We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicole Gulotta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicole below.

Nicole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

When I started working full-time after finishing graduate school, I struggled to find my footing. With little guidance for how to navigate both work and writing simultaneously, I became frustrated that I couldn’t keep up and write with the same regularity I was used to. It took trial and error to figure out how to stay connected to that part of myself without losing it completely, and also recognizing that my expectations needed to change. Most creatives struggle with this at some point because we need to support ourselves financially, yet we deeply desire the time and space for our own projects. There’s always a push and pull to navigate.

While I’ve always had a day job to support my writing life, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to not feel constantly pulled between two pursuits. I have friends who are teachers or lawyers or marketing executives, and they’re not also trying to be painters or musicians or writers. I’ve certainly envied what feels like a greater simplicity. But as a writer, I’m happy. It’s part of who I am. It’s how I process the world, how I understand myself, and how I contribute. There’s so much gratification in that, even if there will always be constraints.

Nicole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a writer, primarily of nonfiction and poetry. I’ve been writing since I could hold a pen, but got my professional start in the food industry—I wrote a food blog for eight years, freelanced for a food magazine in Los Angeles, and my first book, “Eat This Poem,” was a cookbook pairing poetry and recipes. All that happened before my son was born, and becoming a parent forced me to reckon with my relationship to creativity and develop an entirely new path forward that embraces seasons, cyclical living, and rest. All of those lessons ended up in my second book, “Wild Words,” a companion to your writing life that helps you slow down, nourish yourself in all the ways, and move at your own pace. These days, I write about nourishment in all forms, navigating loss and healing, and cultivating self-compassion, among other things.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Writing books is the biggest thrill, but it’s easy to overlook the struggle most authors endure to arrive at publication day. I was really lucky when an editor reached out to me asking if I’d considered developing my blog into a cookbook, but I didn’t receive an official contract until several years later. I spent a lot of mental energy on pins and needles waiting to hear back from this editor to see if they’d made a decision, or coming up with ways to market my blog. After more than a year of this, I decided it was time to start writing even though there were no guarantees. In publishing, the only thing that’s within your control is whether or not you’re sitting down to write. You have to focus on the work and release outcomes. That’s so hard! Ultimately, it was a five year journey from beginning to end, and I’m so glad I listened to my intuition, wrote my manuscript when I did, and kept believing in myself.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve learned that my worth is not contingent on my productivity. It’s a core message many of us receive, especially when we’re just starting out professionally. We want to be seen as competent and capable and valuable, so we stay late, work harder, and push aside our needs. And that’s just at work! Before my son was born, I was working full-time and commuting up to two hours a day. I was freelancing, blogging, sending a weekly newsletter, active on social media, and preparing for my first book to be published. It’s taken years to sink into a different rhythm and no longer feel like I’m missing out or not doing enough. This is such a vital lesson, but I think it’s one we need lived experience to embody. It’s not something we suddenly wake up and believe out of the blue. If you’re healing from burnout, be gentle with yourself. You’re doing great, and you’ll get there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicolemgulotta.com
• Instagram: @nicolegulotta_author