who talked about creating a semi-regular post to invite readers to introduce themselves in the comments. She also runs regular discussion threads, which are excellent!
👋Hi! I’m Mika from New Zealand. I followed my gut and quit my job as an in-house graphic designer but still do a bit of freelancing. We have four big kids, two still living at home.
✍🏼My writing on musings by mika has naturally morphed into talking about living life beyond the comfort zone and encouraging others stepping into Substack.
💬I grew up with my mum speaking Japanese, but I answered in English, so my comprehension is good, but my speaking is rusty.
Both my husband and I moved around a bit growing up, yet our kids have never changed schools and their primary, intermediate and high school are all within 5 mins drive to each other. So while my hubby and I have loved being settled in Wellington, I can tell our kids can’t wait to move out of the city and have their own adventure.
I, too, share the real estate urge. We're about to sell our house in the woods to move permanently to the one in town and it's killing me. The more I live surrounded by woods and nature, the more I see how important it is to my wellbeing. Change is hard! Thanks for doing this so we can get to know each other.
Oh my gosh!! That is so so tough! If you don't mind me asking, what is prompting the change? If you've written about it, feel free to drop a link so I can check it out.
I’m paying to speak to tutor now, just so that I get my reps in. Now I can have an hour long conversation with my mum! Although, I’m getting rusty again because I don’t do it every 2-weeks any more.
Wow! I want that house. What’s $2million in sterling? ;) I doubt I’d be let into NZ anyway as I am too old and don’t have much money - ah well, a girl can dream 😊
(Another bonus fun fact - I once dated a guy who wanted to move over there. He took me on an amazing trip to see if I liked it. Loved NZ, but he turned out to be less lovely)
Haha - I thought he might be for me for a while, but he was already trying to separate himself from me even while we were in NZ. So still looking for my Mr - maybe one with £1M so we can buy that house!!! 💚
We have a private waterfall! Sort of by accident, and only when the rainfall has been sufficient. But we *did* make a seating area next to it for when conditions are right.
It's really amazing. It's been there since my family purchased this property and built the house on it, but my husband really went to work opening it up so we can enjoy it.
Oh Mika, I am so with you on the real estate fixation! I dream of cosy nests in the bush and big windows overlooking the ocean.... I shall be checking out your link right now 😄 Unfortunately my husband is not so easy to persuade when it comes to moving 🙃
I spend ages on real estate sites, watching specific places I’m interested in. Over the years you see the same properties come up, and changes new owners have made…. Regardless of place, ‘in trees, by water’ is where I want to live!
Hello lovely people! My name's Darya, I live in Berlin, Germany and write a monthly newsletter about things I find interesting and exciting: music, films, books, podcasts - but also including my own little musings about life, all through the lens of a thirty-something overthinker :) Here's my latest one, on the somewhat provocative subject of what's worth wanting: https://vibesandmusings.substack.com/p/8-whats-worth-wanting
3 random facts about me:
* I started playing drums in my late 20s
* I love listening to the Japanese radio station Shonan Beach FM even though I don't understand Japanese (would love to learn it though!)
* I don't wear rings because I'm always afraid I won't be able to take them off
I’m Tara and recently started the substack ‘The Library Mouse’. I write about my life and reflections on things like art, libraries, community, my faith, and much more.
Three things most people may not know about me:
💜 I was once arrested. I was a part of Love Makes a Way which was a movement of Christians seeking an end to inhumane asylum seeker policies in Australia. This was done through peaceful protest and prayer. I was arrested along with several religious leaders after we refused to leave an MPs office.
💜 I had an original embroidery and sewing pattern of mine feature on the front page of a national magazine when I was fifteen. Still have my copy!
💜 The first time I ever sang in front of someone outside of my family was for an audition where I was actually given one of the leads and two songs! I told the director at the after party that it had been my first time! Such good memories.
Hello Potential Tribe! You're all so interesting it was hard to choose who to link personally. What a fabulous world.
Janice Anne here. I live aboard a Classic Wooden Sailing Yacht and write SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE about my experiences, adventures and challenges of life on and off the water. Janiceannewheeler.substack.com
I grew up in New York and lived in Colorado for 25 years, have published 2 Memoirs and I ghostwrite biographies/Memoirs for others as well... Www.JaniceAnneWheeler.com
"Everybody Has A Story" is my website because we all do!
3 factoids: When in Colorado I grew Medical Marijuana, I have undergone a double mastectomy as a preventive against Breast Cancer, and I am irresistibly drawn to those down on their luck.
Looking forward to connecting!! Thank you for the opportunity to intro myself! J
I'm Bella, a fantasy author, artist, runner, & animal lover.
On my Write The Arts Substack, I encourage creators to pursue their arts, write brief updates about my soon-to-come debut novel HARPIES, and share experiences that affect everyday arts of all kinds. https://substack.com/@writethearts
3 fun facts about me:
- I've lived in Thailand, Japan, & America, and have visited many other places.
- I prefer mentally stabbing my characters instead of stabbing them :)
- I run 6-8 miles every day except Sundays for fun
Hoping to meet other creators who share similar interests here!
Wow, 6-8 miles every day! That's so impressive. I do this only once a week on Sundays :) Would love to build a stamina to be able to go that far daily.
Yeah! Hey, that's still impressive too! Anyone can build up the stamina and endurance with enough hard work; I had to build it up too :) I believe in you, Darya!
3️⃣ Little known things about me...I never know what to write here because I've been sharing openly on the internet for 20 years (oh! that's one).
I've lived in every major city on the US east coast and visited 28 states including Alaska. I'd like to visit all 50 before I die, preferably on a cross country trip.
I'm planning a 6-month sabbatical in Mexico as my bridge between working and retirement.
I look forward to meeting you all. Find My Tribe is my favorite thing on Substack! Thanks Mika:-)
🍀I'm Nika, a romance writer, and I write the newsletter/blog A Writer's Life
🤎I talk about my experiences as a newbie romance novel writer, my upcoming short novel A Sweet Disruption, and my health journey with hormonal issues, pcos & endometriosis
🍁Three things about me:
- I love sweets, but cut out sugar because of my health
- cats, otters and capybara are my favorite animals (they're just so cute!💕)
- when I want to feel cozy, I re-read my favorite books or re-watch my favorite anime/series
Definitely some adorable animals there! I love visiting the otters at the zoo. Rereading favourite books is always a comfort and as for rewatching anime I did that just the other day! I rewatched Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun but the manga is brilliant as well and includes so much more about the side characters too. What are some of your favourite anime?
Ooh! I haven't been in the zoo so long, I definitely want to go again!🦦
I watched that anime as well, it was cute!☺️ one of my favorites to rewatch recently is My love story with yamada-kun at lv999. I'm also excitedly waiting for the animes of the new season as well😂
I've slowly come to find more and more people in the fiction community who write a similar genre and I'm so happy that my feed is now mostly fiction writers as well😂🍁🤎
👋Hi! I'm Laura. I'm a fantasy indieauthor, jeweller, and freelance illustrator/book cover designer. I was born in Ireland where my parents were missionaries for 13 years, but currently live in Michigan.
✍🏼I write (clean) young adult/new adult fantasy inspired by my background as a jeweller, artist, and former library worker, as well as, my love of history. I'm currently serializing chapter drafts of one of my WIP novels and also share fantasy micro-fiction. I'm also a huge word nerd and do regular deep-dives into obscure and archaic words and word/phrase etymologies.
💬1) I love rockhounding and have a dragon-like obsession with hoarding gemstones and any pretty rocks or interesting fossils I come across.
2) I've always had a fascination with alphabets, whether real or fictional, and have been collecting different scripts for years. Also fonts, I love fonts, and despite having a few thousand of them hoarded on my computer I've started learning how to make my own typeface designs and turn the into usable fonts. I've also started dipping my toes into the complicated nerdage of conlang.
3) I very nearly went in archaeology instead of jewellery design and changed directions after my mom made the suggestion when I was growing frustrated in not being able to find a school that felt like it was the right one for me.
Collecting rocks and fossils are so cool! I have a small collection but it’s in storage at the moment as I reorganise my space. My favourites include some local volcanic rocks, a smooth river stone from Scotland, and a quirky orange stone shaped like a carrot that I found near a dam. Also, high five for being an archaeology peep! I wanted to be an archaeologist for most of primary school.
Honestly, my favorite right now is the last one I did for myself 😂. I just recently branched out into freelance with it so only a few client projects so far, but I absolutely love doing it. I learned it initially for doing the covers of my own books and then just fell in love with it.
My name is Philippine (31, she/her) and I write Beginner at Life 🧡
I have no idea how to live, but I love to ponder that very question, whether regarding the day-to-day or the more philosophical.
In many ways I am starting life from scratch right now: I’m recovering from burnout and long Covid, and have recently discovered that I’m autistic, all leading to a rediscovery of both myself and life ✨
About all of this I write personal letters with my reflections, musings and experiences, for everyone who also feels like a beginner at life and wants to connect.
Three things: 1) I cried when I got my own comb as a present. I thought this meant I had to start combing my hair myself, and I clearly wasn’t ready for my mum to stop doing it for me. 2) Although I love to read (a late blooming love, I might add), I read slowly and hardly any fiction. 3) I ask seemingly stupid questions such as ‘what does that mean, something not many people know about me? I probably can’t choose something that my friends know, but things they don’t know are either too personal or too boring to share here. So what am I supposed to say?’
Hi, my Substack is about historical research for writers, filmmakers and actors. It's a peek behind the scene of my research business. My name is Barbara, and I was born and raised in Germany. My Substack is http://tenminutetimetravel.substack.com >> Three things? I have eidetic (photographic) memory. I was raised by a librarian mum, and I can read almost any handwriting between 50 A.D. and 1990. Now off to introduce myself and comment... 😀
Some fonts, I learned from my grandparents. Others, I learned at uni (I majored in Ancient History, and Medieval History, then I attended Early Modern and 19th/20th history courses on top of this, just for fun). I also took courses on Ancient Latin, Medieval and Baroque Latin; the courses were held in draughty cloisters, monasteries or churches while we were deciphering gravestones. So I can decipher tombstones as well. And then I just kept learning.
