Too Much with Denise Love Hewett

Navigating Hollywood and the Writer's Path with Cynthia Adarkwa

What does it actually take to break into a Hollywood writer's room — and how do you build a career when there's no clear roadmap? In this episode, host Denise sits down with Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Cynthia Adarkwa (HBO Max's The Pit, Legacies, Saint X, Emperor of Ocean Park) to pull back the curtain on one of entertainment's most opaque career paths: screenwriting.
Cynthia shares the real story behind her journey — from a first-generation Ghanaian-American kid in the DMV suburbs who "ferociously" devoured books, to a BFA in Dramatic Writing from SCAD, to transferring her Trader Joe's job to LA and cold-emailing a TV writer she found through a Twitter trivia contest. That bold move got her into her first writer's room — and started a career that would eventually lead to an Emmy.
This conversation is a must-listen for aspiring writers, creatives navigating uncertain industries, and anyone building a fulfilling life on their own terms. In this episode, we cover:
How Cynthia discovered screenwriting (and why "it sounded fun" was reason enough)
The real timeline to breaking in:  why 3–5 years is the norm, not the exception
How she went from PA on American Idol to writer's assistant to Emmy winner
The unspoken rules of writer's rooms: spec scripts, finding a showrunner's voice, and getting rewritten gracefully
What it's like to work on The Pitt : and how the writers' room researches healthcare stories with medical experts
Writing as a discipline, not just inspiration: and why you must keep creating even when nothing is happening
Being a Black woman writer in Hollywood, writing stories that center representation, and finding resistance in rest and joy
You can follow her @cynteeeahh 
You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett
Cynthia Adarkwa is an Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of HBOMax’s The Pitt. She was a writer for Legacies (CW), Saint X (Hulu) and the Forrest Whitaker starring Emperor of Ocean Park (MGM+.)
A first generation Ghanaian American writer from the suburbs of the DMV, Cynthia went on to obtain her BFA in Dramatic Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design. Cynthia’s work centers on Black women finding their place in the world — telling stories rooted in humor, truth, and purpose.
Keywords: screenwriting career, how to become a TV writer, Hollywood writer's room, breaking into entertainment, Emmy Award winning writer, The Pit HBO Max, WGA writers strike, Black women in Hollywood, TV writing tips, Cynthia Adarkwa, creative career podcast, film and TV writing, spec scripts, showrunner, SCAD dramatic writing, peak TV, writer's assistant, navigating Hollywood
If you're building a creative life and trying to figure out your blueprint, this episode is for you.
 
 

Immersive Work and the Benefits of Tactile Experience with Vance Garrett

What does it mean to truly be present? In your body, in a space, in a story?
In this episode of Too Much, Denise sits down with Vance Garrett, award-winning creative director, immersive experience pioneer, and founding team member behind Sleep No More, Museum of Ice Cream, and 29 Rooms — to explore how immersive storytelling, tactile design, and embodied experience are reshaping the way we connect, create, and live.
Vance breaks down the evolution of immersive entertainment from its nightlife roots to its next frontier, and why the most powerful experiences are the ones that pull you out of your head and into your body. This conversation goes far beyond the world of experiential design, it's a masterclass in presence, intuition, collective joy, and why your imagination might be the most radical tool you have right now. In this episode, we cover:
What actually makes an experience "immersive" — and why the definition matters
The evolution from immersive theater (V1) to Instagram-driven experiences (V2) — and what comes next
How phones changed our relationship to live experiences and presence
The power of pre-verbal, sensory-first storytelling 
Why tactile, multi-sensory design creates deeper awe than visual spectacle alone
The role of ritual in rebuilding collective identity and community
How immersive principles apply to everyday life, creativity, and even the political landscape
What "being in your body" actually means — and why it matters more than ever
Vance Garrett is a cultural architect and immersive experience creator whose work has reached over 3 million guests. He is the former Chief Creative Officer of Constellation Immersive (a CAA-affiliated studio), former VP of Experiential at Westfield, and a founding team member of Sleep No More, Museum of Ice Cream, and Refinery29's 29 Rooms. His awards include Cleo Awards, Biz Bash honors, and the Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Award.
You can follow him @vancegarrett and his Substack newsletter Advanced Experiences 
You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett
Email hello@deniselovehewett.com for any suggestions or advice.
Keywords: immersive experience design, tactile storytelling, experiential entertainment, embodied presence, collective joy, immersive theater, sensory design, creative direction, Vance Garrett, Sleep No More, Museum of Ice Cream, Disco Oasis, ritual and identity, flow state, somatic experience, multi-sensory storytelling, location-based entertainment

