Mari Andrew — Instagram Fame, Creativity, Dealing With Grief, and Being Paralyzed For A Month (!!)

Mari Andrew (@bymariandrew) is one of the most famous writers on Instagram, with water colored mini-essays and illustrations that touch over one million followers daily. She’s the author of the NYTimes best-selling book, Am I There Yet?, and is currently at work on her second book. In this episode, we talk about Mari’s creative process, including the role of both journaling and traveling in her life. We talk about the formative grief following the death of her father, and how she came to be the person she is today, both in the public eye and in her own mind and body. We also talk at length about her experience with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which struck her suddenly while she was in Spain, and left her paralyzed and in extreme pain in a foreign country for over a month. The illness changed her perspective on the world and her life, and her insights about that time are moving and illuminating. Mari is one of the wisest souls that I’ve met; her thoughts on both the grand and minute moments of life are almost startlingly empathetic, and her ability to to capture the true essence of things will spark “aha!” moments in people young and old. I say in this episode that her work and life are a gift to us all, and I mean it—I can’t wait for you to hear the woman behind the wisdom. For every episode of the Healthier Together podcast, there will be a corresponding giveaway. Come enter to win on Instagram @lizmoody. Enjoy! This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I’m extremely picky about the food I consume, and after doing a huge amount of research on mushrooms, I’ve become not only a fan but an evangelist. I don’t drink caffeine, so I use mushrooms to help me wake up in the morning (cordyceps), focus in the afternoon (lion’s mane), and calm down in the evening (reishi). I also use the chaga to bolster my immune system on trips (either cross-country or just on the arguably-more-disgusting NYC subway). This stuff REALLY works, and now I rarely go a day without it. Get 15% off your order using the code healthiertogether, or visiting foursigmatic.com/healthiertogether (and feel free to hit me up on Instagram @lizmoody with any questions—I could swan over shrooms till the end of time!). Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices