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
1026
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
1027
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
1028
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
1029
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
1030
Put On Your Own Mental Oxygen Mask EP: 149
If you’re a parent, you’re facing a double whammy right now of managing your own anxieties about the coronavirus while also modeling resilience and stress management for your kids. Here’s how you can put on your own mental oxygen mask first. 
6 min
1031
Stay Home. Get Counted! (Why Filling Out the Ce...
Get counted by the census helps you take care of your family, your neighbors, you’re your extended community throughout your state. And luckily, in this age of social distancing, it’s something you can easily do from home. 
7 min
1032
The Magical Power of Leftovers EP: 147
Today is Wellness Wednesday on the podcast and I’m coming to you with a tip that can help you eat healthier in less time and with less food waste. And that is to embrace the magical power of leftovers. You may be thinking “ew,” or “boring,”...
4 min
1033
It’s All About Tone EP: 146
Today’s tip can help you communicate better by changing not what you say, but how you say it by becoming more aware of your tone of your voice. 
4 min
1034
One Question That Helps You Not Take Things Per...
Taking things personally is something our mind LOVES to do. We do it without thinking. And whenever we do it, we make it a lot harder to see things clearly. But if you don’t know you’re doing it, is it possible to stop? Yes. 
5 min
1035
Day 5: De-Clutter Your Digital Life Re-boot You...
Today, on this last day of the week. I’m asking you to do something that’s really going to give you some objectivity on your tech habits. It might sound a little daunting, but I’m here to tell you that it is doable. AND that it is powerful. Even...
6 min
1036
De-Clutter Your Digital Life: Day 4: Take Aim a...
Today your assignment is to choose THE MOST annoying thing about your digital life, and do something to alleviate it.
5 min
1037
De-Clutter Your Digital Life, Day 3: What’s Pos...
Today, it’s time to talk about what will probably happen when you start looking to your tech devices as much as you once were.
6 min
1038
De-Clutter Your Digital Life, Day 2: De-Vegas Y...
A huge piece of what makes our phones so addictive is that they are designed to razzle dazzle your mind, the same way that the floor of a Las Vegas casino is. Let’s make them more boring.   
7 min
1039
De-Clutter Your Digital Life, Day 1: What’s You...
Your Digital Clutter Quotient is a simple number that reflects just how stressed you are by your devices. Seeing this number helps motivate you to make changes by helping you objectively see just how much your digital life is contributing to your...
5 min
1040
Save Your Sanity, Your Relationship, and Maybe ...
How outsourcing can save your sanity, your relationship (because then you can stop fighting about who’s going to do it), and maybe even the economy. 
6 min
1041
The Perils of Trying to Fix People’s Problems E...
When someone you love is going through something painful, here’s what I’m guessing you want to do: jump in. Start helping. Maybe even try to fix it for them. While your intentions are good, your efforts can be harmful.
4 min
1042
How to Trigger Your Relaxation Response EP: 137
Today I’m sharing a simple, powerful way to cue your relaxation response so that you can get out of that stressed out state where your body feels like crap. And that is to do something to invert your body. 
5 min
1043
Where to Find Your Best Ideas (Hint They’re Hid...
Great ideas aren’t “out there.” There’re right in front of you. And they’re often disguised as a bad idea. It’s like they’re hiding in plain sight. 
5 min
1044
The Importance of Being Naughty EP: 135
While of course I’m a fan of doing what it takes to be a better person, doing all the things that are so good for you can also start to feel just a little too… I don’t know, wholesome. It gets tiring. It can start to get a little...
4 min
1045
How to Spend Time without Filling It EP: 134
Since 2020 is a leap year, tomorrow, February 29th, is a bonus day--kind of like the extra hour we get when we turn back the clocks in the fall, only times 24. And in honor of this very special occasion, I want to suggest that tomorrow is a fantastic...
4 min
1046
What to Say When Someone's Disagreeing With You...
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we are living through some very, very tense times. And that means there are lots of opportunities for you to have disagreements with other people, in real life and online. It can feel disagreeing and being a...
6 min
1047
Really Feel Your Feels EP: 132
The most efficient way through an emotion is to allow yourself to feel it. But that can feel pretty scary, so we try to will ourselves not to feel the feelings. Well, guess how well that works.
4 min
1048
You’ve Got the Access. Use It to Do the Researc...
Information is so easily accessed these days that it’s on all of us to do our own research before we ask someone else if we can pick their brain. 
4 min
1049
Read Books Written By Someone Outside Your Demo...
Reading something by someone’s who has a completely different experience of the world from helps you have a more attuned, realistic, and empathetic view of the world around you.
6 min
1050
The Power (and Beauty) of Doing Something You S...
Allowing yourself to suck at something also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in something that’s super powerful, and that’s beginner’s mind.
5 min