The Myth of Work-Life Balance in a Work Focused World

 What if chasing work-life balance is actually setting you up to fail? In this solo episode, Denise breaks down why the traditional 50/50 framework is outdated — and introduces a more sustainable alternative: seasonal thinking. Drawing on the concepts of the harvest season (when opportunity is abundant and you go all in) and the fallow season (when rest and reinvention fuel your next big leap), Denise shares how to recognize which season you're in, how to stop glorifying hustle culture, and why slowing down is often the most productive thing you can do for your career. Whether you're in the middle of a strategic sprint or recovering from burnout, this episode will change the way you think about ambition, rest, and long-term success.
Keywords: work-life balance, burnout recovery, hustle culture, career strategy, seasonal thinking, career growth, productivity, fallow season, sustainable work
You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett
Email hello@deniselovehewett.com for any suggestions or advice.

The Brain of a Non-Procrastinator: Understanding Your Neuro-Motivational Strategy with Amina Zamani

Ever wonder why some people execute effortlessly while others struggle with procrastination? In this episode, Denise sits down with neuroplasticity expert Amina Zamani to decode the brain of a non-procrastinator through neurological modeling.
Discover how childhood experiences create neural pathways for execution, why motivation isn't about willpower or habits, and how to overcome limbic friction, the emotional resistance that stops you from taking action. Amina maps Denise's execution strategy, revealing how safety, self-efficacy, and early coding shape our ability to get things done. In this episode, you'll learn:
What neurological modeling is and how to map your brain's motivation patterns
The difference between rewiring your brain and building new neural pathways (neurogenesis)
Why execution is a safety mechanism, not a character trait
How to use the "two-minute rule" to overcome procrastination
Somatic integration techniques to balance execution with ease
The shadow side of high achievement and trauma-driven productivity
Whether you're an oldest daughter who learned to execute through responsibility or someone struggling to finish projects, this conversation offers neuroscience-backed strategies for sustainable productivity, self-trust, and nervous system regulation.
Keywords: procrastination, neuroplasticity, productivity, execution, brain mapping, nervous system regulation, self-efficacy, limbic friction, trauma response, neuroscience, motivation
You can follow her @aminazamani
You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett
Email hello@deniselovehewett.com for any suggestions or advice.
 

Getting Fired Used To Be A Rite Of Passage. Then Came 2025

What happens when getting fired transforms from a painful but growth-inducing experience into a tool of systemic oppression? Denise shares her personal journey through multiple job losses and firings, revealing how she initially viewed these experiences as a "female rite of passage" that ultimately pushed her toward entrepreneurship. But 2025 changed everything.
In this solo episode, Denise unpacks the devastating shift from individual career setbacks to mass purges targeting marginalized workers. She examines the staggering statistic that 300,000 Black women were forced out of the workforce between January and August 2025 and explores the deliberate dismantling of DEI programs that once provided pathways to economic stability. Key topics include:
Personal stories of being fired and the lessons learned from workplace mismatches
Why female entrepreneurship surged 69% in 2025 and what's driving this shift
The rollback of DEI initiatives despite proven profit increases for diverse teams
How Black women are disproportionately affected by federal employment cuts
The stark reality that only 54% of companies now prioritize women's career advancement (down from 91% in 2021)
Why the wage gap persists and what it means for women's economic futures
The cost of mass purges: billions in lost tax revenue and innovation driven underground
This episode is essential listening for anyone navigating workplace dynamics, career transitions, women in business, or understanding the current state of diversity and inclusion in corporate America.
Originally published on Substack with full citations and research links.
#GettingFired #WomenInBusiness #DEI #FemaleEntrepreneurship #WorkplaceDiversity #CareerAdvice #BlackWomenAtWork #CorporateCulture #WomenLeaders #2025WorkforceTrends

Why Millennials Look Younger Than Gen Z: Lynette Astaire on Mindset & Longevity Secrets

