She began in 2007, a young mother with a new baby and a small blog meant to keep the grandparents close. An introvert who’d long struggled to feel heard and seen, she found her way. It’s become a lifeline to community and to her own creativity. She’s been showing up ever since. Nearly twenty years of it - blogs, books, videos, workshops, whole worlds built and offered and reshaped.
I’m grateful to have met Corinne over a decade ago in ‘The Den’, an online book club, held by a mutual friend, for the book, ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’. If you know, you know.
There’s nothing performed about her. What you see with Corinne, is what you get; she’ll tell you so herself. A woman guided by discernment, protective of her peace, and generous enough to let us watch her love unfold.
What follows is our conversation, one that made me stand a little taller.
Grab a mug of your favorite drink, get cozy, this one’s going to be good. As a writer, I felt like I was reading an autobiography, and I’m honored to be part of it.
Origin 🕯️
Q: Take us back to the beginning. When did you first begin sharing your life online, and what were you hoping that experience might awaken, reveal, or make possible within you?
A: I began sharing my life online when my oldest child was a few months old, back in 2007. What started as a baby blog to share my son’s milestones and happenings with far away family quickly became a creative outlet for me. Initially, I didn’t have many hopes beyond keeping grandparents in the loop, but it was the early days of blogging, and I started seeing how others were sharing stories of not only their children’s lives, but their own. Connecting with other women through blogging was a lifeline in many ways - to community as well as my own creativity.
Q: Before “content creation” became an industry, what made you willing to open your home and your world to strangers?
A: Sharing online has always felt like a safe way for me to engage with the world as an introvert, as well as someone who has struggled to feel heard and seen over the course of my life. It felt like a quiet way to show who I am, what I value, and to invite others to connect in a way that felt authentic.
Q: When you first began sharing your life online, who were you then and what parts of that younger version do you still recognize in the woman and creator you are today?
A: When I started sharing, I was a young mother looking for community and connection. Looking back, I can see that I was very lonely. I can still recognize that in myself, as I think there’s some part of me that will always feel lonely, or feel like I’m on the outside looking in.
I believe that has to do with my writing heart, and the way I see the world, but back then, I thought that meant there was something wrong with me, which led to looking for validation. Now, I know that’s part of who I am, and it’s not a bad thing!
I still look for and appreciate connection, for a sense of belonging, but not at the cost of my peace and heart. Now, I know I belong in this world because I am a living, breathing, human being.
Reclamation 🕯️
Q: You said that being asked about your journey made you look at what you’ve been doing “in a kinder light.” What have you begun to recognize or appreciate about yourself that you may not have given yourself credit for before?
A: Consistency! Because I’ve started, finished, shifted so many things - blogs, websites, novels, projects, offerings, workshops, directions - the story I’ve often told myself is that I have a hard time sticking with things and don’t have much to show for the amount of time I’ve spent on this work (good grief, the inner critic can be strong!) But in reality, I’ve been consistently showing up for my creativity, specifically my writing, for the better part of twenty years. That’s a much bigger achievement than I’ve given myself credit for.
I so appreciate that part of me that said, let’s give it a try! Without her, I wouldn’t have gone on to self-publish two books, and continue to nurture my writing life and help others with theirs.
Q: What has living publicly taught you about being seen? Through admiration, connection, projection, misunderstanding, or judgement?
A: This is such a good question. The first thing that comes to mind is, no one else is paying as close attention to you as you think they are. And that can be a frustrating thing when we pour ourselves into things, but it’s also freeing! Knowing that, and looking at it as a positive means we can try new things, make mistakes, and be human. While most of us never really get rid of the fear of judgement or criticism, it lessens the burden of them for sure.
The other thing that I’ve learned is that other people’s opinions about me are none of my business. That one’s taken a long time to sink in, but it’s one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from being seen.
Q: Has there ever been a season when being visible became too costly? How did you learn to protect yourself without abandoning your desire to create and connect?
