Hey there,

The Creative Impostor is officially back!

It's been a minute since I've reached out via email and, believe me, it's not because I haven't been thinking about you. It's a TIME to be alive in the world right now and functioning on a human level, let alone on a creative entrepreneurial level. Does that feel true for you too?

The first half of 2025 saw me head down in working on podcasts for our current roster of amazing clients (click on any of these that spark your curiosity to check them out in your favorite podcast app -- my favorite app is Pocket Casts):

Art, history, science, culture based in New Mexico and relevant to all of us

Career paths, community building, education and opportunities in American opera

Stories of immigration through Angel Island in the mid 1900s integrated with contemporary chamber music

Healing for healers, therapists, and anyone dedicated to personal development and collective wellbeing

Understanding complex trauma for mental health practitioners and anyone committed to healing & post-traumatic growth

Business & career strategies for the U.S. wholesale distribution industry

I was also immersed in teaching communication, social and media skills with my incredible high school age podcast students for Power Your Story:

Pop culture, commentary, mental health, careers and connection

But truth be told, I was also feeling a heavy blanket of existential dread based on what is going on in American politics and society at present. There is a lot happening that is opposed to my personal values and beliefs. People I care about are hurting. And I was (some days still am) paralyzed creatively by what I can say or do that makes one drop of a difference. My chest feels tight as I type this.

The cognitive dissonance of holding "the world is on fire and I'm watching a country I love, my home, crumbling before my eyes" and "I have to keep working and earning and living my life while not falling into despair" let alone experiencing joy or wellbeing has been... I don't even have adequate words for what it has been.

Half the time, I'm questioning my own mind, not trusting whether I can believe what I see, hear, or read. And then feeling guilty when I do engage in "normal" activities like hosting a fire pit gathering in my back courtyard with friends. Guilty that I'm not doing enough to support those who are directly suffering.

I say all of this knowing that your experience may be different.

But as a creative human, if you are feeling anything adjacent to what I'm describing, if you are wondering how to respond to the moment and protect your heart, if you are trying to make sense of your space in the world, then the current series I'm producing on The Creative Impostor podcast is for you.

I'm hosting a weekly series of live streamed conversations with musicians, artists, podcasters, community builders, creators, leaders, strategists, and more called "Creativity & Media as Resistance".

You can catch the raw, live conversations on Thursdays at 3:00pm Central on my LinkedIn profile @andreaklunder, YouTube @thecreativeimpostor, or Instagram@thecreativeimpostor. This week, July 3rd, I'm going solo. Then July 10th, a conversation with content & community director, podcast advocate Elsie Escobar.

Replays of my conversations with singer/songwriters Wendy Parman & Sue Fink, government podcaster Jen Briney, psychotherapist and leadership coach Lisa Lackey, and personal brand & communications strategist Monica Rivera are available now on YouTube and LinkedIn.

And if, like me, you still prefer audio, I'm lightly editing and releasing these convos as podcast episodes with an intro in The Creative Impostor feed in the podcast apps. Lisa Lackey sharing about building community, honoring yourself, and resisting in quiet impactful ways just came out today.

If YOU or someone you know is showing their resistance through creativity and/or media, I'd love to know about it!

Reply to this email with details.

Finally for now, if you are currently podcasting or dreaming of podcasting, I'm trying an experiment, which is a private podcast version of Podcast Envy, called the Podcast Envy Exclusive. It is still free to listen to, but when you sign up with your email, you get a personal link to add the feed to your podcast app with curated episodes, content not publicly available, and you get the opportunity to send me your questions and challenges to respond to via podcast.

Get the exclusive! Insider industry insights, crafty solutions, and cultural commentary for podcast creators. Sign Up Now

Thank you for sharing your attention with me. I hope you're well!

Andrea