How Women Write

It's my birthday, so I'm doing something a little different. There's no guest today, just me, some gifted Tom Ford Lost Cherry perfume I just spritzed on, me, my mic, and a mascara-free, honest catch-up. You'll hear how I'm spending the day, what this year actually felt like, and the decisions I've made that I'm sharing out loud with you today. You're hearing them here first. I walked away from some things with no regrets, and even though I'm nervous, I'm saying yes to some others. And much of it is thanks to a single book that I haven't even finished yet. You'll also hear about how I started books five and six, but book seven was actually next. And I'm not writing it for my business. I'm following God's lead. Which doesn't fit neatly into any kind of book marketing funnel. If you're a woman writing something that lights you up, this one's for you. Takeaways: Choosing a path on purpose means naming what you're letting go of, not only what you're adding. Some books don't fit the funnel. Write them anyway. Walking away from work you're good at can be the right move. You can teach writing and still be a student of it. A milestone is a good excuse to ask what you thought you were walking toward and what showed up instead. Say the risky thing out loud. It's usually the thing someone else needed to hear. A question for you: What are you writing, or avoiding writing, right now? Send me a message at hi [at] jacquelinefisch.com. I read every one (except if you write the whole thing with Claude … I talk about that too). Links from this episode: Some of these are affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I might earn a commission. The Threshold Session — live Friday, Sept 25 The Living Draft — now enrolling until spots are filled. Starts Oct. 9. Writing with the Moon, May 2026 The Studio The Billet Year Book Outwitting the Devil: The Secrets to Freedom and Success (Official Publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation) Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:  Hire Jacqueline for private Intuitive Writing Mentoring The Intuitive Writing Studio Substack: Energy-First Writing LinkedIn Instagram Timestamps: 00:00 Birthday Intro and Astrology 01:16 How I'm Celebrating Today 02:54 Year in Review Milestones 03:38 Studio Evolution and Curriculum 06:19 Writing Books in Public 07:29 The Billet Season Story 10:35 Teaching Wins and Networking Lessons 13:12 In-Person Connection in the AI Age 16:24 Birthday Wishes and a Life-Changing Book 19:44 Free Threshold Session and Living Draft 25:15 Wrap-Up and Stay in Touch  

There's a particular kind of ache that doesn't show up on the outside. You're doing everything right, checking all the boxes with a solid career and a great-looking life. But under the surface, something is off. It's like your current life no longer fits. That's the ache Liz Holtzinger shares with readers in her book Lead Yourself First. Liz spent over two decades teaching rhetoric and composition at Penn State when, on her 50th birthday, she woke up with COVID. She ended up spending this milestone birthday snuggledup alone, under a blanket, and asking herself the big questions she'd been avoiding. What came out of that year was a Substack, started for just one paying subscriber, which eventually became her book. In this conversation, we talk about the chapter she struggled with most. The chapter asked her to look at her past and name something as abuse for the first time. We talk about writing in public before you know what you're building, which I know is what so many writers are bravely doing. We also talk about her Leadership Compass framework, built on clarity, alignment, presence, and truth — the same four words she used to teach her students and used to find her own way back to herself. If you've built something that looks right and feels off, this one's for you. In this episode: The 50th birthday that cracked everything open and sparked what would become her first book Why Liz wrote the book as a Substack first — for an audience of one The chapter she almost couldn't write Her Leadership Compass framework: clarity, alignment, presence, truth Why she believes most of us aren't lost — just disconnected from our own judgment The one chapter she wants you to read if you only have time for one Meet Liz Liz Holtzinger is a writer, professor, entrepreneur, and author of Lead Yourself First. Her work explores what happens when the life you've built no longer fits—and how to find your way back to yourself without blowing everything up and starting over. Drawing on more than two decades of teaching, leadership experience, and her own journey through burnout, self-neglect, and personal transition, Liz challenges the idea that people need constant reinvention. Instead, she believes most of us are searching for something we've lost: trust in our own judgment, values, and inner voice. Liz speaks on self-leadership, identity, burnout, communication, and the pressure to perform in modern life. Her approach is grounded, honest, and practical, helping people move from exhaustion and uncertainty toward greater clarity and alignment. Connect with Liz: Liz's website: https://lizholtzinger.com/  Liz's book on Amazon: Lead Yourself First: Return to Yourself and Lead from Alignment, Presence, and Truth Liz on LinkedIn Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:  Hire Jacqueline for private Intuitive Writing Mentoring The Intuitive Writing Studio Substack: Energy-First Writing LinkedIn Instagram Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Liz Holzinger 01:35 Books and Childhood Reading 03:13 Early Writing Confidence 05:02 Publishing Dreams and Rejection 06:00 Accidental Path to Teaching 09:30 Penn State Breakthrough 11:00 Lead Yourself First Spark 14:04 Writing in Public on Substack 17:51 Hardest Chapter to Write 22:37 Identity and Chapter Five 26:36 New Projects and Poetry 28:24 Writing Drinks and Journaling 30:56 Substack Bonus and Farewell

