Log in to check out faster. You're in for an absolute treat with this episode! I had the utter joy of chatting with the phenomenal Rachel Allen - a writer, journalist, and memoirist who's as sharp as a tack and twice as insightful. Rachel and I dove headfirst into the glorious mess of creative writing, particularly when it comes to tackling sensitive subjects. We talked about everything from how she approaches writing about trauma including her own to the importance of treating every single person with compassion and humanity - even those society might deem 'unworthy'.
I was utterly gobsmacked by Rachel's ability to find the humanity in everyone she encounters. She has this incredible knack for excavating stories from the most unexpected places - from prison guards to taxi drivers. We also chewed over the challenges of balancing honesty and authenticity in storytelling with respecting the privacy and feelings of those involved.
And of course, we couldn't help but touch on the importance of self-care when dealing with heavy subjects. If you're fascinated by the human condition and love a good, juicy story who doesn't?
I promise you'll come away feeling inspired, uplifted, and maybe even a tad more compassionate towards your fellow humans. Listen to the audio version by clicking here or find it wherever you get your podcasts. Rachel Allen is an Appalachian writer, journalist, and memoirist. Raised in the mountains outside of Asheville, NC, she cut her teeth in professional writing via investigative journalism, then fell backwards into a marketing career that took her all over the world and resulted in her writing for some of the biggest and smallest names on the internet.
During this time she also ghostwrote and edited over a dozen books, as well as writing her first book under her own name, Use Your Words. She now writes essays, investigative podcasts, and nonfiction, including her upcoming memoir, Batshit.
