Issue 42: The Vulnerability of Allowing
On launching paid subscriptions
When I started this newsletter, I didn’t have too many expectations. I wanted it to be a place to share ideas and some recommendations, and to foster a place of connection through writing. Forty-two issues in, and I still love writing it. There have been seasons where I wrote more often and seasons where I barely wrote at all. Some issues went off into the ether without fanfare, and some elicited thoughtful responses of reflection. Friends rallied around me in support and strangers subscribed, miraculously. It’s been an immense place of growth and processing for me.
I hope this newsletter has meant something to you, too, in some small way. Maybe it was the issue in which I reckoned with a body that is not my own. Maybe it was the issue I grappled with finding fun as a parent, or the one where I unpacked the performance of motherhood. Maybe it was my takedown of rainbow rice that provided you with a bout of laughter when you needed it most. Maybe you discovered a new podcast through this newsletter, or a book that’s become a favorite. Maybe it was something else entirely.
Whatever brought you to this space, thank you for being here—for reading my work, for supporting my musings each time I publish an issue. Recently, I’ve been starting to wonder what the next iteration of this newsletter is. I have a notepad full of ideas—interviews and guest recommendations, mini-columns and interesting asides. I’ve collected design ideas and pulled inspiration from various corners of the internet. I want to keep writing it and growing it, making it better with every issue, and I’m eager to move it into its next phase—both for my own creative growth and to keep it interesting and engaging for you, the reader.
So now, the ask: if you’d like to support my writing and this newsletter, I would be so appreciative if you’d consider becoming a paid subscriber. There are three tiers, starting at $5/month, so hopefully it can meet you wherever you’re at. These dollars will allow me to spend more time working on each issue, and I mean that quite literally: money from subscriptions will afford me additional childcare and time away from my paid work to focus on this writing. What a gift.
Finding the courage to ask my readers for monetary support has been really daunting. Asking someone to pay for an invisible thing—mere words on a screen—feels preposterous. But then I remember how art has impacted my life, and the ways I’ve been eager to support writers and artists by purchasing books and paintings and prints, and how this isn’t too different. It’s an exchange of value, and I really, really hope this has brought some value to you.
As women, I think we often recoil at the prospect of allowing the people in our lives to show up for us. We worry we’ll be an inconvenience, that everyone is too busy with their own stuff, that our own challenges are nothing compared to what someone else may be facing. Allowing ourselves to be cared for can be uncomfortable, and incredibly vulnerable. But I finally decided it was time to allow the support, without expectation and with a knowing that vulnerability has always led me to the greatest resonance in my writing and outcomes in my life at large. Thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting me.
If now is not the right time for you to become a paid subscriber, I totally understand. Here are some other ways you can help:
Share the newsletter with a friend and encourage them to subscribe. Easy!
Forward your favorite issue to someone with a note on why it was meaningful to you. Pop over here to browse the archive.
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You’re the best. I mean it. ✨