A: While I pride myself on sharing authentically, I am also very protective of my kids and wider family’s privacy. In the seasons where my kids have had struggles, or we’ve had ups and downs with extended family, it did feel too costly to be visible and it was (and still is, as we’re navigating some really icky stuff) challenging to balance creating and sharing with working through stuff behind the scenes.
Part of that is because I don’t have a good poker face, and if something is going on, it’s really hard for me not to be open about it. While I’m still not good at compartmentalizing, I’m learning how to let things compost… and grow into something that may become relatable and sharable in time, without spilling all the beans and naming names ;)
Figuring out what I want to keep to and for myself with my own journey, too, is an ongoing process that often feels like a lot of trial and error. Sometimes that means pouring into my journal more than my public facing work, or sitting on an essay instead of posting it immediately. I can often scratch the same creative itch I get with a long-form video by working on an all consuming knitting project.
Discernment, that’s the thing that protects me.
Embodiment 🕯️
Q: In preparation to wrap up your Patreon and move into a way of working that better fits this new season, what are you ready to release, and what are you hoping to make room for?
A: My Patreon was such a sweet space, and I’ll forever be grateful for it and those who supported my work through that container. When I decided to close that space, it felt like a weight had been lifted - not because of the members, but because of the hamster wheel I’d created for myself. I had organized it in a way that left little room for unmet expectations on what I’d deliver to patrons. Those deliverables were something I could fall back on, could count on, when parts of my life felt a little unmanageable this past year. But now, on the other side of a difficult time, I have the capacity for more.
I’m ready to release the grind of producing for the sake of keeping up, and am making space for work that needs its own timeline, space, and depth.
Q: In our recent conversation about YouTube, you encouraged me to play, have fun, and make something I’m proud of. Your YouTube channel is flowing beautifully. What is it giving you right now? What does Youtube allow you to do and be that other social media outlets do not?
A: The biggest thing I love about YouTube, is that I can create long form videos that don’t feel rushed or hurried. It also feels like a way for me to truly invite folks in, to spend time with me, without other distractions. The audience is different, too. They’re here for the rambles! They’re here for my multitudes and whatever I decide to share. Even with the algorithms and metrics, it feels like a place where I can play and be myself without hiding behind edited sentences and filters.
As I mentioned above, I don’t have a good poker face, and so what you see is really what you get. I’ve been met with such kindness there, and really across all my socials. But YouTube feels like a space that holds possibilities in a different way than all the others, maybe because I didn’t walk into it with a load of expectations beyond it being a way to practice speaking to the camera and trying something new!
Q: What helps you return to yourself when numbers, expectations, or the ever-changing nature of the internet interfere with the pleasure of creating?
A: I try to remember all the positive things that have happened in my life because of sharing and creating. Connection with others, how it’s helped to foster my creativity, practicing being seen and known. Also, getting some fresh air ALWAYS helps. Stepping back and remembering that in the grand scheme of things, what we post and share on the internet is such a small part of our tactile, everyday life.
The other thing that tends to help when the numbers get me down, which definitely happens, is picturing twenty people in my living room. I then imagine if those twenty people were impacted by my writing, my work, or even just had a better day because of their interaction with me. That feels huge!!
We’re striving for numbers that we can’t actually picture or feel in our hearts. But when it comes down to it, even impacting a few people’s lives in a positive way is a gigantic accomplishment.
Q: You’ve allowed people to witness parts of your home, relationships, creativity, and everyday life. How has that openness changed your own relationship with those parts of yourself?
A: I think it’s definitely been a positive thing, and has helped me to appreciate what I have right in front of me. The kind of writing, creating, and sharing I do is all about noticing and feeling. It’s about home and heart, and holding space for both joy and grief. It’s about being worthy just as we are without sugarcoating or creating false narratives. And to do that work, I have to see it in myself and in my lived experience.
