How to Be Alive

Imagine a world where your creativity has the power to heal your past, build bridges of connection, deepen your spirituality, and dismantle systems of oppression. Fariha Róisín—-a Muslim, queer, Bangladeshi multidisciplinary artist and writer—has used their writing to do just that. Today on the podcast, they’re joining Carter to cast a vision of the true alchemical power of writing toward healing both the personal and the political. Fariha wonders at the impulse they had to write a book as a twelve year-old, the ripple effect of vulnerability and sharing your work, and why we should be looking to the wisdom of the Earth to teach us about repair...We’re also getting into…- wellness outside of appropriation and commodification- creativity as a safe container for emotional exploration- Fariha’s mission to demystify Islamophobia and claim their Sufi intellectual ancestry- the power of vulnerability and the ripple effect of sharing your work- …and what this all has to do with the character of Trump, the Epstein files, global genocides, and the war in Iran..Born in Ontario, raised in Sydney, and now living in the UK, Fariha Róisín is the author of two poetry books—How to Cure a Ghost and Survival Takes a Wild Imagination—a novel called Like a Bird, the guided journal, Being in Your Body, and the part-memoir, part-journalistic takedown of Western wellness culture, Who is Wellness For?...Stay in touch with Fariha Róisín:Via their website: fariharoisin.comOn Substack: @fariharoisinOn Instagram: @fariha_roisin or https://www.instagram.com/fariha_roisin/...This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer--who offers one-on-one work and creative workshops.Keep in touch with Carter:Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfleIf you’re interested in receiving support from Carter in a therapeutic, coaching, or consulting capacity—or you just want to say hi!—please reach out at [email protected] I can’t wait to hear from you!...Original music by Aaron DavidsonEditing by Hans Anderson..DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

Filmmaker and writer Nneka Julia makes work that asks just as many questions as it answers, and that’s the hope. Nneka’s multidisciplinary work circles questions of identity and belonging, how to care for one’s inner child, and the emotional gauntlet that can be the creative process itself. In this conversational interview, Nneka tells the story of how she moved past the expectations she felt as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, and what finally sent her out of her comfort zone and toward the calling to be the artist she’d always sensed she was. We get into the origin stories of her podcast, Passing Through, as well as the stunning short-form film project that is her Letters From A Stranger series..We also talk about…- the trials of both being middle children!- the Rainer Maria Rilke quote that Carter couldn’t stop thinking about in relation to Nneka’s work- how directing her first short film helped Nneka unlearn people-pleasing tendencies- why making art is a gift—not a selfish act- what Sade and Frank Ocean have to teach us about patience- a proposed antidote to the soul-draining dissociation of social media...Stay in touch with Nneka Julia:On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nnekaj/On Intagram: @nnekaj or https://www.instagram.com/nnekaj/On Substack: https://www.lettersfromastranger.com/Craft & Release: https://www.craftandrelease.com/...This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer.If you’re interested in receiving support from Carter in a therapeutic, coaching, or consulting capacity—or you just want to say hi!—please reach out at [email protected]. I can’t wait to hear from you!Keep in touch with Carter and get a deeper look at the podcast via my newsletter...in your inbox, weekly-ish:Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle...Mentioned in this episode:- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (which is where the phrase “living the questions” comes from)- morning pages, a tool from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron- the music of both Sade and Frank Ocean- The Writing Life by Annie Dillard- Knights of the Seven Kingdoms and Game of Thrones- Dense Discovery, a favorite newsletter of Nneka’s: https://www.densediscovery.com/- BRICK, the device Nneka and Carter both use to manage screen time: https://getbrick.com/...Original music by Aaron DavidsonEditing by Hans Anderson..DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

