Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert

Sep 23 2016 22 ep. 45 mins 10.3k

Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert Podcast artwork

Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert returns for the second season of her hit podcast MAGIC LESSONS, ready to help another batch of aspiring artists overcome their fears and create more joyfully. This year’s guest experts include Neil Gaiman, Gary Shteyngart, Amy Purdy, Michael Ian Black, Brandon Stanton, Martha Beck, and Glennon Doyle Melton. MAGIC LESSONS art courtesy of Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

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Magic Lessons Ep. 209: “Show Up Before You’re Ready” featuring Glennon Doyle Melton

Sep 23 2016 55 mins

This week, on the season finale of Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert takes a deep dive into the some of the season’s themes with writer and activist Glennon Doyle Melton. They talk about Melton’s trajectory from blogger to best-selling author, and she offers a benediction to the eight creators who shared their stories this season. Special Guest: Glennon Doyle Melton is the autho

Magic Lessons Ep. 208: “Leap Into the Fire” featuring Martha Beck

Sep 16 2016 79 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Hope, a spoken-word poet in Ohio. A self-described introvert, Hope wants to take her poetry to the next level, but she's scared to submit her work to journals and enter poetry slams. She's paralyzed by a deep fear of rejection. Liz calls up her friend, the writer and life coach Martha Beck, for more guidance on Hope’s case. Sp

Magic Lessons Ep. 207: “Living the Dream and Facing the Nightmare” featuring Neil Gaiman

Sep 09 2016 77 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Britta, a former lawyer-turned- writer in Amsterdam struggling to make progress on her second book. After success with her first novel, Britta made several failed attempts to start her second. She can’t find the flow and fears she has lost the the joy in writing. Liz calls up her friend, the prolific writer and novelist Neil G

Magic Lessons Ep. 206: "Dancing From the Heart" featuring Amy Purdy

Sep 02 2016 77 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Penelope, a dance teacher in New Jersey, who wants to create a dance performance to mark her 60th birthday. Even though she’s been dancing her whole life, she’s having trouble finding the courage to pull this off. For expert guidance, Liz calls up one of the most courageous dancers she knows: Amy Purdy — a Paralympian snow

Magic Lessons Ep. 205: “Call Your Real Life By Its True Name” featuring Gary Shteyngart

Aug 26 2016 78 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Colleen, an advertising executive in New York City, who dreams of being a storyteller but fears it's a frivolous pursuit. Colleen hopes to create a one-woman show, mining stories from her childhood growing up in an Irish Catholic family that ran and owned a bar. Liz calls up the writer Gary Shteyngart for additional expertise on

Magic Lessons Ep. 204: “Who Gets To Decide Whether You're A Legitimate Artist?" featuring Mark Nepo

Aug 19 2016 75 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert talks with Cecilia, a young poet in Florida. Cecilia fell in love with poetry in college and applied to a dozen MFA programs. She got rejected from every one. Devastated by the rejection she fell into great despair and wondered if she could still call herself a poet when these MFA programs deemed her talents insufficient. For extra guid

Magic Lessons Ep 203: "Know the Taste of Failure" featuring Michael Ian Black

Aug 12 2016 74 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert enlists the comedian Michael Ian Black to help coach Keith, an improv comedy performer in Baltimore. A few years ago Keith fell hard for improv. He took every improv class in Baltimore and but there wasn't a regular space to perform. So he formed a troupe and found a venue, building a vibrant improv community called the Charm City Comed

Magic Lessons Ep. 202: "Make the Brutal Into the Beautiful" Featuring Brandon Stanton

Aug 05 2016 71 mins

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Anne, a photographer in Pennsylvania. For the last few years Anne has been documenting her brother's life. He's a veteran with PTSD and a recovering drug addict. She imagines turning all this material into a photo-essay exhibit or book, but she's afraid to take the next steps to make it happen. To help guide Anne, Liz calls up h

Magic Lessons Ep. 201: "You Have a Screaming, Not a Calling." Featuring Sarah Jones

Jul 29 2016 74 mins

Jo has spent years working on her phD on the Holocaust and fighting for feminist causes, but that work is not where her true passions lie. She wants to fulfill a childhood dream and write comedy and comic novels. Jo wonders: am I allowed to stop saving the world and make fun art? Elizabeth Gilbert offers Jo advice along with her friend, the performer and playwright Sarah Jones. And

Magic Lessons Se. 1, Ep. 12: Brene Brown on "Big Strong Magic"

Jul 25 2016 35 mins

The author of BIG MAGIC talks to Brene Brown, the author of RISING STRONG, about how essential creativity is for healthy, wholehearted living. This is an installment of Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert. For more information on Elizabeth Gilbert, please visit: www.elizabethgilbert.com.