Don't hold anything too tightly. Just wish for it, want it, let it come from the intention

of real truth for you, and then let it go.

For me, our soul is like it's unbound. It's limitless, but we will use words to limit ourselves.

When people stop believing that somebody's got your back or Superman's coming, we turn

to ourselves, and that's where you become empowered.

Courageous participation attracts positive things.

I'm Gwyneth Paltrow, and this is the Goop Podcast, where we bring together

visionaries, scientists, healers, artists, and seekers. I'm so grateful that I get to

interview these extraordinary thought leaders and share their wisdom with you.

And I love listening to the conversations that are led by my co-host and dear friend,

Cleo Wade. Cleo is a beautiful poet and author. I deeply admire her in the way she keeps her heart

open to the world. Together, we believe that engaging an open-minded, honest, and sometimes

difficult conversations has the power to change our lives. All right, over to Cleo.

My guest today is Elizabeth Alexander. Elizabeth is a decorated poet, memoirist, and the president

of the Mellon Foundation, which is the largest arts and cultural funder in America.

She is the author of several books, including one of my personal favorites, The Light of the World,

and The Trade on Generation. You may also remember her from President Barack Obama's 2009

inauguration, where she read her poem, Praise Song for the Day. I was thrilled to sit down with

Elizabeth for so many reasons, but particularly because April is National Poetry Month. I'm fascinated

by how writing has the power to move things out of our body and put them in front of us on the page.

We discussed poetry as a mental health tool, and we also talked about keeping alive the work

of the people who came before us. We talked about how creativity can be in service of our communities,

...