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AllSwell Creative | Journaling Workshops + Creative Coaching

@allswellcreative

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Writing Workshops & Tools For The Analog Era
Founded By @lauralrubin | Author: The Big Unlock
Seen in NYTimes, Washington Post, CNTraveler

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2 years ago

Over the years, we’ve been lucky to have our story told by some incredibly thoughtful editors, writers, and platforms we admire deeply. This roundup is a look back at moments we’re proud of — and a thank you to those who’ve helped amplify the AllSwell mission. We’re so grateful. by @allswellcreative

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2 years ago

Are book cover reveals the new gender reveals? Probably not. Regardless, I am pleased to share with you the cover of my forthcoming book, “The Big Unlock.” (!!!)

Through the design process, I tested the cover art out on a cross-section of people I respect.* I wanted to make sure a cis male would feel comfortable publicly reading this book on a plane; that my design-head friends would be proud to have it on their coffee table; that it could work as well in a corporate setting as at a luxury hotel; that it both piques curiosity and upends a few preconceptions about what “a book about journaling” looks like. How’d I do?

What’s inside? It’s a decade’s worth of my experience leading @allswellcreative workshops, retreats, speaking gigs and creative coaching distilled into a readable, “snackable” book. You can explore it front to back, or skip around and try out the chapters and themes that work for you. Each chapter includes storytelling and multiple prompts, inviting you to dig in. Every page has been carefully researched to make sure it’s not just well-intentioned; it’s science.

A pre-order is an exponential way to show your support, not just for me but for the value of analog self-expression. While @simonandschuster is officially publishing “The Big Unlock” on March 31, 2026, your pre-order today telegraphs to the publishing world (and the zeitgeist beyond) that this modality - the simple and radical act of putting pen to paper - has tremendous worth, even amidst so much digital noise.

I can report from personal experience that writing a book is not easy, but it’s a mostly private affair. Promoting a book, however, is an entirely different beast. And lemme tell you, it is a deeply vulnerable experience. Thank you very much for all your support, to this point and on the road ahead.

Humbly,
Laura

*A special thank you to my ongoing co-conspirator, @aolanow, for her generous guidance and design notes. You are a rock star. by @allswellcreative

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a year ago

I’m kinda new in town. And the nicest way I can think of to say hello is sharing what I do as a creativity expert and author. @SoundviewGreenport and @nofoartcollective were kind enough to invite me to lead an @AllSwellCreative journaling workshop on Sunday, October 25th, at @halyardgreenport. Think of it as an afternoon of low-stakes, high-reward spontaneous creativity.

I’ll bring the notebooks. You bring yourself and maybe a friend or two.

October 25 · 1:30–3 PM
The Halyard at The Soundview Hotel · Greenport, NY
$95 · Includes an AllSwell Write / Draw notebook, pens, pencils, and workshop materials.
Locals: take 10% off with code 11944.

No prior journaling experience necessary, and no one will be asked to read from their notebook.

Ticketing link in bio.

If cost is preventing you from joining, please reach out. I’m doing my best to make this work accessible to as many people as possible. taken in The Halyard Restaurant by @allswellcreative

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4 hours ago

I take a “glamour selfie” every time I go for a breast checkup and send it to a friend. Why? It helps reclaim a bit of personal agency and add some levity to a situation that can be harrowing and dehumanizing. I wish I could say that as a 20-years-cured survivor I no longer have anxiety when it’s time for a scan. Untrue. Sometimes it’s gentler than others, but it’s never easy-breezy.

I don’t wear much pink, and I didn’t join a sorority in college. (Truth be told, I’m not much of a joiner in general.) But it is #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth and as a double-decade survivor, I want to help others navigate the experience with a little more grace and context.

Not just as it relates to cancer, but to open up a broader dialogue about what it means to have your life unceremoniously interrupted by unwelcome news.

I was 31 when diagnosed. No family history. It was a fluke that it got found at all in an annual, standard gynecologist appointment. I was in the right place at the right time with the right doctor. I am one lucky duck to be here, and I know it.

So with this in mind, I’ll hope you can join me and @Baila.With.Val (founder of @TheFitizens) at @FinleysFiction in Southampton on October 22nd, to talk about finding our footing when faced with challenging and unexpected circumstances. We’ve both experienced breast cancer, but the conversation will reach beyond it—with a few micro-journaling prompts from my book, “The Big Unlock,” in the AllSwell spirit. Putting pen to paper certainly helps.
It’s my only BCAM event this month and I’d love to see you there, East Enders. You certainly don’t need to wear pink. Chances are, I won’t be.

October 22 · 5–6:30 PM
Finley’s Fiction · Southampton
Link in bio. taken in Finley’s Fiction by @allswellcreative

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2 days ago

“Gentleness” and “discipline” don’t seem like they go together, but in a world that feels like it’s on fire (sometimes literally), and there’s always another email to answer, another thing to do, gentleness takes practice—and even discipline.

