Episode 75: How to Write from the Soul Using Embodied Poetry, Moon Journalling and the Art of Showing Up
What if the most profound writing you'll ever do isn't aimedat an audience, but at uncovering what your own soul already knows?
Nora Wilhelm is a social entrepreneur, changeworker, andwriter from Switzerland who, after years of giving everything to her work, found her way back to herself through the powerful act of creating. Nora is the founder of the well, change atelier, a platform for creative regeneration, and the host of Writing with Flow, a programme that helps people build a writing routine that feels sustainable. In 2024, Nora wrote her first book, discovering along the way that showing up daily and gently is far more potent than waiting for the perfect conditions.
In this conversation, we explore Nora's embodied poetry practice, which she describes as 'cranking up the volume of your own soul', and the accessible techniques she uses to help people access that depth, whether or not they've ever thought of themselves as a writer. We also talk about journalling in alignment with the lunar cycle as a gentle, natural rhythm for reflection, the raw realities of self publishing, and how Nora built a daily writing habit that carried her through writing her first book, five minutes at a time.
“I... put words to the process that I go through... it's all about cranking up the volume of your own soul [–] what's already there, what you deep down already know maybe is important, the voice that's whispering always and... allowing that to come through.”
In This Episode
- How Nora's embodied poetry process uses rapid-fire association and metaphor to bypass the critical mind and access deeper writing
- The collective poetry practice: how Nora channels group experiences into a single emergent poem
- Why Nora structures her journalling practice around the lunar cycle
- The five-minute writing habit that helped Nora complete her first book draft
- What no one tells you about self-publishing, from the editorial process to printing ethics
- The creative palette at Well Change Atelier
Practical Wisdom
- Nora shares practical approaches for anyone wanting to build a more sustainable writing practice
- Anchoring writing to an existing daily habit, such as a first coffee or returning from a walk
- Adding a small reward to reinforce the habit, and applying the 'don't miss twice' principle
- Using rapid-fire metaphor association as an entry point into embodied poetry
- Journalling at the new moon to set intentions and at the full moon to reflect and release
Connect With Nora
Please connect with Nora Wilhelm on social media, visit her websites, or follow her work to stay connected and find out about upcoming poetry workshops, Writing with Flow, and her forthcoming book.
Also Mentioned
- Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldry
- Hafiz, Rumi, and Rupi Kaur
- John Stubbley, Presenting Institute
- Chani Nicholas
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Elaine Brooks
- Human design
- Art of Change conference, Austria
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Intro to Nora Wilhelm
03:18 The Power of Books and Childhood Reading
05:55 Exploring Poetry and Its Impact
11:04 The Role of Collective Experiences in Writing
15:10 Nora's Writing Journey and Daily Habits
36:15 Journalling Practices and Lunar Cycles
58:09 Nature as a Source of Regeneration
01:08:47 Future Endeavours and Closing Thoughts
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