Olivia Swindler was raised in Spokane, Washington, but currently resides in Grenoble, France, and is the Communication Coordinator for Young Life in Europe. She spends most of her spare time wandering through the mountains and eating her weight in bread.

Olivia believes that through fiction we can learn and grow from one another because there is something magical about picking up a book and allowing it to transport you someplace new. Cynthia Starts a Band is her debut novel, which she hopes will create and foster hard, real-life conversations, inspiring readers to have the courage to discover who they are when the world isn't looking.

In today’s episode Olivia shares the inspiration behind her debut novel, Cynthia Starts a Band, and the impact of friendship and community on her healing journey. One of the major themes of this book is friendship, starting over, and the people who are there for you along your journey. Olivia so beautifully shares the gift of female friendships, the impact its had on her life, and how her friendships helped her fully process her breakup and toxic relationship. Through her work Olivia embraces the values of family, empowerment, and healing while also subtly drawing on the #metoo movement.

“I think stopping to acknowledge, thank, and to pay homage to those who have carried us on their backs is so important. It not only empowers the person that helped you along the way, but it also helps us process that experience in a new way.”

— Olivia Swindler

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7bZHrtjAzbksbLWNaak1NM

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-inspiring-joy/id1510488632

To connect with Olivia and learn more check out her website oliviaswindler.com and on Instagram @oliviaswindler

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.