Best Abbigail Wells Podcasts (2025)

1
The Exchange of Leadership : When Lenoir Meets Michigan 19:09

2M ago19:09

19:09

Send us a text In this episode, Lenoir County students share their first impressions of hosting exchange students from Michigan! From Southern hospitality to Midwest traditions, we dive into the excitement, challenges, and unexpected surprises of bringing two communities together. Hear firsthand stories about culture shocks, funny misunderstandings…

1
Volunteers We Grow: Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Share Their Impact 33:54

2M ago33:54

33:54

Send us a text Gardening is more than just plants—it’s about people, too! Join us as we shine a spotlight on the dedicated NC Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Lenoir County who share their time, knowledge, and passion to grow stronger communities. Let's dig into the impact of volunteer work, from teaching sustainable gardening practices to s…

1
Rose, Bud, Thorn: New Year, New Goals 12:56

4M ago12:56

12:56

Send us a text In this episode, we look back at the past year—celebrating our wins, lessons learned, and everything in between. We also chat about setting meaningful goals for the new year, sharing practical tips to help you stay on track. Plus, we dive into some exciting upcoming events you won’t want to miss! Whether you're aiming for personal gr…

1
My Mind Matters: Breaking the barriers on youth mental health 44:27

5M ago44:27

44:27

Send us a text In this episode of The Best Better Podcast, we dive deep into some of the toughest challenges young people face today: conflict, stress, anxiety, and bullying. How do you manage stress when everything feels overwhelming? What are effective ways to resolve conflicts without escalating the tension? We also tackle the impact of bullying…

1
Catching the Breath: Tackling Vaping Prevention in Lenoir County Schools 20:50

6M ago20:50

20:50

Send us a text In this episode of Catching the Breath, we delve into the pressing issue of vaping among youth in Lenoir County schools. Join us for an insightful conversation with Sherita Simmons, a dedicated public health educator with the Lenoir County Health Department, as she shares her expertise and experience in addressing the growing concern…

1
About to Adult: Surviving the College Transition Before It Happens 44:37

7M ago44:37

44:37

Send us a text It’s almost go-time! In this episode, we’re gearing up for the biggest transition of your life—college. You’ve got your acceptance letter, you’ve survived high school, and now it’s time to tackle the realities of living alone, making new friends (without the awkward high school cafeteria vibe), and managing money like a real adult (s…

1
The Juggling Act: Mastering the balance between school, family, extracurriculars and social life 22:27

7M ago22:27

22:27

Send us a text In this episode of The Best Better Podcast, we sit down with the inspiring youth of Junior Leadership Lenoir to explore the art of balance. Join us as they share their secrets for juggling school, family commitments, extracurricular activities, and social life. Discover their tips for time management, stress relief, and maintaining c…

1
Where it all Begins: The importance of local partnerships 31:10

8M ago31:10

31:10

Send us a text On this episode we sit down with Dr. Tammy Kelly ( Lenoir County Extension Director) and Ashley Chadwick (Director for Junior Leadership of Lenoir) as we discuss North Carolina 4-H, Cooperative Extension, and Junior Leadership Lenoir. Get a close look into the lives of some youth development professionals who strive to make the best …

1
Welcome to The Best Better Podcast 0:40

9M ago0:40

0:40

Send us a text Join us as we make our best even better by engaging youth in meaningful dialogue. Look forward to hearing from our Lenoir County youth each month as the discuss topics on community, leadership and youth culture. NC State and N.C. A&T State universities are collectively committed to positive action to secure equal opportunity and proh…

1
2022: Our Year In Books 1:15:32

2+ y ago1:15:32

1:15:32

We thought we’d be back with a new season of Chasing Creative in 2022, but alas: it did not happen. Our lives are just too full right now with, well… life! We cannot, however, let the year go by without getting together to talk about books: our most favorite episode to record each season. So, we’ll dive in and talk about our reading wins this last …

1
2021: Our Year in Books 1:20:12

3+ y ago1:20:12

1:20:12

Hi! It has been *an entire year* since we last appeared in your podcast feed. We’re wading through Pandemic Year 2 just like everyone else, complete with all the day-to-day negotiations and risk calculations like everyone else. And also: a fourth baby for Ashley, a smattering of kids entering the public school system for both of us, and entire rout…

1
2020 in Books 1:16:35

4+ y ago1:16:35

1:16:35

2020 hasn't been kind to most of us, but books are always there to see us through. Listen in to hear how 2020 changed our reading habits, the books we loved (and didn't), and what's next for our reading lives—and the podcast!—in 2021. Books Mentioned in This Episode The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett Becoming by Michelle Obama The Color of Comprom…