Sometimes it’s easier to point it out for others, and so having the opportunity to do that for myself has been life-changing. Even without a camera in hand, I notice the way steam wafts off my teacup, and that invites a pause in my day… but also in my body. I do believe it’s because of looking at my life through the lens of inherent worthiness.
I was about to say that it’s been cultivated partly because of allowing folks to witness my life, but I’ve been sharing for so long that I’m not sure which came first. I was 25 when I started posting online, and I found my way into mothering and adulthood while also finding my words, my writing life, visual art, etc, and sharing those findings with others. Creativity involves sharing our art and letting go, and that, at the heart of it, is where allowing people to witness me and my life comes into play.
It’s part of the cycle that has been the backdrop of my adult life.
Sovereignty 🕯️
Q: How has your definition of success changed since you first began sharing online?
A: Overall, I’ve had the mindset that success means showing up and doing work that I’m proud of. If I do that, I’m successful. I’ve tried very hard not to cling to any version or definition of success that is measured by any metric, because for me it’s a recipe for disconnect and discontent. Doing the work, whatever the work is on any given day, in itself means I’ve succeeded.
Q: What does creating on your own terms look and feel like in the season of you life?
A: It look like creating space for myself, for my own deep work. It looks like slow mornings and time spent staring out the window. It looks like pausing before answering emails and texts. It looks like saying yes to the words and stories that want to come through, even without knowing where they’ll go or what will come of them. It looks like protecting my time, my peace, my space. It looks like walks through the woods and swimming in a cool, crisp lake. And it feels like sitting at my desk with a warm mug of tea in my hands, may favorite flannel shirt against my skin, and a hand-knit shawl around my shoulders.
Q: You said that connecting through the internet is still connection. Can you share an online experience that shows you just how real and meaningful those connections can be?
A: It’s so hard to pick just one! Honestly, all of my closest friends have been made through the connections made online. Most of the women I turn to with questions, big and small, are friends who started out as a person in my phone who liked a post or wrote a comment. When you meet through a shared interest, particularly a creative one, you cut through so much of the surface-level stuff that can keep a friendship at a distance.
If you already have a shared language that stems from empathy, growth, and soul, connections can’t be anything but meaningful and real.
Q: What would you say to the woman who feels called to make herself visible again but is afraid that she has been away too long, changed too much, or missed her moment?
A: I would tell her that it’s never too late! Start wherever you are, before you’re ready, and know that someone is out there who needs your wisdom, your truth, your light.
And honestly? That person might be you.
Create for yourself, make what you need or once needed, and your spark will shine through with resonance and expansiveness.
And finally, 🕯️
When do you feel like a Goddess in the Flesh, a woman fully inhabiting her own life?
A: It changes during the seasons, but there’s a recipe for sure.
As I’m writing this, we’re in the depths of summer and the days I’ve felt alive in myself have been spent floating in my favorite lake, reading by the shore, journaling, and drinking a crisp Diet Coke. In autumn, it’s when I’m out in the fields behind our house, surrounded by trees and fresh air, writing in my head as I walk. In the winter, it’s when I’m by the woodstove with my notebooks and knitting, a mug of tea always nearby. When springtime hits, I feel like I’m fully inhabiting my life when I break out the sundresses, feel skirts swish around my legs, iced tea dancing on my tongue, with windows open and fresh breezes streaming in as I freshen up my desk and find my way back to my words.
Books, journals, water, wind, fire, and earth… I am a woman fully inhabiting my own life when my senses are alive, I’m honoring my creative whims, and I’m present for and with myself.
Corinne can be found at:
Thank you Goddess, Corinne 🙏🏽
This was a pleasure.
Click here for our previous Goddess in the Flesh, Cassandra. ❤️🔥
I love this ❤️ A beautiful piece. Corinne has inspired me over the years I have been following her and this is such a lovely read.
Thank you so much for these beautiful and thoughtful questions, Lisa! It was such a joy to contemplate and answer them. Thank you for the invitation, and the companionship along our shared journey 💕✨️