The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien

Episodes

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  S7E28 - Season 7 Finale 17.06.2026 25m

  Season 7 is officially in the books! In this season finale of The Spark File Podcast, Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien look back at some of their favorite sparks from the year — from Expansion Anxiety and Dopamine Reset, to Good Teachers / Bad Teachers, A Good Cry, and more. Along the way, they revisit the ideas that changed how they think, the tools that continue to shape their creative lives, and the discoveries they keep returning to long after the microphones are turned off. Plus: a celebration of seven seasons of creative conversations, a look ahead to what’s coming next, and a reminder that if there’s something calling to you, now might be the perfect time to answer. If not now, when? Whether you've been with us since the beginning or found your way here this season, thank you for listening. We’re so glad you’re here. Take the spark. Fan it into a flame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E27 - Fear or Intuition 10.06.2026 32m

  Fear vs. Intuition: How Do You Know Which Voice to Trust? When you're facing a big decision, how do you know if you're listening to intuition... or fear? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Susan and Laura explore the often-confusing relationship between fear, instinct, and intuition. Why is fear usually the loudest voice? What does intuition actually feel like? And how can we tell the difference between a warning, a protective story, and our own deep-down knowing? Through insights from Brianna Wiest, Marie Forleo, and their own lived experience, they offer practical tools for navigating uncertainty, recognizing intrusive thoughts, and finding clarity when you're standing at a crossroads. What if the answer isn't louder thinking—but quieter listening? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E26 - Yesteryear vs. The Present Moment 03.06.2026 55m

  What do a trad-wife time travel thriller, influencer culture, motherhood, nostalgia, and the deep human need to be seen have in common? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Laura shares a spark inspired by the bestselling novel Yesteryear—a story about a modern trad-wife influencer who suddenly finds herself living in the 1850s - a life she’s been romanticizing online. What follows is a fascinating conversation about the stories we tell ourselves, performative identities, digital personas, internalized misogyny, motherhood, and the seductive pull of a "simpler" past. Along the way, Susan and Laura explore a provocative question: What happens to us when we're constantly being watched—or when we desperately want to be? From social media and influencer culture to acting, creativity, and the neuroscience of being seen, this spark leads to an unexpected and moving discovery about how our sense of self is formed—and how it can be restored. If you've ever wondered whether you're fully living your life or somehow watching it from the sidelines, this conversation may put a few sparks in your file. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E25 - Time to Think 27.05.2026 35m

  What if one of the greatest creative gifts you could offer someone… was your attention? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien explore the transformative work of Nancy Kline and her groundbreaking book Time to Think. Together, they unpack the idea of “thinking environments” — spaces where people can think clearly, creatively, and courageously because they are being listened to without interruption, judgment, rushing, or fixing. They discuss thinking partnerships, the surprising power of silence, why uninterrupted attention can unlock buried insight, and how modern life may be making it harder than ever to hear our own thoughts. If you’ve been craving clarity, creative momentum, deeper listening, or simply a little more room to think… this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E24 - The Feel Good Formula 20.05.2026 43m

  Feeling stuck, numb, overwhelmed… or just weirdly “off”? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien explore the brain’s four major feel-good chemicals — dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin — and the surprising ways creativity helps activate every single one of them. What starts as a conversation about burnout and anhedonia turns into a hopeful deep dive into creativity, connection, movement, laughter, art, and the science of feeling better. Along the way, Susan and Laura unpack “cheap dopamine,” creative flow states, the power of community, and why your right amygdala might be the unsung hero of your emotional well-being. A neuroscience-meets-creativity episode for anyone who could use a little more wonder, possibility, and joy right about now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E23 - Personal Instruction Manuals 13.05.2026 35m

