Changing Lives with Wendi Gordon

My guest today is Wendi Gordon, a mental and spiritual health writer, speaker, and coach. Wendi writes for various digital media outlets, including her own “Changing Lives” newsletter, where she shares her mental and spiritual health struggles and the resources and practices that have helped her change her life to help others change theirs. Wendi talks with me about how she chose to become a pastor, the art of writing in a church environment, including having a weekly prompt and having to deliver the product to a live audience; how sermon writing has influenced her current writing; her surprise decision to move to Maui from Pennsylvania and why she moved to Texas; what she’s learned from spending time in nature, and a lot more. Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction to Wendi Gordon and her work in mental and spiritual health. 01:18 Wendi's early creative experiences and the influence of writing in her life. 02:42 The creativity involved in being a pastor and related social work. 03:56 Journey to becoming a pastor inspired by a mentor. 06:22 Life-changing move from Pennsylvania to Maui and experiences in Hawaii. 08:21 Return to pastoral work and the impact of the pandemic on her career. 10:45 Facing political and denominational challenges in the church. 14:37 Transition from pastoral work to freelance writing and coaching. 17:18 The process of writing sermons and the influence of the church lectionary. 20:16 Facing public speaking and feedback as a pastor. 22:53 Unexpected reactions to sermons and dealing with feedback. 25:49 The creative process in freelancing and article pitching. 28:32 Bringing personal struggles into writing and helping others. 32:04 Addressing mental and spiritual health. 36:41 The intertwining of mental health with societal and political realities. 39:17 Sharing personal experiences to connect and help others. 42:14 Deconstruction and leaving behind harmful religious beliefs. 44:13 Viewing creativity as a spiritual experience. 47:27 Influence of nature and photography on creativity. 51:20 Spiritual and collective experiences at Bruce Springsteen concerts. 54:11 Impact of travel and different cultures on creativity. 57:04 Digital detox and the importance of being present in nature. 58:44 Encouragement to engage with nature and stillness.   Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.   Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.