Episode 158 The Fire and the Quiet: Poetry, Grief, and Real Rest with Anna Jollymore

In this episode of Medium Lady Talks, Erin sits down with poet, grief coach, and tarot reader Anna Jollymore to explore what it means to slow down, feel deeply, and create from the fire within.

Anna is the author of Words for Becoming, a stunning debut collection that gazes unflinchingly at the shadow side of personal transformation. Together, Erin and Anna unpack how poetry can help us process grief, rest our overworked minds, and reconnect with our inner voice in a world that rewards constant doing.

This conversation continues Erin’s Phone Free Fall series, inviting listeners to put down their phones and pick up something slower, quieter, and infinitely more real — reflection, creativity, and the sacred art of becoming.

Key Topics Discussed

• How poetry makes space for emotions we usually rush past

• Using writing and creativity as tools for grief and transformation

• What happens when we stop numbing uncertainty with our phones

• The connection between metaphor, mindfulness, and real rest

• How poetry and tarot can ground us in embodied self-awareness

• The beauty of sincerity, authenticity, and imperfection in creative work

Guest Bio

Anna Jollymore (she/they) is a Midwestern-based author, teacher, grief expert, and professional tarot reader. Her debut poetry collection, Words for Becoming, explores the sacred tension between loss and renewal — and the ways grief can shape us into something new. Anna is also a certified Grief Recovery Method coach and facilitator who helps others make meaning through creative and spiritual practice.

📖 Words for Becoming is available now on Bookshop.org and Amazon. 📱 Follow Anna on Instagram at @thepoetannajollymore.

 

Takeaway for Listeners

If you’ve been feeling burned out, overstimulated, or disconnected from your creative side, this episode invites you back to yourself. Through poetry, journaling, and mindful stillness, you can find small, steady ways to rest — not by escaping your life, but by being more fully present in it.

Resources Mentioned

• Words for Becoming by Anna Jollymore

• The Grief Recovery Method

• Phone Free Fall series on Medium Lady Talks

• Medium Lady Reads — the sister podcast for book lovers and mindful readers

Call to Action

If this episode spoke to you, share it with a friend who’s been craving real rest or a creative spark. Subscribe to Medium Lady Talks wherever you listen, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

Join Erin’s community at mediumladycommunity.com  Follow Erin on Instagram: @medium.lady