  What if the people in our lives came with warning labels, gift receipts or invisible instruction manuals? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Laura and Susan explore the invisible “rule books” we all carry — the hidden needs, sensitivities, communication styles, expectations, and emotional landmines that shape our relationships and creative collaborations. From feedback preferences to friendship dynamics to the phrase “I might cry, but I still want you to tell me the truth,” this conversation gets honest, funny, vulnerable, and unexpectedly practical. Because maybe a little more clarity and awareness about who we are could save us all a little heartbreak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E22 - The Creative Muse 06.05.2026 32m

  What if the muse isn’t something you wait for, but something you meet? In this episode, Susan and Laura explore the evolution of the creative muse — from ancient Greek mythology (yes, daughters of Zeus included) to modern-day metaphors like demons, geniuses, broccoli, and even… a monkey driving a speedboat. Along the way, they unpack a powerful truth: The most creative people aren’t waiting for inspiration, they’re showing up – consistently – so inspiration has somewhere to land. Featuring insights from Stephen King, Elizabeth Gilbert, Anne Lamott, and more, this episode reframes creativity as a practice, not a lightning bolt strike. Plus, you’ll get a simple, doable way to build your own creative ritual – just 10 minutes a day – that can transform how you experience your creativity (and yourself). Because the key isn’t waiting for the muse to visit you, it’s visiting the muse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E21 - Expansion Anxiety 29.04.2026 41m

  What if the reason you can’t stop obsessing over that one random thing… is actually because something in your life is going really right? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Laura and Susan dive into Expansion Anxiety – the sneaky psychological pattern that shows up when you’re leveling up creatively, professionally, or personally. Just as things start to expand, your brain tries to pull you back into familiar (and often unhelpful) loops: rumination, distraction, overthinking, or fixation on problems that suddenly feel urgent. Laura shares her own real-time experience with this phenomenon and breaks down: Why your brain prefers predictability over possibility How old emotional loops disguise themselves as “new problems” The powerful practice of naming the pattern (hello, cognitive defusion) A simple 4-step method to get out of the spiral and back to what matters If you’ve ever found yourself spiraling right when things are getting good, this episode is your roadmap back to your creative center. Because sometimes the discomfort isn’t a sign you’re off track – it’s proof you’re expanding.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E20 - Good + Bad Teachers 22.04.2026 45m

  What’s the difference between a teacher who changes your life… and one who almost shuts you down for good? On this week’s episode of The Spark File Podcast, Susan brings a spark from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn — a story about a young writer learning the difference between truth and storytelling, and the teachers who shape (or try to silence) her voice. From a compassionate mentor who helps Francie harness her imagination, to a misguided teacher who literally tells her to burn her work, this episode explores the lasting impact of creative guidance — both good and bad. Along the way, Susan and Laura swap their own stories of teachers who saw their potential…  and those who didn’t. The result? A powerful reminder that you get to choose whose voice lives in your head — and who gets a firm “die, vampire, die.” If you’ve ever been encouraged, underestimated, or creatively crushed (and who hasn’t?), this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E19 - Feeling Jung 15.04.2026 41m

  What if the parts of yourself you’ve been hiding from yourself… are actually the key to your creative breakthroughs? In this episode, Laura takes us into the world of Carl Jung—by way of a late-night deep dive into Jungian psychology (and yes, just the tip of the iceberg). Along the way, she breaks down the difference between Jung and Sigmund Freud in the most Spark File way imaginable, using everything from Freudian slips to shadow selves to… Channing Tatum. Together, we explore the collective unconscious, the persona, and the shadow self—including the often-overlooked golden shadow, where your hidden brilliance might be quietly waiting. But this isn’t just a psychology lesson. It’s an invitation. To look at what you’ve tucked away, to question the roles you’ve been playing, to integrate the parts of yourself that might just be the most alive. Because your creativity doesn’t come from the polished mask…it comes from the whole, complicated, deeply human YOU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E18 - The Artist Date 08.04.2026 37m

