What if creativity wasn’t just self-expression—but survival?

In this deeply moving episode of Blueprint Breakers, I’m joined by thriller author and community builder Tori Westminster, whose writing journey began not at a desk—but in a dark room, during six weeks of unrelenting migraine pain.

Tori shares how she mentally “wrote” her first novel while unable to see, move, or function normally—and how that act of imagination became the thing that carried her through one of the hardest periods of her life.

But this conversation goes far beyond writing.

We talk about:

Living with chronic illness and adapting to a body that changes daily
Letting go of the life you thought you’d have—and choosing meaning anyway
Why writing (and creativity) isn’t meant to be done in isolation
How community can be built without hustle, algorithms, or self-promotion
The origin of Bunker Squirrel Magazine and why it centers connection over ego
Choosing contribution, even when capacity looks different than it used to
Tori’s newest project, Conversations with Pain, amplifying voices of those living with chronic illness and disability

This episode is an honest, compassionate look at what it means to keep contributing, creating, and connecting—even when the traditional blueprint no longer applies.

About Tori Westminster

Tori is a 5-star thriller author who has spent the last 6 years of her writing journey building other writers up through social media, groups, and, more recently, through Bunker Squirrel Magazine and Patreon. These were not strategies meant to drive revenue, but avenues to build community. Tori believes that writing in isolation does not produce good books and is not good for the soul. So, creating a safe space for writers was only logical.

Among other publications slated for 2026, by popular demand, she will release a 3-month goal journal designed specifically for writers in January of 2026. She will incorporate accountability groups and will coach them through their goals one quarter at a time. Throughout 2026, she will be collecting stories from the chronically ill and disabled—spoonies—to give voice to those who go unnoticed and misunderstood. As a spoonie herself, this is a passion project.

https://www.tcwestminster.com/#/

About Amy Palmer

As host and facilitator for the Blueprint Breaker podcast, Amy is dedicated to expanding and amplifying the voices of women over 45 who are living a “non-traditional” lifestyle. She believes there is more than one way to do life and we all deserve to be seen, heard, understood and represented.

After a lifelong struggle with feeling “outside” the societal norm and longing to live up to perceived expectations, pardon Amy’s French as she says fuck the blueprint! She has found peace, acceptance, and joy as she embarks on the next era of her life as a digital nomadic entrepreneur.

Amy was formerly a senior corporate executive, a nationally recognized sales and operations expert, an award-winning actress, a resident of 13 different US cities, and a prize-winning DC blogger. Amy has a vast network of friends and colleagues with whom she enjoys travel and adventures and a close family including six niblings (nieces & nephews), the loves of her life!

Amy's Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @amypalmer.today

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