1
S7 E4: Kayla Craig on listening well and advocating for vulnerable people 55:05

4+ y ago55:05

55:05

In today’s episode, we chat with Kayla Craig about what it looks like to advocate for the more vulnerable people around you. As a journalist, Kayla learned the value of listening well and choosing to hear a story and act on it. As a mom, Kayla knows just how important the stories we read and tell and see in our own lives affect everything about the…

1
S7 E4: Ari Tison on Lifting Up Underrepresented Voices 1:00:36

4+ y ago1:00:36

1:00:36

Ari Tison is an award-winning writer with poems and short works published in Yellow Medicine Review, The Under Review, and Rock & Sling. She is also the editor for Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop's Broadside Competition. Ari lives and works on Dakota and Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) lands in St. Paul, MN. Join us as she shares action steps for lifting up…

1
S7 E3: Dani Bruflodt on hydration, social justice, and political engagement 1:01:28

4+ y ago1:01:28

1:01:28

Deep in a pandemic, an election cycle, and a world that looks vastly different than six months ago, we’re all a little worn out these days. But we also need to press ahead like never before. We wanted to talk to Dani Bruflodt on how she summons the energy to engage online around social justice, politics, and making a difference in the world -- and …

1
S7 E2: Simone Griffin on Counseling and Creativity 52:31

4+ y ago52:31

52:31

We’re welcoming counselor, writer, and calligrapher Simone Griffin to the show today. Join us as she shares about the overlap between counseling and creativity, and how art—both our own and others’—can improve our mental health. Be sure to check out Simone’s newsletter, Counseling + Christ, and her devotional workbook, Glimmers of Hope. Resources m…

1
S7 E1: Using Creativity to Make a Difference 40:01

4+ y ago40:01

40:01

We’d be remiss in trying to continue on with the podcast acting as if nothing is happening around us. 2020 has been an upheaval year for just about every single person on the planet, and while we are both privileged, middle-class white ladies in Midwestern states who are faring quite well during the pandemic, all things considered, our lives do sti…

1
S6 E12: Creativity in Quarantine 42:48

5y ago42:48

42:48

By Abbigail Kriebs, Ashley Brooks

1
S6 E11: Kendra Adachi on Trusting Your Creative Intuition 57:32

5y ago57:32

57:32

As the lazy genius, Kendra Adachi teaches people how to be a genius about the things that matter, and lazy about the things that don’t. Join us in this episode to hear how she listens to her intuition when it comes to creative projects, the seasonal rhythms she uses to get things done, and the creative process that led her to leave perfectionism be…

1
S6 E10: Creativity as Self-Care 17:22

5y ago17:22

17:22

The world has been turned upside down, and being productive as a creative doesn't need to be your top priority right now. Instead, learn to think of your creativity as a form of self-care. Resources Mentioned in This Episode The No Grocery Challenge by Sarah von Bargen Bank Boost by Sarah von Bargen Elise Blaha Cripe's Three Things Template for Ins…

1
S6 E9: Staying Creative as a Military Spouse with Lindsay Swoboda 47:47

5y ago47:47

47:47

Today we’re chatting with Lindsay Swoboda about how being a military spouse experiencing seasons of deployment and living overseas has affected her creative journey. Along with being a military spouse, Lindsay is also a mom and writer. Her blog Uplifting Anchor encourages mothers and military spouses in their daily and creative lives. Resources Men…

1
S6 E8: Writing Our Novels 58:32

5+ y ago58:32

58:32

We both spent 2019 getting serious about writing our novels. In this episode, we're hashing out all the details, from where we got our book ideas to how we're fitting writing into our daily lives. Listen in to hear more about our creative processes and what the future holds for our writing. Resources mentioned in this episode S6 E3: Elise Cripe on …

1
S6 E7: The Most Creative Thing with Ashlee Cowles 43:21

5+ y ago43:21

43:21

Click here to take the Chasing Creative survey! Join us in this conversation with author and kindred spirit Ashlee Cowles as she shares about how travel and parenthood have changed her creative process. Ashlee believes that “creativity is not something we can lose, even if it has to lie dormant sometimes,” and we wholeheartedly agree. Listen in to …

1
S6 E6: 2019 in Books 1:27:01

5+ y ago1:27:01

1:27:01

Do we normally try to keep our book talk to a minimum at the end of each episode? And do we normally keep our episodes under an hour? Yes and yes. But today, we have nearly an hour and a half of entirely book-focused conversation for you -- and we hope you love it as much as we loved recording it. Come find us on Goodreads! Abbie: https://www.goodr…

1
S6 E5: Sarah Von Bargen on setting creative goals that actually make you happy 44:20

5+ y ago44:20

44:20

Did you know that it actually takes between 12-265 days -- with the average being 65 days! -- to make a new habit stick? Sarah Von Bargen shared that statistic with us on the podcast, and we were blown away! Sarah is the mastermind behind yesandyes.org where she is a writer, coach, and educator who helps people spend their time, money, and energy o…

