Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

Finding the Throughline: Conversations about the Creative Process invites you into the minds of writers and other creatives as they open up about their process, their doubts, and what kinds of changes they’re thinking about making. The questions are mildly invasive, honestly, and the answers are unvarnished…and so refreshing! 

Whether your creative work is writing, painting, making music, parenting, or simply living, Finding the Throughline can help you get—and stay—inspired. Invigorated, even. 

For detailed show notes on each interview, visit katehanley.substack.com. And if you’d like to hear these interviews in one ad-free episode (as opposed to broken up into three shorter episodes with a few ads sprinkled in to keep the lights on), become a paid subscriber once you’re there.

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Education
Self-Improvement
How To
1001
Calm the Eff Down Week 1 Recap and Weekend Assi...
Today I’m doing things a little bit differently in that I’m offering a re-cap of what we talked about this week. My hope is that it will help you integrate the stuff we covered and take it all out for a spin over the weekend. 
6 min
1002
One of the Hardest Parts of Right Now Is Also O...
It’s impossible to make plans these days. And the past already feels like a distant memory. Where does that leave us? Right here, right now. And for many of us, that is someplace we are not at all used to being. That’s the discomfort. The gift is...
7 min
1003
Stop Unconsciously Adding to Your Own Stress EP...
You probably think you know what to do when you’re stressed. But the things we typically do to calm ourselves down often only make our stress worse. That’s because what we need in times of duress is likely to be what we don’t usually do, and...
9 min
1004
Oh the Joy of Wine (or Weed) (or Both) EP: 171
Today’s big idea is taking an objective, non-judgmental, genuinely curious look at the things we are using to numb out now. Whatever it is, I’m not here to tell you not to do it. I’m just saying, be mindful. Make it a choice. Why?
9 min
1005
We Are on an Emotional Roller Coaster: There Wi...
We are on an Emotional Roller Coaster right now. This a straight up fact. And what do roller coasters have? Highs, and lows. Accepting that this is where we are, and that our feelings are going to be all over the place, will help us deal with all the...
8 min
1006
What Pink Elephants Are Talking to You? EP: 169
Do you ever wonder why you do the things you do? Or why you don’t do the things you don’t do? Your subconscious knows quite a lot about what your unwritten rules (that I call pink elephants--more on that in the episode) are, but you have to do a...
6 min
1007
Name Your Buttons EP: 168
We all have different things that stress us out. But what we all have in common is that we all have buttons and they all get pushed. When you know more about your buttons, you don’t get as blindsided when they get pushed.
5 min
1008
Do Something Instead Stressing About Doing Some...
I have been practicing yoga for 25 years. And pretty much every time I do it, I try to talk myself out of it. Why do we do this to ourselves?? Let's find out.
7 min
1009
Women Are the Moon. Men Are the Sun. Here’s How...
This episode is for my partnered up listeners, and while I’m talking about the difference between masculine and feminine energies, I believe the advice contained here applies to couples of all types. But first: How’s it going, being quarantined...
10 min
1010
We Need You to Get Quiet EP: 165
Have you noticed how “quiet” it is outside? How you can hear what feels like hundreds of birds? Now that the outside world has quieted down, maybe you’ve noticed how loud it is inside your own mind. Let's make your inner world a little more like...
8 min
1011
Make Space for Relaxation (Make Space to Chill)...
If you’re waiting for a feeling of calm to descend on you, like a bird on your shoulder, you’re going to be waiting a long time. You’ve got to invite it in, and a really powerful way to do that is to create some space in your home for...
6 min
1012
Make Your Muscles Happy EP: 163
Sitting is bad for you. We know this. And yet being confined to your home means it’s easier than ever to spend the vast majority of your day sitting. Stretching helps combat the physical toll that sitting takes on you.
5 min
1013
Stay Focused on What you Know to Be True (Check...
The news cycle has our attention in a death grip. You can change your mind about how you’re doing and what’s going to happen three times every hour. You need access to your inner wisdom more than ever in this high stakes crisis. Here’s how to...
6 min
1014
Support Your Relaxation Response EP: 161
Stress is mental but it’s also physiological. There are many different supplements that can help your physiology be able to handle stress better. Today I’m sharing the two—just two---that my years of writing both magazine articles and books...
6 min
1015
Quiet Your Nervous System EP:160
In times of high stress—and right now is undeniably one of those times—your nervous system is on alert, like a dog with its ears pricked up. Unless you do something to proactively counterbalance it, your nervous system will stay hyper stimulated....
7 min
1016
Send Positivity into the World EP:159
We need friends now more than ever—they help us laugh, they give us space to share our fears, and they remind us of who we are when we’re not being someone’s mom or wife or employee. In short, they help you get your crazy out! 
6 min
1017
Don’t let the Crisis Wreck Your Back EP: 158
With all of us working remotely in not necessarily ergonomic conditions, and obsessively scrolling through social media, looking at our screens is wrecking our posture. In today’s episode I’m sharing one thing you can do to combat the toll all...
6 min
1018
Help Your Kids Feel Safe EP: 157
 Kids need a space to share their concerns. They also need help not staying focused on the scary stuff. Here’s a ritual you can do to help your kids process their feelings a bit while still being grateful. 
5 min
1019
Close Open Loops EP: 156
Closing open loops helps give you a sense of much-needed sense of control right about now; it also helps you get clarity and move forward, even when there are so many things that remain out of your control. 
4 min
1020
More Will Be Revealed (Be OK with Not Knowing) ...
My tip for you today is in the form of a phrase that I find helpful whenever I notice that I am starting to feel anxious about what’s going to happen next. And that phrase is, ‘More will be revealed.” 
3 min
1021
Happy at Home, Day 5: Homekeeping as Sanity EP...
I know that doing household chores can feel like a grind. But here’s the thing: Chores provide us many many wonderful things that we need now more than ever.
5 min
1022
Happy at Home, Day 4: How to Isolate Without Fe...
Now is an opportunity to put something back into our lives that maybe had gotten squeezed out before-- and that’s checking in more often with people.  It’s not just something to do--it’s how we get through this, together. 
7 min
1023
Happy at Home, Day 3: How to Deal with Your Big...
Our lives have changed, and that is a loss. And loss goes hand in hand with grief. If you are feeling like there’s no way in heck you are going to be able to take this quarantine, you might be having a (very natural) resistance to grieving. This...
9 min
1024
Happy at Home, Day 2: Being Productive While Qu...
While regular life may be interrupted, many of us still need to get work done. From home. Where our kids are also likely to be. Which means… focus can be hard to find. Oh, I feel this so hard! 
6 min
1025
Happy at Home, Day 1: The Importance of Routine...
During uncertain times a daily routine helps your mind find rest. It gives you structure, and structure gives you stability. Here are some guidelines for creating a routine that supports you now and into the future. 
8 min