Author, The Wild Why: Stories and Teachings to Uncover Your Wonder
This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author Laura Munson, whose new book The Wild Why: Stories and Teachings to Uncover Your Wonder invites us to reconnect with awe, creativity, and the deeper stories we live by.
In this inspiring conversation, Laura explores the hunger that drives us to create, the lessons from her Haven writing retreats, and why she refuses to accept the myth that people aren’t creative. She shares how everything we do is an act of creation, how we can move beyond bullet points to live fuller stories, and why the most vital question we can ask ourselves is: What can we create?
Together, Ira and Laura dive into reclaiming our childlike wonder, balancing the discipline of writing with the freedom of imagination, and dismantling the “tortured artist” paradigm in favor of a healthier, more sustainable creative life. With more than 1,000 people guided through her retreats, Laura knows firsthand the transformative power of community, curiosity, and awe—and she’s here to help us find it for ourselves.
Laura Munson is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the novel Willa’s Grove and the memoir This Is Not The Story You Think It Is. Founder of the acclaimed Haven Writing Retreats, she has been featured or published in Vanity Fair, Elle, Redbook, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times “Modern Love” column, The New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, and many others. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, WGN, NPR, London’s This Morning, Australia’s Sunrise, and other global media outlets. She lives in Whitefish, Montana.