Ever wonder why millennials seem to be aging better than Gen Z? In this eye-opening episode, Denise explores the science of longevity with LA-based intuitive wellness expert Lynette Astaire, who specializes in nutrition, mindset, and metabolic health.
With over 20 years of fasting experience, Lynette has worked with Grammy-winning musicians, visionary CEOs, and elite athletes to support sustainable high performance and long-term vitality. She's known for making complex health concepts accessible and asking the uncomfortable questions most people avoid. In this conversation, you'll discover:
Why sleep and hydration are the two most critical factors for anti-aging (not what you'd expect!)
How to identify if you're living in a chronic cortisol loop and what to do about it
Why linen sheets might be the best anti-aging investment you make
How to build wellness habits using "budget and bandwidth" as your framework
The difference between who you want to be and who you actually are (and why it matters)
Habit-stacking strategies for founders and busy professionals
Why you can't outsource your responsibility for wellness
Lynette shares candid insights from her work with high-performers, including how to spot when someone is ready for transformation versus when they need therapy first. If you're tired of wellness advice that doesn't fit your real life, this episode is for you.
🎧 New episodes of Too Much every Monday.
📍 Follow the podcast: @toomuchwithdlh 💫 Follow Denise: @deniselovehewett 🎙 Follow Lynette: @lynette.astaire or lynetteAstaire.com
Download her fasting guide "Reset with Lynette" for structured protocols and special guidance for women.
📨 Questions, reflections, or submissions: hello@deniselovehewett.com
 

Rewriting Your Story: Why the Arts are Essential for Well-Being with Dr. Tasha Golden

What happens when the story you built your life around no longer holds?
This week, we sit down with Dr. Tasha Golden behavioral scientist, former touring musician, published poet, and one of the leading voices at the intersection of creativity, mental health, and systems change to explore what it means to outgrow an identity, confront burnout, and imagine new ways of being well in a world that often makes that feel impossible.
Dr. Golden’s path spans both sides of the brain: from international touring as a singer-songwriter to pioneering research on creativity-driven growth, wellbeing, and innovation. After severe burnout and depression ended her music career, she began asking deeper questions about mental health, meaning, and the role of the arts in human survival—questions that ultimately led her to a PhD in public health and global work at the forefront of arts-and-health research. Together, we unpack:
Why burnout is not a personal failure, but often a structural oneHow capitalist systems push creatives into false “all or nothing” narrativesWhy wellbeing is more than the absence of suffering—and why suffering doesn’t negate meaning or beautyThe limits of language when describing grief, growth, and resilienceCreativity as an act of refusal, not escapismImagination as a practical tool for survival, agency, and changeWhat it means to “go upstream” and question the systems that keep us dysregulated and stuck
We also explore post-traumatic growth, the myth of resilience as “bouncing back,” and why some of the most transformative growth comes not from optimism, but from a grounded refusal to accept the world exactly as it is.
This conversation is for creatives, thinkers, and anyone navigating grief, transition, or burnout, especially those who feel caught between survival and meaning, realism and hope, science and soul.
Listen to the full episode to explore how creativity doesn’t just help us cope but also helps us reimagine what’s possible.
🎧 New episodes of Too Much every Monday.
📍 Follow the podcast: @toomuchwithdlh 💫 Follow Denise: @deniselovehewett 🎙 Follow Dr. Golden: @tasha.golden
Go to https://www.tashagolden.com/toomuch for free resources and information on how to work with her
📨 Questions, reflections, or submissions: hello@deniselovehewett.com

