motivation

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my favourite podcasts for inspiration, motivation + courage

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Photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. from Pexels

Photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. from Pexels

As a freelancer, podcasts are one of my favourite ways to get out of my own head and gain some wisdom and advice. If you work by yourself, like I do, it can be a valuable way to feel connected with others and conversations that are happening in the wider creative community.

When I’ve spent a long day at the desk and feel I’ve been going nowhere, I’ll take a break and go for a walk to stretch my legs and get some fresh air - and I’ll usually pop on one of these podcasts to give me some inspiration, comfort, renewed energy or a different perspective.

Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert

This podcast is a few years old now (recorded in 2015 and 2016) but I’m so grateful it’s still online because every single episode of it is gold and balm for the creative soul. If you loved the book Big Magic, you must listen to this wonderful podcast.

The premise behind it is that, around the time her book Big Magic was released, Liz Gilbert - who surely needs no introduction, certainly not to readers of this website! - put out the call to artists all over the world to write her a 200-word essay about what they were struggling with creatively, whether it was fear, writer’s block, disappointment, or anything in between. Liz then picked half a dozen or so people to appear on the podcast who she encourages on their creative path, to move beyond their fears and find their joy in creativity again. She gets a few guest stars in to help as well, who are all very knowledgeable, motivating and empathetic. No matter what creative field you work in, you’ll find inspiration, comfort and the courage to carry on.

Phil’s picks:


Hashtag Authentic

This is a wonderful podcast featuring interviews with a wide variety of creative people, sharing their journeys and insights into authenticity, whether it’s online, offline or in your work (often all three). I am particularly drawn to women who share their journeys of emotional resilience and there are plenty of them among the guests of this podcast!

Phil’s picks:


How to Fail with Elizabeth Day

I don’t think you can go wrong with any episode of this excellent podcast if you want some reassurance that absolutely everyone - especially anyone who is considered a “success” - has experienced failure. Usually soul-crushing, life-altering failure. But often it’s that big failure that set them on a path that they wouldn’t have found themselves on otherwise.

Phil’s picks:

Dear Sugars

Oh, how I loved (still do) and miss this podcast! Hosted by two magnificent writers and human beings, Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, this is an advice show podcast where the Sugars deal with all manner of human emotions and experiences, from the dark and murky to the simple “make the call” variety. Always enlightening and hopeful, and a reminder that empathy is one of the greatest human traits. New episodes are no longer being made but their archive is well worth trawling through.

Phil’s picks:


But wait, there’s more

And just in case your “Listen Now” section isn’t long enough after this post, here are some other favourite podcast episodes that I’ve often replayed depending on the day, mood and what I needed to hear!

I’d love to know - what are your favourite podcasts to listen to when you need a boost of courage or inspiration?

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yet to be written

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january-1-2020-philippa-moore

I had every intention of starting 2020 with the old year reflected upon and released, and the new one all manifested and mapped out. But life (my life certainly) is never that neat.

To be honest, the last days of 2019 were just spent soaking up the company of my husband and our family; in the sunshine and the ocean; singing in the car as we drove to the beach; in my garden, watering and weeding; in my kitchen, cooking; reading, listening to music, chilling out and dreaming. Marvelling at how different our lives are compared to two years ago (or even one year ago) and the courage it took to make those changes. Feeling grateful for everything. All the opportunities, all the surprises, all the leaps and risks that paid off, and even the ones that didn’t.

My aim when I started a daily meditation practice was to be in the present more. To dwell less on the past. To not live so much in the future. I guess I got my wish!

But what I know for sure is that if you want to set a goal and make a change, you don’t have to wait for January 1st to do it. The power to transform your life is always inside you and you can access it any time you like.

So here’s to 2020 and all the waiting blank pages. I wonder what they will be filled with.

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keeping a promise

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uts-creative-writing

I have wanted to do my PhD for a very long time. Apparently I even talked about it at school! In my last year of my BA I remember it being all-consuming, and being devastated when, convinced I was speeding merrily along that path, I reached a dead end after my Honours year. 

But life went on. As some things ended, I found new beginnings. I moved interstate, then overseas. This time last year, more than 15 years had passed since reaching that dead end. Tom and I were packing up our lives in London, our flights back to Australia booked, his visa safely approved. I was in a routine I’d been in for years, though admittedly at the tail end of it. The daily grind. Happy enough but wondering if this particular dream would ever see the light of day after the best part of two decades in a cupboard. 

If anyone had told me a year later I would be enrolled in my PhD and attending seminars at University of Technology Sydney, meeting my supervisor who is one of the most creative, motivating and intelligent women I’ve ever met, well....I would have wanted to believe it. But I still thought it was unlikely. 

I entered the UTS building last Thursday and thought I would explode with joy. I sat at tables with some of this country’s brightest minds, most respected historians and highly praised writers and thought.....I belong here. Not in an arrogant way, you understand. I am honoured and beyond grateful to be here, but I also know this is where I’m meant to be. These are my people. This is work I understand and want to do with all my heart.

But this isn’t happening because I was ready. I thought my PhD was still years away. I’m here and doing it because life decided I was ready. After all these years, the space suddenly opened and when it did, I didn’t question it. With encouragement from some wonderful people, I jumped. 

This feels like the biggest journey of my life. Bigger than the move to Melbourne or London, bigger than the quest to get fit and healthy, bigger than the marathon. This is the keeping of a promise to my younger self, my most essential self. I want to look back on my life and know that, despite taking the scenic route, I did not fail her. 

So if you’re reading this, wondering if your own dream - the biggest dream of your true, most authentic self - will ever happen, please take heart.

Trust yourself and the timing of life. 

And never, ever give up. 

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rise from the ashes

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hilton-als-quote-philippa-moore-2017

I have learned many things about life over the years....this is one of them. It seems to be a theme coming through in my daily meditation practice too. Casting off the limits I have placed on myself even though I have ironically preached the "no limits" message in the past. Fresh from sleep, the rise and fall, in and out, of my breath in meditation feels like bellows on the coals of a fire that has yearned for so long to burst into flames.

I think when life tries to limit us, it's a test. The real limits come from us ("if *you* give in and let it"). We always have a choice, even when we don't like the options.

I'm ready to play a bit harder now. I'm ready to rise from the ashes.