The Intuitive Writing Project Founder, Elizabeth Perlman

Founder, Elizabeth Perlman

Hello fellow storytellers! My name is Elizabeth and I created The Intuitive Writing Project because it's what I wanted and needed when I was young. Even after twelve years of leading workshops and developing curricula, I continue to be inspired (and often moved to tears) by the wisdom, depth, and raw, world-changing courage of my students.

I have a BA in Media Arts and a MA in Transformative Arts, the study of creative expression as a tool for self-discovery and self-empowerment. I am also a certified facilitator in the Amherst Writing Method. (For a more detailed bio, see below.)

As I have written in my upcoming book, Word Magic, The Power of Writing to Reframe Your Story & Reclaim Your Intuition, "I believe that human beings are both deeply wise and profoundly heroic, but that we usually can’t see it. Usually, we need some kind of evidence. I believe our stories are the evidence. I believe our stories contain our magic. And I believe that storytelling is how we transform, uplift, and redesign our lives."

contact me

Marketing Intern Extraordinaire

Abigail Thoren (she/her)

When it comes to writing, Abigail says, “The practice of writing has been more significant for me than I ever could’ve imagined. Whether I’m creating connections, developing my voice, or even just clarifying my thoughts and ideas, writing has shaped the way I think and live. Writing is powerful, writing is freeing, and I want every young person to experience this power and freedom.”

Abigail has a BA in Marketing from the University of Iowa and will be completing her MBA from the University of Southern Indiana in August.

She is currently living in Nashville, TN, with her partially blind corgi, Blink. When Abigail isn’t trudging through schoolwork, you can find her at the local coffee shop, fulfilling her passion for latte art and getting to meet and connect with tourists from all over the world.

You can email her here.

MARKETING INTERN

YOUTH ADVISORY TEAM

Kayli Harley (she/her)

Youth Advisor

Northeastern University, majoring in Communication Studies

TIWP Writer: 10th - 12th grade

Writing matters because words are the fabric of our world; they make us feel understood and have the power to ignite our passions. For me, The Intuitive Writing Project is a safe space for young individuals to write and create without reserve, a place to discover one’s authentic voice and speak it confidently.

Caroline Hesby (she/her)

Youth Advisor

The University of Washington, majoring in English and creative-writing with a minor in business

TIWP Writer: 10th - 12th grade

Writing matters because it is both the medium by which important voices can be heard by the world, as well as a restorative practice. For me, The Intuitive Writing Project is the place where young women can create, lead, and inspire—while growing into their most confident, unapologetic and truest self.

Reagan Kaelle (she/her)

Youth Advisor

The University of Michigan, majoring in Political Science and Economics

TIWP Writer: 6th - 12th grade

Writing matters because it immortalizes extraordinary thoughts. For me, The Intuitive Writing Project is where I forged my voice and discovered the power of self-assurance.

Audrey Lambert (she/her)

Youth Advisor

Reed College, BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis

TIWP Writer: 6th - 12th grade

Writing matters because it allows for self-reflection, self-discovery and self-expression. For me, The Intuitive Writing Project is the place I go to for nonjudgmental and unfiltered female community.

Julia Lima (she/her)

Youth Advisor

University of Southern California, BS in law, history, and culture, with a minor in social justice

Currently enrolled at Yale Law School

TIWP Writer: 9th - 12th grade

Writing matters because it’s the single-best thing a young person can do to learn and understand themselves throughout their developing years. For me, The Intuitive Writing Project opens space for healing, learning, vulnerability, self-love, creativity, and magic.

Maxine Pollock (she/her)

Youth Advisor

Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Reims &
UC Berkeley, majoring in politics and government with a minor in legal studies

TIWP Writer: 6th - 12th grade

Writing matters because it allows us to express our innate wisdom and creativity and provides a platform to share the stories the world needs to hear! For me, the Intuitive Writing Project is a magical initiative where young people are celebrated for who they are, supported in and out of class, and ultimately learn to find their voice.

ELIZABETH'S BIO, CONTINUED (the longer version)

I began my academic journey studying leadership as a Leadership Scholar at Columbia College, back when it was still a women's college. (Looking back, I think it was my experience in those all-female classes that seeded my commitment to girl-focused education.) A few years later, I transferred to The University of South Carolina to pursue an interdisciplinary degree, combining filmmaking and environmental studies in the hope of producing "inspiring environmental documentaries." Toward that end, I spent time in Costa Rica studying "Sustainable Strategies for Rainforest Preservation" through The School for Field Studies. I also learned winter survival skills in the Rocky Mountains through Outward Bound, and volunteered through City Year, an Americorps program. In May of 2000, I graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Media Arts.

Four months later, after a short, ill-advised stint in corporate sales, I went back to school to study Art Direction & Design for Advertising at The Portfolio Center / Miami Ad School Atlanta. This led to over ten years in design industry, working as a graphic designer and art director to tell "visual stories of the brand" for companies like BBDO West, Nike, and West Elm. During that time, I also spent two years popping back and forth to the One Spirit Learning Alliance in New York City for a low-residency, "spiritual education for change-makers" program where I was ordained an interfaith minister.

It was only with the recession of 2008 that I got the chance to start over, to go back to school and focus on the thing I've always loved most but had felt compelled to keep hidden: my boundless love of language and the transformative power of writing to heal, transform, and empower.

At John F. Kennedy University, I completed my Master's in Transformative Arts, the study of creative expression as a tool for personal inquiry and community empowerment. It was during this time that I was certified as a "Group Leader" in The Amherst Writing Method, the beautiful writing methodology that would inspire the writing philosophy of The Intuitive Writing Project.

After so many years of soul-searching, trying to find "my place" in the world, I inadvertently developed an exceptional set of self-inquiry tools I am now able to share with others, to help my students their own "place" in the world—through both group classes and 1:1 coaching. It took me a long, long time to figure out how to integrate my particular combination of passions and strengths. But through The Intuitive Wring Project, I believe I have found my life's work. I've also realized that, sometimes, the reason we "can't find" the thing we need is because we are the ones who have to create it.

As I often tell my students, if I can create and successfully run a program as unconventional as The Intuitive Writing Project, they can do ANYTHING! At the end of the day, I believe my job is just to reflect back the unique brilliance and power of each and every girl—till they can see it, too. I am here to support girls in trusting their voice, writing their story, and creating their own meaningful, empowered life.

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