PODCAST · arts
The Lighthouse Letters
by Alison
The Lighthouse Letters is a cozy, introspective show about finding wonder, meaning, and light in an overwhelming world. I'm Alison, your lighthouse keeper, and I send small stories and musings across the water: reflections on living well, loving bravely, and noticing the quiet magic hidden in everyday life. Perfect for slow mornings, starry nights, and anyone looking for a steady light when the shore feels far away.
Episodes
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ai, august, and zooming out
Dear Wayward Ship, A delay in the typical lighthouse letters as I've been busy living life to the fullest! In this letter, I talk about AI and my thoughts on why it's important that we decide for ourselves what the future should look like. I explore concentrated forms of power and how dangerous...
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making art, letting your soul sing, and feeling deliciously alive
dear wayward ship, life has been so deliciously lovely to me lately and I am full to the brim with it's richness. I hope you'll allow me to share it with you. To hold you and carry you across a stormy sea and to remind you to fall in love with the experience of living. love, alison
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expanding beyond limits
Hello dear wayward ship, Today's letter finds you on a sunny sea where the waves are calm and the waves are doing that thing where the water starts to sparkle. ✨ I talk about expanding capacity, being motivated by the carrot or the stick, and the funny ways in which life will sweep the floor out...
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a feeling heart i refuse to harden
My mom always said my biggest vulnerability is my big heart. Respectfully, I disagree. I love my big heart and how it loves, and with every Human Experience™️ I have, I discover an increased capacity for love that I didn't know was there. This letter talks about the exhaustion that I'm feeling…
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The Scream Unscrumpt
I am so sorry that it's been so long, my beautiful wayward ships, but your lighthouse keeper is back! In this episode, I talk about the difference between self-worth and self-confidence, the inner knowledge of having a secure sense of self, and how getting involved in your community can be tricky...
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Comedy, showing up, and the state of the world with special guest Daisy Bentley
Our very first lighthouse letters guest is Daisy Bentley! She's an acclaimed Chicago based actress and comedian and longtime friend of mine. I'm so glad I had her on the pod to talk about comedy, getting over bombing, the state of the world and the heaviness we all feel, and some righteous anger...
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doing it scared and doing it anyways
I DID SOMETHING SCARY! For YEARS I have been telling myself that I would get back into standup comedy and for YEARS I have been denying myself the joy of performing onstage as a comedian. I made it SO easy for myself to quit, and then kept wondering why I hadn't done stand up at all yet. I…
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we crave the safety of the cradle
When an idea lives in your head, protected by the safety of your skull, it's never exposed to judgement or failure! You can iterate forever. But then, the ideas never make it into your life and you never get to share them with people. It's a vicious cycle. In this letter, I talk about what it…
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your own voice as rebellion
I recorded this before the winter break as I was waiting at the airport to board my flight home. This letter speaks of the quiet voice inside that you learn to trust once your nervous system calms down, what labour and work could actually be if we were doing work that was meaningful, and the fact...
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how to survive your own transformation
How in the helly are you supposed to survive your own transformation? When you're just goo. This episode I talk about the inner child that demanded to be heard, and how finding your own authentic voice might involve revisiting that part of you that's been silent for a while. This letter is for...
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not quite good enough
This week's letter talks about the comparison trap, and how I find myself falling into it again... and how I pull myself back out. I've spent the last little while catching up with old friends, many of whom are in vastly different life stages than me, and I found myself battling with that…
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The Cusp Season
Dear wayward ship, We meet at a crossroads today, at the junction of what has been and what will be. I talk about packing for a trip and leaving things behind whilst taking what I need for the future (big metaphor energy here), and what it means to feel a sense of global collective hope again. I...
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no more doom and gloom
This week at the lighthouse, we’re talking about art that survives your dislike of it . I’ve been thinking about time and how it can feel both blisteringly fast and painfully slow, about getting almost there and learning that proximity still counts. There’s a poem I wrote, No More Doom n Gloom ,...
