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In this episode of What We Aim to Do, I talk with Abigail Welhouse, poet, book publicist, and horseback riding instructor, about the art of balancing multiple passions. We explore the freedom of trying new things without pressure, the hidden challenges of book publicity, and the value of curiosity as a core creative practice. Abigail shares insights on living and creating in New York City, teaching, and how embracing diverse interests has enriched her life and writing.

About the guest:

Among other things, ABIGAIL WELHOUSE is the author of Small Dog (dancing girl press), Bad Baby (dancing girl press), Too Many Humans of New York (Bottlecap Press), and Memento Mori (a poem/comic collaboration with Evan Johnston). Her poems have been published in The Toast, Yes Poetry, Ghost Ocean Magazine, and elsewhere, and her writing about food and money has been published in Edible Brooklyn, Edible Manhattan, The Billfold, and more. Subscribe to the Secret Poems of Abigail Welhouse.

She is a freelance book publicist and teaches horseback riding in New York City as a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI).

Connect with Abigail: https://www.instagram.com/welhouse

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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In this episode, I talk with poet, translator, and consultant Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. about her new poetry collection, After the Operation (Four Way Books, 2025). The book began after Elizabeth underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. In it she weaves poems, medical documents, journal entries, and memories into a thought-provoking and entirely captivating book.

We discuss the decision to have the surgery, how the poems emerged during recovery, and what it meant to give herself fully to this new work. Elizabeth talks honestly about ambition, how she’s juggled a creative life with a demanding career, and what her writing journey has looked like.

About the guest:

Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. is a poet, translator, critic, and corporate consultant. Previous collections of poetry include Salient (New Directions, 2020) and Series | India (Four Way Books, 2015). Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season (New Directions, 2022), her translations of Iran’s major modern woman poet, Forough Farrokhzad (1937–1962), was a finalist for the 2023 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. The Green Sea of Heaven, a 30th anniversary edition of her translations of Iran’s major medieval mystic poet, Háfiz (d. 1389), appeared from Monkfish Publishing in 2024. She currently serves on the Boards of Kimbilio for Black Fiction, the Beloit Poetry Journal Foundation, Friends of Writers, and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran. She was a founder and managing partner/CEO of Conflict Management, Inc. and Alliance Management Partners, LLC, boutique corporate consulting firms. She holds a BA and JD from Harvard University and an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives in New York City.

Connect with Elizabeth: https://etgrayjr.com/
Order After the Operation: https://fourwaybooks.com/site/after-the-operation/

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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In this episode, James Morehead, Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, shares his journey from writing poetry in high school to self-publishing collections like canvas, portraits of red and gray, and The Plague Doctor. James also talks about hosting the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast, and how he balances his career in tech with his creative passions. The conversation touches on the power of putting your work out there, self-publishing versus traditional routes, and how to embrace the vulnerability that comes with sharing poetry."

About the guest:

James Morehead is the Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, host of the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast, and has published several collections of poetry including "canvas”, "portraits of red and gray", and "The Plague Doctor." James' poem "tethered" was transformed into an award-winning hand drawn animated short film, "gallery" was set to music for baritone and piano, and his poems have appeared in the Ignatian Literary Magazine, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, 2nd Place - Oprelle Oxbow Poetry Contest 2022, Citron Review, Ekphrastic Review, Loud Coffee Press, Cathexis Northwest Press, and other publications. James has performed his poetry at the Patagonia Poet Laureate Celebration, on the SF Chronicle's Total SF podcast, on NPR's Poetically Yours, as Guest Poet at the 20th Annual Haiku Festival (Chicago), and other events.

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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Jason Stevens is the creative mind behind Future vs. Fiction, a project that blends corporate themes with fictional storytelling. Having worked closely with Jason as an editor on Future vs. Fiction, I experienced firsthand the collaborative energy that drives his work. Together, we discuss how creativity, self-confidence, and business intersect, especially within the context of corporate dynamics and personal growth. Jason shares his insights on branding, freelancing, and the power of storytelling in both professional and personal contexts.

About the guest:

Jason Stevens is a creative producer, brand strategist, and founder with a passion for storytelling and brand building. With a career that spans project management, design operations, and client services, Jason has worked with top companies like HubSpot, AMP Agency, and Northeastern University’s in-house creative team. As the founder of JasonOStevens.Co., he helps brands create unique platforms through creative production, content development, and strategic branding initiatives. His latest project, Future vs. Fiction, uses narrative to explore corporate challenges, and he continues to push boundaries with his forward-thinking approach to brand experiences.

