This week I spoke with Madeleine Gottlieb — an award-winning director, producer, screenwriter, and one of my oldest friends.I met Mads when I was five. She was the smartest person I’d ever met, with the bluest eyes and the most commanding presence.We were a couple of drama kids. And listening back to this conversation on a walk this week, I realised, we still are.We talk about morning rituals, meditation, ADHD, therapy, why Mads’ word for 2025 scares her, and how cutting off all her hair at a roadside barber in Hobart turned out to be the best thing she ever did.I loved this chat. It’s messy and raw and it made me smile. It also made me want to be braver. To be more myself. Because over the last decade, Mads has stopped hiding. She’s learning to live, fully and honestly, as who she truly is.I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did.JYK 🤍Episode Links:Learn more about Madeleine Gottlieb: https://www.madeleinegottlieb.comSign up to Between The Lines: https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.comRead the letter by Sol LeWitt and Eva Hesse: Letters of notePick your one word for 2025: www.myword.is
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1:20:46
Going Analogue
When Matteo and I spent two months in Puglia at the end of last year, living in a sleepy seaside town, we had a weekend ritual: a long walk by the sea, swimming and reading at Lo Scalo, spaghetti vongole and a spritz, a gelato along the promenade, and a movie on the couch.Off our phones, away from the rest of the world, we could switch off. It was incredible.I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately—less about Puglia, more about the presence we were able to cultivate there. Il dolce far niente—the sweetness of doing nothing—and how hard that is to access in the real world. A world that keeps getting faster and noisier, constantly telling us we should do more.Should we?More and more, I think definitely not.This week on the pod, we talk about that. About going analogue, content fatigue, the tyranny of should, and why I forgot—then remembered—that I’m an artist.🕊🕊🕊You can find the One Word Journal here: https://www.myword.is/journal Between The Lines Newsletter here: https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/subscribe
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24:50
Brave like Bob Dylan
There’s a scene in A Complete Unknown I can’t stop thinking about.Bob Dylan steps on stage at the Newport Folk Festival in ’65. Thousands and thousands of people chant his name. They came to hear the songs they know. To see the Dylan they know.But Dylan has moved on.He picks up his electric guitar and plays his new music. The crowd boos. They throw things. Festival organisers try to cut the sound.It’s uncomfortable to watch. I caught myself thinking, Just give them what they want.But he doesn’t.He stands there and keeps playing. Looking forward, not back.And sitting in that dark cinema on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I realised —I want to be brave like Dylan.Lately, I’ve felt torn—between what I think I should do and what feels true.We talk about that on the pod this week.Sign up to Between The Lines newsletter for more
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22:13
Creative Leaps with Nimisha Gupta
After seven years at luxury fashion house Zegna, Nimisha Gupta walked away from the safety of a big role to rediscover herself—and her joy.In this week’s episode of Between the Lines, we talk about making bold career leaps, finding your way back to creativity, and building a life that feels like yours.We also dive into the rituals that help Nimisha stay inspired—including why she takes a bath at 2pm every day (iconic).And, of course, her word for 2025.I loved this conversation with Nimisha. I hope you do too.🕊 Find Nimisha on Substack, instagram, and Nimisha Inc. 🕊 Follow Between The Lines on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Substack.🕊 Find the One Word Journal here.🕊 Find my art and instagram.JYK 🤍
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44:28
Anxiety and the Artist's Date
My earliest memories are anxious ones. Clinging to my mum’s legs as a child. Hiding under a laundry basket when people popped in. Waking up at 5 AM, putting on my school uniform, and sitting there for three hours—because I was terrified of being late. For most of my life, anxiety was my default state. And then last year, driving from Milan to Umbria, Matteo and I were listening to a podcast about anxiety when he paused it and asked—How is your anxiety?To my surprise, I said, Good. I hadn’t felt anxious in ages. We both sat in silence, a little stunned. Where did my anxiety go?I’ve been sitting with that question for months. And recently, as I felt anxiety creeping back in, I realised—there’s one thing that helps me most.This week, Matteo and I talk about: The unexpected weight of moving homeMy life with anxietyThe turning point that forced me to make a changeAnd the ritual that’s helping me feel more at ease (and could help you, too)The One Word Journal: https://www.myword.is/bookBetween The Lines Newsletter: https://jessicayolandakaye.substack.com/
I'm an artist learning to live creatively. Between the Lines is where I explore what it means to reconnect with yourself, protect your creativity, and craft a life that feels beautiful to you.
New Zealand