When was the last time you made something just because it brought you joy? Not for a client, not for a deadline, not for an audience. Just for you.
Isabel Ely spent the first year of the Marketer Collaborative as Amy’s right hand. Now she coaches women from Southern California, cooks for retreats, and makes the case that play belongs on your calendar.
In this Power Lounge member episode, Amy Vaughan sits down with Isabel Ely, holistic health coach and private chef with Seasoned Soul Society, to talk about creativity and burnout. For women in digital juggling deadlines, clients and everyone else’s needs, creativity is usually the first thing to go. Isabel shares what disconnection actually sounds like, why she hates rigid wellness rules, how cooking for a room full of women builds trust, and what living in your natural rhythm looks like on a regular Tuesday afternoon.
Key takeaways
• Creativity is bigger than painting or writing. A walk without a podcast, a new recipe or simply listening to your breath all count.
• Disconnection often shows up as dropped hobbies. Not reading a book in three months can tell you more than any single symptom.
• Rigid rules push people away from their wellness goals. Education, flexibility and belief keep them going.
• Cycle syncing, the way Isabel teaches it, is information, not judgment: planning food, movement and your calendar around how you actually feel.
• One small step: find a calendar block that is not a requirement, take it off, and replace it with something that is just for you.
Quotes
“Using your time for you is not selfish.” Isabel Ely
“Somewhere along the way, many of us filed creativity under optional.” Amy Vaughan
Timestamps
00:00 When did you last make something just for joy?
00:49 Meet Isabel Ely
02:43 Building the Marketer Collaborative together
04:46 Coaching and cooking: which came first
08:01 What disconnection actually looks like
10:46 Why creativity is the first thing we drop under stress
15:22 Why Isabel hates rigid wellness rules
19:16 Feminine energy, creativity and play
22:31 What feeding a room full of women teaches you
26:12 Living in your natural rhythm on a normal Tuesday
30:24 One small step to make time for creativity this week
33:27 What is next for Seasoned Soul Society
37:28 Power round
40:22 Wrap up
A note from Amy
Today’s conversation is about wellbeing and creativity, not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about anything specific to you.
Connect
Isabel Ely on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelely
Seasoned Soul Society: https://seasonedsoulsociety.com/
Together Digital: https://www.togetherindigital.com
The Power Lounge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@togetherindigital3269
About the show
The Power Lounge is the weekly women leadership podcast from Together Digital, a community of women in digital who choose to share their knowledge, power and connections. Keep asking, keep giving, and keep growing.