Curiosity, Creative Confidence & Becoming the Main Character with Anna Howard

What happens when you stop waiting to be “ready” and start trusting your curiosity?
Denise sits down with podcast host, editor, and creative strategist Anna Howard, the creator of Wild Geese, a podcast inspired by Mary Oliver’s iconic poem and the liberating idea that you do not have to be good to begin.
Anna’s work centers on curiosity as a creative force. After years working behind the scenes producing and editing podcasts, she stepped out of the shadows and launched Wild Geese, growing it from zero to over 170,000 listeners in under a year by rejecting rigid marketing rules and building from self-trust instead.
Together, Denise and Anna explore what it means to become the main character of your creative life, why being a beginner is essential to growth, and how learning, creativity, and success actually unfold outside traditional systems. This conversation dives into:
Why you don’t hate learning, you hate schoolThe courage it takes to step out of “shadow artist” roles and claim your voiceLetting go of perfectionism and allowing yourself to be bad at firstHow curiosity fuels creativity more than strategy or productivityThe difference between artist timelines and marketing timelinesCreative process as digital gardening, research, and synthesisTrusting when an idea is ready and when it needs more timeWhy nurturing ideas is as powerful as inventing new onesHow podcasting and long-form thinking reshape how we learn and live
Anna also shares her behind-the-scenes creative process, from researching as leisure to connecting disparate ideas over time, and why giving your work space to mature often leads to deeper, more sustainable success.
This episode is for creatives, thinkers, podcasters, writers, and anyone who feels pressure to rush, monetize, or perfect their ideas before they’ve had time to breathe.
New episodes of Too Much every Monday.
📍 Follow the podcast: @toomuchwithdlh 💫 Follow Denise: @deniselovehewett 🎙 Follow Anna: @wildgeesepod and @iamannacorinne on youtube
📨 Questions, reflections, or submissions: hello@deniselovehewett.com

The Truth About Being a Working Creative in a Capitalist World

What does it really mean to be a working creative in today’s world?
In this solo career episode of Too Much, Denise Love Hewett breaks down the realities of building a creative life without burning out, going broke, or forcing yourself into someone else’s timeline. Drawing from her own experience starting over at 33 after her company shut down, Denise shares what it actually takes to sustain creativity in a capitalist system that rarely supports artists.
This episode is an honest, practical roadmap for creatives who feel behind, conflicted, or pressured to “go all in” before they’re financially ready. Denise challenges the myth that you must quit your job to be taken seriously and offers a grounded framework for building a creative life that honors both ambition and well-being. In this episode, Denise explores:
What it means to start over in your 30s and relinquish societal timelines
Why failure can free you creatively instead of breaking you
The myth of “going all in” and why it’s often rooted in privilege
How to balance financial security with creative fulfillment
The difference between energetically positive, neutral, and draining work
How to build a creative life with side hustles, freelance work, or a salary job
Why discipline, not inspiration, sustains creativity long-term
How to time block your days as a creative and treat your work like a real job
How to stop waiting for more money, followers, or permission to begin
Why being a creative today also means being the CEO of your own life
Denise also shares the behind-the-scenes structure of her own creative process, from podcasting and DJing to writing, speaking, and building long-term infrastructure for creative freedom. This episode is especially valuable for artists, writers, performers, entrepreneurs, and anyone navigating career pivots or questioning their creative path.
If you’ve ever felt behind, afraid to start, or unsure how to make creativity sustainable, this episode will help you trust your timing and commit to your work without self-betrayal.
New episodes every Monday.
You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett
Email hello@deniselovehewett.com for any suggestions or advice.
Subscribe to the Substack for deeper frameworks and essays supporting an independent creative life.
 

Sacred Rage Isn’t Destructive, It’s Informational with Joy Donnell

What if rage isn’t something to suppress but something sacred trying to guide you home? In this powerful episode, Denise sits down with writer, poet, and cultural thinker Joy Donnell to explore sacred rage, devotion over discipline, and how discomfort can become the blueprint for a more honest, liberated life.
This conversation explores how anger can be informational rather than destructive, how grief and rage signal what we are devoted to, and why many of us feel an unshakable knowing that “we deserve better than this.” Together, Denise and Joy unpack how transformation happens when we stop numbing discomfort and start listening to it. In this episode, we explore:
Why sacred rage is a signal for change, not something to repress
How devotion is more sustainable than discipline
The difference between healing and bypassing discomfort
How creative work becomes a vessel for transmuting rage into vision
Why remembering who you are is a political, personal, and spiritual act
How to stop shaping your life around survival and start shaping it around meaning
This episode is for anyone who feels unsettled by the status quo, exhausted by self-abandonment, or quietly aware that a truer life is calling.
Joy Donnell is a wordsmith of well-being. Her short fiction has appeared in Grist and Short Edition, and her poetry has been honored by the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Her first book, Beyond Brand, explores personal branding through the lens of personal development. Joy’s short documentary, Inseparable from the Sunlight, illuminates how our health is connected to plants, the Earth, and the cosmos. Her poetry collection, Show Us Your Fire, celebrates disruption as a path to ease and our birthright to inner peace.
You can follow her @doitinpublic
You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett
Email hello@deniselovehewett.com for any suggestions or advice.