  What if the thing your creativity needs most… isn’t more effort—but more delight? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, we’re diving into the deceptively simple, wildly powerful practice of The Artist Date — a concept from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way that might just change your creative life. If you’ve been pouring energy into making, producing, solving, and showing up — but feeling a little… creatively dry? This one’s for you. We explore what happens when you shift from constant output to intentional input — when you step away from the grind and give your imagination something to feast on. From solo breakfasts and antique warehouses to wandering with no agenda and rediscovering boredom, we unpack how curiosity, novelty, and play can reignite your creative spark. Plus: Why your inner artist might be feeling a little neglected The surprising science behind stepping away from your work The “rules” of an Artist Date (and how to break them just enough) A powerful question: What would your creativity say about your relationship? Consider this your permission slip to go wander, wonder, and maybe—just maybe—poke a bug with a stick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E17 - Defining Creativity 01.04.2026 43m

  What is creativity… really? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, we dive headfirst into one of the most slippery — and surprisingly limiting — questions in the creative world: how do we define creativity in the first place? Along the way, we unpack why so many traditional definitions leave people out, explore the difference between “revolutionary” lightning-bolt ideas and the quieter, powerful force of evolutionary creativity, and challenge the belief that creativity is reserved for the chosen few. Drawing from decades of experience (and a few delightful bloopers along the way), we land on a definition that is simple, expansive, and radically inclusive, and specifically Spark File: Creativity is applied imagination that fights for the power of good. And when you start to see it that way… everything changes. This episode is an invitation to recognize the creativity already alive in your life —and to begin using it more intentionally, more frequently, and more courageously. Because creativity isn’t just what you make. It’s how you live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E16 - Creative Hangovers 25.03.2026 36m

  What happens after the big creative push? In this episode of The Spark File Podcast, Susan and Laura dive into the all-too-real experience of the creative hangover — that strange, tender, sometimes disorienting crash that can come after a big creative risk, milestone, performance, launch, or emotional lift. One minute you’ve done the brave thing. The next? You’re flattened, fragile, weirdly ashamed, or unable to answer a single email. Inspired by a rich conversation in a recent Coach’s Corner, this episode explores why creative hangovers happen, what they can feel like, and how to care for yourself on the other side. Susan and Laura talk about everything from chemical cascades and nervous system overload to shame spirals, recovery days, processing with a trusted friend, resetting your space, and building a pre- and post-creative care plan. Because making something brave is only part of the process. Recovering with kindness is part of the creative practice too.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E15 - Ambiguous Grief 18.03.2026 39m

  What do we do with the grief that doesn’t come with a funeral, a clear ending, or even a name? In this tender and powerful episode of The Spark File Podcast, Laura shares a spark about “Ambiguous Grief” — the kind of loss that lives in the in-between. It can show up in a relationship that ended without closure, a loved one who is here physically but no longer fully here, a dream that never quite got to live, or the loss of a future you thought would be yours. Together, Susan and Laura explore what it means to grieve what is unresolved, unseen, or unfinished — and how naming that grief can help us begin to make meaning of it. They also look at the connection between ambiguous grief and creativity, and why so many of us may be carrying sorrow we’ve never been taught how to recognize. If you’ve ever felt the ache of something lost without knowing exactly how to mourn it, this episode is for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E14 - Dopamine Reset 11.03.2026 44m

  What happens when the thing you reach for to soothe yourself starts quietly stealing your time, your attention, and your creative life force? In “Dopamine Reset”, this week’s episode of The Spark File Podcast, Susan shares her deeply personal experience of getting hooked on TikTok during a season of illness and exhaustion — and what helped her find her way back. Using insights from Dr. Anna Lembke’s book, Dopamine Nation, Susan and Laura explore the science of dopamine, the sneaky design of our frictionless modern world, and the very real cost of compulsive overconsumption. They dig into how addiction can show up in surprising forms, why so many of us feel trapped in cycles of craving and numbing, and what a dopamine reset can offer us in return: more presence, more freedom, and more room for the creative work and real life that matter most. If you’ve ever looked up from your phone and thought, Wait… where did my time go? — this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E13 - Flip The Script 04.03.2026 38m