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practicing how to love yourself
In today's Lighthouse Letter, I talk about a practice that I've been doing for the last 5 years: writing a love letter to myself every month. It's a practice that's helped me see the best in myself even when I really didn't want to (it can be so easy to just be full of self-loathing), develop my...
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the season of coming home
In this lighthouse letter, I talk about returning to my body after a period of not quite inhabiting it. I talk about how I'm finally seeing the buds of the art seeds that I've been sowing all year, from this podcast to the play that I'm having a reading for at a real live venue! I talk about…
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the weight of human suffering
Today's letter is different. Today's letter comes from rocky waves and seas, from a place in my heart that is stormy and terrible. We're currently witnessing global acts of violence that are atrocities. I cannot turn a blind eye to all of it anymore, and I am ashamed to say that I have been. But...
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The Lasts You Didn't Notice
In this episode, I reflect on the small things we so often take for granted. Seasonal shifts, the quiet magic of rainy afternoons, and friends who are still here, in spite of it all. I share a poem I wrote about anxiety and the way it follows us, even into space, but also how writing can turn…
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A letter sent by the light of the eclipse
This letter is a doozy, folks. The water has been rocky by the lighthouse, dozen foot high waves crashing into the rocks, splashing into this lighthouse keeper's eyes. Through it all, I remind myself that the lamp is lit and the light is still shining, even when things might be going sideways. I...
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mountains, swimming holes, and friends who wait
In this episode of the Lighthouse Letters, I talk about my preference of swimming holes over summit views ( I want an experience you can participate in!), the lies I've been telling myself about how much I should be working, and gratitude for friends and loved ones that understand when I'm absent...
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ghosts, monsters, and small brave things
In this episode, I talk about the beauty of showing up scared, the indomitable human spirit being made of hope, permission to do art during the daytime (during 'working hours', no less!), dismantling the idea of 'working hours' as an artist, ghosts and monsters in plays that I'm working on, being...
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Hot Sauce and Kaliedescope Friends
In this letter, I’m talking about the kind of rest that fills you back up . The active, soul-filling sort that’s less about doing nothing and more about doing what lights you up. I recap a weekend that swung between the heat (from both the sun and the sauce!) of a hot sauce festival, the joy of...
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Three Nights, Two Wheels, One Heart
In this week’s Lighthouse Letter, I’m taking you through a weekend that felt like a love song. One written in stars, bike rides, goodbye hugs, and late-night laughter. I talk about what it means to feel deeply alive in tiny moments: stargazing inside on a Friday night with someone I love,...
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A Weekend Made of Wind
In this episode of Lighthouse Letters, I reflect on a weekend that moved like a breath: inhaling joy, holding connection, and exhaling into freedom. From feeling unexpectedly swept away watching my boyfriend drum at his album release, to showing up a little schleppy for a park birthday and being...
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Dancing Sober, Biking Sunburned, Filming Afraid
In this letter, I reflect on what it means to choose yourself, on purpose, and often. I talk about the gift of solo dates, the kind where you take yourself to the fanciest sushi restaurant (that happens to be a 5 minute walk from your house that you've always wanted to go to but never let…
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The Sun, The Stars, and The Sky– In My Living Room
In this episode, I talk about what it feels like to be loudly in love and how that love has quietly opened new doors in my creative life. There’s music again in the house. Harmonies made with just my voice. Fresh strawberries grown on my balcony. A three-legged dog on a wagon walk. I share a few...
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Someone Brought Me the Sky
In this episode, I reflect on recent wanderings: from a birthday weekend in Jordan River to a wedding in Golden (yes, that's really what it's called) and what it means to live inside the wide, awe-soaked present. There are stories about sea waves and waterfalls, secret slides, unexpected...
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This Is Not Architectural Digest, But It’s Mine
In this episode, I’m thinking about the quiet after joy: the soft comedown and the steady heartbeat of something real taking root. I share a few recent moments that left an imprint: a glam camping trip (yes, real hot showers!), playing mermaids at a pool party, watching my balcony flowers bloom,...
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Big Beautiful Things
In this lighthouse letter, I reflect on: ✨ a recent camping trip under the stars 🪐 finishing my space play 🎨 what it means to create without pressure I talk about the joy of small moments, the rediscovery of childhood passions, and how community can spark creativity. There’s also a little rant...
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No Output, Still Worthwhile
This week, I didn’t participate in Run & Gun, the chaotic and magical 48-hour film festival—but somehow, I still found myself in the middle of a deeply creative weekend. In this episode, I’m reflecting on the act of creating without pressure, the magic of returning to childhood hobbies with adult...
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Born Loved
Born Loved | Lighthouse Letters In this episode, I reflect on turning 30 (wild!) and what it means to be seen—really seen—not just by others, but by myself. I talk about the joy of hosting friends in a space I’ve made my own, the magic of soup dumplings (yes, they made me cry), and why I gave out...
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Birdseed and Bravery
In this episode, I reflect on the often-overlooked second phase of doing something—when the shine fades, and intention has to carry what adrenaline once did. I talk about cheering at a marathon (and crying), learning to rollerblade again (badly but bravely), and putting up a bird feeder in…
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The Night the Stars Stayed to Listen
In this episode, I share a tiny soft story called The Night the Stars Stayed to Listen—a tale about a girl at the edge of the world who spoke to the stars, never expecting them to listen. It’s a gentle metaphor for those moments when life throws something unexpected our way, and we’re asked to…
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The Velvet Wind Down
In this episode, I talk about rest—not just as a break, but as a quiet kind of bravery. I share thoughts on what it means to reclaim your space (especially when you live alone), the magic tucked inside small rituals, and why birthdays feel like soft revolutions when you let yourself be…
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The Discipline of Hope
In this first Lighthouse Letter, I share stories of rebuilding, remembering, and choosing hope — even when no one seems to be looking. A meditation on small beginnings, soft victories, and the quiet, stubborn work of keeping the light alive.
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Inviting Grief to the Table
"When you invite grief to the table, it doesn't need to hurt you to be heard." Chapters 00:00 The Journey of Habit Formation 03:09 Navigating Uncertainty and Hope 06:06 The Impact of Grief on Identity 08:49 Art as a Medium for Grief 11:54 Understanding and Inviting Grief 14:46 The Importance of...
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Baja Beach Blast
"I have trouble actually not falling in love with people who cook for me." Chapters 00:00 Consistency and Habit Formation 03:02 Adventures in Baja California 05:50 The Joy of Animal Encounters 09:07 Reflections on Loneliness and Companionship 11:48 Cultural Experiences and Haggling 20:04 Language...
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My Life Mantra
It's finally here...my first podcast. I talk about my life mantra, productivity, joy, gratitude, and the fact that I'm pretty sure I was a dog in my past life.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Lighthouse Letters is a cozy, introspective show about finding wonder, meaning, and light in an overwhelming world. I'm Alison, your lighthouse keeper, and I send small stories and musings across the water: reflections on living well, loving bravely, and noticing the quiet magic hidden in everyday life. Perfect for slow mornings, starry nights, and anyone looking for a steady light when the shore feels far away.
HOSTED BY
Alison
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Lighthouse Letters have?
The Lighthouse Letters currently has 37 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Lighthouse Letters about?
The Lighthouse Letters is a cozy, introspective show about finding wonder, meaning, and light in an overwhelming world. I'm Alison, your lighthouse keeper, and I send small stories and musings across the water: reflections on living well, loving bravely, and noticing the quiet magic hidden in...
How often does The Lighthouse Letters release new episodes?
The Lighthouse Letters has 37 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Lighthouse Letters?
You can listen to The Lighthouse Letters on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Lighthouse Letters?
The Lighthouse Letters is created and hosted by Alison.
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