This #WorldMentalHealthDay we’re doubling down on poet John O’Donohue’s reminder to “Be excessively gentle with yourself.”

That sounds nice, you say, but how? It doesn’t need to be perfect or complicated. Swipe for a sensory writing prompt.

Start simple: noticing the sound of rain, the feel of a pen in hand, the ground beneath our feet. Slow it down and be a little more present. No meditation retreat necessary.
May we be gentle with ourselves—and with each other.

And if this kind of reflective practice resonates, our founder @LauraLRubin explores it more deeply in her book, The Big Unlock: Liberate Your Creativity Through Mindful Journaling, available everywhere now. Link in bio. 🔏 by @allswellcreative

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7 days ago

Well-read is a good look.

#BannedBooksWeek has us thinking about the freedom to choose what we read. To encounter an unfamiliar perspective, question something we’ve been taught, or disagree with an author but still keep turning the pages.

Reading things that provoke is important.

What’s a book that changed your mind—or gave you more questions than answers? We’d love to add it to our stack. by @allswellcreative

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11 days ago

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16 days ago

East End friends: I hope you’ll join @Baila.With.Val (founder of @TheFitizens) and me in conversation at @FinleysFiction Southampton on October 22nd.

The subject? Life’s unsolicited plot twists. Appropriate bookstore territory.

Val and I both know what it’s like to have a breast cancer diagnosis rewrite the agenda. We’ll bring those experiences to a broader dialogue about change, creativity, and learning to trust yourself when the plan you had is no longer the plan.

I’ll also weave in a few micro-journaling prompts inspired by my book, “The Big Unlock: Liberate Your Creativity Through Mindful Journaling.” Because our pens often get to the point before we do.

Come spend the early evening with us. Bring your curiosity and a pen. “Good handwriting” isn’t required; cursive can stay home.

~ October 22 · 5–6:30 PM
~ Finley’s Fiction · Southampton

Link in bio. taken in Finley’s Fiction by @allswellcreative

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18 days ago

Last week, @AllswellCreative and @daily__creative came together for an evening of writing, drawing, and collective creativity at @blythe.harris’s home in Sag Harbor.

As two like-minded brands on a mission to help everyone unlock their innate creativity, we were excited to collaborate for an evening that paired @LauraLRubin’s writing prompts with Daily Creative’s doodling exercises.

One of the crowd favorites was AllSwell’s sunset memory prompt. Laura invited us to return to a sunset from the memory bank and write about it through all five senses: What could you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel?

(BTW: Almost as if on cue, we scored one humdinger of a sunset.)

Blythe & Mallory encouraged everyone to translate that memory into a personal color palette—not by trying to reproduce the literal colors of the sunset, but by intuitively choosing colors connected to the emotions and sensory details it held.

Color is powerfully linked to both emotion and memory. As the pencils came out, people found themselves returning to moments and places they hadn’t thought about in years.

No skill required. No “right” outcome. Just a memory, a few colors, and permission to follow your intuition.

Consider this your reminder: getting together IRL for a creative session without a productivity-related agenda is always a good idea. Less creativity-maxxing, more relaxed room to play.

Find the full practice—and the story behind the evening—on Daily Creative’s Substack, linked their in bio.

PS: A big thanks to woman-founded, organic @amberwavesfarm for the beautiful, local blooms that graced the table. taken in Sag Harbor, New York by @allswellcreative

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23 days ago

Hello, September.

While the prevailing commentary these days is to ramp up and “lock in,” we’re making our own syllabus: read something that takes us somewhere unexpected.

Follow an idea without knowing its purpose. Make things we’re beginners at. Write a “not-to-do list.”

A little less proving ourselves, a little more surprising ourselves. That’s the kind of irreverent back-to-school energy we can get behind.

Swipe through for some inspiration and an original mindful writing prompt to help you meet the season with some swagger. ✍️ by @allswellcreative

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a month ago

A couple weeks ago I got a semi-panicked DM from a friend who is about to publish her first book. Having recently done the same, she was asking for my guidance. “What can I expect? What should I do?” I said, “Call me.” Because this download wouldn’t fit into a DM.

As we talked, I realized my insights and experiences might be helpful to others who are embarking on similar creative endeavors. So I wrote it up, and voila, it’s a Substack.

Writing a book requires intense stamina and is primarily a solo endeavor. By the time I got to the finish line, delivering the manuscript followed by multiple rounds of edits, I was proud but gassed. Here is this intensely personal, vulnerable thing you just birthed into the world, and now you need to convince tens of thousands of people how great it is? That’s an atypical combination of personality traits and skill sets.

If you are brave enough to write a book, I would like to save you some heartache, head-scratching and hard-earned dough. Click on the link up top to learn some of what worked for me—and what didn’t. by @allswellcreative

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a month ago