The Modern Creative Woman
The art and science of creativity, made simple.
Through the lens of art therapy, neurocreativity, and cutting-edge research, you’ll learn not just why you create, but how to create with more freedom, intention, and joy. Dr. Amy Backos — author, art therapist, psychologist, professor and researcher, with 30+ years of experience — unpacks the evidence-based psychology behind creative living.
Come for the science. Stay for the transformation.
Episodes
143 episodes
142. Interview: Dr. Louvenia Jackson, Art Therapy & Cultural Humility
In this deeply meaningful conversation, I sit down with Dr. Lavinia Jackson — Chair and Professor of Art Therapy at Marymount University, scholar, educator, and one of the most important voices shaping the future of our field.Dr. Jackson...
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Season 3
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Episode 141
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50:57
141. Getting into Your Zone
Pick our metaphor to make your life a little easier and more enjoyable. Getting into your zone is the key to living your purpose with clarity, intention, and creativity.
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Season 3
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Episode 140
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11:50
140. Containers, Not Motivation
If your creative energy feels fragile right now, ask yourself not how to push harder or where to recruit more willpower. Instead, ask yourself what kind of container it's been asked to survive in. This episode draws your attention a...
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Season 3
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Episode 140
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9:42
139. How Beauty Heals: Neuroaesthetics, Art, and Peace
There is enormous variety in the universe of visual art—and in this episode of The Modern Creative Woman, we explore why that matters so deeply to the human brain and nervous system.Inspired by research from the field of neur...
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Season 3
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Episode 139
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18:40
138. Creativity Built the World—Now It’s Your Turn
In this episode, I’m welcoming 2026 with a reflection on creativity as a fundamental human force—the energy behind civilization, healing, meaning, and change. As I begin the early, tender labor of writing my next book, I wanted to share some of...
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Season 3
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Episode 138
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10:30
137. Live Your Values in the New Year
"Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women." -Maya Angelou As we cross the threshold from 2025 into 2026, this episode invites you to pause, reflect, and choose a different way forward—one rooted in values...
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Season 3
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Episode 137
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20:38
136. The Break Your Brain Is Begging For
“Self-care is how you take your power back.”— Lila Delia🧠 In This EpisodeWhy purpose = values + committed action (from an ACT perspective)How values differ from goals — and why that matters for lo...
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Season 3
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Episode 136
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22:20
135. The Neuropsychological Change Process and the Art Response
In this episode of The Modern Creative Woman, Dr. Amy Backos continues the conversation on creating more chill holidays by exploring the neuropsychology of choice, habit, and tradition. She weaves personal reflection wi...
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Season 3
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Episode 135
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20:30
134. Stop Doing Too Much: Create Your Chill Holiday
The Process Is the Way: How to Actually Enjoy Your Holiday SeasonIn this episode, Amy shares the surprising truth about the exact right moment to pause, relax, and return to yourself: when you fe...
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Season 3
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Episode 134
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30:48
133. That Quiet Drift Away From Ourselves...and How to Return
In this episode, Dr. Amy Backos takes you inside a moment every creative woman knows too well—the quiet drift away from our creativity and, in many ways, from ourselves. What begins as a blank page or stalled idea can quickly snowball into self...
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Season 3
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Episode 133
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20:28
132. Taking Control of Your Brain
In this week’s episode, Dr. Amy Backos invites listeners into a grounding and honest conversation about the power of values—especially as we head into a season filled with expectations, pressure, and anticipatory anxiety. Using the Buddha’s tea...
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Season 3
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Episode 132
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27:42
131. Creativity and Context
"Creativity itself doesn't care about results. The only thing it craves is the process. Learn to love the process and let whatever happens happen next without fussing too much about it. Work like a monk or a mule or some other representative me...
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Season 3
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Episode 131
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21:39
130. The Product Matters Less Than You Think
“You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right.” - Aung San Suu KyiIn this episode, Dr. Amy Backos invites you to rethink your relationship with creativity, success, and even everyday life. Amy explo...
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Season 3
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Episode 130
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24:20
129. Why Compassion Is the Hardest (and Most Powerful) Thing You Can Do
“Extending yourself in compassion to another human being changes the nature of your relationship. The acknowledgment of one human being to another is what bonds, strengthens, and expands the human connection.”— Oprah Winfrey...
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Season 3
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Episode 129
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19:20
128. Curating Your Psychological Environment: The Art of Inner and Outer Harmony
“The environment is where we all meet. Where all of us have a mutual interest. It is the one thing all of us share.” - Lady Bird Johnson In this episode, Dr. Amy Backos, psychologist and art therapist, explores the powerful relation...
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Season 3
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Episode 128
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37:03
127. Your Body Knows: The Science of Embodied Cognition
The body remembers the bones. Remember the joints. Remember even the little finger remembers. Memory is lodged in pictures and feelings in cells themselves." -Clarissa Pinkola, EstesEpisode Summary:I...
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Season 3
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Episode 127
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31:38
126. Five Ways to Reignite Your Creative Power
"Play is the state of mind that we can use in our creative process to our advantage." Jessica Walsh Grab your Modern Creative Woman Manifest Here!
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Season 3
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Episode 126
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23:57
125. Desire, Sex & Creativity: Interview with Sex Therapist, Skylar Collé
"Is this hot or not hot?"Skylar Collé holds a dual Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy, and she is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Sexology. Her research focuses on the 4-D Wheel as a tool for embodied, li...
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Season 3
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Episode 125
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1:10:10
124. Tea, Community, and the Psychology of Awe
"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." – Henri NouwenThis week on The Modern Creative Woman Podcast, Dr. Amy shares reflections from hosting a benefit tea party for I ...
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Season 3
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Episode 124
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14:58
123. From Hopeless to Hopeful: Simple Creative Shifts
“I would sooner live in a cottage and wonder at everything. Then live in a castle and wonder at nothing.” Joan Windmill Brown Hope is not just a feeling — it’s a practice, a mindset, and a vital ingredient for healing and grow...
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Season 3
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Episode 123
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20:06
122. The $100 Experiment That Changed My Self Image
“It is only a thought and thoughts can be changed.” - Louise Hay In this powerful episode of The Modern Creative Woman Podcast, Dr. Amy Backos dives into one of the most liberating concepts fro...
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Season 3
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Episode 122
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23:03
121. Add this One Habit for Peace of Mind
“A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night.” -Marilyn Vos Savant Join your Modern Creative Woman retreat here: https://...
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Season 3
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Episode 120
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25:09
120. Women in Community
“If we're by ourselves, we come to feel crazy and alone. We need to make alternate families of small groups of women who support each other. Talk to each other regularly, can speak their truths and their experiences, and find they're not alone ...
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Season 3
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Episode 120
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21:53
119. Happy Birthday to My Mom
“Knowing what you don't want is just as important as knowing what you do want.” -My MomIt's my mom's birthday today and I thought I would share 12 of the truisms she taught me growing up and ho...
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Season 3
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Episode 119
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13:43
118. Let's Catch Up!
This episode is just you and me. I thought it would be a great time for us to catch up on what's happening and let you know what I've been up to. It will be a little bit of a different episode...rather than talking with you about art therapy an...
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Season 3
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Episode 118
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21:52