Was It Chance?

What happens when the career you thought you were supposed to have turns out not to be the career you actually want? Megan Minutillo Weiner is a writer, poet, Broadway producer, and creator whose career has taken plenty of unexpected turns. From teaching theater to producing her own cabaret series, to becoming a Tony Award-nominated producer of Operation Mincemeat, Megan has built a creative life by following what interests her rather than sticking to a single lane. Megan talks with Heather and Alan about taking the leap away from a steady teaching job, discovering that progress is rarely linear, and embracing the fact that she is a multi-passionate creative. They dig into the pressure to choose one identity, the challenge of balancing motherhood with writing and producing, and learning when to focus on one project while letting another take a back seat. Megan also shares how her poetry emerged during a challenging period of motherhood and IVF, eventually connecting her with readers who saw themselves in her work. And then there's Tuscan Witch, Megan's wildly intriguing novel-in-progress about witches, sisterhood, Italy, and a world responding to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We talk about failure, letting go of what we can't control, and why you don't have to accomplish everything all at once. Megan's reminder that you can have it all, just not all at the same time, might be exactly what another multi-passionate creative needs to hear. Connect with Megan: 📱 Instagram: @MeganMinutillo ✍️ Good Attention on Substack 🎭 DUETS: The Concert Series 🎟️ DUETS: The Concert Series, Volume 11 at 54 Below Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your f⁠avorite podcast platform⁠ 📱 Connect with us on ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Creative careers rarely follow a straight line, and that's not a sign that you're doing something wrong. Sometimes the biggest creative risk is walking away from the security of a steady job to find out what you're actually capable of. You don't have to choose just one creative identity or fit yourself into a single lane. Taking risks doesn't mean every idea will work, but the experiments that don't work can still teach you where you want to go next. There is value in trying things simply because you're curious about them, even when you don't know where they'll lead. You can have multiple creative projects and passions, but you don't necessarily have to pursue all of them at the same time. Failure is something to learn from, not something you have to carry with you into your next opportunity. Creative community matters, especially when the work itself can feel solitary. Sometimes an idea stays with you because you're not finished with it yet, even if it takes years to develop. You don't have to accomplish everything at once. Give yourself permission to build a creative life one opportunity, experiment, and unexpected turn at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loki Mulholland grew up with a civil rights icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland for a mom, but like most kids, he mostly just knew her as Mom. It wasn’t until he saw her in his history books that he began to understand the extraordinary role she had played in the Civil Rights Movement. In 2011, Loki picked up a camera to tell her story, never realizing that one documentary would lead to a career making films about civil rights, racism, voting rights, and the stories that too often get left out of history. In this episode, Loki talks about following creative opportunities before he even realized where they were leading him, accidentally becoming “the guy who does all the civil rights movies,” and eventually making that work an intentional part of his life. We talk about his new book, Get Back to the Counter, his foundation and educational work, the responsibility of preserving these stories, and why he believes we need to remember not just the history of injustice, but the people who stood up and did something about it. Oh, and there’s also the story of how Loki got accidentally trapped in Russia at 20 years old. Connect with Loki: 🎬 Visit Loki’s website: lokimulholland.com 📚 Learn more about Get Back to the Counter: getbacktothecounter.com ✊ Learn more about the Joan Trumpauer Mulholland Foundation: joantrumpauermulholland.org 📱 Follow Loki on Instagram: @lokimulholland 💼 Connect with Loki on LinkedIn: Loki Mulholland on LinkedIn 🎵 Follow Loki on TikTok: @lokimulholland Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS You don't always know what your creative path is becoming while you're on it. Sometimes the opportunity sitting directly in front of you is the one you need to pursue. A creative project can become a calling without ever being part of the original plan. Our parents can influence us in ways we don't fully understand until much later. Telling stories can be a form of activism and a way of preserving history. You don't have to follow someone else's path to continue their legacy. When you have a platform, there can be a responsibility to use it. History isn't finished. It's waiting for the people who are willing to keep doing the work. Progress can be fragile, which makes remembering the people who fought for it even more important. Sometimes taking the next step is enough to reveal the path you're actually supposed to be on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Marshall has lived a lot of different lives. She served in the U.S. Navy, built a career in engineering and technology leadership, practiced martial arts, traveled the world, and eventually became a novelist. But one of the biggest transformations in her life came when she finally stopped trying to outrun a part of herself she had been hiding and transitioned. In this episode, Sarah talks about what it meant to spend years feeling like she was living behind a barrier, and the moment she realized she could no longer keep waiting for her life to begin. Sarah also takes us deep into Burning Man, where more than 20 years of participation, camp leadership, and community building profoundly changed her relationship with belonging. She explains how the Burning Man gift economy forced her to confront the ways she was holding herself back, and how that experience eventually became the seed for her first novel, Playa Dust in My Soul. What makes Sarah's creative journey especially fascinating is that the book took more than 20 years of writing, rewriting, feedback, failure, and persistence before it was finally published. We talk about why community is something we choose, how failure can become a teacher, and what happens when the thing you're creating turns out to reveal far more about you than you ever intended. Connect with the Guest: 📖 Check out Sarah's novel, Playa Dust in My Soul, and find ways to connect with Sarah at PlayaDustInMySoul.com 🎧 An audiobook version of Playa Dust in My Soul is also in production. Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS You don't have to know what your next life looks like before you choose to change your current one. Sometimes the barrier keeping us from community isn't the world around us, but the walls we've built to protect ourselves. Being willing to receive can be just as important as being willing to give. A creative idea doesn't have to arrive fully formed. Sarah spent more than 20 years returning to the same story. Failure can be a teacher instead of a verdict. You don't have to identify as a writer before you start writing. The people around us can become part of the creative process, helping us make our work more authentic and more honest. Community isn't necessarily something we find. Sometimes it's something we choose and build. Creative work can reveal things about ourselves that we didn't consciously know we were putting into it. Growth doesn't have to come from obligation or overachievement. It can come from curiosity, discovery, and the willingness to see what's next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diana Colleen found healing, then trusted the story that wouldn't let go. Sometimes the biggest creative risk isn't starting something new. It's believing you're the right person to do it. Diana Colleen never imagined she'd write a novel, but after life-changing psychedelic-assisted therapy helped her heal from profound childhood trauma, an idea arrived during meditation that simply refused to leave. That idea became They Could Be Saviors, a climate thriller that asks one wild question: What if the people with the most power were forced to confront their own humanity? In this episode, Diana opens up about surviving an incredibly difficult childhood, rebuilding her life, quitting a job that no longer served her, and learning to trust both herself and the people willing to support her. We also dive into the realities of writing a debut novel from scratch, the steep learning curve of self-publishing, why comparison can rob creators of joy, and how surrounding yourself with generous, creative people can change everything. It's an honest conversation about healing, courage, and saying yes to the creative work that won't stop calling your name. Connect with Diana Colleen: 📚 Website: https://dianacolleenauthor.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianacolleenauthor 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dianacolleenauthor 📘 They Could Be Saviors is available wherever books are sold. Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPSIODE TAKEAWAYS: Healing yourself can become the foundation for your greatest creative work. You don't need to feel qualified before saying yes to a creative calling. Trusting others can be just as difficult, and just as important, as trusting yourself. First drafts are supposed to be imperfect. Learning happens through revision. Comparison can fuel growth, but only if you don't let it define your worth. Building a supportive creative community makes difficult work possible. Success often requires learning skills far beyond your original craft. Creativity doesn't always arrive through force. Sometimes it appears when you create space through stillness. The stories that won't leave you alone are often the ones you're meant to tell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Carmella Lowkis joins Was It Chance to talk about the intentional path she built toward becoming a published novelist. From working in her childhood library to strategically entering the publishing industry, Carmella shares how every career decision was made with one goal in mind: writing the kinds of historical gothic novels she wanted to see on bookstore shelves. She also opens up about the eight-year journey of writing her debut, what she learned from being mentored by bestselling authors, and why understanding the publishing business can be just as important as mastering the craft of writing. With Alan away covering the Cats: The Jellicle Ball red carpet, Heather is joined by special guest co-host Alesia Galati, founder of Gulati Media and host of Podcasting Unlocked and We Read Smut, for a lively conversation that wanders through queer representation in literature, historical fiction, gothic storytelling, publishing realities, BookTok, creative risk, and the importance of writing stories that entertain while leaving readers thinking long after the final page. Carmella also gives us a sneak peek at her next novel featuring rival alchemists in Renaissance Prague, proving she's continuing to stretch creatively while staying true to the stories she loves to tell. Connect With Us: 📩 Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Follow Was It Chance? on your favorite podcast platform 📱 Connect with us on ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ✨ More about Heather at her ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠subscribe to her Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and more⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit Heather's Bookshop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Reading Well⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Sometimes the biggest creative risk is committing to a long-term plan and trusting it will eventually pay off. Learning the business side of your creative industry can be just as valuable as developing your artistic skills. Historical fiction gives forgotten and marginalized voices the opportunity to reclaim their place in history. Success in publishing, like many creative industries, is part craft, part strategy, and part timing. Understanding your audience doesn't diminish your creativity. It helps your work find the people who need it. Creative careers are built over time, not through a single breakthrough moment. Failure is easier to navigate when you stop treating every setback as a personal reflection of your worth. The best stories entertain first, then inspire readers to keep asking questions long after they've finished. Planning your creative work doesn't eliminate inspiration. It gives inspiration a stronger foundation. Following your curiosity often leads to the most meaningful creative work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices