BIG NEWS: The Artful Gourmet Is Launching on Patreon (And I Have a Gift for You 🎁)

For years, The Artful Gourmet has been so much more than recipes.

It’s been a place where food meets storytelling. Where travel inspires creativity. Where photography captures moments worth savoring. Where music, memories, culture, and conversation come together around the table.

What started as a simple food blog has grown into a multimedia platform that now includes recipes, food photography, podcasts, videos, interviews, workshops, travel stories, and creative inspiration shared with readers and listeners around the world.

And today, I’m excited to announce the next chapter.

Welcome to The Artful Gourmet Patreon Community

I’ve officially launched a Patreon page where you can access both FREE and premium member content while helping support the future growth of The Artful Gourmet.

This new community gives us a chance to connect on a deeper level and gives me the opportunity to share even more of what I love creating.

Think of it as your all-access backstage pass to everything happening behind the scenes.

What You’ll Find Inside

🍷 Exclusive recipes and cooking content

🎙️ Bonus podcast episodes and extended interviews

📸 Behind-the-scenes food styling and photography content

🎥 Live cooking demonstrations and food styling/photography workshops

💬 Monthly Q&A sessions

📚 Digital downloads, free guides, templates, and e-books

✨ Early access to new projects and content

🌎 Travel stories, restaurant discoveries, and local guides

🎵 Groovy Eats bonus content and retro food inspiration

📷 Food photography and content creation tips

🎤 Private coaching opportunities and member experiences

📸 Special member rates on food styling and photography shoots

❤️ A supportive community of food lovers, creators, travelers, photographers, and lifelong learners

Whether you’re here for the recipes, the storytelling, the photography, the podcasts, or simply the inspiration, there’s a membership level designed for you.

Membership Levels

FREE MEMBER

Perfect for staying connected.

✔ Public posts and updates

✔ Select podcast episodes

✔ Community announcements

✔ Content previews and sneak peeks

BASIC MEMBER

For readers who want more exclusive content.

✔ Everything in Free

✔ Exclusive recipes

✔ Bonus articles and newsletters

✔ Early access to content

✔ Behind-the-scenes updates

✔ Downloadable resources

PLUS MEMBER

For food lovers and creative explorers.

✔ Everything in Basic

✔ Live workshops

✔ Cooking demonstrations

✔ Expanded tutorials

✔ Premium downloads and guides

✔ Member-only videos

✔ Interactive Q&A sessions

PREMIUM MEMBER

The ultimate Artful Gourmet experience.

✔ Everything in Plus

✔ Private 1:1 video calls

✔ Personalized creative feedback

✔ Content and photography mentoring

✔ Priority Q&A access

✔ VIP member experiences

✔ Exclusive coaching opportunities

✔ Private mastermind-style discussions

✔ Annual virtual member events

BONUS FREE MEMBERSHIP GIFT 🎁

To celebrate the launch, I’m offering a special gift to my community.

The first 5 people who sign up will receive a FREE 1-Year Plus Membership to The Artful Gourmet Patreon.

That’s a $120 value absolutely free. 🎉

This special promotion starts today and ends on July 14, 2026, or whenever all five memberships have been claimed—whichever comes first.

If you’ve been curious about joining, now is the perfect time.

🎁 Sign Up & Claim Your Free Membership Gift

Subscribe for free 👉 https://www.patreon.com/cw/KristenHessxTheArtfulGourmet

Become a Member 👉https://www.patreon.com/cw/KristenHessxTheArtfulGourmet/membership

Refer a Member & Get 20% Off 1 Month 👉 Get 20% off one month membership (any tier) when you refer a someone to become a paid member – use code E59AF

Listen to the Latest Podcast Episodes

THE ARTFUL GOURMET PODCAST | With Kristen Hess

Welcome to the intersection of culinary artistry, creative business, and retro soul. Hosted by Kristen Hess—professional Food Stylist for KitchenAid and Food Network, Commercial Photographer, and featured cast member of the 2026 “Women In Power” TV series—this is the podcast for those who believe life should be lived artfully, one bite at a time.

From the high-stakes sets of NYC to the vibrant flavors of the modern kitchen, Kristen pulls back the lens on what it truly takes to build a creative life and a thriving brand.

The Artful Gourmet Podcast features three signature series:

✨ INTO FOCUS Bring your vision and your business into high definition. This mindset and motivational series dives deep into the psychology of creativity, the “Art of the Pivot,” and the resilience needed to succeed as a modern entrepreneur.

🎙️ UNFILTERED (Interview Series!) Raw, real, and inspiring conversations with the Creators, Tastemakers, and Movers & Shakers who are redefining their industries. Kristen sits down with world-class entrepreneurs to uncover the unfiltered stories behind their greatest successes and most pivotal lessons.

🕺 GROOVY EATS Step into the culinary time machine! This nostalgic series celebrates the iconic food, music, and culture of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Featuring guest artists and reimagined retro recipes, we’re bringing the “Groovy” back to the kitchen with style and soul.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Whether you’re a foodie, a chef, food writer, creative entrepreneur, or a fan of the “Hero Shot,” subscribe to stay inspired, stay focused, and stay groovy.

🎙️ Listen to the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/rss/KristenHessxTheArtfulGourmet?auth=fMS-Co7Y9z2670p5OmDLtZan2lCypB-A&show=2216657

🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.YouTube.com/@theartfulgourmet

Why Patreon?

Creating meaningful content takes time, passion, creativity, and a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work.

Your membership helps support:

Recipe development
Podcast production
Food Styling, Photography and video creation
Workshops and educational resources
Travel and storytelling projects
New cooking video series and creative experiments
The continued growth of The Artful Gourmet

Most importantly, it allows me to keep creating independent content that inspires, teaches, entertains, and brings people together through food and storytelling.

Let’s Build Something Amazing Together

Whether you’ve been following along for years or you’re just discovering The Artful Gourmet, I want to thank you for being here.

Your support means more than you know.

I’m incredibly excited about what’s ahead, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.

Pull up a chair.

Pour yourself a glass of wine, a great cup of coffee, or your favorite cocktail.

The table is set.

And you’re invited.

I’m so glad you’re here.

With gratitude,

Kristen

Founder & Creative Director

The Artful Gourmet

Food Stylist • Photographer • Writer • Podcast Host • Storyteller

Follow Along:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theartfulgourmet

Website: https://www.kristen-hess.com

Blog: https://www.theartfulgourmet.com

Substack: https://artfulgourmet.substack.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artfulgourmet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theartfulgourmet

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theartfulgourmet

May 21, 2026

Internal Resistance, Procrastination & Self-Sabotage: What’s Really Holding You Back? | #UNFILTERED Podcast

UNFILTERED | The Artful Gourmet Podcast with Kristen Hess

Internal Resistance, Procrastination & Self-Sabotage: What’s Really Holding You Back?

There’s a strange kind of frustration that comes from knowing exactly what you want… and still somehow not moving toward it.

You have the idea.

The talent.

The ambition.

The vision.

And yet:

you procrastinate.

You overthink.

You stay stuck in planning mode.

You wait until the last minute.

You sabotage your own momentum.

Sound familiar?

Kam Knight, Author, Speaker and guest on UNFILTERED with Kristen Hess The Artful Gourmet Podcast

In the latest episode of #UNFILTERED on The Artful Gourmet Podcast, I sat down with author, speaker, and performance coach Kam Knight for one of the most eye-opening conversations I’ve had in a long time — a deep dive into the hidden psychology behind internal resistance and why so many of us unconsciously block our own growth.And honestly? This conversation hit home.

As creatives, entrepreneurs, writers, food bloggers, photographers, content creators, and business owners, we often think our biggest obstacles are external:

Not enough time.

Not enough money.

Not enough followers.

Not enough opportunities.

But what if the bigger obstacle is happening internally?

What Is Internal Resistance?

Kam describes internal resistance as the subconscious force designed to keep us safe, familiar, and emotionally protected — even when that means preventing us from going after the things we truly want.

In other words:

your brain can simultaneously create desire and resist acting on it.

Which explains so much about creative life.

Why we:

- procrastinate on projects we care deeply about
- stay in comfort zones too long
- overplan instead of taking action
- struggle with perfectionism
- avoid visibility
- sabotage momentum right before breakthroughs
- cling to familiar situations that no longer align

Throughout the episode, Kam breaks down how habits, fear, people-pleasing, comfort zones, perfectionism, and even subconscious emotional patterns shape our behavior more than we realize.