My guest today is a fellow INFJ who built a writing and business empire from her keyboard — and she did it by trusting her intuition over anyone's idea of what a "proper" writer looks like. As Joanna Penn, she writes practical, generous nonfiction that has made The Creative Penn one of the most trusted resources for authors in the world. It's my favorite podcast on the craft and business of writing! As J.F. Penn, she writes dark thrillers built on copious research, religious relics, anatomy, museums, and graveyards … and her body of work is seriously impressive, with over 40 books and over a million copies sold in 176 countries. Instead of picking a lane (or genre), she built a business and a creative life that deliver both. Joanna's been one of the most thoughtful, AI-positive voices in the author space, and I truly appreciate it. Most importantly, she is clear on her author voice and is genuinely working through what the technology means for writers. She calls herself an "AI-assisted artisan author," and I want to be clear about what that does and doesn't mean: this isn't a label for the last twenty years of her career or that she's cranking out books written by AI. No. It's how she's naming the next chapter in her career. AI has changed how she researches, plans, and runs the business around the words — and she's refreshingly honest and optimistic about where that line sits. We talked about the teacher who told her at eleven to "write something nice" — and how long it took to write her way back to the dark stuff she actually loved. We talked about her fifth novel, the one where she finally stopped censoring herself and found her real voice. We also talked about why fiction and nonfiction ask completely different things of her, how her intuition tells her which book to write next, and what it looks like to bring AI into an established creative life without losing an ounce of what makes her sound like her. If any part of you has been waiting for permission to trust what you already know and start — this is it. Key Takeaways: Intuition can be your business strategy, not just your creative process. Joanna describes an "intuitive sense" of what book she needs to write next — and she listens to it, even when the entrepreneur in her has a more strategic idea. You don't have to choose one creative identity. You can build a system that holds many. Joanna writes practical nonfiction as Joanna Penn and fiction as J.F. Penn. They're two different creative muscles, each with its own time block, energy, and audience. Your "real" voice might not show up until book five. Joanna didn't find hers until Desecration, her fifth novel — where she stopped writing what she thought a "proper" book should be and focused on writing what she truly loved. If your first book doesn't feel like you yet — keep writing. Fiction and nonfiction require different kinds of energy. She describes fiction as decision-fatigue-heavy, every character choice a choice, while nonfiction pours out because she already knows it. Being an author-entrepreneur means diversifying, not compromising. Between book royalties, podcast ads, and a Patreon, Joanna built multiple income streams around her writing instead of relying on one book to carry her whole business. Connect with Joanna: Joanna Penn's website: thecreativepenn.com Joanna's podcast: The Creative Penn Podcast Fiction Books at J.F. Penn.com Joanna's Patreon Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:  Hire Jacqueline for private Intuitive Writing Mentoring The Intuitive Writing Studio Substack: Energy-First Writing LinkedIn Instagram Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Joanna Penn 01:35 Bookish Childhood Roots 03:30 The Wound and Shadow 05:20 Leaving IT for Writing 09:01 Author Entrepreneur Income 11:58 First Book Hard Lessons 16:51 Breaking into Fiction 20:57 Relics Research and Readers 23:22 Spiritual Seeking and Writing 26:05 Fiction Burnout Reset 29:06 Urgent Book Pull 31:38 Time Blocking System 34:19 Energy And Flexibility 36:00 Rituals And Real Work 38:13 Finding Author Voice 40:47 AI-Assisted Author 46:14 Recharging And Drinks 48:52 Five Minute Start  

