We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michaela Trimble a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michaela, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

As a journalist, novelist, and writing teacher, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many creatives, from the world’s top editors to budding writers. The one quality differentiating prospective writers from professional writers is their willingness to sit in the discomfort of not knowing. It’s the ability to get quiet and still in order to hear the ideas that are often overshadowed by the noise of everyday life that sets these two categories of writers apart. The most popular works we read aren’t necessarily by the most talented writers — they’re by the writers who were able to become a channel to let inspiration in and who never gave up despite countless obstacles.

Michaela, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a journalist and contributor for The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, and more. I’m based in Mexico City and enjoy covering all things Latin America, travel, design, wellness, and spirituality. When I’m not reporting on my adopted country’s unique culture and welcoming spirit, I’m busy teaching online writing workshops and hosting immersive creative retreats. Most recently, I finished writing my debut fiction novel: a thriller exploring the intersection of art and mysticism in Mexico City.

What I enjoy most about coaching emerging writers during writing workshops, private sessions, and writing retreats is seeing them grow and achieve their desires. I’ve worked with writers who have gone on to successfully pitch and write for outlets like The New York Times, National Geographic, Bon Appetit, Vogue, and more. What sets me apart as a teacher is how I work with each person to identify their desire beneath a goal — most of the time, we’re all after the feeling we think a goal will give us, not necessarily a goal. Once we can identify the feeling they’re hoping to experience, magic happens! Then, they really achieve all they set out to accomplish because they align to their desired feeling. In addition to two academic degrees in journalism and global marketing, I also have several certifications that allow me to safely utilize spiritual practices like tantra, meditation, and breathwork as a pathway to open channels of creativity.

I believe everyone has an essay or book in them, and I enjoy creating custom pathways for others to own their voice and share their stories.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I believe it’s important to remember that people give advice based on their lived experiences. When I was a freshman in college at the University of Florida, the professor of my Intro to Journalism course stood in front of the class and told us to change our major. He said we’d end up broke and bitter if we chose the journalist’s path. I remember being utterly shocked he’d begin our careers on that note. And he wasn’t the only one to tell me that. Countless others did, too, from teachers to bosses.

It wasn’t until I entered into my Master’s program that I met an adjunct teacher who told me all the ways my dream was possible. She introduced me to the man who would become my boss at a travel magazine in New York, setting me off on a life more abundant, and expansive than I ever dreamed possible.

I’ve had several people tell me I’d never succeed as a writer, but all it took was one person to be different. Now, as a teacher, I desire to be that one person for emerging writers because it can be this good! The reality is I’m at the top of my field. I regularly have dream assignments, and I am just wrapping up edits on my fiction novel and getting it ready for submission with my agent, with whom I signed a contract last year.

I say that to say this: ALL OF YOUR DREAMS ARE POSSIBLE! You will meet people who believe in you, but you must believe in yourself first. If you have a desire and conviction to do something, please see it through. Your desires are not random. The world needs your creative medicine.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As a little girl, I was quite lonely because I had moved so much as a child—seven states. Novels were my way of forgetting about the world and disappearing into a different reality, even for just a few hours. Now, as a freelance writer and novelist, I want to give that gift to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelatrimble.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelatrimble/

Image Credits

Michelle Ospino
Monika Sedziute
Georgia Hunter
Marianna Jamadi