I was going to ask about your photographic memory, but actually I was going to ask, what are your most frequently asked questions when you tell people you have a photographic memory?
Hi, I'm Serena! I'm a nonprofit leader living in the Midwest. I write "Evidence of Grace," where I share about parenting teens with mental health challenges like depression, eating disorders and anxiety, through the lens of hope, authenticity and faith. I also share about our family's journey with neurodiversity and physical disabilities.
Three facts about me:
1. I have three teens and I struggled through some tough infertility issues - lots of tears, prayers, faith - to have them.
2. I hope to hike all the national parks in the US someday - and love to travel outside the US.
3. My favorite place to be is with kids - my own kids, of course, but also any kids or teens. I've served at my church in junior high ministry and really loved it (I know that might sound weird...).
Thanks for joining in again, Serena! Have you got a fav national park so far? We only got to go to the Zion National Park when we were visiting. STUNNING!
Hi, I'm Susannah! 🌻 I'm from the UK but I moved to Austria straight after university and am still here 13 years later. I worked as a translator for 10 years, and during that time, totally abandoned my own writing. This platform was the perfect place to get started with shorter posts before writing the book I've been thinking about for at least 5 years. And the pieces I publish for my newsletter give me the perfect opportunity to go off on a bit of a research tangent.
I write about psychiatry, mental health, and identity under capitalism - I've recently written about the neuroscience of laziness and about my experience of keeping my identity while recovering from postpartum psychosis.
Hi! I'm Jenn aka Jennwith2ns not usually aka Jennifer never aka Jenny.
I've been "writing"--even when it was just scribbles that looked to me like cursive (because also aka JennX)--since I was four. I'm getting ready to publish my third book and only now starting to come to terms with the fact that I'm actually allowed to take my writing seriously. My substack is Gathered and Scattered, because, as I'm happy to tell you, sometimes I have my stuff together and sometimes I'm all over the place. I write about Christian spirituality, writing (currently everything ends up about a book I'm trying to Kickstart-to-publish), and silly or sometimes profound things that happen to or around me.
Even when it's folksy and/or conversational. The other artistic thing I still haven't taken seriously is my dabbling in the visual arts. I like to draw, watercolor, and experiment with other media, such as found-object assemblage and pourable acrylics. You can read about my day job(s)--which are also satisfyingly creative--in my bio, but you should know on the front end that my connection with Jesus absolutely infuses everything I do.
I tend to be kind of quietly loud about myself (the more ridiculous the story, the better), so there isn't much about me that most people don't know, but I mean, have I told you the story about the time I made ostensibly Indigenous "acorn bread" and served it to my 8th grade class? Or the fact that a couple of summers after the movie *Splash* came out, I became convinced that given the right conditions I, too, could grow a fish tail and turn into a mermaid? (I was much too old to really believe this, but I *did* write a poem about it.) Or the fact that I have only now decided, in my early 50's, it's time for me to progress in swimming beyond "not drowning" and take swimming lessons? (You're supposed to read this irony between that story and the previous one.)
I'm surprised I've never seen this beautiful intro space before. Many thanks to @rebeccadmartin for participating so I could see it!
Hey Jenn! Nice to meet you! I can relate to so much of what you shared except I've never made acorn bread! :) Did it taste good? And I am not much of a visual artist. But I love reading and writing about Christian spirituality, I have books I hope to publish, and I am getting back into swimming in my 50s!
I mostly write about identity in connection with Jesus. (It’s the underlying theme of my pending book.) I feel really sad about all the people who have been taught by churches that they’re worthless and God the Father can only tolerate them (“tolerate” being the key idea) by NOT seeing them but ONLY seeing Jesus. Today I’m meditating on John 16:25, where Jesus says, “The Father Himself loves you”—related to our love for Jesus but not independent of our own unique selves. I teach classes about this and it’s what fuels my writing, too.
Ooo--those are some nice commonalities! Thanks for saying hi! As for the acorn bread...it was deplorable. Someday in my "Jenn Story" feature I will recount the tale...probably *after* my Kickstarter has either succeeded or failed. 😁
Hi! I'm Ellen, a fantasy author living in Japan 🇯🇵 I'm relatively new to substack and post writing updates, anime/manga/book recs, and encouragement for other creatives chasing their dreams. I'm also a kimono hobbyist and history nerd :) A few fun facts:
⚡️ I've been hit by lightning (still waiting on my superpowers) it was at a matsuri of all things
📚 My debut fantasy novel, Saints and Monsters, released this year!
🐍 I love herpetology thanks to having a professor as a grandfather
Thank you Mika for hosting the "Find your Tribe" event!
Wow, your family is really spread out! That would make a fun road trip from Kagoshima to Iwate! And Nagoya is so lovely. I feel like it gets a bad rep for being kinda industrial but its a really cool place. We’ve been in Japan 8 years, but my husband grew up here as a pastor’s kid (Hokkaido), and his parents lived in Iwate after 3/11 for a few years doing reconstruction. We’re in Kanto and love it!
Hi! Nice to meet another author on here! 🙌 Herpetology is so fascinating. I grew up catching lizards and snakes on my gpa’s research trips so it’s a habit now.
I love catching snakes and lizards! I used to do it in my neighborhood all the time everyone around learned better than to ask what I had in the ice cream bucket I was carrying as I'd bring them all home to let loose in our garden 😂.
Hello. How have I been missing this? I'm Trevy from the U.S. in Virginia and Maryland. I'm a nature-loving woman, widowed then remarried to another widower. We live with three dogs and a cat who pile into a van and travel back and forth between homes with us.
*My Substack is "Our Hundred Years" where I write about finding what's meaningful while we're still here in this life that has enormous unknown change at its end. Love, death, nature, art, and fear are regular topics.
*Three things people don't know about me: I played classical flute, I paint a tiny picture of something that happened every day, sometimes I miss driving a stick shift.
Hi, I am Liza, originally from Slovenia, living in Lisbon Portugal. A social anthropologist by training, I quit my full time job 2 years ago to retrain as a Co Active coach and I recently started my Substack called Sharing Secrets (and Other Useful stuff) https://lizadebevec.substack.com where I share coaching/life tips based on my conversations with my clients and also my own successes and failures. I recently wrote about how to network well when you're really not into networking. Another recent post was on how to know when to quit your job.
3 things people on Substack don't know about me:
1. I lived on a hill in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for 10 years.
2. I can communicate in 11 languages including 2 African languages
3. I can flirt in Mandarin Chinese. Well , not really, but I can say 'I am a student, your notebook is very nice/good. Where are you going this evening?' (which I learned 32 years ago in a language class at University- that is about if for my Mandarin skills, so it doesn't count in my 11 languages)
11 languages! Thats amazing! Whenever I tell people I know 5 languages (of which only 3 I'm literate in), they seem surprised, well, wait till they meet you :)
Hey Liza, this sounds fascinating on so many levels! I can't believe you can communicate in 11 languages! Would love to hear more about networking for those who aren't into it. :)
Thanks Serena. I find that what works for me in networking is connecting other people. I wrote about this in my most recent Substack post, in case you want to check it out.
Slovene is my mother tongue. I also speak SerboCroatian (which technically is an artificial combo of Serbian and Croatian, which was the official language of Yugoslavia (which Slovenia was part of from 1945 to 1991), I am fluent in English and French. I can speak Italian, Spanish and Portuguese (with lots of mistakes sprinkled in, but I can communicate and I can read fiction in these languages). I speak German poorly (but would survive in a place where people only spoke German), Swedish even less, but again, if I met someone who only spoke Swedish, we’d manage to communicate for basic survival :-) And then finally, Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia) and Jula (a Manding language from Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire West Africa, mutually intelligible with Bamana/Bambara of Mali). I am not perfect in any of these, including my mother tongue, but I enjoy them all.
I have a good ear, I think, and even as a child I’d be mimicking the sounds of other languages, without speaking/understanding them. Slovenia has only 2 million people and is very small, you drive 1 hour in any direction from my home town and you’re in another country. So as someone who loved languages, I had a lot of opportunity to learn them in real life. But I also studied them in school (English, French, German) especially for French, I had the most brilliant teacher. I started reading in these languages early on, with a use of a good dictionary (I was obsessed with Agatha Christie from the age of 12-15 and so when I read all the translations, I picked up one in English from our public library). I learned the two African languages living in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. I lived in Sweden for 2 years and learned some Swedish there. Watching TV in a foreign language, listening to music, reading books, as an avid cook, reading cook books in another language, studying restaurant menus and lots of eavesdropping to hear people say the useful daily phrases of greetings etc over and over again.
I know someone who was the same with German - he mainly grew up in the Czech Republic but he had also lived in Germany for a few years as a child and my friend would always laugh at him for speaking children's German :D But when he moved there, it didn't take him long at all to fill in the gaps.
I think a lot of people who grow up in one culture/language with parents from another culture/language struggle with learning their mother/father tongue. Sociological research shows that it can be an issue of rebelling, or the simple fact that they never learned to read/write in their parents native language or were not schooled in it. American writer Jhumpa Lahiri writes beautifully about related issues. Her parents are Bengali/Indian and she grew up in the US. She speaks a child like Bengali. She learned perfect Italian as an adult and now writes in Italian, but in Italy people who don't know her work treat her poorly as because of her skin colour while failing to acknowledge her language proficiency. Language is fascinating stuff.
I love seeing so many international people here. I’m Sarah, originally from California, living in Amsterdam, and working on starting a tiny bookshop in Italy, which I write about here: https://escapetothebookshop.substack.com/.
