Screenwriter Leigh Medeiros is merging her siloes

And wants you to, too

Leigh Medeiros is an award-winning screenwriter, author, an all-around creative who when she isn't making her own work, is helping others make theirs. Leigh is the author of The 1-Minute Writer: 396 Micro Prompts to Spark Creativity and Recharge Your Writing. She also writes a column for Script Magazine called The Climate Screenwriter, is the co-producer of the Writing Climate Pitch Fest, and founded the Linden Place Writer's Residency in Bristol, Rhode Island.

As you can probably tell by how many times I've said the word ‘climate,’ Leigh is devoted to helping artists create work that reflects the world around us—literally. And, fun fact—she hugs trees!

I also just want to say that I am lucky enough to know Leigh in person, and every time I see her, I feel like my batteries get recharged and I just want to give her a huge hug and take in every word that she says, like manna from heaven. I mean, look at my face:

I think you will feel the same, listening to these episodes, in which we cover:

• How screenwriting is like a bad boyfriend

• How her focus on writing screenplays with a climate angle is the perfect intersection of her personal Venn diagram

• Using fellowships to spur new ideas (whether you actually get them or not)

• The podcasts that lit a fire under Leigh’s butt to start writing about climate

• How “merging your siloes” uplevels your work and your being

• Leigh’s morning cacao ceremony and the unexpected beings she shares it with

• The hacks she uses to stay focused when actually trying to, you know, write

• What’s your talisman?

• Why it’s crucial that you share your work without disclaiming it

• The screenplay she almost gave up on because her inner critic was going bananas—a hilarious and so relatable story

• Why it matters that you pursue your art (prepare to shed a tear or two)

• Why Leigh finds many social media videos incredibly inspirational  

• The importance of expanding your capacity

Leigh writing outside on a summer day, looking, as she says, “both hot and a mess”

Lightbulb moments:

• When you unite your disparate interests/parts of yourself, that alignment helps you grow

• “You have to be strong enough not to believe the things that you tell yourself about yourself.”

• How America’s cultural messaging that the arts aren’t important impacts creatives

The cacao ceremony in action

Specific things we talked about:

• Drilled podcast

• America Adapts podcast

• PYM’s attention chews (not attention shoes!)

• The cacao Leigh loves

• Deadloch, the police procedural/dramedy Leigh “enjoyed the heck out of”

• Nana Tuckit, environmental educator and social media star

• Connie Walker, CBC journalist, and her podcast Stolen

• The Coffitivity app that plays ambient noise from coffee shops to help you focus (also check out #coffitivity on YouTube)

• Binaural beats playlist on Spotify

• Franken Sundae, RIP, a now defunct build-your-own ice cream sundae place in New Hampshire

Listen to Leigh’s interview:

Part 1: The power of merging your siloes + pretty awesome attention hacks

Find parts 2 and 3 here

And if you’d rather get these interviews in one, ad-free episode, upgrade to paid!

Connect with Leigh:

Hollywood Climate Summit

Writing Climate Pitch Fest

Leigh on Instagram

Leigh’s website

Listen to previous episodes:

• Tracey Lewis-Giggets, part 1: The writing rules she once taught and now ignores

• Tracey Lewis-Giggets, part 2: Dealing with inner meanines + acknowledging the gifts of rejection

• Tracey Lewis-Giggets, part 3: The bittersweet healing of parenting + learning from Toni Morrison

• Full show notes for Tracey Lewis-Giggets

• Sari Botton, part 1: The power of curiosity, offhand comments, and writing stuff you’ve already done on your to-do list

• Sari Botton, part 2: bucket lists, the subconscious desire for permission, and clogs

• Sari Botton, part 3: the magic combo of reverence and irreverence

• Full Sari Botton show notes