Part 1: Where it all begins...

The Creative Courage Manifesto Part 1

I’m Rachel, space holder and creative courage guide. As a writer and former educator, mentor and coach, I know very well the territories of creativity, fear and courage.

The story of how I’ve journeyed through them is at the heart of my manifesto: what I do and why I do it.

It’s a manifesto to help you harness courage and creativity in your own self-expression—however you define it—and to feel the power of its impact.

You might ask: what do you mean by ‘manifesto’?

I love words and often begin by reflecting on their origin. The roots of ‘manifesto’ come from the Latin ‘to make public’ or ‘make obvious.’

A manifesto is a declaration of intent, a way of putting your stake in the ground: this is what I’m committed to; this is what I believe. This is why it matters.

---

The story begins with me leaving work one day and having a panic attack in the street.

Imagine me stopped in my tracks by breathlessness, bent double by the constriction in my chest and being accompanied home by a stranger.

I was in my 30s and had already forged a successful career as a university academic and literary critic, writing books and publishing papers on English and American literature. I’d submitted a perfect PhD with no corrections, worked two part-time teaching jobs while raising a newborn baby, secured a book contract, presented my research at countless conferences and gained tenure at a prestigious university.

Despite these outward signs of professional success, inside there was a huge chasm.

I’d found an element of creativity in my work, in which I got to wield words on the page writing books and research papers. I loved connecting with my students through teaching. But, being honest with myself, every time I stood on stage and gave a lecture, I was performing. I was giving voice only to parts of myself (the performer) but keeping my true self—my thoughts, feelings and perspectives about my life and the world—locked away.

I was hiding in full view.

And I wasn’t expressing who I really was—in an embodied way, on stage, or on the page.

Inside, I yearned for fuller and truer expression. But in my writing and lecturing, I was ‘going through the motions’—recycling the knowledge of authors through history: the thoughts, feelings and perspectives that other people had crafted. I wasn’t making my own work.

At a soul level, I knew there was more.

Then my Head of Department asked me to mentor a group of students on the MFA in creative writing—and everything changed.

---

What’s next in your creative journey?

As your creative courage guide, I help you integrate the creative self you bury behind your professional persona into the whole of who you are.

Here’s how I can support you:

Make an appointment for a virtual coffee (free). I hold 3-4 slots every month for a 20-minute chat so we can either get to know each other, or reconnect. This is for everyone! Perfect if you’re curious about meeting new people and making, or deepening, connections.

Book a 30-minute Creative Breakthrough call (free) to gently uncover the exact fear or limiting belief sabotaging your creative expression so you can finally share your work with confidence

Read my manifesto for creative courage (free). Follow my story in serial form about the core principles of my creativity, my journey into creative courage and why I founded Wordplay Coaching.

There are two options for working with me.

You can join the Creative Courage Circle, a community whose members are committed to authentic expression. It’s an ongoing group that supports writers, artists, creators and entrepreneurs to recognise their creative blocks, then embrace the value of their voice and witness the Creative Essence—the unique light—in others.

For those ready for deep transformation, Creative Courage Mentoring pairs private 1:1 Creative Essence work with full membership of the Creative Courage Circle—transforming the core fears and patterns that have kept you stuck into fuel for your most authentic creative expression.

If you want to explore further how we can do some powerful work together, here’s where you can book a 30 minute, no-strings Creative Breakthrough call.

---