Now make room for the work that's yours to create.

I'm Marla, a creativity coach.
I help people reclaim their creative lives and finish work that matters.

Let's Talk
Let's Talk

You lead a full life.
But can you see enough of YOU in it?

Maybe there’s a book, a body of work, a creative practice or a long-held dream you keep meaning to return to.

Maybe you know what you want—but can’t seem to make it a priority.

Or maybe you don’t feel creative anymore. You miss that part of yourself, and you’re not sure where to begin.

You don't need to disrupt the good life you've built.

You do need to honor what you've been longing to create—
and learn to make room for it within the life you already lead.

This often means a reallocation of time, attention and energy.
And, sometimes, of courage and devotion.

This is the work we’ll do together.

Your Creative Self
Feel creative again.

Recover your curiosity, sense of play and pleasure in making.

Build consistency through low-stakes creative practice.

Your Creative Manager
Protect, encourage & complete.

Finally complete a meaningful writing or creative project.

Learn to lead your creative life and practice with fierce and compassionate self-management.

Protect your creativity, consistency and momentum—even in shifting conditions.

Embrace your own creative process. Refine it. Learn to trust it.

Your Visionary Self
Do what matters now.

Discern what you want—and what deserves your attention.

Clarify your creative trajectory. Hone your focus and sequence your goals.

Learn to prioritize your own work, powerfully and consistently.

Together, these capacities form what I call the Art of Creative Stewardship.
You’ll develop a self-leadership practice you can rely on for the rest
of your creative life.

  • "It’s rare, as a writer, to collaborate with someone who understands both the delicacy of the imaginative process and the management tools needed to finish a work of art. I can’t imagine having finished this novel so quickly, and so well, without her guidance."

    Daniel Schifrin, writer and teacher

  • “Working with Marla is transformative. She helped me see the big career picture and how all of my disparate pieces fit. A year later, I have an agent, a book contract, and an editor who wants a second book.”

    —Christina Boufis, Ph.D., former director, SFAI Writing Program; writer and content strategist

  • Marla is a subtle magician. When I began working with her, I felt my inner artist and writer were trapped.... Just a little over one year later, I have created over one hundred pieces of art from a place of flow and authenticity.

    —Andrea Lee-Zucker, interdisciplinary artist and social entrepreneur

  • Marla didn't tell me what I needed to do. She empowered me by helping me figure out what I needed to do to discover and commit to my vision... Two years later, I've gotten three essays published in The New York Times, I'm a regular contributor to The Washington Post Magazine and I'm working with an agent on developing my first book.

    —Andrew Reiner, author of Better Boys, Better Men, writer and university educator

  • I worked with Marla because I wanted to write. I am now a writer. It makes all the difference.

    — Matt Roche, CEO, Extole, Inc.

You already know you’re capable.


You may be highly accomplished in another part of your life.
You know how to think deeply, solve difficult problems, lead, teach, build, care for others or get important things done.
And you know (or suspect) you have real creative ability.

If too little of your talent is making its way into the world, we can shift that together.

Private Mentorship

Six months of one-to-one creativity coaching, strategy and support.

We start wherever you are.

We begin with a 90-minute Deep Dive to map the terrain of your creative life and work, clarify what matters now and establish your priorities. You'll leave with a clear focus and a powerful first assignment.

From there, we work closely together for six months—creating the conditions for your creative life and work to thrive.

Our work includes:

  • Bi-weekly private coaching to anchor your creative focus
    as you build a rhythm of your own

  • Text support between sessions

  • On-demand spot coaching when you hit an obstacle or need
    help thinking through a decision

  • Creative and project strategy, planning and
    troubleshooting

  • Six months of close, sustained attention and companionship for you and
    your creative work

Our work is guided by the Art of Creative Stewardship, an approach I've developed through more than twenty years
of working with creative people.

I work with just a handful of private clients at a time so I can offer generous attention, availability and support.

Let's Talk

Hi! I’m Marla.

For more than twenty years, I’ve worked with writers, artists and deeply capable people who know there’s more in them than their lives currently have room to express.

I’m a creativity coach—and a writer, musician and performer myself. I know this work from both sides: the longing to make something that matters, and the practice of creating the conditions in which it can come alive.

I work with you as a whole person. Not just what you want to produce, but the life you’re creating around it—and the person you’re becoming as you do.

I hold an MFA in creative writing. Over the years, I’ve worked with many journalists whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Nature, as well as Oprah Book Club authors. My clients have ranged from venture capitalists, attorneys, executives and scientists to professors, entrepreneurs, family-business owners and homeschooling moms in Alaska.

My own creative work lives at Lively Future, an online living notebook where I create stories, photographs and original music and share how I’m making more room in my own life for what matters most to me.

visit Lively Future »

What would hurt to leave unlived?

There’s a book you want to write. A body of work you want to realize. A creative practice you want to return to. Something new you want to create or build. Or a possibility you can sense, but can’t quite name yet.

If you’re ready to live a more creative life, I’d love to hear from you.

Tell me what you’ve been thinking about. Dreaming about. What you want—and what’s held you back.

If I think I can help, we’ll set up a time to talk and see if working together makes sense.

Yes, Let's Talk

Maybe you already know.

Want to Keep Thinking About This?

I send occasional notes about creative work, attention, structure and
making more room for what matters.