1
S6 E4: Callie Feyen on Creative Transitions 1:01:06

5+ y ago1:01:06

1:01:06

We're welcoming returning guest Callie Feyen to the podcast! Join us as we talk about Callie's recent transition into full-time self-employment as a brave step toward making space for creative work. Listen to our first interview with Callie here. Listen to our second interview with Callie here. Books we talked about Designing Your Life by Bill Burn…

1
S6 E3: Elise Cripe on having big creative dreams and making them happen 39:14

5+ y ago39:14

39:14

We’re so glad to have Elise Cripe back on the podcast! We previously chatted with her on episode 4 of season 3, all about how she got to where she was creatively, and touched on taking creative breaks and her Get To Work Book business. Today, we wanted to have her on to talk about her first traditionally published book that releases tomorrow, Octob…

1
S6 E2: Nicole Gulotta on Seasons of Creativity 40:58

5+ y ago40:58

40:58

Nicole Gulotta wrote the book (literally) on navigating different seasons of the creative life. Join us to hear her advice on the ups and downs we all experience as creatives, and get the scoop on her new book, Wild Words. These show notes may contain affiliate links to IndieBound, a website that connects readers with books sold by independent book…

1
S6 E1: The Ebbs & Flows of the Creative Life 32:06

6y ago32:06

32:06

Hello and welcome back to Chasing Creative for Season 6! We’re excited to be back with you, and still cannot believe that we’ve been doing this together for six seasons now. This season, we’re going to be interviewing some previous guests and some new guests, but asking them all similar questions: what do the ebbs and flows of the creative process …

1
Bonus Episode: How We Planned Our Creative Retreat 31:44

6y ago31:44

31:44

We were in the same room for the third time ever for our first (and hopefully not the last!) creative retreat. And we decided to record an episode all about how we made it happen, what our plan was, and what we accomplished while in a valley near LaCrosse, WI with no WiFi for 48 hours. Resources We Mentioned We first heard about creative retreats f…

1
S5 E9: How This Podcast Has Changed Our Creative Work (and What's Next for Us) 48:40

6y ago48:40

48:40

In the last episode of season 5, we're exploring all the ways recording this podcast has changed our own creative lives. We're talking about the power of audio conditioning in motivating you to do the work in front of you, catching up on our novel writing processes, sharing our progress in The 100 Day Challenge, and giving a preview of what's next …

1
S5 E8: Doing the Creative Work: How We're Using the Lessons from Growing Gills 45:39

6y ago45:39

45:39

We first chatted about Growing Gills with Addie Zierman in this episode on self-care, resourcing, and diving back into writing after some time away. Then, we got the chance to interview Jessica Abel herself on her method for creating systems that help you be creative in this episode. And then we realized that we had a lot to say about what Growing …

1
S5 E7: Jessica Abel on Integrating Creativity into Your Life 55:10

6y ago55:10

55:10

Jessica Abel is cartoonist and author who is demystifying the creative process. Join us as we talk about her philosophy that the creative life is just . . . life. You’ll gain practical strategies for integrating creativity into your everyday life with systems and routines that work for you. Books and Links We Talked About Growing Gills: How to Find…

1
S5 E6: John Blase on moving from pastor to poet 37:15

6+ y ago37:15

37:15

John Blase is a former pastor turned writer and editor. He spends his mornings writing poetry, his days as a developmental editor for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in Colorado Springs, and his evenings with his wife and three kiddos (when they’re home from college!). He preached for over a decade and has brought a pastoring stance to his writer’s…

1
S5E5: Intentional Creativity with Ron Vitale 1:06:44

6+ y ago1:06:44

1:06:44

Science fiction and fantasy author Ron Vitale keeps up an impressive writing pace while working full time and being an active father. What’s his secret? Intentional creativity. Join us in this episode to hear how Ron makes space for creative work, manages marketing and networking alongside writing, and maintains a self-care routine. Books, links, a…

1
Bonus Episode: A Year in Reading 1:13:52

6+ y ago1:13:52

1:13:52

Reading is a big part of our creative lives, and we know the same is true of many of our listeners. We're giving you the rundown of our year in reading, including our top picks in a variety of genres, our favorite read-alouds for our kids, and the one book we BOTH couldn't finish! If mini book club is your favorite part of the podcast, this episode…

1
S5 E4: Creativity, Burnout, and a New Way of Looking at Self-Care with Addie Zierman 53:48

6+ y ago53:48

53:48

The creative world is full of people and places encouraging you to practice self-care. But what if the self-care that the world is promoting feels a little hollow? Addie Zierman shares with us a new way at looking at self-care on the podcast today. It’s called “resourcing” - and we think you’re going to gain a lot from this concept. Addie Zierman i…

