Shows
Village VoiceBlinded with Insecurity🎙 Blinded with InsecurityIn this episode of Village Voice, I read an essay I memorized… because I’m blind and I can’t visually read my own formatting.Essay- “The Words I’ll Never Read.”What I CoverWhat it’s like building a writing platform without sightNavigating Substack by sound instead of visionThe irony of coaching writers while using assistive technologyWhy trying to “fix” insecurity can actually reinforce itChoosing permission over perfectionI talk about what it’s like publishing...
2026-02-1208 min
Village VoiceThe Violence I Carried was Never MineThe Violence I Carried Was Never Mine is a reflection on surviving childhood abuse, the invisible inheritance of an abuser’s voice, and the quiet, unglamorous courage it takes to unlearn what was never yours to hold.This is not a story about rage or revenge.It’s about recognizing how survival habits turn into identity, and how reclaiming your voice often happens in small, ordinary choices no one applauds.This episode is an offering.A setting down.A reminder that what shaped you does not get to define you...
2026-02-0906 min
Village VoiceVoice of the VillageThis episode is a little different.For the next few episodes, I’ll be re-recording and sharing some of my earlier essays, personal pieces, short reflections, and excerpts from my memoir and reading them myself here on the podcast.Some of them are tender.Some are heavy.Some sit right in that complicated middle space where life doesn’t make sense yet.I’m in a season where things feel… unfinished. And instead of rushing past it, I wanted to invite you into it with me.These episodes...
2026-02-0901 min
Village VoiceTHE WOMAN I WAS NOT RAISED TO BESome of us weren’t raised to become ourselves, we were raised to be manageable. Quiet. Small. This Village Voice essay is a raw return to truth: burning the survival costume, reclaiming instinct, and choosing the real you.Written & Read by Alli GatlinTHE WOMAN I WAS NOT RAISED TO BEI was not built by the people who were supposed to shape me.Built in the wreckage of everything they broke.I was not raised to be this version.I was molded to survive. To stay qu...
2026-01-1503 min
Village VoiceRadical Curiosity Can Break Emotional SpiralsThis episode is a real time riff on radical curiosity. Not the polished, self help kind. The kind you actually reach for when you’re spiraling, overthinking, or stuck in the same damn conversations with the people you love.We start with the question most of us avoid:What if you’re wrong?What if your belief isn’t the best version of it?What if your life could actually get better?Wouldn’t that be fucking sick?In this episode, I talk about how curiosit...
2026-01-1508 min
Village VoiceWhat if Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat … ?I want to talk about radical curiosity.Not the cute, casual kind.Not “huh, that’s interesting.”I mean the kind where you’re almost excited to be wrong.Because being wrong isn’t a failure.It’s proof that your world just got bigger.This is the Village Voice.I’m Alli Gatlin — your Menace of clarity — home of the the Written Identity Podcast.The place where we talk perspective, journaling, identity…and the messy, human reality of being alive.S...
2026-01-1202 min
Village VoiceLOST IN THE SAUCE?VILLAGE Voice- Episode 3 Hello.This is the Village Voice.And it’s the first Friday of the new year.No fireworks.No damn lists.No resolutions.And there is zero pressure to start fresh.I’m not here to hand you a strategy for the year.I’m not here to tell you how everything is supposed to go.I just want to talk for a couple minutes about something small.So small you might think, that’s fuckin...
2026-01-0305 min
Village VoiceAt the Edges of Clarity, You’ll Find a Banana🎙️DID GWEN HAVE IT RIGHT ALL ALONG🍌? 🎙️Shit is bananasB A N A N A SAnd honestly what a fucking relief it was to revel in banana peels and welcome over 1000 new Members to the village. New friends to writers, new humans that just want to EXIST- & CLEARLY EAT BANANA BREAD. I will take this as our VILLAGE CUE FOR 3 things-1- please have a healthy snack today feed your body2- let things unfold in unexpected ways… radical curiosity is a wild ride and worth it..
2025-12-2712 min
Village VoiceThe Village VoiceFriday check-in and inside view of the Written Identity Village but overall just a love note.I slowed down this week to listen to my body, and you’re invited to do the same.Deep gratitude for this community’s support and care.This village is becoming everything I once wished for.We’re 12 members away from 100 in under two months, which feels wild and humbling.To say thank you, premium tier prices are temporarily lowered, and upgrades are grandfathered at the lower rate.There’s no pressure...
2025-12-1907 min