Ellen Garbarino
Historical fiction and narrative nonfiction about women, recovery, community, and what it really takes to challenge the roles we inherit.
My current work includes a young adult historical novel set in the American West during World War II and How a Rural Community Refused to Lose Its Hospital, a narrative nonfiction series about an Oregon community that organized to protect local healthcare.
Through my podcast, Restless by Design, I challenge outdated ideas around recovery, ADHD, chronic pain, intuition, and creativity that keep people stuck.
After using mind-body skills to resolve chronic pain and stubborn habits, I became a mind-body hypnotist. Along the way, I discovered that those same skills can also help writers move through pressure, perfectionism, and creative blocks. That led me to team up with Nicole Criona of Los Angeles Writers Group to create Lazybones Writing Magic, where we teach writers how to use mind-body skills in their writing lives.
Restless by Design
“Think of a tiger. A tiger doesn’t relax, nap, or dream when it’s being watched. Even when no danger is present, if eyes are on it, the tiger is scanning, alert, ready, tracking. That’s survival.
But give that tiger cover, a patch of brush or a shaded corner where no one is looking, and suddenly it exhales. It stretches out. It naps. It releases hypervigilance and finally gets to be its tiger self.
That’s me in Studio A. When we’re observed in classrooms, open offices, or even while sharing a wall at home, our nervous systems stay on alert. But when we find our brush, our Studio A, we settle into something deeper.
I call this the Tiger Effect.”
About the author
A certified mind-body hypnotist and longtime student of storytelling and human behavior, she is currently preparing her YA book for traditional publication.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her handyman.
Kudos
★★★★★
Your gentle storytelling helps me appreciate my sensitivity and turns down the volume on my hyper vigilance. Love the airport security illustration of my hyper vigilance.
★★★★★
I value the light you share through your book and your podcast. Previous wisdom you shared -“A regulated nervous system can hold complexity, tolerate uncertainty, and choose timing instead of urgency.” I like this so much I turned it into a banner that I have up on my wall. Thanks so much for everything.
★★★★★
I so appreciate the way you offer clarity. I get the sense I’m standing in front of a beautiful calm lake with a vista that I didn’t realize was so vast until now.