100 Episodes Later: 10 Lessons Every Writer Needs

Lisa Ellison [2:10]

All right, listeners, we’re going to keep this short and sweet by starting with number one. This is the first—and I’ll say the most important—thing I’ve learned when thinking about my top ten:

We all start knowing nothing.

I began my business, my writing career, and even this podcast with a hope, a dream, and absolutely no idea what I was doing. And if that’s you right now—congratulations. You are exactly where you’re meant to be.

I’m a little envious of you, because when you’re at the beginning, yes, it’s hard. Yes, it can feel overwhelming. Yes, it can feel like, oh my gosh, I don’t know what I’m doing. But you’re also standing in a place of infinite possibility.

The horizon is wide open—and that’s part of why it feels overwhelming. But it’s also an incredible place to be, because anything is possible. The more experience you gain, the more you tend to narrow the lane.

So, if you’re at the beginning, enjoy those infinite possibilities. And if you’re a little farther down the road, imagine what could happen if you opened yourself back up to beginner’s mind and reconnected with that experience.

That brings us to number two.

You may start out knowing nothing, but the way you figure things out and move forward is by showing up. You do that one day at a time. As you show up again and again—at your writing desk or anywhere else—you’ll find yourself farther down the road.

Which leads to number three.

As you move forward, you learn by doing. Read all the how-to books you want. Talk to all the experts. Follow all the influencers. But don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and do the task—whatever that task is—even if you have no idea how to do it.

To illustrate the power of learning by doing, let me share a well-known research experiment. In this study, one group of potters was told, “Make the very best vase you can.” Another group was told, “Make as many vases as you can.”

Guess which group made the best vase?

The group that made the most vases.

Why? Because they learned along the way. They refined their process. And that refinement—not perfection—is what led to greatness.

So, keep showing up. Allow yourself to learn as you go. That’s what leads to your growth.

Which brings us to number four.

We get better with practice—and it’s all practice. There is no arrival point when it comes to podcasting, business, or your writing life. So let go of the idea that someday you’ll arrive and instead allow yourself to practice and have fun with it.

That brings us to number five.

Everything isn’t just practice—it’s also an experiment. And through those experiments, you can either fail up or flounder.

If you’re failing up, you understand that some experiments will flourish, and others will teach you valuable lessons. Your job is simply to stay available to those lessons while continuing to support what works.

If you don’t—and I’ll be honest, I didn’t always—you may see these moments as major failures. When that happens, you flounder.

And if you’re floundering right now, let me reassure you: we’ve all been there. It’s okay.

At any moment—even in the middle of deep floundering—you can pause and say, what can I learn from this?

That brings us to number six.

There is always a pivot.

Nothing in the writing life, the podcasting world, or business stays the same. We may want it to. We may enjoy the stability of what’s working. But life is dynamic. Change is constant.

Our job is to respond to that change when it happens.

To do that, you must stay present. When you don’t allow yourself to change, stagnation sets in—and growth is no longer available.

Which leads us to number seven.

Cultivate astonishment. Lean into curiosity. Be willing to be inspired.

These qualities keep you moving forward. More importantly, they open you to new possibilities—including the pivot that may be right for you.

Which brings us to number eight.

There are many ways to be right.

If you listen to enough experts, each one will give you their version of “the right way.” They’re doing it to help—but ultimately, you must discover what works for you.

Even if no one else has said it.
Even if it goes against best practices.

You must own your process and your progress.

That brings us to number nine—and this one is counterintuitive.

The world tells us progress comes from constant forward motion: step after step after step. And while showing up matters, true progress often happens when you take breaks.

When you allow projects to marinate.

It’s in that space that you reconnect with infinite possibility and rediscover what’s right for you. So, allow yourself rest whenever you can—because rest fuels real progress.

And finally, number ten.

Set your goals. Keep your eyes on the horizon. But don’t forget to pause and look back at how far you’ve come.

This isn’t just about celebration—it’s about confidence. It’s about recognizing that you do know how to do hard things. That sense of agency builds momentum for what comes next.

Which brings me to the bonus—the thing I started with.

Gratitude.

So much of what we chase is about more. The next thing. The bigger thing. But when you stand in gratitude, you declare that what you have is enough.

You stand in abundance. And from that place, you can clearly see what’s next—while fully enjoying where you are.

So once again, I’m toasting all of you with my berry kombucha—because that’s what I can drink today. Thank you for being here for these 100 episodes, and for all that’s still to come.

I’ll be taking a short holiday break, during which I’ll share my Winter Break Double-Take series—episodes I love and that deserve a second listen. New episodes will return on January 22, 2026.

Lisa Ellison [12:12]
Until then, keep repeating this mantra:

My story matters.
When I work on it, I change the world.

You do that by freeing yourself from what no longer serves you—and becoming your truest, most authentic self.

I wish you deep rest, astonishment, and reconnection with the infinite field of possibility so that in 2026 you are ready to write on.