Season 1
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In this pilot episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown share the origin and inspiration for their podcast and program Supernova Support including times they lost their creative identities and how they began to recover them together.
They discuss the meaning of creative recovery and trace the course of their friendship’s power to revive their love for songwriting in the face of internal and external obstacles, leading them to create opportunities to share the process with others through the podcast, coaching, and creative community building.
They perform and discuss original songs, Soldier’s Daughter and Stardust Love in relation to creative recovery.
25:17-Karen’s song, Soldier's Daughter
40:24-Katie’s song, Stardust Love
Episode Resources:
Birds of Chicago (Allison Russell, JT Nero) | song Real Midnight
Joni Davis, singer/songwriter
JOURNAL PROMPT: Write a letter to your creative self. What do you want to say, and what might it want to communicate to you?
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In episode two, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown address the insidious influence of imposter syndrome and perfectionism on creativity. Basic definitions and origins of the term are uncovered and held to the light of scrutiny in the context of sexism, racism, and white supremacy.
They explore concrete ways of confronting its debilitating effects both personally and within the context of a supportive creative community and why the practice is central to a sustainable creative life.
Two original songs, Amateur and Try offer inspiration from personal struggles with the topic.
25:25 Katie’s song, Try
38:55 Karen’s song, Amateur
Sonya Renee Taylor, The Observer College News | Sonya Renee Taylor Advocates for Radical Self Love
Sayana, Splice Blog | How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Musician
Amanda Khong, Bookish Brews Blog | Imposter Syndrome is Sexist, Actually: Embracing Your Feelings as Protest
B and the Hive | Instagram | Spotify | “Who You Are”
Divorcing White Supremacy Culture (further reading), Tema Okun, Kenneth Jackson Jones | website
JOURNAL PROMPT: Where do I belong? When imposter syndrome tells us we don’t belong, it’s time to explore what we believe about where we truly belong.
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n episode three, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown unpack the first of five elements that support a joyful, sustainable creative life: listening. Practices like morning pages and the artist’s date from Julia Cameron’s widely popular book The Artist’s Way are investigated and clarified by personal examples of how to get past the clutter and listen to the soul. They perform and discuss original songs, Oh, Mama and Bones in relation to the topic.
25:40 Karen’s song, Meditate on the Sun
45:13 Katie’s song, Teenage Angel of the Morning
* JOURNAL PROMPT: Set a timer for at least five minutes. Get comfortable and quiet, and just listen. What comes up when we’re not numbing or avoiding?
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In episode four, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown unpack the second of five elements that support a joyful, sustainable creative life: doing the work. They explore the “do the work” list of practices that attend to the work of songwriting craft as well as personal care/growth strategies that free us to access available learning tools and resources. They perform and discuss original songs, Meditate on the Sun and Teenage Angel of the Morning in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 25:40 Karen’s song, Meditate on the Sun Listen/Buy on Bandcamp
* 45:13 Katie’s song, Teenage Angel of the Morning Listen/Buy on Bandcamp
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: Where do I resist the (songwriting)work? Where do I run toward it?
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In episode five, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown unpack the third element of the Supernova Support program, craft, breaking it into its three parts: song content, technique, and song components. They address how fear and doubt get in the way of attending to growth areas and share a few craft secret weapons.
They perform and discuss original songs, Mary and the Juniper Tree and Grand Canyon in relation to the topic.
30:11 Katie’s song, Mary and the Juniper Tree
48:49 Karen’s song, Grand Canyon
Katie Phillips | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: What fears and doubts do you have about yourself as an artist, songwriter, and performer? What are some accomplishments or work you’re proud of?
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In episode six, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown unpack the fourth of five elements that support a joyful, sustainable creative life: support. They explore what happens without it, and the ways we can powerfully combine nurturing ourselves, participating in a creative community, and actively supporting other artists for a more joyful and fulfilling creative life.
They perform and discuss original songs, Thinking of You and I Know Why People Die of a Broken Heart in relation to the topic.
29:40 Karen’s song, Thinking of You
44:42 Katie’s song, I Know Why People Die of a Broken Heart
JOURNAL PROMPT: Think of time you felt truly supported, lean into how it felt and what you thought and describe it. Next, consider where you sense you could use more support. Finally, consider what you have to give to support others in a songwriting community.
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In episode seven, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown unpack the fifth and final element of the Supernova Support program: inspiration. They uncover the highly powerful and practical nature of the seemingly fluffy concept, and how cultivating it keeps our creativity flowing in a beautiful cycle that enriches the creators of art as much as those who appreciate it.
They perform and discuss original songs, Joy Yet to Come and Ophelia in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 28:47 Karen’s song, Joy Yet to Come Listen/Buy on Bandcamp
* 44:14 Katie’s song, Ophelia Listen/Buy on Bandcamp
* Clarissa Pinkola Estes| Women Who Run With the Wolves
* Sarah Peyton | Your Resonant self
* Andrew Scott as Hamlet
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: When was the last time you felt inspired? What moved you, what did you feel, and what beliefs or creations came from it?
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In episode eight, podcast hosts and singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown look into the other side of listening; paying close sonic and emotional attention to what we hear in our own songs and those we love. They address classic pitfalls like self-doubt and judgement and offer the benefits of objectivity and discernment while identifying what makes a song work without falling for the fool’s gold of cookie-cutter hits.
They perform and discuss original songs, Real Time and Last Year’s Christmas Tree in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 26:40 Karen’s song, Real Time Listen/Buy on Bandcamp
* 44:22 Katie’s song, Last Year’s Christmas Tree. Listen/Buy on Bandcamp
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: Who/what inspired you to become a singer/songwriter? If thinking of a specific artist, choose one song that moves you and identify specifically what elements bring the magic.
Season 3
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In season three’s first episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown unpack the idea of “spontaneous” creative growth. They review and celebrate the one year anniversary of launching their podcast and open mic for women and femmes, identifying how participation in a supportive community creates optimal conditions for artistic expansion, turning competition into companionship and inspiration.
Features original songs, The Ringer and I Need a Song in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 25:48- Katie’s song, The Ringer
* 45:40- Karen’s song, I Need a Song
Episode Resources:
* Supernova Support website- Not So Open Mic and weekly online Song Salons
* Little Door- musician, writer, mom, brilliant creator of Little Door Substack.
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: How have you experienced spontaneous growth within a community setting or seen it in someone else?
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In season three’s second episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown host their first guest, Lizzy Larson, who found the podcast and open mic through a work colleague. They discuss her history with creativity and songwriting and the thirty year hiatus related to addiction and recovery before returning to her gift through Supernova’s song salons and open mic.
Features original song, Western Sky in relation to the topic.
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 23:22- Lizzy’s song, If You Could Leave Me
Episode Resources:
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: How has your creativity helped/guided you through things that felt even too painful to speak out loud?
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In season three’s second episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown interview Lena, a self-described nomad who’s come into her own as a singer-songwriter over the last five years. The three discuss her unmistakable and enchanting voice that took its time to find the courage to take the stage. Hint- karaoke had a role to play!
Features her original song, Little Voice in relation to the topic.
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 16:45- Lena’s song, Little Voice
Episode Resources:
* Lena’s song Little Voice
* Lena’s link tree (social media, Bandcamp, YouTube)
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: What is the little voice inside you asking for?
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In season three’s second episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown interview Little Door, a.k.a., Kate Ellen, a creative powerhouse with a vibrant, must-read, music-focused Substack. They delve into her obstacle-laden path towards singing, writing, and expressing her creativity and fortuitous involvement with Supernova Support’s vocal coaching, song salons– and shares the secret to dealing with crying while performing!
Features her original song, Lover in relation to the topic.
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 30:22- Little Door’s song, Lover.
Episode Resources:
* Todd Snider, “I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like: Mostly True Tall Tales”
* Todd Snider official website
* Little Door- Substack page: blog, playlists, music
* Little Door a.k.a- Kate Ellen website: brand readings, strategic creative projects
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: What subjects or issues feel off limits to write about?
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In season three’s fifth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown reflect on critically acclaimed songwriter Todd Snider’s recent passing. The discussion highlights Snider’s undeniable songwriting craft and incorrigible scoundrel personality that endeared him and his music to so many adoring fans. They unpack his strong influence on Katie’s writing, and she plays a beloved cover and newly crafted original tribute song dedicated to his memory.
Features her original song, Skeleton Key, and Just Like Old Times (Todd Snider cover) in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 22:34- Todd Snider cover, Just Like Old Times
* 36:38- Katie’s song, Skeleton Key
Episode Resources:
* Songs for Creative Revolution show December 14th, 2025, Sebastopol Center for the Arts
* Todd Snider, “I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like: Mostly True Tall Tales”
* Todd Snider official website
* Otis Gibbs Video
* Dopey Interview with Billy Strings
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: Think about your songwriting heroes/heroines (living or passed). What was it about them that made you become obsessed, inspired, in love?
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In season three’s sixth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown connect with Cassidy Frost, self-declared writer of sad songs with sugary pop hooks who NPR’s Robin Hilton once called “gloriously gritty.” They share their strange and surprisingly early entry into the music industry and how their songwriting and relationship to music has evolved over time. Stay for the whole delightful conversation on emotional and literal sobriety, continual music growth, and the joy of a supportive songwriting community.
Features her original song, Nobody’s Invited to My Birthday in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 23:06- Cassidy’s song, Nobody’s Invited to My Birthday
Episode Resources:
* Cassidy new release, Like I Did Before, on Bandcamp
* Cassidy’s website
* Songs for Creative Revolution, December 14th, 2025 at Sebastopol Center for the Arts
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: Write about something painful in your life as plainly as you can and don’t silverline it, fix it, shine it up. Be in the moment with the suck.
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In season three’s seventh episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown speak with Kim Ketner, Karen’s twin sister. Katie wrangles the two sisters to tease out the story of Kim’s solitary journey into singing and songwriting from obsessing over Chris Cornell’s voice over the car stereo to working at Guitar Showcase and playing in the Cactus Club’s house band. They highlight the miraculous power of developing peer songwriting friendships through Song Salons and songs’ ability to help us evolve as human beings.
Features her original song, Falling Apart in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify,Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 31:40- Kim’s song, Falling Apart
Episode Resources:
* Kim’s Bandcamp
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: Write to the part that has felt so alone, let it tell you some secrets?
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In season three’s eighth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Briget Boyle, a sought-after vocal coach, creative director, and a pillar of the Bay Area’s world and indie music scene. The dynamic relationship between inner work and songwriting shines through as they follow her winding musical journey starting to write at 12 years old, to a surprising turn to performing in professional Balkan folk music groups. Bridget models what it means to commit to our songwriting selves.
Features her original song, Magic Trick in relation to the topic.
* 17:59- Briget’s song, Magic Trick
Episode Resources:
* Briget Boyle’s music website
* Madison Cunningham’s website
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: What amazes you?
Season 2
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In season two’s first episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown introduce the theme of grief and how songs bridge the gap left by culture’s unwillingness and inability to allow grieving its full depth and breadth.
They discuss the current conceptions of the stages of grief and the wide range of losses besides death which are made harder through society’s lack of recognition. Personal experience through the loss of their fathers, friends, and break up of their band provide examples of creativity's power to transform loss.
Features original songs, Forever and Lovely Like Lace in relation to creative recovery.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 19:00-Katie’s song, Forever
* 40:02-Karen’s song, Lovely Like Lace
Episode Resources:
* Kubler-Ross Change Curve
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: What are you currently grieving that you don’t feel you have permission to grieve?
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In season two’s second episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown delve into the “shock” stage of grief, sharing personal stories of their fathers’ deaths, and the waves of numbness and overwhelm that continue to ebb and flow throughout the grieving process. They demonstrate how songs and songwriting create a safe space to hold our disorientation and disbelief.
Features original songs, Got To Be and We Gotta Stop Meeting Like This (Funeral Reunion) in relation to creative recovery.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 17:17-Karen’s song, Got to Be
* 30:20-Katie’s song, We Gotta Stop Meeting Like This
Episode Resources:
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: Think of an experience or a time when the rug was pulled out from under you, this could be a death, a break up, a job loss, a natural disaster, etc. Let your current self time travel to that moment and try to practice just being a loving witness to the part of you that had to deal with that shock, and just notice. What do you feel in your body, what thoughts come to the surface. Write, talk, dance, scream, do whatever feels right to let this past experience give you some inspiration or information.
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In season two’s third episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown discuss denial, the extended play version of shock. Tell-tale behavioral signs of denial are highlighted, and the two share how songwriting can help break the spell and move us forward without leaving the love for what and who we lost behind.
Features original songs, De Rien and 321(Summer’s Gone, So Are You) in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 16:14- Karen’s song, De Rien
* 32:55- Katie’s song, 321(Summer’s Gone, So Are You)
Episode Resources:
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
* Nezza’s national anthem in Spanish newsclip
JOURNAL PROMPT: Dialogue with denial: Let yourself tap into a situation where you have experienced denial as a coping strategy. Think about this Denial as its own entity or character. What would you like to say to Denial? Let Denial answer you back, try not to edit yourself and see what comes through.
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In season two’s fourth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown discuss anger as a stage of grief. Leaning into and allowing the often rejected emotion as an important part of the grieving process is explored as a particular challenge for women in the patriarchy. The two demonstrate the usefulness of songs as a vehicle for healthy expression of rage and conduit for healing.
Features original songs, Mother and Line of Fire in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 19:33- Katie’s song, Mother
* 38:28- Karen’s song, Line of Fire
Episode Resources:
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
* Nightbitch
JOURNAL PROMPT: What makes you angry? To the best of your ability, don’t censor yourself! This is a great one to express through motion, through using your voice in not pretty ways, to letting yourself just rant and rave into a voice memo, scream in your car, or big letters across your journal.
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In season two’s fifth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown discuss bargaining as a stage of grief and the subtle ways we spin our energetic wheels in a vain attempt to alter the past. They highlight self-awareness and kindness as we understandably try to avoid the pain of the present by bargaining for a better past or future.
Features original songs, Save the Day and End of the World in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 17:44- Karen’s song, Save the Day
* 31:29- Katie’s song, End of the World
Episode Resources:
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
* Why Don’t You Love Me No More, Bootleg Honey song on a City of Santa Rosa compilation album- The Out There Tapes
JOURNAL PROMPT: Consider where you find yourself repeating “if only ____ then _____” in circumstances you’re grieving. Follow the logic to the end, writing the whole scene and see how that makes you feel.
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In season two’s sixth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown dive into the depression stage of grief and unreasonable societal expectations to snap back to normal. The discuss losses both experienced and perpetrated and how they weigh us down personally and as a collective when we don’t feel the feelings completely, and how songs aid in that process.
Features original songs, Send Me a Sign and Sleepwalking in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 19:27- Karen’s song, Send Me a Sign
* 37:25- Katie’s song, Sleepwalking
Episode Resources:
* Karen Joy Brown | Apple Music | Spotify | Instagram
* Katie Phillips | Bandcamp | Instagram
* The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
* DSM-5 Bereavement Exclusion
* Johann Hari, seven disconnections that cause depression
JOURNAL PROMPT: Brainstorm a list of your personal secret signs of depression. How does it show up through your sensory experiences- sound, sight, touch, taste, smell?
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In season two’s seventh episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown discuss the complexities of the concept of acceptance. They highlight what acceptance is/is not, and explore living with the residual pain of loss while moving forward in an unfamiliar and new future.
Features original songs, Oleander and I Know What Heaven Is in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 23:56- Katie’s song, Oleander
* 47:59- Karen’s song, I Know What Heaven Is
Episode Resources:
* Ho’oponopono prayer
* Karen Joy Brown, I Know What Heaven Is
JOURNAL PROMPT: What feels unacceptable to you in your life right now? Take a moment to explain specifically what is happening and why you cannot tolerate it. Tap into where you feel the resistance in your body and read it to yourself in the mirror to allow the space for it to exist.
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In season two’s last episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown demonstrate the obvious connection between the “sixth stage” of grief and songwriting. Carefully separating the false platitude of attributing meaning to a horrible or tragic event, they support the perspective of discovering a new way of living with the loss and creating new purpose from the ashes.
Features original songs, Paper Mothers and Believer in relation to the topic.
14:11- Karen’s song, Paper Mothers
34:35- Katie’s song, Believer
Episode Resources:
The Bootleg Honeys | Bandcamp
The Sixth Stage of Grief, Finding Meaning, article by Lifetime
The Power of Meaning, Finding Fulfillment in a world obsessed with happiness, Emily Esfahani Smith
JOURNAL PROMPT: What, if any, meaning have you found in experiencing a loss?
Season 4
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In season four’s first episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown launch the season with the call to listen and respond to the challenge the “creative gauntlet” is throwing down in our individual lives. The two unpack their personal experiences doubling down on creativity’s dare by attending one of Mary Gauthier’s songwriting retreats and the Gateless Writing Academy and Teacher Training.
Features original songs, Tony’s Train Song, and Pleiades’ Secret in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 20:58 -Katie’s song, Tony’s Train Song
* 45:49 -Karen’s song, Pleiades’ Secret
Episode Resources:
* Mary Gauthier’s website -scroll over “Teaching & Private Coaching” on top menu bar for a current list of songwriting workshops
* Gateless Writing- website for the Academy, Teacher Training, and writing retreats
* CMAT artist website
JOURNAL PROMPT: What is your creative life asking you to double down on?
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In season four’s second episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Jaimee Harris, the Texas-born, powerhouse troubadour rightfully forging herself into a shining star of the folk-country scene. Jaime shares her call into songwriting at a young age and how the miracle of sobriety found her at just the right time, making way for the emergence of her authentic writing voice. Hear about the reckoning of playing solo onstage, open mics, challenges for women in the industry, and more in a delightful heart-to-heart with this bad-ass, yet refreshingly vulnerable role model for singer-songwriters everywhere.
Features her original song, Snow White Knuckles in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 34:36- Jaimee’s song, Snow White Knuckles
Episode Resources:
* Jaimee Harris music website
* Jaime’s tour dates
* Jimmie Dale Gilmore
* Bonaparte’s Retreat, founder Emmylou Harris dog rescue
* Crossroads Campus, founder Emmylou Harris’s non-profit that focuses on the power of the human-animal bond connecting foster youth with job skills, housing, and finding homes for unwanted dogs and cats.
JOURNAL PROMPT: What do you fear you can never be free from?
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In season four’s third episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown interview Brittany Aquamarine, a Sonoma County-based singer-songwriter who combines pop and jazz influences in her deeply poetic “mystic soulfolk and ethereal grooves” on piano and guitar. She traces the long arc of music in her life starting on piano at five years old with a long hiatus until discovering songwriting on guitar in her twenties. Bridging the divide between reading and writing music, Brittany exemplifies a lifelong exploration of the beauty of sound and the human inner landscape through awareness and surrender to creativity.
Features her original song, The Immovable Force in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 27:00- Brittany’s song, The Immovable Force
Episode Resources:
* Brittany Aquamarine artist website
* Bandcamp- New live album: Raw and Original: Piano and Guitar
JOURNAL PROMPT: What are the signals and indications for you that the creative channels are open?
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In season four’s fourth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Chelsea Coleman, a courageous and vulnerable storyteller of a songwriter who fearlessly shines the light of her songs in dark places. The interview reveals her inspiring work with YG2D (Your’re Going to Die), an San Francisco-based nonprofit that brings opportunities for self-expression around grief to open mics and workshops including prisons and hospice rooms. Chelsea shares the challenges of music and motherhood and her secret to keeping an open connection with the muse.
Features her original song, Come Shine Your Light on Me in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 27:46- Chelsea’s song, Come Shine Your Light on Me
Episode Resources:
* Chelsea Coleman music website
* YG2D (You’re Going to Die) non-profit bringing diverse communities creatively into the conversation of grief and loss through a podcast, open mics, concerts, workshops, and prison, hospice, and cancer patient programs..
JOURNAL PROMPT: Write a contract with inspiration/muse. Ask for exactly what you need. In addition, what promises are you ready to keep?
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In season four’s fifth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown speak with Natalie Lucie, a quietly fierce, Britain-based songwriter and producer who champions women’s rightful role as creators and producers of their own music. She traces the arc of her call to songwriting including the harrowing experience of recording and producing a full album during Covid while laid out from back surgery and caring for two small children. Persevering against the odds of misogyny and motherhood to continue to create, she inspires us all to chase the spark and sun of our musical aspirations.
Features her original song, Chase the Sun in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 39:28- Natalie’s song, Chase the Sun
Episode Resources:
* Natalie Lucie’s Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: How has your creativity brought you back from a dark place?
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In season four, episode 6, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Grammy award winning singer-songwriter and voice actress, Grey DeLisle Griffin who’s performed over 1500 cartoon voices including Daphne from Scooby Doo. They discuss the challenges of parenthood and making time to perform, write, and nurture your songwriting craft whether through songwriting retreats, committing to your own craft, and developing supportive relationships with other women songwriters.
Features her original song, Hello I’m Lonesome in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 20:26- Grey’s song, Hello I’m Lonesome
Episode Resources:
* Grey DeLisle Griffin artist website
JOURNAL PROMPT: What do you fear you can never be free from?
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In season four’s seventh episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Crystal McDougall-Purdy, an award-winning vocalist, instructor, program director of multiple choirs, and co-founder of the Norcal Vocal Arts Community. The conversation traces her path of discovering and developing her exceptional talent with excellent mentors and the cut-throat world of voice competitions. She shares the challenges of choosing a creative trajectory that defies others expectations.
Features her original song, Sister Song, in relation to the topic.
Like this show? Please give us a 5 star rating on Apple and leave a review– even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 37:28- Crystal’s song, Sister Song
Episode Resources:
* NorCal Vocal Arts Community
* California Redwood Chorale
* Occidental Community Choir
JOURNAL PROMPT: How does the creative life you want challenge the expectations of others?
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In season four’s eighth episode, singer-songwriters Katie Phillips and Karen Joy Brown talk with Caroline Milby of Caroline in the Garden, the imaginative pop project of singer-songwriter/producer. She shares the joy of producing a song from its paired-down state to a full-blown piece of art, richly layered, nuanced, and masterfully expressed. The conversations traces her songwriting and musician journey through internal and external obstacles, shining the light on the path towards realizing her aspirations with the help of all the support of the universe and synchronistic connections.
Features her original song, Push Through, in relation to the topic.
Listen to Season 1’s songs on Bandcamp, Katie on Bandcamp and Karen’s music on Spotify, Apple Music or buy directly at www.karenjoybrown.com.
* 26:57- Caroline’s song, Push Through
Episode Resources:
* Caroline in the Garden website
* Act II on Bandcamp
JOURNAL PROMPT: How does the creative life you want challenge the expectations of others?
your hosts
Karen Joy Brown
Songwriter, poet, podcast host, and Gateless Writing teacher with a gift for pulling the soft genius out of people.
Seeking stability amid a tumultuous family life, Karen joined a fundamentalist Christian church as a teen, only to one day come to the shocking realization she would have to leave both the church community and the marriage tied to it to reclaim herself. More recently, she left her role as a Spanish teacher to rediscover her songwriting life and reignite her authentic voice through recovery work.
Karen writes with riveting emotional honesty and quietly captivating poetry, singing in a soul-infused voice from her years in a gospel choir. Her songs don't just tell stories—they inhabit you. She writes lyrics that stand alone as poems, but her melodies sink into the fiber of your being, weaving unflinching words into something both deeply personal and universally true.
A seasoned performer who's graced stages at the Kate Wolf Festival and opened for legends like Ruthie Foster, Karen's journey toward authentic expression is what sparked Supernova Support—her gift for seeing and unlocking the creative brilliance in others.
KATIE PHILLIPS
Singer-songwriter with a voice that stops you in your tracks and songs that stick in your ribcage long after the last note fades. Recognized for her extraordinary vocal gift since childhood, Katie carries her father's words close: that one of life's greatest honors would be using her voice as sacred offering to those she loves.
Drawing from a kaleidoscope of influences, Katie crafts visceral songwriting that creates narrative universes you immediately inhabit. With virtuosic melodies and high craft, she plunges you into her most vulnerable worries, pains, and tender loves, each song startlingly intimate and specific.
As a certified Peer Support Specialist with over 15 years experience supporting women and families in crisis, Katie brings the same deep empathy to her music that guides her healing work with others. As a former member of the beloved trio the Bootleg Honeys, she's lit up stages with her powerhouse vocals and magnetic presence, crafting music that's as soul-baring as it is unforgettable.
Katie's true gift lies in her ability to connect deeply with others, inspiring them to embrace their own authenticity and creative voice—whether through song, cards, or the profound act of truly being seen.
discover supernova
Raw, Unfiltered friendship
You're not just listening to a podcast; you're eavesdropping on intimate conversations between two close friends who've been through it all together. Expect authentic tangents, real interruptions, and the beautiful messiness of genuine connection. This isn't polished perfection—it's the vulnerable, open-hearted truth of creative life being shared between two people who love each other and respect each other’s work.
tools for craft
Every episode sends you away with something tangible: songwriting techniques, creative processes, fresh perspectives, and respectful approaches to nurturing your artistic life. These aren't just ideas—they're practical tools you can use immediately. Every episode includes a creative prompt designed to help move your creativity out and through you, whether you're writing songs or exploring other forms of artistic expression.
live performances
Each episode features both hosts performing original songs live—beautiful, naked, raw performances that reveal the soul of their work. Then comes the magic: they deconstruct these songs together, offering an unprecedented window into the creative process. It's like having a backstage pass to the songwriter's heart and mind.
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