Why I Walked Away From My Podcast (And Why That Made Coming Back Even Better)
Photo by Elevae Visuals
Fun fact: A small wooden sign at a Nashville street fair changed the trajectory of my creative life. It was a little sign that said "Babe Cave" in bold gold letters over a floral design, and even though I'm not typically drawn to signs, something about it called to me. That impulse purchase in 2016 sat on my dresser for a year before becoming the name of a podcast that would run for three seasons, go on hiatus for 1955 days, and now return with a mission to break down the elitism that makes writing conversations feel "stuffy and boring." Sometimes the universe plants seeds in the most unexpected places.
From Collaboration to Solo Creation: Breaking Free from Creative Dependence
My background is rooted in collaboration - theater, Second City Hollywood improv, Time Inc where I produced Facebook Live content for Southern Living and Cooking Light, even a YouTube show called "Babble and Nosh" with friends. But by 2017, I was looking around and couldn't find anyone I wanted to create with in real life. The internet wasn't yet the collaborative space it is today, and I was tired of waiting for other people to make things happen. Inspired by Virginia Woolf's assertion that all a woman needs to write is "a little bit of money and a room of one's own," I realized that sometimes your creative cave is a place of solitude, excitement, and yes, fear - but it's entirely yours.
The Cookbook Coaching Detour That Wasn't Really a Detour
When I stepped away from Babe Cave in 2020 after being laid off from content marketing, I thought I was moving away from my original vision. But becoming a cookbook and food memoir coach actually brought me closer to the heart of what I wanted to do: help people tell their stories authentically. Over five years, I've helped clients secure Big Five publishing deals, land literary representation, and get featured in Food52, Edible magazines, and Stained Page News. But throughout this journey, I kept having conversations with friends where I was waiting for someone else to say what I was thinking about the writing and publishing industry.
Calling Out the Elitism: Why Writing Conversations Need to Change
Here's what I've observed after five years deep in writing and publishing: too often, our conversations feel stuffy and elitist. There's a pretentiousness at conferences, a cliquishness in how people engage, and honestly, sometimes you sit at readings thinking "that wasn't even a good argument" while everyone else pretends to be fascinated. If art is supposed to change people's lives, then we need to be honest about whether our conversations are actually moving anyone forward or if we're just "waxing poetic" without giving people tools to make things better. My goal with Babe Cave's return is to be your curated playlist of what actually matters in writing and publishing - minus the boring parts.
What This Means for You: Permission to Take Up Space Boldly
Whether you've stepped away from a creative project, feel lost about your message, or are tired of playing small in creative spaces, this comeback story is permission to show up as 100% yourself. Stop being "plain yogurt boring." Stop waiting for someone else to have the conversations you want to hear. And definitely stop paying for RSS feeds of projects you think you've abandoned - sometimes the universe is trying to tell you something. The goal isn't to be bold for boldness sake, but to be bold because that's who you actually are.
Your Creative Work Is Waiting
That wooden sign didn't just name a podcast - it named a philosophy. Creating in your own space, on your own terms, with your own authentic voice. Babe Cave was always there, even when I thought it had "ridden off into the sunset." Your creative work might be waiting for you too, ready for you to come back with the energy, focus, and boldness it deserves. Need some inspiration in the meantime? Listen to The Welcome Back Episode here.
Welcome to the Cave, babe.
