Writing as a tool for healing.
Happy Tuesday, Collective!
I know I am not the only one having this experience.
My inbox is full of newsletters from coaches and teachers and brands, and almost all of them look the same.
I'm having the same experience with content creators - even my favorite ones. Caption after caption is full of words that I know they didn't write. I know they didn't write them because I have been following them for years, reading their writing and listening to their stories. Now, everyone is trying to keep up with 3 posts a day on two or three platforms to beat an algorithm. That can drive any creator insane.
Listen, I've plugged many a prompt or newsletter into AI tools for grammar checks and inspo, but to use it to write ALL my things? I could never. I used to wait for someone to make all these words prettier and plug in images and testimonials and proof of work, and I don't even take the time to curate or outsource that anymore. It's not because there's anything wrong with delegating or using technology to maintain productivity, but what I was losing in the process was authenticity. Maybe this hits me a little harder because I spent nearly two decades telling kids that craft matters, structure matters, and reading and writing matter. Was I wrong? I can't really answer that yet.
What I do know is that as a consumer of information, I am getting bored. I feel like I'm reading the same captions and newsletters and content everyday. As soon as I realize it's AI, I scroll on. I don't care who you are or what you have to say if you aren't the one saying it. That may sound harsh, but it's what's true for me.
Regular (and random) ewsletters, along with my social media posts, act as a form of therapy for me. They give me space to tell my story from my own heart, through the lens of my real life and education. Words give meaning to emotions and lived experience that can't be created by a digital body outside of my own. I don't care how much my ChatGPT assistant, (we named her Amari), knows me. She isn't me.
How does writing help us heal?
For me, writing is a tool for healing. It's a way to get what's in me, out of me. When I was a high school teacher, I loved free-writing prompts and "do nows" - the first things kids did when they entered a classroom. It was a grounding exercise intended to get students into the headspace required for learning complex concepts.
As an adult, I still begin my day with writing. I give myself my own "do nows" that can look like dumping all my anxiety onto paper through a million to-do lists, or writing affirmations to get me out of imposter syndrome, or creating a plan for a future retreat or workshop or a random creative endeavor. Sometimes, it's writing a really mean-spirited letter that I will never send. Regardless of the task, it's the writing process - putting pen to paper - that allows whatever thoughts and feelings I have to leave my body. They become something I can plant in the ground or burn or never look at again. It's the process, not the product, that heals me. The weight that's lifted by writing can't be replaced by technology.
I had a former student reach out to me a while ago, asking why I was willing to put my life on television to be ridiculed and criticized by the masses. Though I understand how it can be perceived that way, for me, telling my story created change. It allowed me to see on screen what it looked like to be in my relationship more objectively. I wasn't living in the middle of it anymore, when I was unable to see the toxicity. I was watching it a year or so later, with enough distance to be able to see my life and choices differently. Though I wasn't in control of the way the story was told, it was still very much my story. Having the opportunity to tell my story helped me grow more in 4 years than I did in the 24 years prior.
Last week, Irene Yannascoli, my co-teacher at a high school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan nearly a decade ago, did an Instagram Live together. When we co-taught, we helped kids write stories about their experiences with race, gender, and American Identity. Sometimes they shared those stories with community and sometimes they kept them to themselves. In the end, the writing process created change for them.
Now, 10 years later, Irene and I are re-creating that experience for you.
In Awaken Your Inner Artist in Portugal this July 19-26, Irene and I will share with you the ways that we have used writing and storytelling to heal. We both know what it feels like to hold trauma and secrets in the body, and we have experienced the evolution that comes with getting those stories out of us. We have each worked to help children and adults heal for 20 years, and now we are bringing this work to you.
Why Portugal?
Portugal is the birthplace of Fado, a traditional form of music often described as the "sound of the soul." Its lyrics tell stories of love, loss, longing, resilience, hope, and the human journey. Rooted in emotion and lived experience, Fado gives voice to what so many of us carry quietly inside. The Portuguese word saudade - a deep, bittersweet longing for what was, what is, and what may never be - is at the heart of every Fado song. Much like writing, Fado transforms pain into beauty, memory into meaning, and it allows emotion to move instead of staying trapped. Fado performances will be one of the first things we experience on retreat.
In our Awaken Your Inner Artist retreat, we draw inspiration from the spirit of Fado itself:
• Giving voice to experiences we’ve held inside
• Transforming grief, trauma, and joy into words
• Releasing what no longer serves us through storytelling
• Finding connection through shared stories
Just as Fado singers pour their hearts into song, you will be guided to pour your heart onto the page. You will have the opportunity to do this work without judgment or fear.
Don't worry - you won't have to be concerned about typos, comma splices or perfection, (clearly I'm not). I talk-typed this newsletter in 15 minutes to tell you a story, without concern for whether it's the most amazing newsletter in the world. We are inviting you to do the same - to build the courage to tell your own story, even if it's just for your own heart and mind.
This retreat in Portugal is unlike anything we've ever done before. If you want to learn more about what we are doing and why, click the button below.
We also still have ONE bed left for Dominican Republic this February 13-18th, so if you don't yet have plans for Valentines Day, you can spend it on a boat with me. I just finalized the itinerary today, and it is EPIC, (especially the food). Even though this is my 4th retreat in this country, it all feels brand new, and Lord knows we ALL need it.
As a reminder, 100% of the profits from our DR retreat is supporting Yinsa's work with a local orphanage in La Romana. You can read more about our initiatives below.
That's all for me today, and I thank you for reading this far. I never know where these messages will go, but I am always grateful for your reading them.
Sending you love from the tropics,
Daniele
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