“Sometimes creativity is a place where I hide, especially right now with everything going on in the world. I need that respite.” — Silvia Bifaro

This episode is your invitation to explore creativity through the lens of artistry, honesty, and finding your way back to your creative work. I’m joined by Silvia Bifaro, food photographer, stylist, and teacher whose evocative imagery blends storytelling, soul, and seasonal beauty.

Silvia shares how creativity became both a refuge and a form of expression during early motherhood and personal transitions. We talk about the fantasy world she builds through photography, how her aesthetic reflects her inner life, and why every object she styles has a soul.

She speaks to the physical and emotional demands of creativity: How burnout creeps in, how resistance builds, and how honoring your body’s needs becomes essential to living a creative life. Silvia opens up about rest, seeking help, and why nourishing your body is inseparable from nourishing your work.

In a time when the world can feel heavy, Silvia reminds us that creativity can also be a form of sanctuary. And that creative blocks aren’t failures, they’re signals to slow down, restore, return with intention, and perhaps, a little bit of spoiling yourself.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

Leave a comment on Substack or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras & @silvia_bifaro to share your takeaway from the episode.

xo Carla

PS: Upgrade to Nourished Creator Studio on Substack for quick-hit micro workshops, BTS Podcast, and simple tools to help you work on your creative dreams now, not someday.

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the meditation practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

“You’ve got to bushwhack through the creative dark, sometimes white-knuckling your way through. But eventually, the clearing shows up.” — Caroline Mays

This episode is your invitation to explore creativity through the lens of identity, friction, and the clearing that follows the dark. I’m joined by Caroline Mays, writer, brand strategist, and founder of Switchblade Lemonade.

Caroline defines creativity as a kind of spark that happens through process of rubbing two sticks together. She shares how her work is rooted in dialogue, deep listening, and helping people love the way their mind works so, they can share it with others.

We talk about tech failures, nervous system overwhelm, and running to reset. We explore her nuanced view on AI, where it helps (spreadsheets) and where it falls flat (writing that lacks soul) and how humor and movement can snap us out of a blocked state.

Caroline reminds us that the creative process is often messy and emotional, and that white-knuckling it can still lead to clarity. She brings honesty, sharp insight, and a fierce sense of creativity to her work.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

Leave a comment on Substack or connect with us on LinkedIn Carla Contreras & Caroline Mays to share your takeaway from the episode.

xo Carla

PS: Upgrade to Nourished Creator Studio on Substack for quick-hit micro workshops, BTS Podcast, and simple tools to help you work on your creative dreams now, not someday.

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the meditation practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

“Closing loops creates mental real estate for creativity to grow.” — Jenna Knapp

This episode is your invitation to explore creativity through the lens of space, support, and the subconscious. I’m joined by Jenna Knapp artist, NLP Master Practitioner & Trainer, and founder of Have Cake Creative.

Jenna opens up about how hypnosis, closing loops, and timeline work allow her clients and herself to unlock creative momentum, especially when capacity feels stretched.

She shares how releasing control, receiving support, and working with the subconscious helps creative visions actually come to life. Jenna reminds us that creative blocks are often just signals for space, not signs to stop.

When we nourish ourselves, clear the mental clutter, and connect to future vision, creativity can return with ease. Jenna’s resources + a digital Future Letter Writing Kit are in the show notes, please let us know if you do this!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

Leave a comment on Substack or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras & @havecakecreative to share your takeaway from the episode.

xo Carla

PS: Upgrade to Nourished Creator Studio on Substack for quick-hit micro workshops, BTS Podcast, and simple tools to help you work on your creative dreams now, not someday.

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the meditation practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

“Everything and anything can be interesting if you observe it in detail or dig below the surface.” — Ana Bianchi

This episode is your invitation to see creativity through the lens of curiosity, observation, and color. I’m joined by Ana Bianchi — artist, illustrator, designer, and author of Color Curious.

Ana defines creativity not as something mystical but as something you can train, sharpen, and practice. She opens up about how her new book grew from intuition and observation, and how color lives in our everyday lives.

She shares how storytelling, cultural nuance, and deep observation became the backbone of her work. In one chapter of her book, she explores how color evokes the spirit of place without resorting to stereotype.

Ana reminds us that creativity is not limited to a few “creative people.” It is a muscle everyone can cultivate, whether you’re painting, designing, cooking, or simply looking more closely at what’s right in front of you.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

Leave a comment on Substack or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras & @analovescolor to share your takeaway from the episode.

xo Carla

PS: Upgrade to Nourished Creator Studio for quick-hit micro workshops, BTS Podcast, and simple tools to help you work on your creative dreams now, not someday.

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the meditation practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

"Creativity is something that moves through us, that rises through us from our core, from our roots towards expression." — Sofia Adler

This episode is an invitation to explore creativity as energy, alive, moving, and rising from within. I’m joined by Sofia Adler, an energy worker, astrologer, and newly certified functional nutrition practitioner.

Sofia is the founder of Sofia Adler Wellness, an online energy healing center that integrates mind, body, and spirit. Sofia defines creativity as something that comes from the body, not the mind.

She shares what the energy of creativity wants to share with us through Energy Mapping. And also, shares about the importance of nourishment, and how honoring your body and spirit can unlock creative flow.

Sofia speaks about composting old beliefs and tending to creative blocks with compassion. She reminds us that we do not have to force ideas into form. Instead, we can let creativity move through us from the inside out.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

Leave a comment below or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras & @sofiaadler_ to share your takeaway from the episode.

xo Carla

PS: Join Cher and I inside Hit Send: Create, Complete, & Share Your Work. It’s a three-week co-sprint container, starting December 5th for creatives and entrepreneurs who are done sitting on ideas and ready to share their work.

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the meditation practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

“Creativity is letting your mind and your heart be your playground and letting whoever wants visit the playground is it.” — Alexa Juanita Jordan

This episode is your invitation to reframe failure, creativity, and the sneaky lies we tell ourselves when things don’t go as planned. I’m joined by Alexa Juanita Jordan: Certified Life Coach, writer, performer, and author of The Nuance Diaries on Substack.

Alexa reminds us that creativity isn’t about perfection or performance. It’s about allowing yourself to be impacted by life, to follow your whims, and to share your expression without tying it to an outcome. Let this be your invitation back to your creative playground.

She opens up about her Holiday Survival Kit, the project she poured her heart into last year and ultimately returned to with compassion. Alexa shares how she shifted her mindset, the lies she stopped believing, and why she now celebrates the creative act itself, no matter what the response is.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

Leave a comment on Substack or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras & @alexajordancoaching to share your takeaway from the episode.

xo Carla

PS: Join Cher Hale and I, inside Hit Send, It’s a three-week co-sprint container, starting December 5th for creatives and entrepreneurs who are done sitting on ideas and ready to share their work.

Resources Mentioned:

Pinterest Toolkit with Meagan Williamson

Holiday Survival Kit by Alexa Juanita Jordan get 15% until Monday 12/1

Hit Send: Create, Complete, & Share Your Work starting Friday 12/5

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

"We are allowed and we must ask for attention if we wish to see a world that is more creative and restorative and mutual.” — Cher Hale

This episode is a reminder that you are not only allowed to ask for attention, but you must ask for attention. I’m joined by Cher Hale of Ginkgo PR, an agency that uses public relations to create a more equitable media landscape.

Cher defines creativity as any medium that helps you bring clear, sharp, attention to your life. She emphasizes the importance of bringing loving attention to one’s life and creative endeavors.

She also opens up about the importance of taking care of her body, so that she can create a clear channel for ideas and nudges to move through her. She also share a Visibility Practice with us that I hope you will return to often.

Join Cher and I inside Hit Send: Create, Complete, & Share Your Work. It’s a three-week co-sprint container, starting December 5th for creatives and entrepreneurs who are done sitting on ideas and ready to share their work.

Listen to the Episode: Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create and get the full show notes here

xo Carla

PS: Substack curious? Listen to the podcast episode about building your new digital home on Substack. Join the Build Your Rising Substack Accelerator to share your creative projects and work in the world. Create, Launch, & Grow Your Substack

Leave a Comment: On Substack or connect with us on Instagram @chefcarlacontreras & @___whatthehale to share your takeaway from the episode.

Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. If you are driving or doing an activity that needs your attention, save the meditation practice for later. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.

“The most fulfilling creativity is the kind that feels like you’re standing naked in public.” — Melanie Curtis

This episode is your invitation to explore the meaning of courageous self-expression. I’m joined by Melanie Curtis, professional skydiver, keynote speaker, and life coach.

Melanie shares the BTS of her creative journey including: Skydiving naked, building an art installation, and how she uses psychedelics for deeper healing and sharper creative insight.

She also opens up about what it means to share from the scar, not the wound. Why risk is a non-negotiable in her creative process. And how “being naked” is less about shock and more about truth.

Melanie reminds you that your most meaningful work comes when you let go of how it will land, and make it anyway. Creativity isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessary to nourish your soul.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or on your favorite podcast platform while you cook, clean, or create. Get the full show notes & transcript here.

xo Carla

PS: See the full post + share your thoughts on Substack

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Disclaimer: Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner or other healthcare provider for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your health, lifestyle, or to answer questions about specific medical conditions. This podcast is for entertainment and information purposes only.