What would be different about your relationship to yourself if you thought of creativity as a place you can go, rather than simply what you make? In this spiritually-imbued conversation, author, artist, and musician Shira Erlichman offers gem after gem of creative wisdom and inspiration, talking with host, therapist, and fellow artist Carter Umhau about what the creative process has to teach us about being human. Shira also shares how writing poetry became a vehicle through which to befriend the medication she takes for Bipolar Disorder, and how it has taught her to engage past and future versions of herself. If you’ve ever wondered how creativity can support your mental health or your own becoming, this is the episode for you..Also in this episode:- how to engage the desires you have for your life when you’re scared- the trippy experience that inspired Shira’s new novel- the Audre Lorde quote and Buddhist meditation that Shira returns to again and again- what quantum physics and IFS have to do with each other- how creativity can help us divest from the narrative imposed by capitalism and Empire about what life is supposed to look like..Shira Erlichman is the author of Odes to Lithium (Alice James Books, 2019) which won the Publishing Triangle’s Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry and is the writer-illustrator of the children’s book Be/Hold: A Friendship Book (2019). She was a finalist for the Lambda Award, a Silver Medalist for the Nautilus Award, and the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship. She has been a returning guest host on The Slowdown. She runs In Surreal life: an Online Global Creativity School and is a Visiting Faculty Mentor at the Randolph MFA. Look forward to her debut novel Tangerapple (Knopf, 2027), and her second book of poetry, IS (Alice James Books, 2028)..Stay in touch with Shira Erlichman:- via her website: www.shiraerlichman.com - @Sheer_Awe on Instagram - through Shira’s Substack...This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer.If you’re interested in receiving support from Carter in a therapeutic, coaching, or consulting capacity—or you just want to connect!—please reach out at [email protected] I can’t wait to hear from you!.Keep in touch with Carter and get a deeper look into the podcast, it's guests, and Carter's work:Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle...Original music by Aaron DavidsonEditing by Hans Anderson..DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

From the scooped out center of a cantaloupe to a bubblegum pink stack of hay in an Icelandic field, film photographer Megan Brady Moon’s work seeks out the sacred within the mundane. Through this exploratory conversation, Megan—who is based in Seattle— finds words for the ways in which photography was initially a place to mirror the intimate, solitary, and sometimes lonely experience of being single throughout her twenties and early thirties. Now married and a mother, Megan wonders at the ways in which her creative process is forever changed. Graciously, Megan however does NOT join in on the chorus of parents out there saying that you haven’t truly lived until you’re a parent. (And childless Carter adamantly agrees.) This episode provides a beautiful example of how the way we are asked to develop creatively is always the way we are asked to develop personally too, and vice versa...In this episode we also talk about…- the trip to a retirement community that inspired Megan’s first rolls of film- cultivating presence and the capacity to notice and respond- the calming quality to Megan’s photos- the art of mothering as a creative act in and of itself..Stay in touch with Megan Brady Moon!On Instagram: @megonfilm or https://www.instagram.com/megonfilmMegan’s website: mmbrady.com....This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer who facilitates workshops and conversations at the intersection of healing and creativity. Beyond her own creative practice, this podcast, and her classes, Carter also works with clients one-on-one in creative mentorship and therapeutic coaching..Keep in touch with Carter and get a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast:Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle...Original music by Aaron DavidsonEditing by Hans Anderson..DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

For author and baker Stacey Mei Yan Fong, pie is more than delicious dessert: it’s a vehicle of storytelling, a place to process emotion, a study guide of the US, and a way to formulate a sense of home. In this conversation, Stacey and I explore the creative process behind her book, 50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the United States Through Pie. Stacey shares how baking has been a practice ground for building resilience, exploring her identity, and quieting the noise around her. In this podcast all about how creativity can show us how to be human, Stacey offers a delicious perspective on what it means to show up with tenderness, using her creativity to ask big questions and build connection, one pie at a time..In this conversation we also talk about…- why Stacey prefers the monikers of “human” and “homemaker”- whether she considers herself an artist or not- how pie has taught Stacey how to still hold hope for the US (despite the complex feelings she has about being an immigrant right now)- why Dolly Parton has Stacey’s heart and how her relationship to music makes her feel alive.Stacey Mei Yan Fong was born in Singapore, lived in Indonesia, grew up in Hong Kong, and moved to the States to pursue a degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She now calls Brooklyn home. Her work has been featured by Good Morning America, NPR, CBS Sunday Morning, The James Beard Foundation, America’s Test Kitchen, Eater, and beyond. She is an IACP award winning author....Mentioned in this episode:- Bold Fork Books: https://boldforkbooks.com/- the music of Dolly Parton, Bon Iver, Rilo Kiley, the Beatles, and John Denver- chefs Hetty Liu McKinnon and Alison Roman- Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson..Stay in touch with Stacey!On Instagram: @staceymeiyanfong or https://www.instagram.com/staceymeiyanfongVia her website: https://www.50pies50states.com/..This podcast is hosted by Carter Umhau--a therapist, artist, and writer (who also happens to have extensive backgrounds in both fine dining and eating disorder treatment, too!).Keep in touch with Carter and get a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast:Subscribe to the How To Be Alive newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/Carter’s website: https://www.carterumhau.com/Get on the list to hear about Carter’s next classes and events: https://carterumhau.myflodesk.com/kwt3u8rfle...Original music by Aaron DavidsonEditing by Hans Anderson..DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this episode and are not intended as mental health advice, nor as a replacement for therapy. Please seek mental health support if needed! Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