  Our latest episode of The Spark File Podcast, Flip the Script, is a dark spark with a bright creative payoff. When Laura has a vivid, unsettling dream she perceives as a warning about allowing strangers into her life, it sends her spiraling into the cultural storytelling we’ve been fed about “charismatic monsters”… and the powerful, necessary work of changing perspective. Using Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women as a jumping-off point, Laura and Susan explore what happens when you center the voices that were missing, question the narratives that benefit the powerful, and reimagine the story from the other side. It’s part true-crime cultural critique, part creativity lesson: if you think “every story has already been told,” this episode will remind you that the point of view changes everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E12 - Creating Community 25.02.2026 43m

  This episode of The Spark File Podcast, Creating Community is your reminder that creativity doesn’t thrive in a vacuum — it thrives in connection. This week, Susan and Laura talk about why community isn’t just “nice to have”… it’s essential to our mental health, our physical health, and our creative longevity. They dig into the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on loneliness, the heartbreak of creative communities that dissolve when the project ends, and the very real barriers that keep us isolated — even when we want connection more than ever. Plus: a tiny masterclass in how to be a villager (yes, including porch popsicles, front-yard coffee, and the radical practice of asking for help). If you’ve been craving your people — this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E11 - Creation By Recombination 18.02.2026 39m

  What if creativity isn’t a lightning bolt… but a mashup? In this episode, Laura shares a Blue Man Group–born concept that can instantly dissolve the “I’m not original enough” spiral: Creation by Recombination—the idea that most innovation comes from connecting existing things in a way no one’s connected them before. From Blue Man Group’s paint-splattering, percussive “existential hang,” to hip hop turning turntables into instruments, to Hamilton remixing history with hip hop and Broadway… we explore how breakthroughs happen when you borrow across fields, redefine a particular ingredient’s job description, and trust your own weird combo of obsessions. If you’ve ever thought “it’s been done before” or “someone has already said it,” this one is your freedom anthem. Because authenticity is invaluable… and your personal mental kaleidoscope is one of a kind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E10 - I Love You vs. Small Talk 11.02.2026 34m

  In this week’s episode of The Spark File, “I Love You vs. Small Talk,” Laura opens up a BIG spark (100 pounds of topic in a five-pound bag): love—romantic love, friend love, family love, self-love, love of strangers, love of pets… the whole sprawling, life-saving universe of it. Along the way, Susan and Laura tumble into the brave stuff: why “anything other than I love you is small talk” (thank you, Andrea Gibson), why saying it out loud can feel terrifying, and why love’s value doesn’t depend on whether it’s returned. They talk love languages, the quiet power of “remembering” someone, and the nervous-system magic of a simple smile or a tiny moment of connection with a stranger. And then—because this is The Spark File—Laura turns it into creative fuel: love stories are everywhere, have always been everywhere, and will never stop resonating. Whatever kind of love you’re living through (or longing for), it’s source material. It’s an invitation. Listen in for the reminder we all need right now: never be afraid to speak of love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  S7E9 - Making For Minnesota 04.02.2026 39m

  In “Making for Minnesota,” we’re asking a question that feels both tender and urgently practical: when the world is loud and scary, what can you make? Susan shares what happened after our free workshop Be the Change, But How—and how (per Martha Beck) creativity can interrupt anxiety by flipping a different switch in the brain. From there, we follow the sparks straight into Minnesota: community action in bitter cold, a heartbreaking loss, and a clear call to stop doom-scrolling and start making one thing—one call, one letter, one love note, one hat, one meal, one song, one brave conversation. This episode is part love letter, part resource list, part nervous-system balm—and a reminder that you don’t have to solve everything. You just have to make something. Featuring tools like Five Calls, a brilliant “how to help from outside Minnesota” post by Naomi Kritzer, the Overton Window, protest knitting history, and the kind of small, human neighbor-connection that turns fear into fuel. (Also: yes, we laugh. Because we’re us.) Listen if you need a hand on your shoulder and a gentle nudge: chin up, eyes out—make one thing today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices