Meet Brianna Mccabe

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brianna Mccabe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brianna, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

A writer’s arch nemesis is the psychological phenomenon that is writer’s block.

There is nothing more irritating or debilitating than blankly staring at an empty page as your thoughts chaotically swirl around in what feels like an untamable manner – or when thoughts just fail to create at all.

In those moments, inspiration can feel out of reach.

This barrier is an inevitable “write” of passage that creators must overcome when embarking on a new project, though.

Despite the challenge that it poses – especially if a writer is in a time crunch – I believe it’s your body’s way of creating space for the natural processing of artful thoughts.

When writing The Red Flags I’ve (Repeatedly) Ignored, I ultimately learned to be kind to myself during those periods. Instead of forcing words to churn out of me that didn’t feel like a natural connection to my book, I’d learn to take a step away and allow my mind to freely wander without the pressure of the page.

I’d crack open a book, go for a walk around a scenic park, visit a museum, check out a local musician playing at a coffee shop, or blast my favorite song. By indulging in my go-to forms of artistic consumption, it not only reminded me why I loved to create in the first place, but it created that foundation for inspiration.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Not to be cliché and pull from the introduction of my book, The Red Flags I’ve (Repeatedly) Ignored, but I strongly believe that the first few paragraphs really encapsulate all of who I am:

If you were to ask me to describe myself in one sentence, I’d probably respond with something along the lines of: I’m your not-so-typical twenty (well, now thirty)-something-year-old woman with a quirky personality, lionesque-like mane of curls (well, at least until I was introduced to the heat damage of a hair straightener), contagious cackle, and inviting smile who’s oddly obsessed with binging Adam Sandler movies, immersing myself in cultures of the world, indulging in cheeses of all sorts, singing (well, butchering) Ginuwine’s “Pony” at dive bar karaoke nights, and smelling old books (and fresh cans of tennis balls… which is weird because I don’t even play tennis).

As an adjunct professor of public speaking and general communications, you’d think that I’d have an elevator pitch nailed at this point—especially given the fact that it’s one of the first assignments with which I task my students. Oddly enough, though, I always just wing my thirty-second-long pitch and cater it to the audience I’m speaking to. It’s the marketer in me. When I’m not teaching at a university part-time a few nights a week, I’m a full-time marketing professional.

Although my schedule is jam-packed with work, I somehow still managed to tack on the hobby of endlessly chasing after bad boys. (No, not the stereotypical ones that you see in movies, but the ones your favorite meme accounts describe as red flags.) Yeah, it was exhausting. While I may jokingly share that I’m not-so-typical in many ways, I have endured the typical (and universally understood) feelings of love, lust, and heartbreak. You know, those swooning and spooning stages that end in aching and breaking. Except for me, it became almost too frequent and not-so-typical in its own self-destructive way. Each time I had thought I had finally found “the one” who I was meant to spend the rest of my life with, an event would trigger me into realizing that the vision I had in my mind of said person didn’t actually exist and I was instead running into dead-end walls similar to Wile E. Coyote as he smashed into a made-up mural thinking that he finally captured the Road Runner. Like the cartoon, my taste in toxic men was just as loony.

I didn’t want to spend my life forever chasing after someone that wasn’t meant for me.

And I also don’t want you to waste any more time chasing after people that aren’t meant for you, either.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

In terms of both writing my book and overcoming the stories mentioned within its bindings, I’d say that resilience, self-compassion, and a willingness to learn were critical.

Resilience was essential to better framing my experiences, both within my pages and within my mind. As I recovered from certain emotional setbacks and regained strength, this skill allowed me to cultivate opportunities for growth – which ultimately empowered me to set boundaries and assess the root cause of my faulty boundaries – and share my stories with authenticity, strength, and wisdom. By doing so, I created a foundation to better resonate with readers who may be facing similar struggles through my narrative, and provide tools to help them better navigate.

Through self-compassion, I gave myself grace in approaching my stories with kindness and understanding without the barrier of self-doubt and judgment. This allowed me to process my emotions rather than suppress them, leading me to write honestly about my experiences. Null of self-criticism, I alleviated any self-imposed stifling of creativity and allowed my voice to speak freely.

As for a willingness to learn, this quality personally allowed me to recognize the patterns that attracted me to incompatible partners and kept me stuck in certain toxic relationships. Through self-reflection, accountability, and growth, I was able to identify the red flags that I repeatedly ignored and transform painful experiences into valuable lessons. As for writing the book itself, I had to embrace feedback, adapt, and shift gears to continuously improve my craft in an effort to create the book that I am proud to have penned today.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

Reading a page of The Daily Stoic each morning as I brew my cup of coffee has been a staple of my routine as it pertains to emotional regulation, self-control, and resilience. Each passage reinforces the need to establish what is in our control, including our thoughts, actions, and behaviors, and what isn’t. By focusing on what I can control and emphasizing the importance of my responses, I am learning to navigate life with better clarity and calmness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thebriannamccabe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebriannamccabe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebriannamccabe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebriannamccabe/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT3bLk9Eo90r8CIQvXB_I7g

Image Credits

Andrew Devaloy
Jessica Morrisy
Tyler Kenny