One night, at 1:15am, I was stuck on writing this very episode—all about why creativity is inherently healing— when I stumbled upon an episode of another podcast that I had recorded eight years ago in which I was interviewed about my own creative process and why I believe—yep—creativity is inherently healing. I was stunned to find that I had said many of the things I intended to share here—even sharing the same quote on improvisation that I'd prepared! Out of that happenstance came this off the cuff, reflective episode on the nature of being in relationship with past versions of ourselves, and how the creative process reflects key features of why therapy itself is transformative..Also in this episode I chat about…- the main tenant of improv that reflects the nature of psychological health- how accepting loss is similar to editing an essay- the role witness plays in healing and transformation- the presumptuous nature of the “How To Be Alive” title, and how it asks just as many questions as it answers.Mentioned in the episode:- The 2016 episode of The Appetite: Bonus Episode: Poet and The Appetite Host Carter Umhau on Healing Through The Creative Processhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-episode-poet-and-the-appetite-host-carter-umhau/id1321778204?i=1000405334008- My Artist’s Way workshop, which begins March 5th, 2026: and is all about creative recovery and deepening your relationship to yourself. There are still spots available! Register now for the Artist's Way: https://www.carterumhau.com/artists-way-course-page- Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch- Opal: Food + Body Wisdom, an eating disorder clinic in Seattle...Keep in touch and get a behind-the-scenes look at my creative process, or join me in class. Get an exclusive playlist when you subscribe to my newsletter:My newsletter: https://carterumhau.substack.com/My website: https://www.carterumhau.com/Sign up for my Artist's Way workshop: https://www.carterumhau.com/artists-way-course-page...Original music by Aaron DavidsonEditing by Hans Anderson...DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions are my own and are not intended as mental health advice, nor are they intended as a replacement for therapy. Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

An obsession with sand dollars, the catharsis of dance, and getting to be a student again: these are some of the things that make Molly Wizenberg feel alive. Molly--the bestselling memoirist, James Beard Award-winning essayist, and teacher of personal narrative writing--joins therapist and artist Carter Umhau to talk about how her relationship to writing has helped her become herself and allowed her to see the particularity of what it is she's been trying to say all along. Pulling from the same personal reflection, thoughtfulness, attention to detail, and cracking humor that makes her a phenomenal writer Molly shares some major wisdom about life itself as she speaks about the creative process behind her writing.Some of the things we talk about in this episode...- learning to metabolize life through writing- what it looks like to write for a witness versus just for one's self- imposter syndrome and high standards- another reason to admire David Byrne of The Talking Heads- why teaching makes both of us feel high- and, do the people you most admire know what they're doing?..CONNECT WITH MOLLY WIZENBERG:Molly's Newsletter: I've Got A Feeling https://mollywizenberg.substack.com/Molly's upcoming workshops: https://www.mollywizenberg.com/upcomingworkshopsFind Molly on Instagram @molly.wizenbergListen to Molly's podcast: Spilled Milk. It can be found wherever you get your podcasts!...CONNECT WITH CARTER:How to Be Alive is hosted and created by me, Carter Umhau—an artist, writer, and licensed therapist.Register for my signature Artist’s Way workshop to join an intimate cohort of people seeking to get closer to themselves through creativity.https://www.carterumhau.com/artists-way-course-pageMy website: www.carterumhau.comSubscribe to How To Be Alive, the newsletter...Music by Aaron Davidson.Editing by Hans Anderson...DISCLAIMER: While this podcast is hosted by a therapist, this episode and no other is intended to be therapy nor should it be considered a replacement for therapy. Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

