People-Inspired Podcast
Connecting with people is like a vitamin B injected advanced Google search, except better. Inspiration fuels the creative process, and there is little that inspires me more than interesting people who teach me something new (which is pretty much anyone I run into these days).
Join me for this People-Inspired Podcast where I talk to inspiring people what and who inspired them. We will fill the tank and crank that inspiration flywheel, proving that one person's story is often all you need to get things rolling.
People ask what inspired me to write my debut novel, Back to Blue Holly, and the answer is easy. The book is place and PEOPLE-inspired. I relied heavily upon the compelling stories I collected traveling Kentucky with artist Kelly Brewer, painting and interviewing people from all walks of life for our Common Wealth of Kentucky Project (2022). Additional inspiration was the good folks I am lucky to know (or heard about) in the North Georgia region. And as I write my next book (about women in the Thoroughbred racing industry) and work on Kindred Spirits with Kelly (a new project about the connection between humans and animals), I'm back to being nosy Beth, poking around, asking lots of questions, and mining unsearchable, informational, and inspirational gems I cannot find anywhere else than in the people I talk to.
People-Inspired Podcast
Isabel Yates
Isabel was a participant in our Common Wealth of Kentucky Project. We interviewed her when she was 97 years old. She drove herself to Kelly's studio and told us not to tell her children. Isabel passed away at 100 years old on February 26, 2025. We published her soundbite so people could continue to hear her strong voice.