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The Modern Creative Woman

The Modern Creative Woman

Dr. Amy Backos 177 episodes Nov 11, 2026

The Modern Creative Woman explores the art and science of creativity, breaking it down into simple, practical ideas. Hosted by Dr. Amy Backos, an author, art therapist, psychologist, professor and researcher with over 30 years of experience, the show draws on art therapy, neurocreativity and current research. Listeners learn not only why people create, but how to create with more freedom, intention and joy. Each episode unpacks the evidence-based psychology behind creative living and its power to transform.

Episodes

182. The Woman You're Becoming: Why Personal Growth Takes Time
182. The Woman You're Becoming: Why Personal Growth Takes Time Nov 11, 2026 23:00 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Health is more than the absence of anxiety or the ability to get through the day without distress. It involves an ongoing willingness to understand ourselves, recognize familiar patterns, and make different choices as we grow.In this episode, I'm exploring the complexity of personal growth and what it means to commit to becoming the woman you wa
181. Why Your Mind Won't Leave You Alone (And What to Do About It)
181. Why Your Mind Won't Leave You Alone (And What to Do About It) Nov 4, 2026 21:44 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Have you ever been out for a walk, only to realize you've spent the entire time having an imaginary conversation with someone you haven't spoken to in years? Or climbed into bed exhausted, only to find your mind suddenly ready to review the day's conversations, plan tomorrow, and revisit something you said fifteen years ago?You're
180. You Don't Need More Time
180. You Don't Need More Time Oct 28, 2026 25:57 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Time is passing. It always has been, and it always will be. But how much of the time we have are we actually experiencing?In this episode of The Modern Creative Woman Podcast, I’m thinking about what happens when we spend our lives thinking about time: worrying that we don't have enough of it, rushing through our days, looking ahead to the next
179. What If Your Differences Are Exactly What Make You Creative?
179. What If Your Differences Are Exactly What Make You Creative? Oct 21, 2026 24:15 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?Amy explores this very old question through psychology, philosophy, anthropology, music, genetics, and the creative process. From Plato and Aristotle to Oscar Wilde, Susan Sontag, Virginia Woolf, and Toni Morrison, she looks at the many ways humans have tried to understand the relationship between what
178. Synchronicity: What Is Your Mind Trying to Notice?
178. Synchronicity: What Is Your Mind Trying to Notice? Oct 14, 2026 28:28 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!I'd like to invite you to my online Paris Soiree. Click here to receive your invitation.Synchronicity: What Is Your Mind Trying to Notice?Have you ever thought about someone and then heard from them? Learned a new word and suddenly started noticing it everywhere? Seen an animal, image, number, or symbol repeatedly and wondered whether it meant s
177. You Are Allowed to Evolve: Rethinking Purpose, Values, and What Matters Now
177. You Are Allowed to Evolve: Rethinking Purpose, Values, and What Matters Now Oct 7, 2026 22:56 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!You Are Allowed to Evolve: Rethinking Purpose, Values, and What Matters NowWhat mattered to you when you were 15?Maybe it was friends, school, family, dating, fitting in—or simply getting through the day. Now think about what matters to you today. Chances are, some things have changed dramatically, while others have stayed surprisingly consistent.In
176. How to Keep Expanding Your World
176. How to Keep Expanding Your World Sep 30, 2026 20:51 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!As we get older, some of the things that once nourished us can quietly disappear from our lives. We socialize less because staying home feels easier. We move less. We stop taking classes, going to events, getting dressed for the day, seeing friends, or making time for the things that once brought us joy.Life changes, of course. Our families change, o
175. Stop Waiting to Live Your Life: How Art and Creativity Can Transform Your Everyday
175. Stop Waiting to Live Your Life: How Art and Creativity Can Transform Your Everyday Sep 23, 2026 20:51 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Are you waiting for life to become easier, calmer, or more interesting before you really start enjoying it?Maybe you're waiting until the kids are older. Until you retire. Until the big project is finished. Until you have more time. So much of adult life can become a series of things we need to finish before we allow ourselves to enjoy what is h
174. Are You Living Your Life, or Someone Else’s?
174. Are You Living Your Life, or Someone Else’s? Sep 16, 2026 21:54 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!Are You Living Your Life, or Someone Else’s?Episode SummaryWhat happens when we spend so much time online that we lose touch with our own preferences, pleasures, and experiences?In this episode of The Modern Creative Woman, Dr. Amy Backos explores neuroaesthetics and the powerful role that beauty, art, architecture, color, texture, and our physical e
173. Present Moment Awareness: Why Being Here Changes Everything
173. Present Moment Awareness: Why Being Here Changes Everything Sep 9, 2026 34:59 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!How often are you actually present for your own life?Research suggests that nearly half of our waking hours are spent thinking about something other than what we are doing. Our minds wander into the past, the future, imagined conversations, worries, plans, comparisons, and everything else competing for our attention.In this episode of The Modern Crea
172. Glamour Isn't a Guilty Pleasure — It's a Strategy
172. Glamour Isn't a Guilty Pleasure — It's a Strategy Sep 2, 2026 34:59 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!This episode of The Modern Creative Woman reframes glamour as a "womanly art" — an intentional, creative practice of shaping your environment, style, and self-presentation — rather than vanity or performing for the male gaze. Dr. Amy opens with Natalie Portman's account of being sexualized young in Hollywood, then traces how women like
171. The Stories Your Brain Keeps Repeating: Neuropsychological Strategies to Change Your Inner Narratives
171. The Stories Your Brain Keeps Repeating: Neuropsychological Strategies to Change Your Inner Narratives Aug 26, 2026 29:28 Ask me a question or let me know what you think!What if the way you see the world is being shaped long before you consciously decide what you think?In this episode of The Modern Creative Woman, Dr. Amy Backos explores value priming, the fascinating psychological process through which our previous experiences, environment, relationships, media, and repeated thoughts influence how we interpret what

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