The Energy Behind Creativity: What Sam Howarth & Phoenyx Want You to Know

Creativity can feel impossible to pin down. It isn’t something we can grab or measure, yet we feel it move through us — sometimes like a whisper, other times like a surge. It’s energy, intuition, and expression all tangled together. In Episode 10 of The Holly Hughes Podcast, I had the absolute pleasure of exploring this flow with two extraordinary guests who live and breathe this truth in their work: Sam Howarth and Phoenyx (Vanessa Giorgio).

Sam is the founder of The Way She Was Made — a brand alchemist, business doula, embodiment guide, and soul-led strategist. She helps women bring their creative visions into the world with more authenticity, softness, and confidence. Phoenyx is a Toronto-based visual artist whose expressive, intuitive work beautifully bridges the spiritual and the physical.

Together, the three of us dove deep into the intersection of creativity, energy, and intuition — and what unfolded was such an honest, grounding conversation. We talked about how creativity isn’t something we push or force; it’s something we allow. It’s what rises when we stop contorting ourselves into who we think we should be and start listening to who we truly are.

We unpacked the “shoulds” and masks we all carry, and how those layers dim our creative spark. And we explored how reconnecting with our own energy — not the expectations around us — leads to work and lives that feel fuller, more aligned, and far more alive.

A big part of our conversation touched on Human Design, a framework that looks at how each of us is uniquely wired to move through the world. Sam and Phoenyx shared how understanding their own designs helped them soften into themselves, create with more trust, and move with more ease instead of resistance.

Sam said something that really stayed with me:
“Creativity comes from the body. When you’re fully embodied — when you’re not trying to be someone else — that’s when your work starts to resonate.”

And Phoenyx added this beautiful truth:
“It’s about trusting your intuition, not chasing what looks good on the surface. True art comes from presence.”

This episode is a gentle invitation to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with what’s already inside you. Whether you’re an artist, an entrepreneur, or someone simply craving more creative alignment, I think you’ll walk away feeling inspired, grounded, and reminded that your inner voice already knows the way.

I hope this conversation nourishes you the way it nourished me.