Let’s get real honest for a minute: Are you living a double life?
Not in a scandalous way—but creatively. Are you the person who writes in secret before dawn and doesn’t tell your spouse? Who has notebooks full of story ideas hidden in desk drawers?
Who practices "acceptable" career small talk while your heart yearns to discuss character development and plot twists?
If so, you're not alone. And this week's podcast guest proves there's hope for creative closet- dwellers.
Meet Michael Isaac Shokrian—attorney by day, secret novelist by night... for 30 years.
Michael's story fascinated me because it reveals something I suspect many of us experience: the exhausting split between who we are and who we think we're supposed to be.
Here's the thing about hidden writers—they're everywhere:
• The accountant who writes poetry on lunch breaks
• The teacher crafting a memoir during summer vacation
• The doctor with three finished novels in a filing cabinet
• The parent scribbling story ideas while kids are at practice
• The retiree finally admitting they've "always wanted to write"
Michael spent decades as what he calls a "closeted writer"—too ashamed to tell even friends and colleagues about his real passion. His immigrant parents wanted him in business. Society told him writing wasn't "substantial." So he became a lawyer and wrote in the shadows.
But here's what happens when you deny your creative self for too long:
"I think I was really a frustrated lawyer who was sour and angry a lot, unfulfilled," Michael told me. "And I think the only person who knew that really well was my wife."
Sound familiar? That creative energy doesn't just disappear when we ignore it. It festers. It makes us irritable. It creates this low-level dissatisfaction that colors everything else we do.
The turning point came when Michael's wife gave him permission to stop hiding:
She told him to go pursue it—not instead of everything else, but alongside it. And that's when something magical happened: he realized he could structure his time to honor both sides of himself.
His secret? Military-level time management:
• 7:30-10:15 AM: Writing (his creative currency)
• 10:30 AM-4:00 PM: Law practice (paying the bills)
• 4:00-8:00 PM: Family time (staying connected)
• 8:00-10:00 PM: Reading/creative input
"Your time is your currency," he said. "I'm going to spend two hours on this. I'm going to spend four hours on that."
But the real breakthrough came at age 60 when he decided to stop asking for permission to be who he was.
His debut novel "American Playground" is now published. He runs a literary magazine called The Thieving Magpie. He openly calls himself a writer. The creative closet door is wide open.
What I found most moving about Michael's story:
He started The Thieving Magpie to publish his own rejected work—but ended up championing other hidden voices instead. He discovered there's a whole community of talented people who felt shut out of traditional publishing. Writers with day jobs. Artists with mortgages. Poets with practical responsibilities.
People just like you. Just like me.
Here's what Michael's journey teaches us about creative courage:
1. You can't hide who you are forever. That creative identity will keep demanding expression until you honor it.
2. Permission comes from within. Stop waiting for someone else to validate your creative dreams.
3. Time isn't the enemy—priorities are. If it matters to you, you'll find the time. If it doesn't, you'll find excuses.
4. Community matters. Other hidden writers are out there, waiting to connect and support each other.
5. It's never too late. Michael published his first novel at 60. Your creative timeline is your own.
My question for you: What creative dream are you keeping in the closet? What would happen if you gave yourself permission to pursue it openly, proudly, unapologetically?
Listen to Michael's full story on this week’s podcast.
And seriously—head to my chat and tell me about your hidden creative life. Are you a secret writer? A closet artist? A kitchen table entrepreneur with a business idea you're too scared to share?
I read every response, and I'm genuinely curious about the creative lives we're all living in the margins.
Maybe it's time to step into the light.
Keep creating (openly),
Liz
P.S. Michael's "American Playground" emerged from a third-grade playground fight that stayed with him for 50 years. Sometimes our most powerful stories come from our earliest moments of feeling like outsiders. What childhood memory has been trying to tell you something?
P.P.S. The Thieving Magpie literary magazine is actively seeking submissions from writers at all stages. If you've got work hiding in a drawer, maybe it's time to let it see daylight. Check out thievingmagpie.org.
About Michael:
Michael Isaac Shokrian is an Iranian-Jewish writer born in Hamburg, Germany and raised in Los Angeles by way of Tehran. With little knowledge of the English language or American culture,
Michael became a self-taught American via terrestrial radio and TV. He began writing at UCLA and as he honed his poetic flair in his adopted language, a theme emerged: the voice, perspective and humor of the Outsider and the struggle of marginalized characters to find authenticity and identity. Michael’s work introduces readers to the multi-layered world of Iranians in America and their effort to find their place in America through hard compromises, small triumphs and poignant defeats.
Michael launched a non-profit online literary quarterly, the Thieving Magpie, in 2017 his effort to create a literary community and platform for established, emerging and underrepresented voices. His debut novel, American Playground, is out now.
Connect with Michael:
Grab a copy of American Playground here:
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael.isaac.shokrian/
Stay updated on Michael’s work here: https://www.mishokrian.com/
Connect with Liz:
Instagram: @lizmugavero
Website: cateconte.com
🎧 Like what you hear? Subscribe, rate, and review the show to support more creative voices— and to kickstart your own writing journey.
Chapters
05:18 Introduction to Michael Shokrian
08:40 The Journey of a Writer
13:00 The Role of Art in Society
14:50 The Story Behind 'American Playground'
18:40 Themes of Belonging and Fitting In
24:24 The Impact of Media on Identity
27:08 Understanding Immigration and the American Dream
33:20 Self-Publishing Insights
41:50 Balancing Writing and Life
49:52 Advice for Aspiring Authors
55:28 Looking Ahead: Future Projects
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