#137 Writing Through Rupture: Finding Belonging After Loss Featuring Casey Mulligan Walsh

What does it mean to truly belong — and how do we find our way back to ourselves after unimaginable loss? In this episode,I talk with memoirist Casey Mulligan Walsh about grief, belonging, resilience, and the journey behind her powerful book The Full Catastrophe. In this episode:  Casey’s path to writing The Full Catastrophe and how the theme of belonging revealed itself [1:57] How early losses shaped her search for identity and home [4:42] Why grief looks different for everyone — and why there’s no "right" way to heal [6:22] The moment Casey realized her memoir wasn’t just about resilience, but belonging [9:32] How a writing book helped her plug in the structure the story of her life [18:29] The creative structure behind her memoir and how she used scene to deepen emotional resonance [20:11] The role of spirituality, dreams, and unexpected moments of peace in her healing journey [20:58]  Casey’s advice for memoirists about theme, structure, and trusting your story’s evolution [33:17]   Casey Mulligan Walsh writes about life at the intersection of grief and joy, embracing uncertainty, and the nature of true belonging. Her memoir, The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted, Everything I Feared, was released from Motina Books on February 18, 2025. She has written for The New York Times, HuffPost, Next Avenue, Modern Loss, Hippocampus, Barren Magazine, and numerous other literary magazines, and her essay, “Still,” published in Split Lip, was nominated for Best of the Net. She is a founding editor of In a Flash literary magazine. She also serves as an ambassador for and on the Board of the Family Heart Foundation, which raises awareness of the genetic lipid disorders that have affected her family across generations. Casey lives in upstate New York with her husband Kevin and too many books to count. When not traveling, they enjoy visits from their four children and ten grandchildren—the very definition of “the full catastrophe.”  Connect with Casey Website: https://caseymulliganwalsh.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.m.walsh.1 Facebook author: https://www.facebook.com/caseymulliganwalshwriter Instagram: https://instagram.com/CaseyMulliganWalsh Threads: https://www.threads.net/@caseymulliganwalsh BlueSky: @caseymulliganwalsh.bsky.social Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-mulligan-walsh-522ba231/ Casey’s Piece Still (originally from Split Lip Magazine): https://www.short-reads.org/still/ In A Flash Substack: https://inaflashlitmag.substack.com/ Submission Info for In A Flash: https://inaflashlitmag.substack.com/p/submission-guidelines?r=3uom7p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true Find The Full Catastrophe on Estelle’s Bookshop https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-full-catastrophe-all-i-ever-wanted-everything-i-feared-casey-mulligan-walsh/21932235?aid=98827&ean=9798887840413&listref=authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct   Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. She is an adjunct instructor for NYU’s School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at estelleserasmus.com    Sign up for her Substack  (with craft advice and writing opportunities). Paid subscribers receive opportunities for pitch reviews, plus bonus clips from Freelance Writing Direct guests https://estelleserasmus.substack.com   Read Estelle’s latest post on Substack (and an offer for paid subscribers): How to Get Published in Cosmopolitan or Seventeen https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/how-to-get-published-in-cosmopolitan Apply to be on Freelance Writing Direct in a coaching episode: email freelancewritingdirect@gmail.com and state three of the issues you are dealing with that you would like Estelle’s help with.   Sign up for Estelle’s NYU Classes https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/faculty/e/1068-estelle-erasmus.html   Get Her Book  Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://rb.gy/5ihwp0   Order Her Audiobook: https://shorturl.at/4uG2P   Follow Estelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstelleSerasmus BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/estelleserasmus.bsky.social Freelance Writing Direct has been named a 2025 Podcast of the Year Winner in the Education category by the American Writing  Awards. For a list of winners go here https://americanwritingawards.com/