Connect with Jason:

Jason's website!
Jason's LinkedIn!
Future vs Fiction

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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When you open Us From Nothing, you're immediately drawn into a vast historical journey—one that begins with the Big Bang and traces the unfolding of the universe right up to our near future. Geoff Bouvier’s third collection of prose poetry takes on the ambitious task of condensing cosmic history into intricate, beautiful cantos.

In our conversation, Geoff shares insights into the creation of this ambitious work, his influences, and the role luck and surprise have played in his career.

About the guest:

Geoff Bouvier’s third full-length volume of prose poetry, Us From Nothing, is a poetic history that stretches from the big bang to the near future. It will be published in 2023 in Canada (from Wolsak and Wynn’s Buckrider imprint) and in 2024 in the United States (by Black Lawrence Press). His first book, Living Room, was selected by Heather McHugh as the winner of the 2005 APR/Honickman Prize. His second book, Glass Harmonica, was published in 2011 by Quale Press. Recent writings have appeared in American Poetry Review, Barrow Street, Denver Quarterly, jubilat, New American Writing, Western Humanities Review, and VOLT. He received an MFA from Bard College’s Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts in 1997, and a PhD in Creative Writing from Florida State University in 2016. In 2009, he was the Roberta C. Holloway visiting poet at the University of California-Berkeley. He lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his partner, the novelist SJ Sindu, and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Connect with Geoff:

https://geoffbouvier.com/

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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"It is a radical act to not fold yourself under. It is a radical act to say, I'm going to take this time and go write a poem because I want to - because it makes me feel whole and because I find it fulfilling."- william katharine ‘wim’ blair, founding editor of kith books.

I spent this conversation with wim frantically writing down notes and pausing for too long, simply to reflect on what was being said. We spoke back in June and I have thought about this conversation repeatedly since. We talk about so much - personal responsibility, art making, disability, crafting supportive environments, autonomy. There are so many insights in this conversation that I keep returning to.

This episode begins with a discussion about the occasional instances when writers withdraw their work from journals after it has been accepted.

About the guest:

william katharine ‘wim’ blair
publisher • writer • tired • mother • hungry • scared [reversed]
founding editor of kith books & co-eic of corporeal & en*gendered with cora hermes
williamkatharine.com
www.kithbooks.com

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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Transparency in the online business space is rare, which is part of why I love talking to Colleen Welsh. She's open, honest, and willing to discuss the less-than-glamourous side of being a business owner.

In this conversation, we discusses the challenges of setting up a business, the importance of organization and templates, and the overwhelming responsibility of having an audience. Colleen also talks about the drawbacks of being a course creator and coach, including the difficulty of controlling the outcomes for students and the mental strain of feeling responsible for others' success. She offers advice on building an exit plan for your business and emphasizes the importance of knowing yourself and making decisions that align with your values.

About the guest:

Colleen Welsch is a singer-songwriter, music producer, comedian, YouTuber, copywriter, and business owner.

Links!

Colleen’s Youtube Channel
Colleen Welsch, Singer-Songwriter

Listen to my first interview with Colleen.

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.

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Jason McGlone runs Pencilhouse, a 501c3 organization that helps writers improve their craft and writing practice. They offer a free feedback program, host virtual and in-person writing room events, and publish the literary magazine Zero Readers.

In this episode, I ask Jason about Pencilhouse, his own writing journey, and we share our favorite feedback stories. If you're not a writer, you might want to sit this one out :)

About the guest:

Jason W. McGlone is the author of Look How We Are (2024, Plan B Press) His work has appeared in Stanchion Zine, Olney Magazine, Autofocus, X-R-A-Y, and BS/WS, from which he received a 2022 Best of the Net nomination. He runs the writing nonprofit Pencilhouse and is Publisher of its accompanying journal, Zero Readers. Jason lives in the Cincinnati area, where he lives with his family and their heterochromatic dog. He’s currently working on a novel and is on various socials @maoglone.

Links!

Pencilhouse.org
Support Pencilhouse on tour
Pencilhouse Patreon
Jason on Twitter!
Zero Readers

What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.

www.whatweaimtodo.com

Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.