Before you start, please note that during the second half of my conversation with Susan, I spontaneously asked her about coaching questions and to give me a mini developmental coaching demo. I gave her permission for the demo, and simply thought to ask "on-the-spot" as I do with every question that I ask my guests. Now, here's why I invited Susan to join us. When I first heard of The Bend of Ivy Retreat Center north of Asheville in Madison County, I wondered what Bend of Ivy meant. “Could it be where ivy bends up rock walls?” I thought. I soon learned Bend of Ivy referred to a graceful bend in the Ivy River which flows west to the French Broad on its way Tennessee. The Bend of Ivy Retreat Center is where Susan Walters Minker, coach, writer, philosopher, and educator makes her home and runs her business. You might be surprised to discover that half-way through our delightful conversation, Susan engaged me in a coaching session by asking me, “what’s wanting to emerge in you and your work right now?” I was a little nervous answering on-air, but I plowed on; sure enough, I learned some things I didn’t know Tune in and learn some things perhaps you didn’t know.

Where the River Bends with developmental coach Susan Walters Minker

Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio is a podcast devoted to candid, often surprising exchanges with artists, thinkers, and cultural instigators who speak from the core. Each episode dives beneath the surface to explore the stories and questions that shape our lives.

I’m James Navé—poet, storyteller, educator, and longtime creative collaborator. With an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and decades of teaching experience across the globe, I help writers and performers tap into their authentic voices through public speaking, creative writing, and the Imaginative Storm method, which I co-developed with Allegra Huston.

My most recent book, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer (3: A Taos Press), documents a hundred days of healing and poetic reckoning. I’m also co-author of Write What You Don’t Know and How to Read for an Audience—practical guides for anyone seeking to speak and write with more truth and power.

I’ve directed festivals, hosted literary salons, taught with Julia Cameron, and memorized over 600 poems. I still believe in the power of a well-told story, the light through stained glass, and the open road with nothing but a podcast and a windshield full of stars.

Where the River Bends with developmental coach Susan Walters Minker

Twice Five Miles