Caroline Winkler is a YouTuber with over a million subscribers, the co-host of the Not for Everyone podcast, and a genuine, relationally-oriented, funny-as-hell person who says she failed so hard at her "big dream" of being an actor, that everything that has come after has felt like a second life. We're chatting about what happened when she decided to let her design-oriented YouTube channel get personal, why she wanted to celebrate a big milestone by making sure all of her loved ones felt a little pain, and how to get creative when you have to do something you hate. Carter talks about the sparkly spiritual dust that gets kicked up when she's in her flow, and wonders at how tolerating fear could make her feel more alive...Registration is open for my signature the Artist's Way workshop, all about unlearning perfectionism and transforming your relationship to yourself. I'd love to see you there! https://www.carterumhau.com/artists-way-course-page.CONNECT WITH CAROLINE!Caroline on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Caroline_WinklerCaroline's podcast, Not for Everyone | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-for-everyone/id1658791276Caroline on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodsitter..Hey you! Find the tombstone sketch we chatted about, links to some of my favorite videos of Caroline's, and weekly essays to accompany these episodes, subscribe to my newsletter. https://carterumhau.substack.com/When you subscribe, you get an exclusive link to a How to Be Alive playlist full of good music.Learn more about working with me one-on-one, upcoming classes, and more on my website: https://www.carterumhau.com/ Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

Cody Cook-Parrott—artist, writer, dancer, and teacher—sits down with Carter Umhau to talk about what compelled them to write a memoir at nine years old; how quiltmaking has taught them to shapeshift as a trans person; and how they’ve learned to politicize their creative practice while staying far away from Instagram. Cody and Carter wonder together about the difference between making art that is inadvertently therapeutic, versus approaching art-making as a form of therapy itself. Ahead of the upcoming release of Cody’s sixth book, The Practice of Attention, this conversation is an exploration of how creative practice has taught Cody to be attentive to what they need to stay awake and alive to the work they’re meant to do.(This interview took place in Fall 2025.)..Learn more about Cody Cook-Parrott: www.codycookparrott.comPre-order The Practice of AttentionSubscribe to Monday Monday, Cody's newsletter.Listen to Common Shapes, Cody's podcast...Carter’s Artist’s Way workshop is back! Claim your spot!Want to work with Carter? Reach out to her at [email protected] or https://www.carterumhau.com/appointments-2Get a personal look at this episode and more in Carter’s newsletter...Editing by Abi NewhouseMusic by Aaron DavidsonPodcast art by Carter UmhauPhotos of Cody associated with this episode by Anna Friss. Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

How do you embrace who and where you are in life, when none of it looks like you expected it to? Natalie Closner, of the band JOSEPH, joins Carter to talk about how songwriting has helped her find the words she needed to hear, rather than what she thought people wanted from her. Natalie discusses the spiritual experience of live performance; how she stepped into a more expansive and compassionate sense of herself after loss; and she shares stories behind the lyrics from JOSEPH’s new album, Closer to Happy.Pre-save and listen to Closer to Happy, JOSEPH’s new album.See Natalie/JOSEPH on tour!JOSEPH on InstagramListen to Natalie’s 2021 solo album, Fresh Water in an Empty Vase...How to Be Alive is hosted and created by me, Carter Umhau—an artist, writer, and licensed therapist.Subscribe to my newsletter.Join the waitlist for my signature Artist’s Way workshop or learn more...Music by Aaron Davidson.Editing by Hans Anderson. ..DISCLAIMER: While this podcast is hosted by a therapist, this episode and no other is intended to be therapy nor should it be considered a replacement for therapy. Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to How to Be Alive, a podcast that looks to the creative process as a map through figuring out how the hell to be human.Expect deep and playful conversation with folks that are about to be your new favorite artists, thinkers, and people.This podcast is for anyone that desires to be closer to themselves, anyone that has ever wondered why it’s important to listen to the creative inkling inside of you telling you there’s more to life. It’s for anyone wondering how to get through the horrors of the current news cycle with a more regulated nervous system and clarity around what they have to offer.How to Be Alive is hosted by me, Carter Umhau--an artist, writer, and licensed therapist--and I'm excited to bring you my therapeutic perspective on how creativity heals us and how it helps us become ourselves.Subscribe to my newsletter and you'll automatically be sent a playlist full of songs that make me feel more alive and more connected to myself. Hopefully you'll find at least one song on there that makes you feel the same.Join me for my signature Artist's Way workshop--a 13-week online workshop beginning later this winter.Custom podcast music is by Aaron Davidson.Today's edit is by Hans Anderson. Get full access to How to Be Alive at carterumhau.substack.com/subscribe