Why This Conversation Resonated So Deeply

During the episode, I shared my own experiences moving from Texas back to New York, rebuilding my business multiple times, leaving corporate jobs to return to entrepreneurship, and how procrastination often shows up in my own life as “last-minute pressure productivity.”

And honestly, I know I’m not alone in that.

Creative people often live in contradiction:

We crave freedom… while fearing uncertainty.

We want visibility… while fearing judgment.

We dream about reinvention… while resisting change.

Especially in the world of food media, blogging, photography, podcasting, and content creation, there’s an emotional vulnerability that comes with putting your work into the world. Publishing a recipe, launching a podcast, filming yourself on camera, writing an essay, pitching a brand — all of it requires stepping beyond the familiar version of yourself.

And resistance loves the familiar.

The Hidden Forms of Self-Sabotage and the sneaky “tricks” of Internal Resistance

One of the most fascinating parts of this conversation was discussing the “tricks” of resistance.

Sometimes procrastination looks obvious: scrolling social media instead of working.

But other times it disguises itself as productivity:

- overplanning
- endless editing
- perfectionism
- researching forever
- waiting until everything feels “ready”

Writers, bloggers, and creators know this feeling well.

The unfinished draft sitting in Notes.

The idea you almost launched six months ago.

The pitch you still haven’t sent.

The project you keep postponing until life “calms down.”

The truth?

Life rarely calms down before we begin.

Creativity Requires Moving Through Fear

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that resistance is not necessarily proof you’re on the wrong path.

Sometimes it’s proof you’re standing near growth.

Every meaningful leap I’ve ever taken creatively came with fear attached to it:

moving cities, starting businesses, launching podcasts, creating content on camera, reinventing my career.

The fear never fully disappeared first.

I just moved anyway.

And maybe that’s the real work of creative life:

learning how to create while fear is still present.

Not waiting until everything feels perfect.

Not waiting until certainty arrives.

Not waiting until you suddenly become fearless.

Just continuing to move forward anyway.

Watch & Listen to the Full Episode

📺 Watch the full video interview:

The Artful Gourmet YouTube Channel

The Artful Gourmet Podcast on Substack

The Artful Gourmet Podcast on Spotify

📝 Read the companion editorial essay on Substack:

The Artful Gourmet Substack

Follow Kam Knight (Guest)

🌎 Learn more about ⁠Kam Knight⁠, his ⁠mindset / motivational books⁠, + get 20% OFF of his Conquer Resistance program with my code KRISTEN20

Email: ⁠coach@kamknight.com⁠

Socials: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠YouTube⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠TikTok⁠

Check out more of Kam Knight’s books on Amazon

Final Thought

If there’s a creative project, business idea, reinvention, or dream quietly calling to you right now… maybe this is your reminder that resistance doesn’t mean stop.

Sometimes it means you’re closer than you think.

And sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply begin.

If this essay resonated with you, I’d genuinely love to hear in the comments below:

What form of “internal resistance” shows up most in your own creative life?And what would happen if you stopped negotiating with it?

If you enjoyed this post and #UNFILTERED podcast episode, don’t forget to like, subscribe and share with a friend or someone who might also enjoy hearing this message. And if you loved it please give us a good review as that just helps the show grow!

What’s Happening, News, Free Stuff + More

📺 Watch Kristen Hess in Women in Power TV Show on Inside Success Networks

📸 Join Kristen online for a FREE LIVE Food Styling and Photography Webinar on June 9, 2026 – SIGN UP HERE, limited spots!

📱 Download Kristen’s FREE Guide: “The Art of Food Photography”

📩 Follow Kristen Hess and The Artful Gourmet for more podcasts, recipes, food styling and photography tips, creative inspiration, and behind-the-scenes content.

Contact Kristen Hess about Sponsorships, Brand Collaborations + Food Photography + Styling Services

Shop Kristen’s Curated Favorite Things on The Artful Gourmet ShopMy Store

Schedule a Free 15 Minute Intro Call with Kristen

Twitter/X | Book a Photoshoot

🎧 Follow The Artful Gourmet Podcast on Substack, and YouTube for more inspiring conversations on creativity, entrepreneurship, mindset, food, recipes, food styling and photography, social media, and personal growth.

⭐ Leave a review on Spotify, Amazon, iHeart + Apple Podcasts to help more listeners discover the show.

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