May 28, 2026
In this episode of Freelance Writing Direct, Estelle Erasmus speaks with Carolyn Roy-Bornstein about restorative writing, burnout, and healing through storytelling.
Carolyn shares how writing became a lifeline after her son survived a devastating car accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury. She explains how journaling and narrative writing helped her process ambiguous grief, anger, and emotional isolation, ultimately inspiring her new book, A Prescription for Burnout: Restorative Writing for Healthcare Professionals. The book offers practical advice for anyone struggling with burnout or emotional exhaustion, whether they work in medicine or simply feel overwhelmed by modern life.
Together, Estelle and Carolyn
discuss:
• Why expressive writing has been linked to improved emotional and
physical health
• How writing can help healthcare professionals manage burnout and
secondary trauma
• The science behind writing and stress reduction
• Narrative medicine and the importance of bearing
witness
• Using prompts to unlock scene, dialogue, and emotional
truth
• The role of writing in building resilience, self-awareness, and
professional identity
• Why even 15 minutes of writing can make a
difference
• How to structure a prescriptive nonfiction book around reader
transformation
• Carolyn’s experience publishing with Johns Hopkins University Press and
navigating peer review
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I360StNGvQ
About Carolyn
Roy-Bornstein
Carolyn Roy-Bornstein is a board-certified pediatrician, former
registered nurse, and writer-in-residence at the Lawrence Family
Medicine Residency, where she teaches narrative medicine. Her work
has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston
Globe, JAMA, Poets & Writers, and many other publications. She
lives and writes in Maine and Massachusetts.
Links
Carolyn's
website: www.carolynroybornstein.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.roybornstein
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-roy-bornstein-8a329636/
Follow Estelle
Website: https://estelleserasmus.com
Watch Estelle's TEDx Talk How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and
Beyond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ
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https://estelleserasmus.substack.com/p/how-to-pitch-provokedmagazine-inside
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About Estelle Erasmus
Estelle Erasmus is an NYU writing professor, former magazine
editor-in-chief, TEDx speaker, and the author of Writing That Gets
Noticed, named a Best Book for Writers by Poets & Writers. She is
also the host of the award-winning podcast Freelance Writing
Direct, where she shares insider strategies on craft, publishing,
and building a writing career.
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