1
S5 E3: Taking creative risks with Andrea Debbink 1:00:16

6+ y ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Andrea Debbink is an editor and author with more than a decade of experience in the publishing world. Currently she’s an editor at American Girl where she creates nonfiction content that empowers girls to explore their creative potential. Her new book Spark: A Guide to Ignite the Creativity Inside You just won a 2018 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.…

1
S5 E2: Creativity and Place with Jane Heinrichs 57:01

6+ y ago57:01

57:01

How does the place you live and work impact your creativity? Do beautiful landscapes or bustling cities help boost creative inspiration? Join us as we explore these questions and more with illustrator Jane Heinrichs. Jane works as an illustrator with publishers around the world. Her first children's book, "Magic at the Museum," was short-listed for…

1
S5 E1: We're back! 37:08

6+ y ago37:08

37:08

We’re back after an extended summer hiatus! And we’re so happy about it. Not much changed for Abbie, Ashley had a third baby, and here’s how they’re managing life and creativity as they ease back into life in the fall. While they’ve been gone, Abbie started hosting the Exhale Creativity podcast. Exhale Creativity is a monthly membership site where …

1
S4 E25: Creating in the Chaos 47:05

7y ago47:05

47:05

In our last episode of Season 4, we’re chatting about how we keep creating even in chaotic seasons. Most of us have plans and dreams for the way we want our lives to go, but here in the real world, life is messy and unpredictable, and things rarely go as planned. When things go off the rails, creativity is often the first thing to take the hit. Som…

1
S4 E24: These are the Resources that Inspire our Creativity 45:39

7y ago45:39

45:39

While we are usually bemoaning our lack of time to sort out all of our creative projects, every once in a while we get stuck in a place where we’ve got time or desire to do something creative, but find ourselves with an utter lack of inspiration. When that happens, we both have some tried-and-true places we turn to that give us that little nudge we…

1
S4 E23: Creativity on a Budget 1:01:17

7y ago1:01:17

1:01:17

We’re all have limited resources to dedicate to creativity, and one of those is money. No matter what your financial situation, money is a finite resource, and we can only spend so much on creative pursuits---and the costs can add up quickly. So how do we budget for creative projects when we’re not independently wealthy? That’s the conversation in …

1
S4 E22: Social media and the creative life 41:30

7y ago41:30

41:30

We’ve all heard that we’re supposed to be building an audience online. Even if we don’t want traditional success, many of us put our work online to share our creativity and use it to connect with others. But building all these “platforms” takes time and energy away from the creative process. It can make us discouraged as we compare ourselves to oth…

1
S4 E21: Making Daily Tasks More Creative 31:00

7y ago31:00

31:00

We have to eat, we have to have clean clothes, and we should probably vacuum once in a while. If you can’t outsource any (or all!) of those kinds of things, maybe the next best step is to inject a little more creativity into them so that they feel like less of a distraction from our creative goals and more a part of them. Join us in this episode to…

1
S4E20: Personality and Creativity 1:15:08

7y ago1:15:08

1:15:08

We’re both personality nerds, so it’s no surprise that our Myers Briggs letters and Enneagram types have come up multiple times on the podcast before. In today’s episode, we’re devoting our entire conversation to the ways our personalities can affect our creative lives. There are probably hundreds of personality typing systems out there, but today …

1
S4 E19: Ideal Creative Retreats 30:43

7y ago30:43

30:43

The longing for a peaceful creative retreat at a cabin in the mountains is probably high on the wish lists of creative people everywhere. But the fact is, our mountaintop creative moments don’t happen all that often, and we probably need to dream a little closer to our own backdoors if we’re ever going to make creative retreats happen in our own li…

1
S4E18: Creative Communities and How They Help Us 31:46

7+ y ago31:46

31:46

For many of us, it’s tempting to shove our creativity into a dark corner and try to keep making progress on our own. But like we talked about in our episode on sharing your creativity, creatives aren’t meant to work in a vacuum. This week, we’re focusing on creative communities: how to find them, how they can help us achieve our goals, and our pers…

1
S4E17: Callie Feyen on Writing Through Transitions 49:44

7+ y ago49:44

49:44

We’re excited to share a special episode this week as we welcome back returning guest and one of our favorite writers, Callie Feyen. Callie has been on the podcast twice in recent years, and we’ve loved hearing from her about her writing journey and how it has evolved as her life has changed. Since we last chatted, she’s undergone another big trans…

1
S4E16: Get Unstuck: Troubleshooting Common Creative Pitfalls 42:18

7+ y ago42:18

42:18

Do you get excited about a new creative project, then give up halfway through? Or maybe you don't think your idea is good enough to even get started? What if you get all the way to the end of a project but can't quite push through to the finish line? We all have individual struggles with actually completing a creative project. Today, Ashley and Abb…

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Abbigail Wells Podcasts

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