Three things people don’t know about me:
1. I grew up Mormon. I don’t go to church anymore, but I still always have months of nonperishable food on hand.
2. When I was 20, I spent four months studying abroad in Syria, and it was probably the defining time of my life. I learned that the world is infinitely more complicated and beautiful than I imagined, and you can feel completely at home with people who are very different from you. And that maybe you aren’t so different after all.
3. I had my daughter when I was 24, so I tend to feel out of place with other parents. Either they’re my age and have little kids, or their kids are in college too, and they’re way older than me.
Nice to meet you, Sarah! I have family in Amsterdam and it feels like a second home to me, so I feel connected to you already! Plus I love bookshops - so cool that you are starting one in Italy!
Not so many! I speak Italian and Spanish tolerably well. I tried pretty hard to learn Dutch when I first moved to Amsterdam, but practicing language skills with Dutch people is not for the faint of heart. They’re famously “direct” about telling you everything you’re doing wrong. :D
👋🏼 Hi everyone I’m Anna (or Anna Rose) this year I quit my life. I’m 38, and a year or so ago I realised I was treadmilling through life. So in July this year I left my job with no real plan, packed up my place in London and moved down to the coast.
✍🏻 THE BURNOUT REBELLION https://theburnoutrebellion.substack.com I write the burnout rebellion which is a combination of writing about my own rebellion, returning to nature and starting a new life, as well as guiding people through theirs. I share ways to get back in touch with nature, and how to build the foundations of a new life. The community has been growing and we call ourselves the burnout rebels 🔥 it’s such a great space. I have a podcast starting in January too which I’m really excited about.
💬Three things people may not know about me;
1. My word of the year has been courage. Every time I’ve faced a decision I’ve consciously thought of my word and taken the choice that is most courageous. I’ve realised how terrifying and exciting that makes life because you begin to realise ANYTHING is possible.
2. I still believe in magic and I’m sure it exists. Maybe not in the Harry Potter way but when we really explore nature, we realise it is, in fact, magic.
3. I worked as a climate change scientist in the mountains ranging from the Peak District and Snowdonia to the Andes in Peru.
burnout rebels is an amazing name! I'll definitely be checking your substack out later. Might have to wait another 11 years till my own rebellion though :D
Hi friends! I’m LeAnna and I write Little Bits of Everything which is…well, little bits of everything from motherhood to marriage to friendships in adulthood and all the little bits in between. I also write two short stories or poems a month which have been very popular lately!
Three things not many people know about me:
I am a faithful Christian who was involved in a youth ministry throughout college, because of my work in the ministry I am very comfortable speaking to large groups of people.
I’m a pediatric nurse by degree but have been writing short stories ever since I was in middle school.
My husband and I recently returned from Italy where we learned to make homemade pasta and we have been doing that with our toddler every other week since then. It’s been so fun!
1. and 2. I am Teri Adams, and my Substack is Reality Check — Crip Edition. 👩🏽🦼➡️I have been disabled all my life with my primary disability (I have acquired bonus disabilities over the years), epidermolytic ichthyosis. I write about disability-related issues in everyday life, education and employment.
3. Three things not many people know:
I love old movies.
I play Texas Holdem’ through my FireStick on my 📺.
I helped found a Democratic Club for Seniors and People With Disabilities in San Francisco a little over twenty years ago.
A couple of old Hitchcock films— “Notorious” and “Suspicion”. Casablanca, of course, and “Holiday”, with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films. I could go on and on!
👋 Hello! I'm Catherine, a homeschooling mom of three amazing kids, an author, and intuitive life coach for moms. And I love the work I get to do every day!!
✍️ The Soul Care Mom Substack/Podcast is where I explore mastering the art of slow living while navigating the wild ride of motherhood, homeschooling, and entrepreneurship.✨💕
Oh, that’s a great question. I’m fairly new to watercolor, but I like to find pockets of time in my week to play with my paints. It makes me feel so happy to see the colors dance across the paper. Today my 9yo and I sat and painted together. It was a lovely moment of self care and connection. 💕
How about you? I love seeing your posts about creativity and painting. 🎨
Hi all! I'm Victoria from Western New York. I moved from Asheville, NC two years ago to live near my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I have many friends still in Asheville that survived Helene but are overwhelmed now with the clean up. I'm a spiritual coach and mentor, Akashic Records practitioner and personal growth workshop leader.
My Substack newsletter is called The Cosmic Yes and I write about spirituality, consciousness, living an authentic life in alignment with your soul's path, the ups and downs of the human journey, creativity and more.
Not many people know:
I sang onstage at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in NYC as a member of the Masterwork Chorus when I was a teenager.
I joined a cult when I was in my twenties.
I lived and traveled as a digital nomad without a home based for three years.
The Cosmic Yes, such a great name for a Substack! I saw the northern lights last night (you never really see them in my part of the world) and it definitely felt like a cosmic yes. Do you miss NC?
Sometimes I do. Mostly, I miss my friends and family there. My sister is in Charlotte, my niece is in Apex, and my younger adult son is moving to Raleigh.
I did a variety of things but mostly just drove a regular car. I only lived out of a motor home for two months. The rest of the time I stayed in various co-living and intentional communities, and also did house sitting for two years.
Wow! Thank you for sharing those little known parts of your journey. I absolutely love hearing the stories and wisdom that come from your incredible life on your Substack! 💖
Hi, I'm Anna from Australia 👋 I'm a mum to two little ones and I've worked in publishing for the last 10 years.
I write about personal development and mindset with a bit of magic and manifestation sprinkled through over at A Momentary Happiness: https://amomentaryhappiness.substack.com/
I love the 'woo' of manifestation, but I come from a family of scientists so I was always sceptical and am constantly hunting down books and articles explaining the neuroscience of manifestation (spoiler, it's basically goal setting on crack).
Some random facts not many people know about me:
🤿 I can freedive to 22m (or I could, four years ago)
👩💻 I am exploring options to have a major job change in the next few years, hoping to work in a field more closely aligned with my passions - currently exploring psychology, counselling and coaching
📖 I am addicted to personal development books and figuring out what makes humans tick
Anna, I so feel this. The last 2 years or so I’ve been working with manifestation myself. Even when I started it I thought it wasn’t a thing but thought let’s give it a go I’ve got nothing to lose. Since I’ve started my life has changed dramatically. I always use the phrase ‘it’s this or something better’ when I surrender what I want to the universe. At the beginning of last year I wanted to manifest financial abundance (I think we all do at some stage!) and that year the abundance I received was huge but it wasn’t money. My dad was diagnosed with leukaemia and the realisation of the abundance in every moment and every second was incredible, my whole life shifted. To the point I’ve now quit my job and started my life over. Manifestation is incredible so I’m there with you.
I’m actually a scientist myself by trade but I’ve come to realise that science and spirituality are the same thing. There is so much we don’t know. A great teacher once said to me ‘Science is catching up’. Great to have found you!
Another Anna (I feel like I attract amazing Annas into my life, two of my best friends are Annas and I keep finding more and more great ones on here 💗)
I love this and I think this is the key, no one who I know is really out there manifesting a yacht or fancy car, when you get to the essence of it, it’s really about figuring out what’s important and so often that is more time with loved ones, or more freedom (which is usually why we want to manifest money in my experience), or more energy to appreciate what we already have!
And I wholeheartedly agree about science catching up, I love that!!
My husband has an engineer brain but started on his journey to manifesting 20 years ago before that was even a recognised word. He just knew he needed to heal his relationship with money.
It’s been amazing to see his dreams come to life! ✨
Yesss it’s all about unblocking and changing those limiting beliefs. I love that he’s been doing it since way back (and that it’s been working, more proof!)
So lovely to meet you and discover your Substack! I’ve just subscribed, honestly, I couldn’t not subscribe after I loved literally everything in your most recent post!
I love your Substack as well! Your beautiful energy shines through in your work. Thank you for your kind words and for subscribing. That makes my heart SO happy! 💖
I am loving the conversation on manifesting!! I remember when I first discovered the idea that we create our life experience. It was such an empowering idea and helped me to start being so much more intentional about my thoughts, energy, and how I choose to move through the world.
👋Hi! I'm Mariah- a Midwestern native, now living in Appalachia. I'm a fierce community builder, new sour dough bread baker, poet, nature lover, and mama to a toddler, reclaiming my creativity amidst the beautiful chaos of everyday life.
✍🏼 I write Heartbeats and share reflections and questions about what makes us human- vulnerable stories of grief, motherhood, poetry, creativity, and our connection to Spirit.
💬I was homeschooled🎒and grew up very religious but now I read tarot cards and see the whole world as my classroom. My first career was in nursing (I'm still an R.N.) but I quit my job in the ICU when I was 24 to travel solo for a year and never looked back.🌎Since then I've been a farmer, volunteer manager, school nurse, and baker...but my favorite is writer. I call my resume a patchwork quilt and love discovering the throughlines the more life I experience! 😊
Hi Mariah! I also grew up very religious and homeschooled. And I love tarot, but still think of myself as a baby reader. Where did you go during your year of solo traveling?
Oh hi! I love finding other adult homeschoolers in the wild. I spent most of my time in France and Ghana but also traveled to Mexico, Spain, Morocco, and around the U.S. a bit. 😊
Hi there! I’m LadyQuinn, a neurodivergent empty-nester, mystic explorer and fantasy author with a background in live storytelling and the performing arts. I think the world needs more beauty and wonder, and better ways of being with one another, so I write that.
My Substack is AKIN TO TOLKIEN: LadyQuinn’s Gather House, where I share the wisdom I have gleaned from life-giving fantasy stories, extended stillness, and over three decades of challenging marriage. There’s fun in there too. I do some read-alouds of classic or original work and explore the ways fantasy can help us find a better future. I haven’t fully figured Substack out, but I’m getting there!
I offer an optional “Writing by Starlight” birth chart analysis for writers with my $33 one-year subscription, where I highlight the ways your personal astrology design supports you as a writer. (This is how I overcame imposter syndrome!)
3 things:
I deconstructed the faith I was born in, becoming both an astrologer, and a bible-college alumnus.
My husband and I live on one disability pension, so we know how to be creative!
I was part of a baladi bellydance troupe (the happy, fun kind!)
1) Hello! I’m Jeanine. Nice to be here and thank you, Mika, for this format.I write about Mexico and expat life on the Mexican Caribbean where I built a house and opened a bookstore.
2) My Substack is Mexico Soul, concentrating on Mexico, the Maya, travel, art and artists, culture and expat life on the Mexican Caribbean where I built a house and opened a bookstore. I alternately post a chapter every other week of my travel memoir, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya. I’m presently entranced with Maya Warrior queens who have only been identified since around 2004. Yes, they existed! My last two posts have done a deep dive into two of the more prominent queens. It’s a series and I’m researching more.
3) I consider myself an introvert. I studied journalism in college. Right after college I seriously considered moving to Australia.
Australia would have been lucky to have you! I've travelled to Mexico twice and if it wasn't so far from Australia I would go every year, I absolutely love it there. In 2019 my partner and I spent three months in Mexico and it was bliss.
👋 Hello! I'm Jezz, From somewhere destination Sweden. I'm a illustrator and also make Youtube videos. Also have ADHD and ASD.
✍️ The Howling Newsletter/Podcast is where I write about my art journey with ups and downs.
💬 I'm trying to learn Japanese. That would be my 3 language I learn out of my native tongue( Swedish). The other two is English & Swedish Sign Language.
I love trying new things, especially if it comes to sports.
For some reason I'm good at making animal friends at first glance. 🤣
I’m Another ADHD person here, Jezz. I write fantasy so I have something to read that can hold my attention! Good for you with the languages! What sports do you like best?
Nice to meet you! I also have ADHD and write about that a bit. Good for you for learning Japanese! I love the culture and would love to visit one day but I'm rubbish at languages.
And yes to the animal friends! I prefer animals to people tbh.
1) Hi! I'm Christie, a figure skater/speed skater/writer living in Lake Placid, NY (the place that hosted two Olympic Games). I write most on Medium (https://medium.com/@christiesausams).
2) I have two Substacks, both of which I'm trying to make time to commit to on a regular basis. Lake Placid Skater (lakeplacidskater.substack.com) is a revival of my first blog which gave me my first taste of online writing and is mostly about my experiences skating and living in Lake Placid as a childless competitive athlete. The other, (this one) is what I consider my primary - Not Your Average Athlete (notyouraverageathlete.substack.com) is about my efforts to live an uncommon life and the lessons I learn along the way while living and training in an Olympic town. I suppose you could catagorize both about being about sports and life lessons, but Lake Placid Skater is more about the former and the experiences of it while NYAA leans into the latter. Not Your Average Athlete, by the way, alludes to my identity as someone who is primarily an athlete but identifies more as a writer, creator, and thinker. :) Follow one or both if these interest you! :)
3) Hmmm, three things about me.....I guess the following count:
* I started my official writing career at 14 or so when I started my blog Lake Placid Skater. I wrote about my experiences training as well as sharing skating-related news from Lake Placid. The blog took off and I nearly got sent to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
*I have an somewhat improbable acting career, having several credits both on ice and off. My first role was as 'dream sequence skater' in a since-unfinished independent film that was set to include Stephen Lang and Ellyn Burstyn in the cast skating on a frozen lake in minus 10 one cold February morning. I have the dailies here somewhere....since then I have been a background or featured background actor in tv shows including the Blacklist, Succession, The Gilded Age, and the series finale of The Deuce. I love acting but I'm too much of an over thinker to be too good at it. I have also started (and never finished) several screenplays. I love the movies dahling.
* Despite my timid demeanor, I was super into Crossfit for a few years, even teaching and earning my Crossfit Level 1 Trainer certification. The experience inspired me to earn my Masters Degree in Fitness and Wellness Leadership.
Bonus - when I'm not writing or skating, I'm probably outside hiking, taking photos, or riding my bike.
Thank you! I actually started unofficially writing at like 5 or 6, writing stories based on books I read (I wrote a lot of Little House on the Prairie fanfiction, weirdly enough - I had read all the books by age 7).
I liked Crossfit and was probably the strongest I'll ever be when I was training there every day but it has it's downsides. I saw quite a few injuries from people who were too focused on recording certain scores and not on solid technique, encouraged by the emphasis on 'as many reps as possible' for certain workouts. Getting my Masters showed me I was right to be concerned, and that, coupled with a toxic culture at the gym I was at, led to me stopping coaching and training in CF shortly before COVID hit. It turned out to be a good call in more ways than one. That being said, I like the concept behind Crossfit, I just think there needs to be more focus on technique and less on hitting certain scores for ego. :)
Haha, I wrote "as media" after that but I guess it got deleted. I was in the running to be sent to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as media but despite being a semi-finalist I didn't win. :( Unfortunately I never had the money to train at the level I needed to go to the Olympics for figure skating as a competitor, but I was told that I could probably qualify for the Olys as a speed skater if I moved to a training center and trained really hard for several years. I didn't do that because I didn't want to leave Lake Placid or stop figure skating. So that's my story!
Hey folks. My name is Matthew and I live in Tennessee, USA. I recently retired after 24 years in the Navy and am reading and writing full time now. My publication is Beyond the Bookshelf where I write about Life and Literature and how they are connected. Would love to have you join the conversation.
I write a Substack called Going Solo where I am documenting my journey as an Ops Generalist building towards a Portfolio Career. I've spent a decade and a half working full time in startups but want to diversify my professional life.
3 things not many people know about me are:
1) I was diagnosed with ADHD this year at age 40 👀
2) I have Trypophobia which is an aversion to seeing repetitive patterns, clusters of small holes or bumps usually found in nature 🤢
3) My morning work kickoff song is the instrumental version of "Forgot about Dre" 🎧
I managed really well when I was working a 9-5, with urgent deadlines etc, but often don’t feel like I use my time wisely now. So many tasks that require breaking it down etc.
I love Substack because I have created clear and manageable structure. Plus it’s super fun! Much more fun than declutteting etc. 😆
Yes! I agree that managing time is tougher with team accountability. I manufacture my own deadlines now and I find Substack is my public accountaability buddy. DM me if you wanna chat about breaking things down. I have some tricks that work for me and might be helpful (?)
You know, I think I've had a hunch for a while. When I was a kid I struggled a lot with misplacing/forgetting things, time blindness, messiness and franticness. I used to beat myself up about it.
The upside is that I eventually learned strategies, leveraged tools and built systems to help me be more organized.
Oh, I know! It would always surprise people who I talked to about it that sign language wasn’t universal and varied by country and there were different “dialects”. I loved learning it!
I found out that British Sign Language is different from American Sign Language when I had student going to an Overseas Studies to Oxford from our American university. (So—American student needed ASL interpreter in England. We found some, but it was dicey.
Alexander 👋 I am an engineer but actually a pilgrim and undercover yogi, originally from Sweden.
WrestleWithTheSun is my creative writing ans music about coming into deeper connection with ourselves, our lives and the mystery. And about listening to and caring for each other.
Three things 😊 I like dandelions and put them in my salads. The most luxurious thing I know is getting undressed and jumping under the covers for a stolen nap. I always have something to say exactly when I'm brushing my teeth.
👋 Hi everyone. I'm Sophie - originally from Belgium, but now living in New Zealand with my husband and parrot.
✍️ I write on This Is Sophie Today: https://thisissophietoday.substack.com/ which is all about reconnecting with nature, rewilding and slow living - for busy humans
💭Three things people don't know about me, gosh that's difficult.
1. I love languages and speak 5 different languages, in varying degrees of fluency. I also studied a 6th language (Arabic) years ago but have forgotten everything unfortunately.
2. My parrot is my baby - although if you've been following me on notes people probably know that. I take him on walks and he has been on quite a few big New Zealand hikes, include the Tongariro crossing and to the top of Taranaki.
3. I'm afraid of clowns because a teacher when I was in school and definitely not even 10 years old thought it was a great idea to show the movie IT in class.
I also studied Arabic and then forgot everything (except the grammar! Pretty sure I still know the ten verb forms). My kids go to Dutch school and also had to learn all the same languages, plus Latin and Greek. It's so wild to me as an American!
Ah yep I had Latin and Greek as well! It's honestly such a good thing to learn as a kid, I find it relatively easy to pick up new languages and it's because I learnt so early on I think.
Uhm what worked for me is "being forced to learn them at school" 😂 In Belgium we have to learn English, Dutch, French and German at school. The only one I learned later on is Spanish, for that I did a mix of Duolingo and a tutor. To learn Arabic (which I no longer speak) I took classes. So not sure if that's much help actually 😅
I did Arabic for about a year but didn't really have time to study and have forgotten everything! But I love how now when I see Arabic I see letters rather than squiggly patterns :D
Not a silly question at all - he's got a harness 😊 he is fully flighted, but when he has his harness on he knows he won't get far so he doesn't even try anymore. Yep he's been with us since he was 12 weeks, and he's 8 now 😊
it was at one of those teacher only days - but kids who didn't have anywhere to go were allowed to come to school and they would just put on some movies in class. I bet the teacher was pissed that a few of us showed up which meant he had to look after us 😯
I used to have a green-cheeked conure, Sophie. Birds are the best! So feisty and full of personality. Now that I've had human children, I can confidently say that owning parrots is just like having a toddler for twenty years.
👋Hi, I’m Bronwen from Bournemouth on the south coast of the UK. I have in most recent years worked for charities doing admin, donor relations, fundraising and now social media. But my degree was in cartography and geology. I love creating things and am currently working on a crochet blanket.
✍🏼My substack is Clearing Out which is about my struggles and wins in clearing out my home which has become rather full of stuff over the years. It’s a keeping track thing, accountability and shared experience thing too.
💬 I was adopted at 10 months by Scottish parents and when I learnt to talk at first I had a Scottish accent despite living in London. It soon went when I started nursery.
I’ve taken part in a couple of world record attempts - the second was successful - it was the most objects in the air at one time organised by the juggling group I was part of at the time.
Bronwen Leigh is not my legal name, however both are on my original birth certificate, but as I can’t find that at the moment, and after mum gave me some personal documents recently, I think I may have spelled these names differently to how they were originally - oops. 😬
Hi Jeanine, it was everything from how to design a map, what works, physically how to collect data and transfer that to the page, dark room skills making plates, scribing and drawing skills and also the history of cartography, which was one of my favourite things. We learnt GPS - it still helps to have a skilled operator, and even though everyone just pinches maps from the internet these days, some people still value a personally designed map made by a trained cartographer ;)
I just followed you! I'm always looking for help organizing and decluttering. Living at home with my elderly parents, we have lots of stuff and not enough room to store it which causes some consternation. So I'm always on the lookout for cleaning and organizing hacks. :)
Thank you ☺️. I hope I can provide some inspiration. It’s about being open to getting rid of things I think. It’s so hard with elderly relatives, I’m helping mum just now as she’s hoping to move nearer my brother and I, but everything has so many memories. I’d suggest going in gently - and maybe try the minimalist game/challenge. 💚
i love maps! kept all my paper versions. whenever on a road trip i'd always follow along on a map. in my first novel, a thriller set in many locales in mexico, i hired an artist to draw a map for tge book so readers knew where the action was taking place. It's Book 1 in my Wheels Up Yucatan thriller trilogy.
Got to love a book with maps in it. In fact I once wrote an article about that for the Society of Cartographers bulletin :) Sadly I don’t have up to date software anymore as I’m not working with maps just now and it’s so expensive. But I do still enjoy designing and producing maps.
Ooh - lovely to meet you. Maybe it’s a weird thing to have in common, but it’s always good to find others who’ve experienced similar things. I hope your experience has been a good one 💚
I’m sure some must have been taken but I don’t have any. The group who organised it were called More Balls Than Most. The successful attempt took place at London zoo in the early- mid 90s.
I'm Ann and I live in London with my husband of 61 years.
You can see the name of my Substack, which will take you there and in case you are curious, yes, I do stand on my head and you can see a two-minute video of me doing so right there on my front page. I write a lot about being old and how it is a good place to be, I write about sex from time to time and I write about anything that captures my imagination: it may be something that happened to me or a painting I liked or whatever. I even wrote a funny piece about Substack's chatbot https://arichardson.substack.com/p/conversations-with-a-bot.
Three things very few people know about me are i) c 80 years ago, I danced with Gene Kelly (I was c 2 years old at the time); ii) about 60 years ago, I shook the hand of Lyndon B Johnson (he was a sort-of friend of my father) and iii) about 40 years ago, I was an extra in a film which starred Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave and was Meryl Streep's first film (called Julia).
Yes and when the film was on TV, I could pause it where I was supposed to be and there was nothing but a blur! So much for my fame. It was very interesting to do, however.
Yes, I loved that when I learned it. I have no memory. I think it was on VE day and the Kellys lived down the street (but he was always away filming and my mother met Mrs Gene Kelly and asked her what her husband did – AND he was famous then) and he picked me up and danced down the street with joy. It must have been a sight, as I was reputedly a very cute little kid - less so when I got older.
Well, I mostly just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was reading your post while on a bus and thought I replied to someone about having milked a cow in the old fashioned way, but when I got home I couldn't find it.
Nice to meet you! I also do background acting and I'm envious of you being able to dance with Gene Kelly. As a skater I appreciate how he was such an athlete and could not only dance but roller skate (and apparently ice skate) quite well! There's a video on Youtube of him roller skating for a film, he looks like he'd been doing it his whole life. Just followed you. :)
She asked for little known facts and I provided them. Unfortunately, I have no memory of the Gene Kelly dance. As I just wrote to someone else, I think it was on VE day and the Kellys lived down the street (but he was always away filming and my mother met Mrs Gene Kelly and asked her what her husband did – AND he was famous then!) and he picked me up and danced down the street with joy. It must have been a sight, as I was reputedly a very cute little kid - less so when I got older. My posts are a mixture of serious and gentle humour. I hope you like them. I am 11 subscribers short of 1000 so if you want to go a step further, it would be great.
👋 hey everyone! I'm Lucy, a former seamstress, I work now for an early intervention charity with children and young people in a therapeutic role. I am also an artist and I love to make all kinds of art.
✍️ I've recently set up my substack and am tentatively dipping my toe in the water, having not shared my writing before. I'm much more comfortable sharing drawings and doodles, but my love of the written word and poetry has led me to want to be braver, develop my craft, purely for the joy of making and living an expressive life. So far I've written just two posts(!), on the joy of living alone and an introspective piece inspired by my childhood.
💬 Three things you wouldn't know about me... I used to work as a lingerie seamstress for a company that held the Royal warrant (for Queen Liz and the Queen mother)
Despite being Cornish and very much 'from the seaside', I have an innate and extraordinary fear of the bottom of boats.
I am a huge Christine and the Queens fan and last year saw them live for the first time in London at the Southbank Centre, where they walked through the audience mid gig, knelt on one knee and held my hand as they sang. So basically what I'm trying to say is, I think we got engaged.
Hold on …. The bottom of boats? So is it all bottoms of all boats? So if you’re in one, or is it just an upturned boat? Apologies but this is fascinating to me!
And you worked with the queens lingerie makers, that’s wild! Brilliant facts
I can be in a boat (on a boat?) no problem. But when I'm looking at a boat, I don't want to see the bit that should be in the water. So dry docks are a big nope. Harbours when the tide is out, gahh. Boat maintenance yards, get me out of there. Being in the water next to a boat and touching the bit that's under the water line - actual terror. The bigger the boat the bigger the fear!
It seemed to come out of nowhere really. I don't think I have any boat related trauma. I thought I was just very strange but apparently it is a known fear - submechanophobia!
Reminds me a little of my irrational fear of being sucked under a truck when they drive past me. Unfortunately, I think I may have passed it on to my kids. 🤦🏻♀️
I'm Rebecca, English comp, literature, and creative writing teacher, museum docent, mother to two shimmery neurodivergent children, and acolyte of all things Dorothy Sayers. I hail from Atlanta, Georgia, live in Lynchburg, Virginia, and have called many places home in between--Asheville, North Carolina was my favorite.
I write about nature, literature, and autistic special interests at Out for Stars. I also give weekly poetry readings there and am slowly releasing my bookish autism memoir, _At Home with Books_.
There are a lot of things lots of people don't know about me, because I am a seasoned autistic masker. People who know me in real life and don't read my Substack don't tend to guess I'm autistic, and probably don't realize my deep and abiding love for the Indigo Girls.
Hi Rebecca, I had to look up Dorothy Sayers. I now want to read sth by her. I have been exploring whether I am neurodivergent, lots of things make me think that, so I will be curious to read about your journey.
Just followed you! I have ADHD and also suspect autism. I have also developed masking techniques and no one believes that I'm 'really that ADHD' because I've accomplished so much. I identify with the special interests thing - I'm fascinated with cults and can read/watch/listen about them for hours, and I guess I can call my writing a special interest lol. :)
Ah, I have followed you now, too, Christie! Absolutely about people not believing. It's such a common experience for those of us lucky (or unlucky?) enough to be able to mask. Too funny about cults--that's the topic of the Substack post I'm running tomorrow! Writing is *definitely* a special interest. :) Glad to have connected with you. Going to check out your Substack!
Mika, I don't have a post yet that walks through my discovery proces. That is coming in a couple months, part of a series of memoir-style essays I'm releasing. It will be called "At the Center of a Certain Turbulence" and will appear on my Substack around early December.
My fave albums are Swamp Ophelia and Rites of Passage (Galileo is perfection, and I love Power of Two & Least Complicated...) Audibly squealed with delight at Closer to Fines' moment in the Barbie movie 😅 Noone tells a story like the Indigo Girls. Their songs are so much fun to belt out in the car but so beautiful and moving and tender too! They are total legends. Love them! Still yet to see them live. Have you been to see them?
Those are top albums for me, too! And the iconic Closer to Fine album--just about every song on it, but especially "Love's Recovery." I have several essays that talk about that song, might be a little obsessed, ha ha. "World Falls" is another favorite. And "Three County Highway." And and and. :) I saw them in Atlanta for my sixteenth birthday (have an essay about that, too!), then in college in Athens, Georgia, 25 years ago (I was lucky to live basically in their stomping grounds). ... And this December, I'm going to see them again where I live now in Virginia. I CAN'T WAIT. Have you seen the documentary _It's Only Life after All"? So good. Made me love them even more.
Oh I haven't seen the doc! I'm going to look for it. How incredible to have seen them live so many times (and on your 16th birthday! Wowee that feels so monumental).
I missed the chance to see them live for the first time last year, when they played at Shepherds Bush Empire in London where I live. I couldn't believe they were so close to my home and I couldn't go! But I'm sure I will get to a gig some day, and I will likely be a weeping, dancing, beautiful mess hahah!
I want to read your indigo girls articles! Are they on your stack? I'm new here and still working out how to find everything.
... I have a more focused essay in the works inspired by something Amy Ray says in the documentary. We'll see how long it takes me to get that to a point I can share it.
Hi Substack friends, I'm Vicki, a psychologist and yoga teacher who writes about all things therapy and life related, over at my Substack The Therapy Room
⭐I was born in Wolverhampton in the UK and have travelled a long way from home all the way to my now-home in Auckland on the opposite side of the globe.
