What do you think?
Rate this book
The Big Unlock: Liberate Your Creativity Through Mindful Journaling
Unlock your full creativity and discern your deeper purpose through the transformative power of mindful writing, from celebrated journaling expert Laura L. Rubin.
As a leading creative coach who has led countless guided mindful writing workshops, Rubin has developed a journaling is so much more than merely therapeutic—it is a powerful gateway to creativity, discovery, and fulfillment.
With gentle guidance and accessible advice grounded in peer-reviewed science, The Big Unlock transforms Rubin’s life-changing workshops into a practical guide filled with over seventy-five unique prompts, foundational journaling practices, and exercises for silencing the inner critic while tapping into your wisdom and innate creativity. For newcomers and dedicated journalers alike, The Big Unlock offers a decade’s worth of expertise distilled into practical and meaningful advice that inspires action and reflection.
In a fast-paced world dominated by hustle culture and digital distractions, The Big Unlock provides an effective an attainable practice that helps us connect with our authentic selves, increase quality of both health and life, and unlock our full creative potential.
As a leading creative coach who has led countless guided mindful writing workshops, Rubin has developed a journaling is so much more than merely therapeutic—it is a powerful gateway to creativity, discovery, and fulfillment.
With gentle guidance and accessible advice grounded in peer-reviewed science, The Big Unlock transforms Rubin’s life-changing workshops into a practical guide filled with over seventy-five unique prompts, foundational journaling practices, and exercises for silencing the inner critic while tapping into your wisdom and innate creativity. For newcomers and dedicated journalers alike, The Big Unlock offers a decade’s worth of expertise distilled into practical and meaningful advice that inspires action and reflection.
In a fast-paced world dominated by hustle culture and digital distractions, The Big Unlock provides an effective an attainable practice that helps us connect with our authentic selves, increase quality of both health and life, and unlock our full creative potential.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published March 31, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author Laura L. Rubin for providing me with a digital ARC of "The Big Unlock: Liberate Your Creativity Through Mindful Journaling" in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this book because I have been a fan of journaling since my twenties. Over the years, I have found it to be one of the most helpful tools for navigating life's challenges, whether related to relationships, career decisions, difficult jobs, grief, regrets, or major life transitions. There is something powerful about writing thoughts down on paper and giving yourself space to reflect.
One thing I probably should have done before requesting the book was spend more time looking into the author's background and credentials. While that initially gave me some pause, I found the content itself approachable, thoughtful, and practical. In fact, I had to laugh when I encountered the first journaling prompt because it was almost identical to something I had written about in my own journal just a day or two earlier.
What I appreciated most about this book is how accessible it feels. The prompts are engaging without being intimidating, and they provide excellent starting points for anyone who feels stuck or unsure of what to write. Sometimes the hardest part of journaling is simply getting started, and Rubin offers plenty of gentle guidance to help readers move past a blank page.
I think this would be an excellent resource for someone who is completely new to journaling, as well as for those who have journaled in the past and want to rekindle the practice. The mindful approach encourages self-reflection, creativity, and curiosity without feeling overly complicated or prescriptive.
This is one of those books that I enjoyed enough that I plan to purchase a copy for my personal library. If you are interested in journaling, self-reflection, or creative growth, "The Big Unlock" is well worth exploring.
I requested this book because I have been a fan of journaling since my twenties. Over the years, I have found it to be one of the most helpful tools for navigating life's challenges, whether related to relationships, career decisions, difficult jobs, grief, regrets, or major life transitions. There is something powerful about writing thoughts down on paper and giving yourself space to reflect.
One thing I probably should have done before requesting the book was spend more time looking into the author's background and credentials. While that initially gave me some pause, I found the content itself approachable, thoughtful, and practical. In fact, I had to laugh when I encountered the first journaling prompt because it was almost identical to something I had written about in my own journal just a day or two earlier.
What I appreciated most about this book is how accessible it feels. The prompts are engaging without being intimidating, and they provide excellent starting points for anyone who feels stuck or unsure of what to write. Sometimes the hardest part of journaling is simply getting started, and Rubin offers plenty of gentle guidance to help readers move past a blank page.
I think this would be an excellent resource for someone who is completely new to journaling, as well as for those who have journaled in the past and want to rekindle the practice. The mindful approach encourages self-reflection, creativity, and curiosity without feeling overly complicated or prescriptive.
This is one of those books that I enjoyed enough that I plan to purchase a copy for my personal library. If you are interested in journaling, self-reflection, or creative growth, "The Big Unlock" is well worth exploring.
May 28, 2026
Finally finished this one. If you know me, you know that I have carried Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way with me for the past 30 years. It's a bible when I am in a bad spot, but now I have a new one to add to it that I will keep close.
Highlights for me:
👉 Short, in your face, super highlights
👉 More than 55 explained prompts with examples
👉 Deals with different stages of life, themes, blocks, from general to detail (includes a chapter for males to unlock emotions but it's helpful for everyone, even a theme we are not dealing with can be helpful doing the prompts)
👉 Transparency, the author is an entrepreneur, has a business to run, there are more layers beyond the book that can be explored, this is therapy in your hands but you can reach out for deeper work with the company. She says it right at the start in a subtle way. And the book is filled with examples from her life and her clients. Unlike Julia's book, it's not about being creative and spiritual to do art, it's about being creative to keep a business, relationship, community, job, or project going with success and taking care of ourselves.
👉 Talent and creativity are not exclusive to artists. A mom has to be creative in ways to get their kids to eat their vegetables... A business owner needs simple creative ideas...
👉 Tips for dopamine, serotonin away from scrolling and spending a lot of money, or (include your addiction here)
Highlights for me:
👉 Short, in your face, super highlights
👉 More than 55 explained prompts with examples
👉 Deals with different stages of life, themes, blocks, from general to detail (includes a chapter for males to unlock emotions but it's helpful for everyone, even a theme we are not dealing with can be helpful doing the prompts)
👉 Transparency, the author is an entrepreneur, has a business to run, there are more layers beyond the book that can be explored, this is therapy in your hands but you can reach out for deeper work with the company. She says it right at the start in a subtle way. And the book is filled with examples from her life and her clients. Unlike Julia's book, it's not about being creative and spiritual to do art, it's about being creative to keep a business, relationship, community, job, or project going with success and taking care of ourselves.
👉 Talent and creativity are not exclusive to artists. A mom has to be creative in ways to get their kids to eat their vegetables... A business owner needs simple creative ideas...
👉 Tips for dopamine, serotonin away from scrolling and spending a lot of money, or (include your addiction here)
April 7, 2026
When I first started reading The Big Unlock by Laura L. Rubin, I thought I would read through it and maybe try a journaling prompt here and there. I did not expect to find myself inspired to start the writing idea that has been rattling around in my head for a while, but it did.
The Big Unlock is about how impactful and important journaling can be in your life. The author discusses and gives prompts for different life concerns such as body image, grief, and career planning. One prompt I thought would be particularly fun was writing myself a permission slip to do something I want to do. These I may write regularly.
As much as I enjoyed this book, at times the different prompts and stories that went with them felt repetitive. Fortunately, this feeling never lasted long. Once I started feeling as though things were becoming repetitive, another relatable story would appear along with a new inspiration.
Even if you’re a person who thinks journaling is not for you, this book shows it is at least worth a try. You may find yourself surprised with how it affects your life.
Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Element for an advanced copy of this book.
The Big Unlock is about how impactful and important journaling can be in your life. The author discusses and gives prompts for different life concerns such as body image, grief, and career planning. One prompt I thought would be particularly fun was writing myself a permission slip to do something I want to do. These I may write regularly.
As much as I enjoyed this book, at times the different prompts and stories that went with them felt repetitive. Fortunately, this feeling never lasted long. Once I started feeling as though things were becoming repetitive, another relatable story would appear along with a new inspiration.
Even if you’re a person who thinks journaling is not for you, this book shows it is at least worth a try. You may find yourself surprised with how it affects your life.
Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Element for an advanced copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
If you haven’t journaled before and are someone who enjoys logic-maybe a science-type or money manager, this will work well for you. I think for novice journal writers, this could be very useful. However, for experienced writers, this is not what you’re looking for. The author has used research and study to back up her ideas, and for many that will suit just fine. However, the overall tone of the book is business like and the prompts are very standard for the practice of journaling, not particularly useful for my purposes, but others might like it.
June 20, 2026
Well-written and thoughtful with many deep, beautiful prompts that I have done and/or stowed away for later reflection. Composed like a devotional allowing for a quiet morning contemplation or a before-bed meditation. Chock-full of delightful quotes that I added to my quote book. The best book I’ve read this year to-date.
July 27, 2026
A wonderful quick read in bite-sized chapters on the benefits of and practical application of journaling. Each brief chapter has a prompt or two, which you can stop to write about or come back to when the moment requires.
Laura Rubin is a gem and there are countless nuggets of wisdom in The Big Unlock.
Laura Rubin is a gem and there are countless nuggets of wisdom in The Big Unlock.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews