Claim OwnershipThe Creative Soul Podcast
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The Creative Soul Podcast is a space to uncover your creative soul. We have conversations with inspiring creatives about the transformative magic of the creative process.
Your host, Leya Van Doren shares from the heart stories about her own personal journey, and will inspire you along your path where creativity and spirituality intersect.
We explore topics on healing, self-love, relationships, expression, travel, herbalism, astrology, ancestral healing, and tapping into your own unique creativity as a form of expressing your purpose and doing what lights you up.
Tune in to be inspired to pay attention to the callings from your creative soul.
Ready to embark on your own daily creative practice? Immerse yourself in The Creative Soul Practice, a 7-day guided writing meditation series, each session just 15 minutes long. Begin your journey here.
Connect with Leya:Instagram: @leyavandoren
Cover art by Torrence Browne
Intro song "Surf" by Vlad Gluschenko
160 Episodes
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HAPPY 5 YEAR BIRTHDAY TO THE CREATIVE SOUL PODCAST! In this heartfelt solo episode, I reflect on five years of podcasting and what it takes to show up for your art - even amidst transition and change. We talk about: The journey of celebrating the 5-year anniversary of The Creative Soul Podcast and 160+ episodes recorded.What it means to treat creative projects like living beings with birthdays, growth, and their own evolution.Lessons I've learned about trusting my voice, creating sustainable rhythms, and navigating overwhelm.The cosmic synchronicity of the podcast anniversary aligning with my baby’s six-month birthday.Why creative structures (like journaling, voice memos, or podcasting) help build trust and confidence in your artistic voice.Encouragement to honor your own creative soul projects and start, even if it feels messy, small, or unknown.Whether you’re in a season of transition, doubting your creative voice, or looking for inspiration to start your own project, this episode is an invitation to trust your soul’s nudges and celebrate the art you’ve already birthed into the world.Creative Resources Shared:Ashley Love CreativesConnect with Leya: @leyavandoren
I'm so excited to share this conversation I had with my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum doula, Elizabeth Beeker! We talk about the role of a doula in birth and the spiritual aspects and elements of birth.We also talk about:What observing birth work in Kenya taught her about Western birth practicesSurrender in birthThe importance of prenatal preparationWhat to do if you're experiencing prodromal laborNavigating miscarriage and lossWhy hiring a doula for birth is keyCreative Resources MentionedIna May's Guide to ChildbirthCall the MidwifeConnect with Elizabeth:Facebook: By Design Birth Services
What if your everyday life could feel like art? In this creative minisode, I share a simple daily writing practice to transform the mundane into magic and help you reconnect with your creative soul. Plus you'll receive an invitation to a live 4 week writing circle starting September 9th, 2025.We talk about:Why the mundane moments of your life hold the most creative inspirationA simple daily practice to spark creativity in just a few minutes a dayHow to overcome fear, perfectionism, and the resistance of the blank pageThe power of record-keeping through writing and journalingHow to tell the stories your creative soul wants to tellWays to romanticize your everyday life and infuse it with beautyHow writing connects you to your inner voice and creative soulJoin the live writing class: Mundane into Magic hereConnect with me on Instagram @leyavandorenRead my Substack here
In this solo episode, I share the magic of the summer season - from what I'm buying at the farmer's market, to reframing our creative purposes, to making our day jobs work for us, to balancing multiple identities, to navigating seasons of change and transformation.We talk about:The sensual, creative magic of summer abundanceWhat I’m cooking and loving from the farmer’s marketLiving seasonally and honoring nature’s rhythmsSaying goodbye to our Michigan home and honoring the woman I became thereThe cyclical nature of change: beginnings, middles, and endingsWhy I stopped feeling shame about my “day job” and how I reframed it as part of my creative purposeCreativity, authenticity, and the soul’s calling in a content-driven worldRedefining success as a creative and understanding your role in the collectiveCreative Resources Mentioned:The Social Change Ecosystem Map by Deepa IyerBirth Story WorkshopMy upcoming book I Collect Stories Like Seashells – releasing Fall 2025Subscribe to my Substack for weekly writing, seasonal rituals, and soulful musings: leya.substack.comLet’s stay connected:Instagram: @leyavandoren
Dalia is an Assyrian-American director and writer focusing on explosive theatricality and subverting existing narratives. She was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood and Entertainment 2025. Her Broadway credits include serving as Associate Director of Sweeney Todd and as the Resident Director at Phantom of the Opera.In this episode, we talk about:What it really means to be a directorLearning to trust your creative visionMaking mistakes in the rehearsal processHow overstimulation kills creativityWhy collaboration is a mirror for self-growthTelling ancestral storiesFinding the stories that matter to usCreative Resources Mentioned:Everything is Waiting for You by David WhyteSteal Like an Artist by Austin KleonConnect with Dalia:@your_gal_dalwww.daliaashurina.com
In this solo episode, Leya shares her life updates being four months postpartum.We talk about:The importance of honoring and processing our birth storiesHow you can reflect and honor your birth story, months and even years later!What I'm navigating postpartumFeeling more feminine becoming a motherWhy motherhood is bringing me deeper into compassionHow motherhood is strengthening my spiritualityBirth Story Reflection Workshop: Find the replay here.Read my Substack here.Connect with Leya @leyavandoren
Lindsey Simcik is a creative force, entrepreneur, and media personality best known as the co-founder and co-host of the critically acclaimed Almost 30 podcast. Alongside her co-host Krista, she also launched Morning Microdose, a wildly popular daily show serving up the best bits of Almost 30. She created “New Mom on the Block”, a brand designed to support new moms in owning their unique flavor of motherhood through resources, products, and a vibrant community.In this episode, we talk about:How to know when is the right time for a creative ideaDetermining what season you're inWhat to do in a waiting seasonNavigating a healing season, integration season, and chaos season (Hello Saturn Return!)Embodying different roles in marriageFinding embodiment through motherhoodAllowing our creative and spiritual practices to change with the seasons of lifeCreative Resources Mentioned:Time Passages AppRead the Book: Almost 30: A Definitive Guide to a Life You Love for the Next Decade and BeyondConnect with Lindsey: @lindseysimcik
In this creative minisode, Leya provides tips on how to navigate this nuanced and complex topic for creatives:📝 How can you write and share your personal story—especially in memoir or creative nonfiction—without damaging relationships with family and loved ones?If you've ever felt creatively blocked by the fear of how others will react to your truth, this episode will offer both comfort and clarity. Leya explores the emotional and practical sides of writing about real people in your life, especially in personal essays, memoirs, or storytelling projects.We talk about:Why this question often shows up too early in the creative processHow fear of offending others can block your creativityWhy your story matters even if it includes other peopleThe importance of writing your truth for yourself firstTips for navigating sensitive relationships once you’re ready to shareCreative Resources Mentioned:Wild Game by Adrienne BrodeurMother, Nature by Jedidiah JenkinsHow to Write About Your Childhood Without Blowing Up Your Family by Jedidiah JenkinsWant to start telling your story? Join The Creative Soul Practice today!Use "CREATIVESOUL" for 10% off
In this deeply nourishing episode of The Creative Soul Podcast, I sit down with energy healer and spiritual guide Maya for a raw, real, and inspiring conversation about transformation, intuition, and the power of trusting your path, especially when everything is falling apart.Maya shares her evolution from full-time coach and entrepreneur to stepping away from her business, working a corporate job, and then returning home to her true calling: Reiki healing. We talk about Saturn returns, identity shifts, navigating the dark night of the soul, and what it means to listen to the body’s wisdom.You’ll hear us explore:Maya’s journey of spiritual growth and identity rebirth as a Scorpio sun and moonWhy she stepped away from her business and what led her back to it with more clarity and easeHow working a 9-to-5 taught her about compassion, privilege, and healing outside the “spiritual bubble”The truth about dark nights of the soul and why “the only way out is through”Creating safety and finding (or building) authentic communityHow Reiki energy healing works (even from a distance!) and who it’s forWhether you're in a season of rapid transformation, seeking spiritual support, or craving real talk about the behind-the-scenes of healing and entrepreneurship, this episode will meet you exactly where you are.✨ Learn more about Maya’s work:Follow Maya on Instagram: @somedaymysoul
In this week's solo mini-sode, I answer one of YOUR questions - how do you keep going on a creative project when you feel un-inspired? We talk about:Why the creative process is non-linearHow to navigate creative blocks or when you feel stuckThe importance of taking time away How to stay committed and keep showing up to your creativityTrusting the timing of your creative projectsWhy inspiration isn’t enough—and how discipline can be devotionAllowing yourself to be changed in the creative processQuestions to journal when a project feels stuck or ready to transformHave a topic you want me to cover? Message me on Instagram @leyavandoren
Kacie is a travel content creator living in Florence, Italy. After a life-changing solo trip and her own little ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ moment, she made the official move to Italy in January 2021. Through positivity, authenticity, and humor, she began sharing culture shocks, travel tips, and life abroad across her social media, where her following quickly grew to a community of over 1.5 million people. Her New York Times best selling book, You Deserve Good Gelato is out now. In this episode, we talk about:Making your own work as an artistViewing social media as a performanceThe ebb and flow of the creative processMoving to Italy and meeting her fiance!Navigating identity crisesWriting her NYT best selling bookWhat happens when you surrenderCreative Resources Mentioned:You Are a Badass by Jen SinceroConnect with Kacie: Website: kacierosetravel.comTiktok: @kacierose4Creative Soul Practice: Learn more here
In this special solo episode, Leya shares the birth story of her first son, Alexander Boaz Henderson who was born March 10th, 2025 at 11:22 pm. Tune into get the full story of surprising twists and turns and surrendering our plans for something greater.Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren
Amie McNee is an author, speaker, creative guide, and the founder of the popular Instagram account @InspiredtoWrite. She writes historical fiction novels and writing guides and is known for speaking, teaching, and coaching artists all over the world and helping them to achieve their creative dreams.In this episode, we discuss:Creativity as a path to self loveHow to gentle parent the inner criticHow to reparent ourselves through creating our artWhy it's okay to want attention as an artistHow to be a JOYFUL artistHow to share and promote your artHow to find your audienceBalancing life with your creative lifeCreative Resources Mentioned:Beyond Anxiety by Martha BeckAmie's Book: We Need Your ArtConnect with Amie: @inspiredtowriteJoin The Creative Soul Practice today!
In this from the heart episode, Leya shares vulnerably how she's feeling as she's entering the birth portal. We discuss:What fears and resistances have come up before entering motherhoodMoving through fear and anxiety around labor and childbirthWhy birth feels like the ultimate embodiment experienceAllowing our experiences to be unique and universal at the same timeWhy motherhood is not a universal experienceHow to deal with life circumstances that feel out of our controlLearning to surrender and trustConnect with Leya: @leyavandoren
Mari Andrew is a New York Times bestselling author, artist, and speaker, who has gained an international reputation for joyfully philosophical illustrations and essays that meander between deep and light, bitter and sweet. Mari is in the business of paying attention, and her work reflects her specific observations turned into universal life lessons.In this episode, we discuss:Connecting to your past art as a creatorMaking meaning from your personal experiencesEmbracing our humanity as creative soulsNot having to be consistent in a creative practiceHow to own your own creative processLetting yourself grow and evolve as an artistMari's decision to leave Instagram after gaining a large communityThe number one thing that stops people from creatingCreative Resources Mentioned:Sabrina Ward HarrisonHow to Live a Good Life by Jonathan FieldsConnect with Mari: SubstackJoin The Creative Soul Practice - a 7 day guided writing meditation series. Use code "CREATIVESOUL" for 10% off. Find more info here.
In this solo episode, Leya shares how to make creativity a habit and how you can SHOW UP for your creative soul this year.We discuss:How to value your creativity and prioritize itCultivating a creative practiceWhy we face resistance in our creative practice and how to move through itHow to show up consistently to your creativityHow to see your creative ideas come to lifeHow to take the pressure off your creativity and start accessing it in fun, simple, easy waysJoin The Creative Soul Practice:A 7 day guided writing meditation series to help you cultivate your creative practice.Find more info here.Use code "CREATIVESOUL" for 10% offConnect with Leya: @leyavandoren Tune into Episode 111 for a taste of The Creative Soul Practice and receive a free Heart Chakra Writing Meditation
In this solo episode, I share my updates from week 35 of pregnancy!We talk about:How I'm feeling at 35 weeks pregnantWhat prenatal care decisions I made and whyHow I chose my birth team Hiring a doulaHow I chose my birth plan (and why I'm planning for a home birth)Why birth is not a medical eventManaging blood sugar during pregnancyPrepping for postpartumCreative Resources Mentioned:The Business of Being BornReal Food for Gestational Diabetes by Lily NicholsThe First Forty Days by Heng OuGlucose Goddess
In this episode, we talk about:Creating our creative soul projectsBeing in creative flow and getting "stuck" and how to move throughWriting retreatsUsing myths and fairytales to tell our storiesPublishingHero and heroine journeysElisabeth Sharp McKetta is a storyteller and the author of thirteen books across genres, including Edit Your Life (2023); Awake with Asashoryu (2022); She Never Told Me About the Ocean (2021). She teaches for the Harvard Extension School Writing Program and Oxford University’s Diploma in Creative Writing.Connect with Elisabeth: WebsiteCreative Resources Mentioned:Writing the Story by John FranklinThe Virgin's Promise: Writing Stories of Feminine Creative, Spiritual and Sexual Awakening by Kim Hudson
In this solo episode, Leya shares a letter from the heart on the final processing of 2024 and sets intentions for 2025. Tune into be inspired as you process on your own year and reflect on what 2025 may have in store for you.We also talk about:Beginnings and endingsWords of the yearThe death of the maiden and rebirth of the motherFavorite Creative Soul podcast episodes from 2024Connect with Leya: @leyavandoren
In this solo episode, Leya shares her reflections, lessons, and celebrations for her 30th birthday! We talk about:The importance of reflection on your birthdayHighlights from her 29th yearBeing proud of how far you've comeThe lessons she learned in her twentiesDealing with purpose anxiety, identity, home, and belongingThe next phase she's moving into for her thirtiesHow to deal with being humanWe end the episode with a special herbal reading to guide us through the end of the year and new year!Creative Resources Mentioned:Herbal Astrology Oracle by Adriana AyalesLeave a rating and review as a birthday gift!Connect with Leya @leyavandoren
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