⭐I am the archetypal 'crazy' cat lady - my two fur babies Heihei and Tigerlily are among my most important relationships
⭐My therapy room is my happy place, a quiet serene space, looking out into treetops where my nervous system is (mostly) calm and I can tune into the wisest parts of myself
My name is Rose, and I write A Look Inside the Mind, which is a newsletter about the big questions related to the mind and the nature of our existence. I broach big, tangled topics like consciousness, mortality, emotion, and memory. https://open.substack.com/pub/rosetyler?r=2p6dql&utm_medium=ios
As for three things you may not know or guess about me,
-I’ve been studying French for more or less 12 years 🇫🇷
-I’m a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association 🧠
I’m considered a community educator, so I give presentations on dementia-related topics to help local families and caregivers learn more about how to cope with the disease.
Hey hey! My name is Nobuhle, the author of Young & Oversharing, a newsletter about adulting, surviving adulting and becoming better versions of ourselves.
Three things about me!? Tough considering all I do is overshare.🤣
1. I find putting my feet up against the wall relaxing when I am laying down. 🤷🏾♀️
2. I can't stand the sight of boiling water, it makes my skin crawl. Can't explain why!
3. I am a bit of a neat freak. Just a little.
Mika, thank you for bringing us together once again! 💕
With the boiling water is it anything to do with the bubbles? A lot of people have trypophobia - an aversion to repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes
Hi all. I write about the soul of this existence by looking at the world with mental health as the focus. Mental health just means your state of mind. I have come to believe my niche is people who like to think, even though I am supposed to pick something more focused. But, I have never been able to do anything the "normal way" it seems. Come and join for free and see if you like it.
Did mint choc chip come before or after chocolate because that would be my ice cream hard stop. Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint choc chip. Now I want ice cream but it’s bed time
Hi. Well honestly I like lots of flavors but chocolate is king. I’m glad to meet someone interested in mental health. I didn’t know this would be my topic, and I probably have a different definition of mental health than most. Life pulled me in this direction.
Three things you might not know about me...hmmm...I used to play the clarinet, I'm terrified of public speaking (and had to do a lot of it in college), and (says very quietly) I don't know how to ride a bike. 😊
Lost played a really important role in my life when it came out! I watched it with new friends soon after moving to a new town in my single late twenties. By the last couple seasons, I was married and introduced my new husband to it. Lots of good memories.
Still in the middle of rewatching (near the end of Season 3). It's the last season that wasn't popping for me, but I might change my tune when I get to it.
Oooh I’m all about the less popular, give me an underdog any day. Also the less popular sites are quieter so it’s a win! Will check out your publication 🧡
I just counted up the counties I’ve visited and it’s 19. Which I was pretty proud of, considering we live so far away from everything! 😂 (I love counting the Vatican as a country 🤣)
19 is great, especially since you live in NZ :) I live in Europe and for me it's so easy to travel to different countries and cities, I just lack the time :)
And UNESCO - let's just say I would like to write about Tongariro National Park one day :)
Our Europe counties definitely padded that number.
It’s so hard to not overly pack our itinerary when we are over your side of the world! We hit all the tourist spots but I would love to go back and go out of the hustle and bustle. Sounds like you love that too. 😊
Yes, definitely. Although I don't mind the loudness of London and other big cities, I prefer walking around without people sticking their selfie stick in my face :)
Europe is just so rich in culture and history so there is so much to see...
Sooo much! I haven’t made it to any Scandinavian countries, so I would love to go there. But I think at the top of my list is a small town in Italy somewhere. ☺️
I always appreciate Mika’s hospitality. I’m a retired counselor. I am writing a book, enjoying my Substack community, and I love helping my clients as they move towards healing and growth. I have a backyard cabin where I write and see coaching clients. My husband and I live in Oregon with our Aussie Mt Doodle.
A few things you might not know: I took New Testament Greek at a seminary near home my last year of high school. I have lived with multiple sclerosis most of my adult life, but have had a very rich life anyway. I am planning to visit Australia in the spring. My close friend, and her mom and my friend’s family live in Australia. We met when I worked in China. I haven’t ever been to Australia before.
I didn't know about the multiple sclerosis Susan. Sorry to hear that. I have a strong interest in chronic illness too, having lived with an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's) for more than 15 years. It informs so much of my work these days and has been a huge learning journey.
Hi! I am Rachel and I write at Conscious Living about living mindfully and connecting deeply with people and the world.
Three things people may not know about me:
1. I used to be a drummer in a girl band.
2. When I was a kid, I dreamed someday I will I learn how to fly. Possibly influenced by Dragonball (yes I read them comics, this could be another point!)
3. I played for my school's basketball team, despite my height. Most of us were not tall nor very good, but we really loved it and played a lot!
I’m Kate, a midlife psychotherapist on the outskirts of London, and mum to a teenager now at Uni.
I write Letters From Therapy, sharing inspiration, tools, meditations and therapeutic journaling for you to flourish in a life you love. https://lettersfromtherapy.substack.com
I also make silver jewellery for a living, I wrote a Christmas novel for children, and I’m most happy walking in nature with my cute little dog Pepper!
Hi Kate, I love your Substack premise! It sounds so helpful, especially for those of us wanting to connect (or reconnect) with things like meditation and journaling. Thanks for sharing 😊
I am just reading your letter to your dad. Beautiful. 🧡 I’m writing about grief for the next couple of posts, a bit about me and a bit educational. Lovely to connect with you here 🙏🏻
A wonderful initiative Mika, allowing writers to find and connect with one another 💛
1️⃣ Hi I’m Ruhie! Writer, doctor (primary care physician), mum, and a daughter who lost her dad to a terminal illness.
2️⃣ My Substack is From the Heart to Beyond which can be found here: ruhievaidya.substack.com. I share life-affirming personal stories and reflections on grief, healing & family — the three big pillars of my life, connected by one overarching purpose — to live with intention. I write so that others feel seen and less alone in their experiences, as well as to share with others the biggest lesson I’ve learnt — to stop taking life for granted and make the most of the time we are given.
3️⃣ Three things people might not know about me:
- I’m currently on maternity leave after having baby number 3 💛 When not wrangling young kids, I spend most of my free time writing (or thinking about writing!)
- I was born and brought up in the land down under (Australia), and am a second generation immigrant (my parents are from India… well actually my mum was an Indian refugee from Uganda under the reign of dictator Idi Amin, but that’s a whole other story - maybe even a book one day!)
Hi Ruhie! I love hearing that you're working on a memoir. I started a memoir many years ago but dropped it when a friend suggested I turn it into a screenplay, which was a blast to write. I've also taught a class called "How to Write Your Life Story" for over twenty-five years. It's my most popular class!
Apparently I write about snooker but that's not really the case. I'm Lucy - I am a writer - I can touch type, have a TV directing credit and what else?! I wrote this somewhere else and am trying to remember what I said. Oh yes - I have been to Robben Island - that's it! My Substack is about my life in Suffolk and my work-in-progress. Oh I sold shoes as a teenager and was good at sports - especially netball and later on basketball and I finally went skiing as a grown women, that's six things probably but people might know the first three. I will have a look at the Orkney Outpost and Sarah's blog about Belgian baking.
Hi all! I'm Cassandra and I live on an island on the west coast of Canada with my husband and our dog, Chewie.
I started my Substack, Notes from a Kindred Spirit, in December. It's a bi-weekly newsletter about embracing curiosity, exploring hobbies, living with chronic illness, and finding contentment in the everyday. I talk a lot about two of my favourite things: books and Bullet Journaling!
3 things that not many people know about me:
1. I started public speaking when I was 5 years old to help raise awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
2. I am terrified of snakes and can't even look at one on the TV.
3. I was obsessed with horses when I was a kid and thought for sure I'd be living on a horse ranch by now!
I've done some public speaking as an adult but I think the last time I spoke at a fundraising event was in 2018! Right now I'm mostly using my voice to record voiceovers for my Substack posts 😂 but I'd also love to start a podcast someday!
👋Hi! I’m Mika from New Zealand. I followed my gut and quit my job as an in-house graphic designer but still do a bit of freelancing. We have four big kids, two still living at home.
✍🏼My writing on musings by mika has naturally morphed into talking about living life beyond the comfort zone and encouraging others stepping into Substack.
💬I grew up with my mum speaking Japanese, but I answered in English, so my comprehension is good, but my speaking is rusty.
Both my husband and I moved around a bit growing up, yet our kids have never changed schools and their primary, intermediate and high school are all within 5 mins drive to each other. So while my hubby and I have loved being settled in Wellington, I can tell our kids can’t wait to move out of the city and have their own adventure.
I often find myself browsing real estate listings for a home surrounded by bush, with the master bedroom overlooking water 🏡 😍 (found this one last night: https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/property/residential/lifestyle-property/bay-of-plenty/western-bay-of-plenty/waihi-beach/listing/4771102330 it doesn’t overlook water, but has a private waterfall😍)
Hi Mika! I had no idea so many people did the real estate hunt thing. It's a favorite past-time of my husband and me.
The other day, we actually contemplated moving and that search wasn't as fun as the searches that have no budget! hahaha
Definitely made us appreciate our house a bit more!
Ugh…yeah. Reality does often have that effect…
I, too, share the real estate urge. We're about to sell our house in the woods to move permanently to the one in town and it's killing me. The more I live surrounded by woods and nature, the more I see how important it is to my wellbeing. Change is hard! Thanks for doing this so we can get to know each other.
Oh my gosh!! That is so so tough! If you don't mind me asking, what is prompting the change? If you've written about it, feel free to drop a link so I can check it out.
Your Japanese is like my Mandarin!
I’m paying to speak to tutor now, just so that I get my reps in. Now I can have an hour long conversation with my mum! Although, I’m getting rusty again because I don’t do it every 2-weeks any more.
I still mostly speak to my parents in English. It’s hard to break that habit. But my husband and I try to speak Mandarin to our children haha.
Good on you for trying with your kids! My husband can also speak Japanese, but it’s so easy to just speak English 🙈
Yes, come to Waihi, you'd be so close to me! 😁 I do that too by the way, love scrolling through fancy houses on trademe!
