197 To celebrate Melanie and Nadine's collaborative masterclass, Publishing Your Stories, on May 13, we're bringing back this chat with Melanie Brooks. If you can't make it live, you can still register and catch the replay.

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Many of us have carried at least one hard story for years, suffering under the weight of secrecy and silence. But what if you didn't have to carry it anymore? What if writing or telling it could not only free you, but deepen your relationships with your loved ones? Melanie Brooks--author of Writing Hard Stories and A Hard Silence--is here to help us write and tell our hard stories.

Covered in this episode:

• The life changing impact that Writing Hard Stories had on Nadine
• Melanie’s surprising experiences with renowned authors as she researched her book
• The benefits of writing a hard story
• How and why it gets easier
• What you discover when you’re writing hard stories and how it’s able to help you process
• The phases we go throughout when telling hard stories
• What prompted Nadine to write and publish her hard story
• The 2 books Nadine reread while writing her memoir
• The hard silence Melanie had to keep for almost 10 yrs
• The long term impact of not being able to speak your truth
• What helps us stay centered while writing hard stories
• The guilty pleasure TV show that Melanie and Nadine both watch when they need to escape
• How it felt for Melanie and Nadine to have their vulnerable books be published
• What it was like for both writers to write about real life characters and what their family's reactions were
• What narrative medicine is and how it’s changing health care
• Hear Melanie read a moving passage that gives anyone permission to share their hard story

About Melanie:

IG: melaniejmbrookswriter

website:

melaniebrooks.com

Melanie Brooks is the author of the memoir A Hard Silence: One daughter remaps family, grief, and faith when HIV/AIDS changes it all (Vine Leaves Press, 2023) and Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017) She teaches creative nonfiction in the M.F.A. program at Bay Path University and in the M.F.A. program at Western Connecticut State University and professional writing at Northeastern University. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast writing program and a Certificate in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She has had numerous interviews and essays on topics ranging from loss and grief to parenting and aging published in the The Boston Globe, HuffPost, Yankee Magazine, Psychology Today, The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, and other notable publications. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two children (when they are home from university), and chocolate Lab.

About Nadine:

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She is the proud founder of WriteWELL, an online community that helps women reclaim their writing time, put pen to page, and get published. The authors in her community have published countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir,

196 To celebrate the publication of Dr. Hillary McBride's latest book, Holy Hurt: Understanding and Healing from Spiritual Trauma, we're bringing back this beloved conversation about how to hold ourselves when we are hurting.

Why does it hurt so badly when things don't go as we'd hoped? How do we hold ourselves when we're in great pain? How do we talk to others so that we can reestablish loving connections when they've hurt us or we've hurt them? Psychologist and embodiment expert Dr. Hillary McBride answers all these questions and more in this profound conversation that offers deep solace to anyone who's hurting.

Covered in this episode:

• Transitions that Hillary and Nadine are currently navigating
• What's bringing them delight
• Why there is a deep grief when our plans don't play out
• How to tune into our own bodies to see how we're feeling
• How to identify what we need and then self-soothe
• Helpful dialogue for hard conversations
• The 7 words that can lead to great repair
• How to cultivate profound self-trust

About Hillary:

Dr. Hillary McBride is a registered psychologist, a researcher, and podcastor, with expertise that includes working with trauma and trauma therapies, embodiment, at the intersection of spirituality and mental health. Her first book, Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image: Learning to Love Ourselves as We Are, was published in 2017; she was the senior editor of the textbook Embodiment and Eating Disorders: Theory, Research, Prevention, and Treatment, which was published in 2018. Her bestselling book The Wisdom of Your Body: Finding wholeness, healing and connection through embodied living came out in the fall of 2021, and in January she released Practices for Embodied Living. Her next book Holy Hurt: understanding and healing from spiritual trauma, comes out April 2025. She has been recognized by the American Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association for her research and clinical work. In addition to being a teaching faculty at the University of British Columbia, she is an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health, and the host of CBC's award winning podcast Other People's Problems. Hillary makes her home in the pacific northwest in British Columbia, Canada.

www.hillarylmcbride.com

IG: @hillaryliannamcbride

About Nadine:

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She is the proud founder of WriteWELL, an online community that helps women reclaim their writing time, put pen to page, and get published. The authors in her community have published countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your Heart, is an essay collection and guided journal that helps readers tap into their inner wisdom and fall back...

195 In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, we're bringing back our conversation with the founder of Humanize Infertility, Hillary Alberta Sherer.

Whether you're experiencing infertility or want to support someone who is, you won't want to miss this profound conversation. In this episode, Nadine and Hillary discuss the emotional impact of infertility, how to support yourself or your loved one, the most important questions to ask when seeking treatment, and how best to self-advocate as a patient. This empowering and hopeful conversation reminds us all that we know our bodies best and have the right to advocate for ourselves. Hillary is the founder of Humanize Infertility and is working to humanize infertility with one woman, one couple, and one story at a time by empowering those struggling with infertility with knowledge, hope, and connection.

About Nadine:

Nadine Kenney Johnstone is a holistic writing coach who helps women develop and publish their stories. She is the proud founder of WriteWELL, an online community that helps women reclaim their writing time, put pen to page, and get published. The authors in her community have published countless books and hundreds of essays in places like The New York Times, Vogue, The Sun, The Boston Globe, Longreads, and more. Her infertility memoir, Of This Much I'm Sure, was named book of the year by the Chicago Writer's Association. Her latest book, Come Home to Your Heart, is an essay collection and guided journal that helps readers tap into their inner wisdom and fall back in love with themselves. Her articles and interviews have appeared in Cosmo, Authority, MindBodyGreen, Good Grit, HERE, Urban Wellness, Natural Awakenings, Chicago Magazine, and more. Pulling from her vast experience as a writing, meditation, and yoga nidra instructor, Nadine leads women’s writing and wellness workshops and retreats online and around the U.S.

Find out more at nadinekenneyjohnstone.com

To receive her regular essays, subscribe to her Substack

About Hillary:

Hillary Alberta Sherer is a biotechnology researcher with expert knowledge in the policy and ethical conversations around infertility. Utilizing over 15 years of clinical science research experience, she saw a need for more robust, transparent, and accessible research on infertility and infertility technologies. This led to her dissertation work on the ethical guidelines and policies surrounding egg donation. She is an activist for positive change that enables women to make informed and autonomous decisions about their health and wellbeing. She received her B.S. in Biology, M.S. in Public Policy and Ph.D. in Biotechnology Policy and Ethics all from The Georgia Institute of Technology (aka the Georgia Tech Trifecta). Hillary resides in Atlanta, GA with her husband, two kiddos, and 100-pound goldendoodle.

Website: https://www.hillarysherer.com/

IG: @humanizeinfertility

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