiled. After breaking my leg this summer, being stuck inside gave me time to put this together. Simi was the first person I sent it to, partly because she's a character in it and wrote one of the essays with me, and because she's always so gentle and supportive. I don't know how I got so lucky to have her as a friend but I did.In this, we talked about seeing each other through different phases. And about the uncomfortable feelings that come from revisiting our old work but try to do as Didion advises, "stay on nodding terms" with our past selves. PIVOT is one big nod to my 20's, including all the lessons I learned and the experiences that taught me them. Let us know if you listen. Show notes:- PIVOT zine is here - sign up for my paid Substack & we'll mail you a copy | LA launch party on 9/27!- My book on journaling | WRITE kit- Find Simi on the Web | Instagram | Podcast- Simi's class, Unmeasured- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- 5 spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 455: Saying What We're Afraid to with Founder R29 & A Tiny Apt. Christene Barberich

This week I spoke to Neada Deters, founder of the organic skincare range LESSE. We met when she still lived in LA a few years ago so we began this conversation discussing her recent move to NYC, which is a return for her. Neada moved to New York the first time from Australia with a one-way ticket over a decade ago, so we talked about how she made that big decision and many more, including starting out her career in music journalism, working at VICE, and eventually pivoting her beat to beauty writing before eventually starting her skincare line. Inspired by watching her grandmother apply her skincare, Neada gave LESSE the tagline, rituals over routines. We covered her own daily rituals as well as how she spends her days, working with her husband, her advice on romantic relationships, keeping in touch with people far away, and her approach to beauty including where the industry is going and what seeing images of ourselves more than ever before does to our self perception, plus much more. We talked for hours and could’ve continued, let us know if you listen! Show notes:- Follow @neadadeters & @lesseofficial- Shop LESSE organic skincare- My newsletters on sitting & on voice notes- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- We made a new printed zine! Sign up for the paid Substack & we'll mail you a copy | LA launch party on 9/27!- 5 spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 382: Beauty is Wild: Nadine Artemis on Aging, Vanity, Focus, Change, Living Libations & More

This week I spoke with Zoë Pawlak, a Vancouver-based artist and industrial designer. After deciding to get sober, she turned to journaling as a way of expression and inner reflection. Soon she married her interests in art and writing to create Vessels and Muses.In this conversation we cover: breaking traditional norms of what’s possible when you have kids; living an "artist lifestyle"; how what she calls "life quakes" lead to growth; and letting go of what’s no longer working. We also talk a lot about communication, the benefits of directness, community care, how she manages deep friendships while still maintaining a creative practice, and much more. Let us know if you listen! Show notes:- Find Zoë on the Web | Instagram | Oracle Deck- My book on journaling - Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- A couple spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here- Check out the Let It Out Kits | Write Kit | Talk Kit Waitlist- More on Creative Underdogs/In Process here | waitlist If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 202: Ashley Glynn on Soul Tattoos, Being Embodied, Connection, Slowing Down, Plant Medicine + more

This week I spoke with the iconic writer and editor Christene Barberich. I first knew of her as the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Refinery29. I’ve loved her work for years, through R29, her own writing, and the podcast she hosted for many years called Unstyled, so when recent guest Erika Veurink connected us, I was thrilled.We spoke about starting R29 and what that time was like, reflecting on some of her best interviews with everyone from Linda Rodin to Jenny Slate. She also talked about leaving her role there and the excitement of new beginnings. At the root of her newest project, A Tiny Apt., is how the right environment fosters growth, creativity, safety and vulnerability, particularly as that relates to big dramatic change and leaps of faith. She discussed the changes she’s been navigating: becoming a mom later in life; the double standard of aging especially as it relates to work; how she’s redefining success and ambition as she enters this new era of her work and life. I loved getting to talk to her and I’m eager for her to return.  Let us know if you listen! Show notes:- Find Christene on the Web | Instagram- Unstyled podcast | A Tiny Apt. substack- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- A couple spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here- Check out the Let It Out Kits | Write Kit | Talk Kit Waitlist- More on Creative Underdogs/In Process here | waitlist If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 452 Long Live: Erika Veurink Is Here (Part 1 of 2)

