Daily Inspiration: Meet Brittany Ballard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Ballard.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was little I told everyone that I wanted to see the whole world and write it all down when I grew up. So that’s what I’m doing, one story at a time, one experience at a time.

When I got pregnant I became so much more brave and free in my creativity. Before then, I helped other people make their art as a producer and film festival programmer. But I always wanted to make my own movies, share my own stories, and make my own music.

Once I became a mother, it became impossible not to create. I finally gave myself permission to be an artist. So I started making music as a vocalist, producer and DJ as Baby Luck. I directed my short film WOLF, along with two music videos for Plump Records.

And then I started really writing! My Substack The Overflow is my happy place. And I’ve been writing screenplays for film and TV for the last 7 years. One day these shows will be on TV for you to see! Until then I am learning, growing and finding my voice by using it. It takes a long time to stop writing what other people want and start writing the stories you want to read and see. I’m just now coming into my own in my process as a writer.

The Unsent Show came to be when I got a mean and unfair Airbnb review and I wrote that lady 10 messages that I never sent her. My friend told me she had a bunch of unsent email drafts to her ex boyfriend. We read them and laughed and cried and I thought, this should be a show!

So we had our first Unsent Show in our living room in LA on Oct 2017. We expanded the show when my family moved to Denver, bringing it to LA, Chicago, NY and Denver, until Covid. We then pivoted as we all did. We got a development grant from 150 WarnerMedia to develop Unsent letters into a TV series, which I’m currently working on.

As I mentioned, TV is no joke – development is no joke – it takes a lot of time, a lot of trial and error, a lot of loss, and a lot of guts to keep going. I am keeping going, even if I take days off. ( It helps to join classes at Lighthouse Writers Workshop to write in community here in Denver.)

As far as Unsent, we’re back hosting our Live Shows here in Denver bi-monthly, and we launched our Unsent Show Podcast so people can enjoy Unsent all around the world. I love that we offer a cathartic, communal space for people to share messages they wrote but never sent. It’s healing, fun and very human.

We plan to go on tour around the country and world in 2026-2027. Our next two shows are the Sex Edition on Sept 26 and our Death Edition on Oct 25 at Town Hall Collaborative in Denver. Tix on Eventbrite ;).

I’m also excited to share that Unsent is now part of Three Things, my new healing arts non profit (501c3) based in Denver that I co-founded with my husband, rap artist Old Man Saxon. Together we produce the live show and podcast, while I’m the host. Hosting is my happy place, you should join us!

Through Three Things, Saxon offers Healing Futures hip hop youth workshops to help children imagine themselves thriving into the future, while I offer 3rd Act Life Reviews for older adults to share their life stories and make meaning of their lives, creating healing and connection.

In addition to writing, hosting Unsent, and starting a non profit from scratch, I’m an EOL Doula, which means I help companion people at the end of their lives. I trained with Peaceful Presence Project when my mom got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I knew I needed to resource myself to help her through illness and dying.

This training prompted me to pitch a new TV show, “The Death Doula” at SeriesFest two years ago, where I won the Pitch-a-thon! I’m currently writing this series now, and it’s evolved as I have. Since my mom passed away, my focus and energy has shifted, and I’m working to go with the flow.

Basically, my story is: I do so many things, I do too many things, I have a ton of creative energy and I love helping people tell and share their stories. I am working hard to “close the exits” and focus on one project at a time, and it’s a challenge for me. But I am here for it! I believe my writing and offerings at Three Things can help people feel more connected and less alone. I believe we have to invest in the arts and artists now more than ever. I believe this is how I’m seeing the whole world and writing it all down.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t know what a smooth road is! What is a road if there are no bumps, detours or inclement weather?

It’s been a struggle to listen to my own voice and not the loud voices of others telling me who I am and who I am not. It’s a glorious day when I “listen to me and not to them.”

It’s a challenge for me to focus on one project at a time, especially the longer term creative projects that aren’t making money right now. It’s easier to focus on the smaller work that brings in money, even if it brings me zero joy.

It’s a struggle to believe in myself, and not compare myself to others who are younger and more “successful.” It’s a struggle to dream big during these tumultuous times. On the one hand, the time is now for us to make our art. On the other hand, it’s time to prepare for the worst.

It’s a struggle to stay in the moment when things are so uncertain. It’s a struggle as a writer when people seem to think AI can write for them.

I have two kids and I live in this wild country where things are expensive and funding has been stripped away from the arts and non profits. My husband and I are both artists, we are both teaching artists, and we are both healers in our own ways. We launched Three Things in Denver where there are already a lot of non profits and very little funding. We want to partner and collaborate but it’s hard for more established entities to take risks on the new folks like us.

We always have to stay nimble, flexible, focused and ready to pivot. This is a challenge, but I have to trust that I am where I’m supposed to be. If it feels too impossible, it’s not aligned. These are hard times, but not impossible times. It feels right, and when it doesn’t, I take a nap. Perhaps there is even room for excitement about the new possibilities given the state of the world. Sometimes things have to burn to be what they’re meant to be. Reading Octavia Butler helps me with my struggles. 🙂

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m the writer of The Overflow on Substack.

I’m the host of Unsent Show, a live storytelling event and podcast where brave souls share messages they wrote but never sent.

I’m the co-founder/exec director of Three Things Co, a new non profit where my husband and I offer music, storytelling and community events and workshops to build connection and healing.

I’m an End of Life Doula specializing in legacy work. I guide 3rd Act Life Review Interviews for older adults.

I’m currently writing screenplays for film and TV, one of which is “The Death Doula” which won at SeriesFest Pitch-a-Thon last year.

I don’t know what I’m known for. But I’m a mother, friend, community organizer, wife and daughter.

I’m proud of alchemizing life experiences into writing that I share with others to help them feel more connected. I’m proud of being present, listening and offering spaces for people to share their stories and heal.

I’m proud of being an artist and a mother at the same time. That shit is no joke! It requires being completely present AND planning ahead all the time and it can be exhausting, but it’s everything.

I really believe that the more personal you can be with your storytelling, the more it resonates with people. And I love this magic.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love Martin Prechtel. Everything he does is magic. Check out his books and YouTube.
I love Tara Brach, her podcast is everything.
I’m listening to Mel Robbin’s “Let Them” right now. It’s a doozy.
I’m doing the Oak Journal right now to focus on a 3 month goal and get brave about my big audacious dreams. It’s helpful.
I love everything adrienne marie brown does.
I love everything Octavia Butler writes. Along with Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison. Also Checkhov and Pushkin.
I love meditating. Check out Nita Rubio for online classes. She’s the real deal.
I love sleeping, exercising at Core Power yoga and taking Stacia Miller’s Zenergy workout classes. She’s the best.
I love a clean kitchen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.threethingsco.org
• Instagram: @unsentshow
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unsentshow/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DOWy1zDZI4
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-458758273
• Other: https://imbabyluck.substack.com/

Image Credits
Nick P Ross, headshot photographer