What a beautiful part of New Zealand!! 😍
Wow! I want that house. What’s $2million in sterling? ;) I doubt I’d be let into NZ anyway as I am too old and don’t have much money - ah well, a girl can dream 😊
(Another bonus fun fact - I once dated a guy who wanted to move over there. He took me on an amazing trip to see if I liked it. Loved NZ, but he turned out to be less lovely)
But seriously - that house is amazing 🤩
I’m very glad that you didn’t end up with a less than lovely man!
About a million sterling
Haha - I thought he might be for me for a while, but he was already trying to separate himself from me even while we were in NZ. So still looking for my Mr - maybe one with £1M so we can buy that house!!! 💚
Imagine a website where the man and the house were listed! 😄
A private waterfall that sounds like heaven!
We have a private waterfall! Sort of by accident, and only when the rainfall has been sufficient. But we *did* make a seating area next to it for when conditions are right.
Oh wow wow wow, that’s pretty amazing!
It's really amazing. It's been there since my family purchased this property and built the house on it, but my husband really went to work opening it up so we can enjoy it.
You’ll have to add a photo please!
I'll see if I can find one (it's not running right now). I'll tag you in a note, because I don't think photos can be included in the comments here.
That place looks idyllic! I’m always growing like this too! 🤣
It’s soooo nice!!
One day…
Oh Mika, I am so with you on the real estate fixation! I dream of cosy nests in the bush and big windows overlooking the ocean.... I shall be checking out your link right now 😄 Unfortunately my husband is not so easy to persuade when it comes to moving 🙃
My husband spent years real-estate browsing. When we looked to buy a flat last year, he had THE best overview of the market :D
I spend ages on real estate sites, watching specific places I’m interested in. Over the years you see the same properties come up, and changes new owners have made…. Regardless of place, ‘in trees, by water’ is where I want to live!
'in trees, by water' sounds like my idea of heaven Quinn 😀
Haha, my husband isn’t keen on moving either 😂
I also love our city, but when our kids leave home I might be able to convince him.
I just can’t find my perfect home before then!
That waterfall looks really special!!!! 😍
Wow, this home is something special! I would love to one day live by a river or a running stream, just to have that sound of water for soundtrack....
We will have to fight over that cabin by the water! 😆
😂😂 - a new kind of dating site!
Hello lovely people! My name's Darya, I live in Berlin, Germany and write a monthly newsletter about things I find interesting and exciting: music, films, books, podcasts - but also including my own little musings about life, all through the lens of a thirty-something overthinker :) Here's my latest one, on the somewhat provocative subject of what's worth wanting: https://vibesandmusings.substack.com/p/8-whats-worth-wanting
3 random facts about me:
* I started playing drums in my late 20s
* I love listening to the Japanese radio station Shonan Beach FM even though I don't understand Japanese (would love to learn it though!)
* I don't wear rings because I'm always afraid I won't be able to take them off
i love that, I've been thinking lots about what I actually want (and how I spend my time) so will reread your post!
that’s so cool! Thank you so much for reading and good luck on that journey! ✨
I will take that luck lol, discernment can be hard!
although hmm that's a story I have, that discernment *is* hard (I edited myself). something to contemplate + change :)
Hi lovelies, love your tribe posts Mika.
I’m Tara and recently started the substack ‘The Library Mouse’. I write about my life and reflections on things like art, libraries, community, my faith, and much more.
Three things most people may not know about me:
💜 I was once arrested. I was a part of Love Makes a Way which was a movement of Christians seeking an end to inhumane asylum seeker policies in Australia. This was done through peaceful protest and prayer. I was arrested along with several religious leaders after we refused to leave an MPs office.
💜 I had an original embroidery and sewing pattern of mine feature on the front page of a national magazine when I was fifteen. Still have my copy!
💜 The first time I ever sang in front of someone outside of my family was for an audition where I was actually given one of the leads and two songs! I told the director at the after party that it had been my first time! Such good memories.
I love your three things!!! So so fascinating, Tara!
Hello Potential Tribe! You're all so interesting it was hard to choose who to link personally. What a fabulous world.
Janice Anne here. I live aboard a Classic Wooden Sailing Yacht and write SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE about my experiences, adventures and challenges of life on and off the water. Janiceannewheeler.substack.com
I grew up in New York and lived in Colorado for 25 years, have published 2 Memoirs and I ghostwrite biographies/Memoirs for others as well... Www.JaniceAnneWheeler.com
"Everybody Has A Story" is my website because we all do!
3 factoids: When in Colorado I grew Medical Marijuana, I have undergone a double mastectomy as a preventive against Breast Cancer, and I am irresistibly drawn to those down on their luck.
Looking forward to connecting!! Thank you for the opportunity to intro myself! J
So lovely to get to know you better, Janice. What an interesting life you have lived!
Hey, everyone!
I'm Bella, a fantasy author, artist, runner, & animal lover.
On my Write The Arts Substack, I encourage creators to pursue their arts, write brief updates about my soon-to-come debut novel HARPIES, and share experiences that affect everyday arts of all kinds. https://substack.com/@writethearts
3 fun facts about me:
- I've lived in Thailand, Japan, & America, and have visited many other places.
- I prefer mentally stabbing my characters instead of stabbing them :)
- I run 6-8 miles every day except Sundays for fun
Hoping to meet other creators who share similar interests here!
Wow, 6-8 miles every day! That's so impressive. I do this only once a week on Sundays :) Would love to build a stamina to be able to go that far daily.
Yeah! Hey, that's still impressive too! Anyone can build up the stamina and endurance with enough hard work; I had to build it up too :) I believe in you, Darya!
I lived in Japan for 4 years when I was a kid and have gone back many times. Can’t wait to go back. I miss the food and my family who live there.
I can't wait to go back either. Japan is such a nostalgic, incredible place.
When did you live there and what brought you to Japan?
I lived there when I was a kid too but only for 3 years. It was part of my parent's job, but I would go back in a heartbeat if I could.
Hi I'm Nneka 👏 pronounced en-Nay-kah:-) I'm a Trini born oracle and primary caregiver to my parents (Alzheimer's and legally blind).
In Letters from Nneka ✍️, I share my insights on caregiving, culture, and crafting your next chapter.
One of my favorite posts so far: https://nnekakelly.substack.com/p/how-i-use-my-happy-planner-scrapbook-planner?r=2150p4
3️⃣ Little known things about me...I never know what to write here because I've been sharing openly on the internet for 20 years (oh! that's one).
I've lived in every major city on the US east coast and visited 28 states including Alaska. I'd like to visit all 50 before I die, preferably on a cross country trip.
I'm planning a 6-month sabbatical in Mexico as my bridge between working and retirement.
I look forward to meeting you all. Find My Tribe is my favorite thing on Substack! Thanks Mika:-)
Oh my a 6 month sabbatical. Dreamy!!!
In 29 months 🤣 Hoping I can make it sooner. Maybe take a month a year.
💕💕💕 cheering you on!
Hi Substackers👋
🍀I'm Nika, a romance writer, and I write the newsletter/blog A Writer's Life
🤎I talk about my experiences as a newbie romance novel writer, my upcoming short novel A Sweet Disruption, and my health journey with hormonal issues, pcos & endometriosis
🍁Three things about me:
- I love sweets, but cut out sugar because of my health
- cats, otters and capybara are my favorite animals (they're just so cute!💕)
- when I want to feel cozy, I re-read my favorite books or re-watch my favorite anime/series
You can find my Substack here☺️:
https://open.substack.com/pub/mindandheart17/p/girl-talk-hobbies-and-more?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2yf2sa
Definitely some adorable animals there! I love visiting the otters at the zoo. Rereading favourite books is always a comfort and as for rewatching anime I did that just the other day! I rewatched Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun but the manga is brilliant as well and includes so much more about the side characters too. What are some of your favourite anime?
Ooh! I haven't been in the zoo so long, I definitely want to go again!🦦
I watched that anime as well, it was cute!☺️ one of my favorites to rewatch recently is My love story with yamada-kun at lv999. I'm also excitedly waiting for the animes of the new season as well😂
Have you been able to find a nice wee fiction community on Substack?
I've slowly come to find more and more people in the fiction community who write a similar genre and I'm so happy that my feed is now mostly fiction writers as well😂🍁🤎
He loves you too ❤️
👋Hi! I'm Laura. I'm a fantasy indieauthor, jeweller, and freelance illustrator/book cover designer. I was born in Ireland where my parents were missionaries for 13 years, but currently live in Michigan.
✍🏼I write (clean) young adult/new adult fantasy inspired by my background as a jeweller, artist, and former library worker, as well as, my love of history. I'm currently serializing chapter drafts of one of my WIP novels and also share fantasy micro-fiction. I'm also a huge word nerd and do regular deep-dives into obscure and archaic words and word/phrase etymologies.
💬1) I love rockhounding and have a dragon-like obsession with hoarding gemstones and any pretty rocks or interesting fossils I come across.
2) I've always had a fascination with alphabets, whether real or fictional, and have been collecting different scripts for years. Also fonts, I love fonts, and despite having a few thousand of them hoarded on my computer I've started learning how to make my own typeface designs and turn the into usable fonts. I've also started dipping my toes into the complicated nerdage of conlang.
3) I very nearly went in archaeology instead of jewellery design and changed directions after my mom made the suggestion when I was growing frustrated in not being able to find a school that felt like it was the right one for me.
Collecting rocks and fossils are so cool! I have a small collection but it’s in storage at the moment as I reorganise my space. My favourites include some local volcanic rocks, a smooth river stone from Scotland, and a quirky orange stone shaped like a carrot that I found near a dam. Also, high five for being an archaeology peep! I wanted to be an archaeologist for most of primary school.
Wow! That must be so interesting to work as a freelance book cover designer! Do you have any favourites?
Honestly, my favorite right now is the last one I did for myself 😂. I just recently branched out into freelance with it so only a few client projects so far, but I absolutely love doing it. I learned it initially for doing the covers of my own books and then just fell in love with it.