This week I spoke to President Obama’s Social Secretary, Deesha Dyer. She recently published her memoir, Undiplomatic, which dives into how a hip-hop journalist without credentials, connections, or a college degree conquered imposter syndrome while landing one of the most sought-after positions in the White House. Moved by the election of the country's first Black president, she applied for a White House internship at 31, taking a leap that carried her through being hired in a full-time position that landed her at the epicenter of politics. I loved her book and was stoked to get to talk to her. We covered: the importance of following curiosity and acting on it, what she learned from spending time with Michelle and Barack Obama, redefining societal timelines, throwing parties at the White House, the Obama years overall, and the connection between pop culture and politics. As well as: the importance of cross-learning in mentorship and having customer service experience. Let us know if you listen! Show notes:-Find Deesha on the Web | Instagram- Deesha's book, Undiplomatic- NYT article on "medium friends"- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- A couple spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here- Check out the Let It Out Kits | Write Kit | Talk Kit Waitlist- More on Creative Underdogs/In Process here | waitlist If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 354 Don't Let It Get You Down: Savala Nolan Returns (part 1)

This week is the second half of my conversation with secondhand-fashion-obsessed writer Erika Veurink. She’s written everywhere from NY Magazine to Vogue to WSJ, and currently writes the newsletter Long Live. She grew up in Iowa, has lived in NYC for nearly a decade, and recently visited LA so we spoke about how places become part of our identities.In Part 2, she shares how she met her husband and offers advice on romantic relationships. And of course, personal style, including her go-to outfit. We talk more about her Substack publication, where she covers everything from her advice on scoring vintage gems on Ebay to to body image. I even get an exclusive when I ask if she’d write a Substack on her favorite athletic shorts recs and she shares a few. If you missed Part 1 last week, we covered spirituality and rest and spoke about writing at length, including her love for the personal essay and how she structures her daily writing practice. Let us know if you listen! Show Notes:- Find Erika on Instagram | Web | Substack (Long Live)- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- A couple spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here- Check out the Let It Out Kits | Write Kit | Talk Kit Waitlist- More on Creative Underdogs/In Process here | waitlist If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 380: Spoonful of Sugar: Roam Vintage Founder Natasha Zoë Garrett on Finding Purpose and Flow, Role Models, Sobriety and More (Part 2 of 2)

This week is the first half of my conversation with secondhand-fashion-obsessed writer Erika Veurink. She’s written everywhere from NY Magazine to Vogue to WSJ, and currently writes the newsletter Long Live. She grew up in Iowa, has lived in NYC for nearly a decade, and recently visited LA so we spoke about how places become part of our identities.In Part 1, she shares how her religious upbringing led to her work ethic and ability to maintain multiple projects and jobs, but also impacted her thoughts on spirituality and rest. We cover writing at length including: her love of the personal essay and why publications are no longer running them, and where she sees the future of that style and media in general. She shares the best writing advice she’s been given and breaks down exactly how she structures her daily writing practice. We cover her Substack publication, where she covers everything from her advice on scoring vintage gems on Ebay to to body image.Next week in Part 2, we cover how she met her husband and advice on romantic relationships. And of course, personal style, including her go-to outfit. I even get an exclusive when I ask if she’d write a Substack on her favorite athletic shorts recs and she shares a few.  Show Notes:- Find Erika on Instagram | Web | Substack (Long Live)- Find me on IG: @letitouttt + @katiedalebout | Substack- A couple spots left in the Creative Clinic: book a call with me here- Check out the Let It Out Kits | Write Kit | Talk Kit Waitlist- More on Creative Underdogs/In Process here | waitlist If you liked this episode, try out from the archive:Episode 379: Spoonful of Sugar: Roam Vintage Founder Natasha Zoë Garrett on Finding the Good Within the Challenging, Non-Attachment, Modeling, Mental Health and More (Part 1 of 2)