Totally Booked with Zibby
Episode: "Moms Have Broken Hearts, Too"
Guest: Josie Balka
Date: January 26, 2026
Host: Zibby Owens
Episode Overview
In this heartfelt episode, Zibby Owens welcomes back poet and broadcaster Josie Balka to discuss her latest poetry collection, Loves of Our Lives: Poems for Hopeful Hearts. The conversation is centered on the many facets of love explored in Josie’s work—romantic, familial, and the complexities of heartbreak, particularly through the lens of motherhood. The episode touches on creativity, authenticity, personal growth, how vulnerability plays into writing and sharing poetry, and the evolving public awareness of Josie’s work on social media. Zibby reads several moving pieces aloud, which leads to a deeper discussion about the lived experiences behind Josie’s poems.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Introducing the Guest and the New Collection
[04:00–05:51]
- Zibby introduces Josie Balka and her new book Loves of Our Lives: Poems for Hopeful Hearts.
- The physical beauty and design of the book is praised.
- Zibby: “It’s like a work of art. So, anyway, it’s featured prominently on the shelf, so we can show off.” [05:25]
The Centrality of Love in Life and Art
[06:04–07:04]
- Josie explains her inspiration for the new collection:
- Love is the root of most feelings—both what helps and what hurts us.
- The collection is structured to reflect the many kinds of love people experience.
- The poems have no titles, maintaining the style of her previous book.
- “I just love love. I know that’s so basic, but … it just is all about love. The things that hurt you, the things that help you … It often is either because you love a person or you love a thing.” [06:04]
Motherhood and Broken Hearts
[07:14–09:01]
- Zibby reads aloud a poignant poem from the “Family Love” section, about a mother consoling her heartbroken daughter and reflecting on her own heartbreaks.
- Both women discuss the universal pain of watching children go through heartbreak.
- Josie: “Because you know how they’re feeling, and they think that you’re just like some loser who doesn’t get it. And you’re like, trust me, I understand.” [08:43]
- Zibby: “All you can do is hug and love and go through it. But it’s the hardest. Oh, my gosh.” [08:51]
Writing Process: Authenticity and Inspiration
[09:03–11:43]
- Josie describes her writing process:
- Most poems begin as single-line thoughts jotted in her phone.
- If inspiration doesn’t flow in 20–30 minutes, she revisits the poem later.
- Reflects on her relationship with her single mother and the empathy she feels now as she gets older.
- Josie: “Usually if a poem takes me longer than, like, 20 to 30 minutes to write, I’ll give up on it at the time and go back, because then that will mean, like, it’s not flowing. Like, usually I find that if it’s gonna work that day, it’ll be … coming out really fast.” [09:26]
Real-Life Experience vs. Imagination in Poetry
[11:15–13:08]
- Josie shares that nearly all her poems are rooted in personal experience, even when projecting hypotheticals or reflecting empathetically on her mother’s past.
- She fields many requests for poems about experiences she hasn’t yet had, and she chooses to write authentically from her own journey.
- Josie: “There’s so much left to go through, and I feel like probably 99 to 100% of the poems that people request from me, I will go through that eventually. So I’ll write about it when the time comes.” [12:13]
Vulnerability: Writing About Love and Past Relationships
[13:08–14:46]
- Discussion about whether Josie fears reactions from past partners who might read her poetry.
- She shares an anecdote about a former partner being anxious about whether poems were about him.
- Josie: “If I’m writing something about you because you really, like, hurt my feelings, I don’t care if you see it. … I kind of hope the more hard-hitting ones about the people who weren’t that nice, maybe that they come across one one day, and hopefully they’ve changed and they can reflect on that.” [14:30]
Social Media, Virality, and Creative Growth
[17:52–20:32]
- Zibby asks about Josie’s evocative video poetry style and how social media fame affects her creativity.
- Josie discusses the challenge of staying authentic as audience size grows.
- She strives to write “straight from in here” and not tailor poems to what she thinks others will like.
- Being laid off from her radio job became a turning point that allowed her to commit to poetry full-time.
- Josie: “It was kind of like I was almost building myself a shelter from a storm that I didn’t know was coming. And it’s just been. It’s been great to know that I have this now, which is nice.” [19:35]
Live Performance and Touring Ambitions
[20:32–22:09]
- Zibby proposes the idea of a stage or live performance adaptation of Josie’s poetry.
- Josie admits she hasn’t considered it and worries about her relevance for a live tour, but is inspired by the idea.
- Josie: “Maybe I’ll wait a little bit longer and grow my thing a little bit more.” [21:36]
Redefining "Prince Charming" & Writing About Happiness
[22:22–24:40]
- Zibby reads another poem aloud, reimagining Prince Charming not as a fairy tale knight but as a caring, reliable partner.
- Josie reflects on writing about happiness after her recent marriage—a new creative perspective.
- Josie: “I have found that one thing that I struggled with the most to write about ever in my life is like, happy things. … But it’s interesting now to be able to kind of write more about being in love as opposed to being not wanted.” [24:24]
Advice for Aspiring Poets
[24:54–26:07]
- Josie encourages aspiring poets to write honestly, trusting that their writing is private unless they choose otherwise. Removing the fear of discovery fosters deeper authenticity.
- Josie: “You are your number one person confidant. … If you just go into writing knowing that nobody will ever read it unless you want them to, it’ll take out the fear a little bit and bring out a little bit more honesty.” [25:07]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “When you really boil everything down, it just is all about love. The things that hurt you, the things that help you … It’s kind of like the main root of all of our feelings.”
— Josie Balka [06:04] - “My daughter will think that I’m just her mom. I know nothing and everything all at once. And I’ve never felt the constant and all-encompassing ache that comes with something ending that you don’t want to end. … Because she thinks that I will never understand. And I remember so vividly how deeply I understand.”
— Poem read by Zibby Owens [07:24–08:33] - “Usually if a poem takes me longer than, like, 20 to 30 minutes to write, I’ll give up on it at the time and go back, because then that will mean, like, it’s not flowing.”
— Josie Balka [09:26] - “Everything in your brain is always catered in a way, like, just in case somebody reads this … But I think just know that at the beginning, it’s just you and you and that’s it. And it can stay that way or it can become something more.”
— Josie Balka [25:03–25:50] - “Prince Charming needs to be written as a guy like that. Not just happy and in love after all that hardship and fighting. Just happy and in love because you both deserved it all along. … And he doesn’t wear shining armor, but you don’t either anymore. And it’s because Prince Charming does exist. It’s just not in the way you expected. It’s even better.”
— Poem read by Zibby Owens [22:30–23:41]
Timestamps of Important Segments
- 04:00 – Introduction and book praise
- 06:04 – The meaning of love in Josie’s poetry & structure of the collection
- 07:24 – Zibby reads the heartbreak/motherhood poem aloud
- 09:26 – Josie’s writing process and inspiration
- 11:43 – Authenticity in writing vs. writing by request
- 13:08 – Vulnerability about exes reading her poetry
- 17:52 – Impact of social media, creative pressure and career change
- 20:32 – Performing poetry live and touring considerations
- 22:22 – “Prince Charming” poem and reflections on writing about love and happiness
- 24:54 – Advice for aspiring poets
Tone and Style
The episode is warm, sincere, and emotionally resonant, with both host and guest openly sharing personal stories and reflecting on the power of poetry to process and communicate universal experiences. There is an undercurrent of humor and mutual support, but also vulnerable honesty—especially regarding heartbreak, family, creativity, and the courage it takes to share one’s inner world with others.
Summary Conclusion
This episode of Totally Booked is a touching exploration of the many forms of love and heartbreak, both as source material for poetry and as lived human experience—especially from the vantage point of mothers. Josie Balka candidly discusses the process of writing authentic poetry, her relationship with vulnerability and public sharing, and how her career has evolved. Listeners will find inspiration, emotional connection, and encouragement, whether they are lifelong readers of poetry or aspiring writers themselves.