You can be incredibly self-aware and still feel stuck, and that gap can be exhausting. We sit with the part of growth that does not respond to better explanations, tighter logic, or another attempt to “fix” yourself. Instead, we lean into curiosity and a surprisingly effective tool for emotional clarity: writing bad poetry on purpose.

I’m joined by Margaret Bryden, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, author, and the founder of Sage Insight Therapy in Salt Lake City. Margaret shares why “bad poetry” is not a joke, it’s permission. When you stop trying to write something impressive and focus on what is honest, creativity becomes a doorway into self-understanding, resilience, and self-compassion. We talk about why emotions have their own logic, how shame isolates us, and how a blank page can help quiet the inner critic long enough for the truth to show up.

We also get practical. Margaret explains why poetry can be “journaling on steroids,” how metaphor and imagery can reach the heart faster than linear storytelling, and how poems can become a vehicle for connection with other people and with yourself. She offers a simple five-minute poetry prompt, points to research on expressive writing (including James Pennebaker’s work on stress and health outcomes), and reads a short poem that shifts perspective in a powerful way.

If you’ve ever said “I’m not creative” or “I’m not a writer,” this conversation is for you. Subscribe for more conversations on creativity and mental health, share this with a friend who needs a gentler way in, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or the first line of your bad poem. What are you carrying today?

Where to find Margaret

https://www.sageinsighttherapy.com/

https://www.sageinsighttherapy.com/thebook

https://www.instagram.com/sage_insight_therapy/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbryden

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

Kindness lands in ordinary moments and still changes our state of mind when we feel depleted. We connect self-compassion to confidence and show how gentle accountability helps us take small steps, learn, and choose again without self-criticism.

• noticing how small gestures restore calm and courage
• allowing ourselves to receive support instead of always being the strong one
• challenging the belief that we must feel confident before acting
• practicing gentle accountability by choosing a meaningful next step
• building self-trust by keeping small promises and celebrating follow-through
• replacing the inner critic with curiosity through kinder questions
• using positive intelligence and the sage perspective when we feel stuck
• walking through empathize, explore, innovate, navigate, and activate
• trying Pause Notice Choose to create breathing room and momentum
• reflecting on where kindness could make a difference this week

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners

A fight can look like it’s about chores, texts, or tone, but underneath it’s usually about safety, belonging, and the fear of not mattering. I chat with relationship mentor Valerie Greene to get honest about what’s really happening beneath relationship conflict and why the same argument keeps coming back even when you swear you’ve already “talked it out.” If you’ve ever felt stuck between chasing connection and shutting down to protect yourself, you’ll recognize the cycle immediately.

We dig into anxious and avoidant attachment patterns without blame, and we name the real enemy: survival mode. Valerie shares how emotionally focused therapy, internal family systems ideas, and decades of couples coaching point to the same truth: you can’t solve the surface issue until both people feel seen. We talk about “feeling first, fact second,” the power of swapping accusations for curiosity (“I have a story that…”), and what it looks like to validate a partner’s experience even when you disagree.

We also unpack vulnerability in a way that’s actually usable. There’s victim vulnerability that keeps you stuck, and there’s empowered vulnerability that starts with self-compassion and turns into a clear request for support. You’ll leave with practical strategies for self-regulation, co-regulation, and creating a safer container for hard conversations, so conflict becomes information instead of a threat.

If you want better communication, deeper intimacy, and a more secure relationship, listen now, then subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these tools. What’s the one repeat conflict you’re ready to change?

Where to find Valerie

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/coachvaleriegreene

Website: https://coachvaleriegreene.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/val_greene/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV5fnakewbzMZ2yGU-eChqQ

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-greene

Let me know what you’d like to hear more about on the show

Support the show

I’m Carol Clegg, a life coach offering gentle accountability coaching and I am a curious conversationalist.

If you enjoy reflection, fresh perspectives, and honest dialogue, this space is for you.

If you’d like to experience this work in community, I host a complimentary monthly Accountability Circle a supportive space to pause, gain clarity, and choose a gentle next step forward. More info at https://carolclegg.com/accountabilitycircle

For those ready for deeper, more consistent support, I also offer a 60-day Accountability Package, designed to help you move from scattered ideas to steady, sustainable momentum.

You can learn more at carolclegg.com

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Instagram, or join my LinkedIn Group Flourish: A Community for Women Business Owners