In this episode, Allison Larkin shares her journey as a writer and the impact of mental health on her creative process. She discusses her experiences with ADHD, the emotional toll of writing, and the importance of authenticity in her work. The conversation explores the challenges of balancing personal relationships with the demands of being a writer, as well as the grieving process that comes with finishing a book. Larkin emphasizes the significance of self-discovery and vulnerability in creativity, and the role of reader feedback in shaping her writing.

Learn about Allison: Allison Larkin is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Home of the American Circus, The People We Keep, Stay, Why Can’t I Be You, and Swimming for Sunlight. Her short fiction has been published in the Summerset Review and Slice, and nonfiction in Author in Progress, a how-to guide from Writer’s Digest Books, and the dog anthology I’m Not the Biggest Bitch in This Relationship. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Jeremy, and their rescue dogs, Roxy and Bosley.

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New here? More Than You See strips away the highlight reels to reveal the real mental health journeys of actors, artists, and creatives. Hosts Deborah Lee Smith and Shelley Regner ask the questions others avoid — exploring what was happening off stage when life looked perfect, and how depression, anxiety, and resilience shaped the people we admire.

Each episode also brings a dose of “good news” in mental health: uplifting stories, new research, and cultural shifts that remind us progress is happening. Come for the unfiltered confessions, stay for the hope, and leave knowing you’re not alone.