There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being good at fitting in. Nicole Stephenson knows this feeling well. She spent years being told she was "too loud," "too much," "too honest." Then she wrote a book about what happens when you finally stop apologizing for being yourself. Nicole is the founder of Narrativa Consulting, a part-time lecturer at The Wharton School, and the author of Unapologetic: Boldly Lead the Life and Career You Deserve. In this conversation, we talk about the ten years she spent running a private women's mentorship program and what she noticed about what actually made those women succeed (spoiler: it wasn't the sales scripts). We get into her three-year book-writing process, why she hired a book coach, and the financial gut-check that almost stopped her from publishing at all. She also shares how the book found its way to a complete stranger in New York — and what that phone call taught her about why she does this work. If you've ever been told you were too loud or too much, this one's for you. In this episode: The moment Nicole realized the things people told her to keep quiet were the things closing her sales What ten years of mentoring women taught her about what actually builds confidence How a 40-day writing challenge (over Lent), left the book sitting in a draft folder Why she turned down ghostwriting and insisted the book be in her own voice The real cost of writing a book — money, momentum, and nearly walking away before publishing Why she launched the book on her 40th birthday (and how she celebrated both) Connect with Nicole: Website: narrativaconsulting.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicole-stephenson Instagram: @_nicole_stephenson Book: Unapologetic: Boldly Lead the Life and Career You Deserve Connect with Jacqueline Fisch:  Hire Jacqueline for private Intuitive Writing Mentoring The Intuitive Writing Studio Substack: Energy-First Writing LinkedIn Instagram Timestamps: 00:00 Why Fitting In Exhausts Us 01:13 Nicole's Career Wake Up 01:57 Owning Bold Authenticity 05:21 The Promotion Lunch Pivot 07:16 Spark Behind Unapologetic 09:22 Community And Accountability 12:31 How She Actually Wrote It 14:36 Book Coach And New Outline 19:25 Staying True To Your Voice 21:43 Writer's Block And Life Shifts 22:40 Burnout And Doubt 23:28 Publisher Sticker Shock 24:04 Committing To Finish 24:23 Finding The Right Publisher 25:02 Momentum Lost And Lessons 26:02 Launching On 40th Birthday 28:05 Starting Narrativa LLC 30:39 Book Launching And A Basic Website 32:56 Strangers Respond To The Book 36:46 Reach Out To Creators 38:27 Advice For Aspiring Authors 40:02 Coffee Vs Tea Rituals 41:43 Closing Thanks  

What I've learned from consistency, guests, and 1:1 conversations. WOOOHOOO! How Women Write is celebrating ONE HUNDRED episodes.  On one hand, I don't know where the time went. And on the other, I wondered why it took me two years to launch the podcast. I didn't know how far I'd make it when I started, and I'm not stopping anytime soon. Three digits of podcast episodes feel special, so it's just me here today to honor it.  In this episode, I'm sharing some of my biggest lessons about writing, what guests taught me, running this show, being a host, and what's coming next. What I've learned: Writing while criticizing yourself doesn't get easier — you just get better at continuing anyway You don't need permission to call yourself a writer The story you're avoiding is usually the one people need to hear How rotating guest weeks with solo weeks keeps my energy strong What makes someone a great podcast guest (hint: it's not a perfect pitch) What surprised me most about starting this show in the first place Why I stopped chasing content plans and started following my energy instead Plus — what's next inside The Intuitive Writing Studio. We're kicking off a brand-new year-long curriculum tied to the astrological seasons, starting with Virgo season on September 8th. If you've got a book in you, this is where you build it. Thank you for being here with me. Truly. xx Links:  Join The Intuitive Writing Studio Hire Jacqueline for private Intuitive Writing Mentoring Substack: Energy-First Writing LinkedIn Instagram