Why Your Journal Might Be the Best Therapist You’ve Never Met 🧠📓

Published 16 days ago • 5 min read

Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads

Podcast for Mental Health Insights, Compassion, and Friendship

This Episode episode is Live Today

👋Hey beautiful humans,

Have you ever written “F*ck” in a journal and called it therapy? Because same. 😅 Today's episode is for everyone who’s ever stared at a blank page, not knowing what to write, or felt like their stories didn’t matter. Spoiler alert: They do. And journaling could be the simplest way to remember who the hell you are.

This Thursday at 3 AM ET, tune in to hear from Leigh Shulman, a writing mentor, bestselling author, and expert in using words to heal. Trust us: You’ll want to grab a notebook (and maybe a match for the ones you wanna burn 🔥).

🧘‍♀️ Mental Health Quote

“Time for yourself isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.” ⏳❤️

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📝 Podcast Reflection Worksheet

Turn insight into action! 🧠 After you tune in, take 10 minutes with our Podcast Reflection Worksheet—a space to jot down key takeaways, emotional moments, and how you’ll use what you’ve learned. Healing is real work, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. 📝💙Podcast Worksheet _08_07_25_Journaling as Therapy – Leigh’s Path from Pain to Peace.pdf​

🎙️ Episode Description

In this week’s episode of Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads, we sit down with the wonderfully grounded and refreshingly honest Leigh Shulman—bestselling author, writing mentor, and self-proclaimed writing hoarder—to unpack how journaling saved her mental health.

Leigh shares how she’s been journaling since the age of 12, how her “f*ck” journal entries are just as valid as her gratitude lists, and why writing doesn’t need to be pretty—it just needs to be true. From managing anxiety and imposter syndrome to burning old notebooks in bonfires (yes, really), Leigh offers raw stories and real tools for anyone who feels lost, overwhelmed, or creatively stuck.

She also dishes on why so many people don’t give themselves permission to be writers—even after publishing books—and how journaling can help you reclaim your voice, one messy, beautiful entry at a time.

You’ll also hear from our hosts, G Rex and Dirty Skittles, about their own journaling journeys, how they’ve used writing as a form of survival, and why Leigh’s message hit them in all the feels.

This episode isn’t just about journaling—it’s about identity, healing, and showing up when it’s hardest.

🎧 Meet Our Guest: Leigh Shulman

Bestselling author. Story mentor. Community builder. Notebook hoarder.

Leigh Shulman isn’t just a writer—she’s a fierce advocate for personal storytelling as a path to healing, purpose, and truth. With over 20 years of experience, she’s helped thousands of people reconnect with their creativity and sense of self through the simple but powerful act of writing things down.

She’s the founder of The Inspired Writer Community, an online mentorship space where writers at any stage—whether you’re scribbling on napkins or self-publishing your fifth book—can find clarity, confidence, and support. Her book, The Writer’s Roadmap: Paving the Way To Your Ideal Writing Life, is a go-to guide for aspiring authors ready to finally call themselves “writers” without flinching.

Leigh has led international writing retreats, guided healing workshops, and her work has been featured in top publications like The New York Times, Washington Post, Longreads, and Guernica.

Currently living in Argentina with her family, she’s passionate about tomatoes, detests dulce de leche (we know, controversial 🍮), and is living proof that you don’t need to be perfect to be powerful.

What makes Leigh different? She doesn’t just teach writing—she teaches believing in yourself through the act of writing.

🔗 Find and Follow Leigh

📝 Writing to Heal: Journaling, Identity & the Power of Telling Your Story

What if the path to peace isn’t a breakthrough moment—but a blank page waiting for your truth? In this soul-stirring episode, writer and mentor Leigh Shulman shares how journaling became her mental health lifeline—and how writing without rules helped her face grief, imposter syndrome, and the fear of not being “enough.”

From discovering joy in tiny, overlooked moments to letting go of perfectionism, Leigh reminds us that healing doesn’t have to be loud. Sometimes, it looks like one honest sentence at a time. This isn’t just about journaling—it’s about remembering who you are underneath the noise.

✨ This one’s for the quiet fighters—the ones carrying stories too heavy to speak out loud. If you’ve ever felt stuck, unseen, or like you’ve lost your voice… this episode is your invitation to pick up the pen and come back home to yourself.

🧠 Journaling as Mental Health Leigh opens up about how writing helped her manage anxiety, recognize self-sabotage, and reconnect with what truly matters—herself.

💬 There Are No Rules Forget the “right” way to journal. Leigh encourages messy entries, one-word pages, and even voice notes. What matters is showing up.

🫀 A Quote That Stuck with Us “There’s no ‘should’ in journaling. You just need to trust yourself—and let the words lead.”

🎙️ Real Talk from the Hosts

“Some days my journal says one word: fuck. That still counts.” – G Rex

“Leigh reminded me it’s not about being a writer. It’s about not losing myself again.” – Dirty Skittles

📓 Journal Prompts to Sit With

• What truth are you afraid to write down?

• Where have you been trying to be perfect instead of being real?

• What are three small things that brought you joy today?

🌱 Gentle Reminder Healing doesn’t always require a therapist’s office. Sometimes, it just takes a notebook, a little time, and the courage to start.

📚 References & Resources

  • The Writer’s Roadmap by Leigh Shulman
  • The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
  • Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” method
  • Leigh’s vision board tip: curate a joy gallery in your phone with images of things that make you happy 🌸

💌 Special Shout-Out: Women Supporting Women

Big thanks to Melissa Crook of The F.E.E.L Podcast for helping women redefine wellness 💪💜

✨ Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Course A self-paced journey to help women 20+ reconnect with their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

➡️ Explore the Course 📘 Get the Workbook​

🔑 Key Takeaways

  1. You don’t have to be a “writer” to write. Your journal is your space, no rules required.
  2. Letting go isn’t a one-time thing. Leigh’s story reminds us that surrender is part of growth.
  3. The “small” moments matter. A tomato at a farmer’s market changed Leigh’s life. What little thing might change yours?

✅ Actionable Takeaways

  1. Start a daily journaling ritual—even just 5 minutes.
  2. Create a “joy folder” in your phone full of photos, sounds, or quotes that lift your mood.
  3. Contact Leigh (seriously!)—she loves hearing your stories, raw and unfiltered.

🎧 Listener Engagement

We want to hear from you! 📣 What’s the weirdest, wildest, or most healing thing you’ve ever written in a journal? Reply to this email or DM us on IG @grex_and_dirtyskittles ✍️💌

⭐ Subscribe, Rate & Review

Love what you hear? Let us know! Your reviews help more people find us and join the mental health convo. Plus, we might just read yours on the next episode 😉

✌️ Closing Vibes

Thanks for hanging out with us today. Whether you’re journaling in the dark, screaming into your notes app, or just learning how to give yourself 10 quiet minutes—know that you’re not alone in this.

💜 We see you. We hear you. We are you.
– G Rex & Dirty Skittles

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G-Rex & Dirty Skittles

It's ok to be not ok, just make sure you're talking to someone
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