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Laura L. Rubin

@lauralrubin

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Author, Speaker, Founder @allswellcreative
📖 The Big Unlock | Available Now ⬇️
Mindful Journaling | Seen In NYTimes, Forbes, Vogue & More

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3 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 @lauralrubin

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a year ago

In my own journey with survivor’s guilt I’ve come to see my gratitude practice as a way to not just focus attention on my own immense good fortune in making it out of the the cancer cavern, but also as a means of honoring those who weren’t lucky enough to have done the same. I can open my eyes each morning, I have a body that moves through the world. I can hug and be hugged. I can use my senses - all of them - to bear witness to beauty. I feel a moral obligation, a sense of urgency, to take it all in - not just for myself, also in honor of those who cannot.

As Mary Oliver wisely stated, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” So yes, pay attention. Be grateful. Say thank you on the page, in your heart, in a prayer, to a stranger, to a friend. In the dark gratitude shoots sparks.

Thank you @christinalperez and @voguemagazine for highlighting the transformative power of a consistent gratitude journaling practice. It is soul medicine.

If you have questions about how to start or deepen a gratitude-oriented mindful writing practice please reach out. I’m happy to support you. by @lauralrubin

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3 years 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 @lauralrubin

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an hour 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 @lauralrubin

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2 days ago

California, I do love you.

Visiting spots that used to be my regulars felt good, like seeing old versions of myself and waving at her.

My people and places. Sitting by pools at all hours. Hiking and surfing. The generosity of friends hosting us, others dropping everything to drive across town to see me. Celebrating a banner birthday with @oliviamuniak.

It was a packed trip full of love (and farm-stand plums). taken in Southern California by @lauralrubin

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3 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 @lauralrubin

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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 @lauralrubin

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23 days ago

Getting dressed as a demi-elder is an act of reclamation, rebellion -- and joy.

Admittedly, it took me a beat to really find my vibe. There was an adjustment period where I discarded parts of who I have been that no longer felt right, and embraced where I am now, what I’m cooking up next.

So, in a departure from my usual programming, I’m sharing some of my (cost-free & zero waste) tricks in a Fall Refresh Substack. Nude-ish nails, party pants, the occasional tassel, my fave source for rocker T’s and more. I put together some seasonal, sartorial suggestions – demi-elder style. Sharing a taste of it here, the full shebang at the link above for those who are keen.

I hope something in this mix helps you feel more confident, relaxed and purposeful when you stride out into the world. Because we all need to put something on every day. Might as well enjoy it. by @lauralrubin

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24 days 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 @lauralrubin

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a month ago

The best part about moving is the opportunity for discovery. Everything is new: semi-secret beaches, transporting vineyards, vintage shops, places to score my very necessary exercise quotient, and mini-golf. You know, the essentials.

It’s also been a pleasure to find my way hosting in a new home, welcoming friends and, most importantly, my 88-year-old momma bear. She and I now live six minutes away from each other, which is an astounding windfall.

All summer long I heard people out this way refer to seasonal crowds, which was puzzling to me. There’s parking. You can get a dinner reservation. It’s civilized on the North Fork, even on a holiday weekend.

The air and light are already changing here. I’m looking forward to seeing what fall looks and feels like in these parts. More newness, connections and discoveries.

Thanks for following along. It’s a pleasure to share what I find with you. (Though there are some spots I may keep under wraps. 🤫) taken in North Fork (Long Island) by @lauralrubin

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a month ago