Fun! I just took a look at your books. I love your style.
Thank you! My art training was in traditional mediums so it’s been an interesting challenge teaching myself digital painting.
Hello lovely fellow humans 🌞
My name is Philippine (31, she/her) and I write Beginner at Life 🧡
I have no idea how to live, but I love to ponder that very question, whether regarding the day-to-day or the more philosophical.
In many ways I am starting life from scratch right now: I’m recovering from burnout and long Covid, and have recently discovered that I’m autistic, all leading to a rediscovery of both myself and life ✨
About all of this I write personal letters with my reflections, musings and experiences, for everyone who also feels like a beginner at life and wants to connect.
Three things: 1) I cried when I got my own comb as a present. I thought this meant I had to start combing my hair myself, and I clearly wasn’t ready for my mum to stop doing it for me. 2) Although I love to read (a late blooming love, I might add), I read slowly and hardly any fiction. 3) I ask seemingly stupid questions such as ‘what does that mean, something not many people know about me? I probably can’t choose something that my friends know, but things they don’t know are either too personal or too boring to share here. So what am I supposed to say?’
Lots of love 💕
https://open.substack.com/pub/beginneratlife?r=2e3bq7&utm_medium=ios
all your posts resonate!! looking forward to reading them through :)
Aw that's so lovely to hear, thank you Mia 🥰
lovely to connect with you Philippine 😊
I find the writing through new transitions are so helpful! I'm glad you found Substack to do this.
Hi, my Substack is about historical research for writers, filmmakers and actors. It's a peek behind the scene of my research business. My name is Barbara, and I was born and raised in Germany. My Substack is http://tenminutetimetravel.substack.com >> Three things? I have eidetic (photographic) memory. I was raised by a librarian mum, and I can read almost any handwriting between 50 A.D. and 1990. Now off to introduce myself and comment... 😀
and wow your work is intriguing! it reminds me of this substack I've been enjoying recently: https://historyvshollywood.substack.com/
how do you structure your consulting work?
waitwait reading handwriting between those huge gaps of time? I am so intrigued + curious, please tell me more
Some fonts, I learned from my grandparents. Others, I learned at uni (I majored in Ancient History, and Medieval History, then I attended Early Modern and 19th/20th history courses on top of this, just for fun). I also took courses on Ancient Latin, Medieval and Baroque Latin; the courses were held in draughty cloisters, monasteries or churches while we were deciphering gravestones. So I can decipher tombstones as well. And then I just kept learning.
oh really cool!!
I was going to ask about your photographic memory, but actually I was going to ask, what are your most frequently asked questions when you tell people you have a photographic memory?
"Is it like in Suits?"
Hi, I'm Serena! I'm a nonprofit leader living in the Midwest. I write "Evidence of Grace," where I share about parenting teens with mental health challenges like depression, eating disorders and anxiety, through the lens of hope, authenticity and faith. I also share about our family's journey with neurodiversity and physical disabilities.
Three facts about me:
1. I have three teens and I struggled through some tough infertility issues - lots of tears, prayers, faith - to have them.
2. I hope to hike all the national parks in the US someday - and love to travel outside the US.
3. My favorite place to be is with kids - my own kids, of course, but also any kids or teens. I've served at my church in junior high ministry and really loved it (I know that might sound weird...).
Looking forward to meeting more of you!
Thanks for joining in again, Serena! Have you got a fav national park so far? We only got to go to the Zion National Park when we were visiting. STUNNING!
I loved that one too! I loved Antelope Canyon in Arizona - not exactly a national park but nearby Zion and accessible by kayak!
Hi, I'm Susannah! 🌻 I'm from the UK but I moved to Austria straight after university and am still here 13 years later. I worked as a translator for 10 years, and during that time, totally abandoned my own writing. This platform was the perfect place to get started with shorter posts before writing the book I've been thinking about for at least 5 years. And the pieces I publish for my newsletter give me the perfect opportunity to go off on a bit of a research tangent.
I write about psychiatry, mental health, and identity under capitalism - I've recently written about the neuroscience of laziness and about my experience of keeping my identity while recovering from postpartum psychosis.
3 things:
I have an irrational fear of daddy longlegs.
I own a dirndl
I am currently planning my first tattoo!
The neuroscience of laziness sounds really interesting. Do you have a link to one of your posts that I could read please?
Hi! I'm Jenn aka Jennwith2ns not usually aka Jennifer never aka Jenny.
I've been "writing"--even when it was just scribbles that looked to me like cursive (because also aka JennX)--since I was four. I'm getting ready to publish my third book and only now starting to come to terms with the fact that I'm actually allowed to take my writing seriously. My substack is Gathered and Scattered, because, as I'm happy to tell you, sometimes I have my stuff together and sometimes I'm all over the place. I write about Christian spirituality, writing (currently everything ends up about a book I'm trying to Kickstart-to-publish), and silly or sometimes profound things that happen to or around me.
Even when it's folksy and/or conversational. The other artistic thing I still haven't taken seriously is my dabbling in the visual arts. I like to draw, watercolor, and experiment with other media, such as found-object assemblage and pourable acrylics. You can read about my day job(s)--which are also satisfyingly creative--in my bio, but you should know on the front end that my connection with Jesus absolutely infuses everything I do.
I tend to be kind of quietly loud about myself (the more ridiculous the story, the better), so there isn't much about me that most people don't know, but I mean, have I told you the story about the time I made ostensibly Indigenous "acorn bread" and served it to my 8th grade class? Or the fact that a couple of summers after the movie *Splash* came out, I became convinced that given the right conditions I, too, could grow a fish tail and turn into a mermaid? (I was much too old to really believe this, but I *did* write a poem about it.) Or the fact that I have only now decided, in my early 50's, it's time for me to progress in swimming beyond "not drowning" and take swimming lessons? (You're supposed to read this irony between that story and the previous one.)
I'm surprised I've never seen this beautiful intro space before. Many thanks to @rebeccadmartin for participating so I could see it!
I may or may not have pretended to be a mermaid in the bath after I watched Splash! 😄
This is a relief to maybe or maybe not know. 😂
Hey Jenn! Nice to meet you! I can relate to so much of what you shared except I've never made acorn bread! :) Did it taste good? And I am not much of a visual artist. But I love reading and writing about Christian spirituality, I have books I hope to publish, and I am getting back into swimming in my 50s!
What are your books about?
Hey Jenn, I write about parenting teens with mental health challenges. What about you?
I mostly write about identity in connection with Jesus. (It’s the underlying theme of my pending book.) I feel really sad about all the people who have been taught by churches that they’re worthless and God the Father can only tolerate them (“tolerate” being the key idea) by NOT seeing them but ONLY seeing Jesus. Today I’m meditating on John 16:25, where Jesus says, “The Father Himself loves you”—related to our love for Jesus but not independent of our own unique selves. I teach classes about this and it’s what fuels my writing, too.
Beautiful!
Ooo--those are some nice commonalities! Thanks for saying hi! As for the acorn bread...it was deplorable. Someday in my "Jenn Story" feature I will recount the tale...probably *after* my Kickstarter has either succeeded or failed. 😁
But it was so creative! You should get points for that!
😂 I mean…it didn’t stop me. I subjected the same tiny private school group of people to other culinary experiments all the way up to graduation!
Hi! I'm Ellen, a fantasy author living in Japan 🇯🇵 I'm relatively new to substack and post writing updates, anime/manga/book recs, and encouragement for other creatives chasing their dreams. I'm also a kimono hobbyist and history nerd :) A few fun facts:
⚡️ I've been hit by lightning (still waiting on my superpowers) it was at a matsuri of all things
📚 My debut fantasy novel, Saints and Monsters, released this year!
🐍 I love herpetology thanks to having a professor as a grandfather
Thank you Mika for hosting the "Find your Tribe" event!
How long have you been living in Japan? My son (Kagoshima), brother (Nagoya) and extended family (Iwate) are over there.
Wow, your family is really spread out! That would make a fun road trip from Kagoshima to Iwate! And Nagoya is so lovely. I feel like it gets a bad rep for being kinda industrial but its a really cool place. We’ve been in Japan 8 years, but my husband grew up here as a pastor’s kid (Hokkaido), and his parents lived in Iwate after 3/11 for a few years doing reconstruction. We’re in Kanto and love it!
Congratulation on the book release! Also, herpetology is fascinating. I love reptiles (amphibians too, but especially reptiles).
Hi! Nice to meet another author on here! 🙌 Herpetology is so fascinating. I grew up catching lizards and snakes on my gpa’s research trips so it’s a habit now.
I love catching snakes and lizards! I used to do it in my neighborhood all the time everyone around learned better than to ask what I had in the ice cream bucket I was carrying as I'd bring them all home to let loose in our garden 😂.
Love it! I was the same! I used to put snakes and lizards in my school backpack in kinder…that does not lend to making friends easily 😂 🙌
Alas, so many don't appreciate what interesting creatures they are.
Hello. How have I been missing this? I'm Trevy from the U.S. in Virginia and Maryland. I'm a nature-loving woman, widowed then remarried to another widower. We live with three dogs and a cat who pile into a van and travel back and forth between homes with us.
*My Substack is "Our Hundred Years" where I write about finding what's meaningful while we're still here in this life that has enormous unknown change at its end. Love, death, nature, art, and fear are regular topics.
*Three things people don't know about me: I played classical flute, I paint a tiny picture of something that happened every day, sometimes I miss driving a stick shift.
Looking forward to new friends.
My sister-in-law is getting married next week for her second marriage and he is a widower.
I'm sure there will be a lot of adjusting, but grateful for love to come around again for them and you.
Someone who's been widowed has a unique appreciation for love. There's nothing for her to be afraid of. I'm happy for them❣️
Hi, I am Liza, originally from Slovenia, living in Lisbon Portugal. A social anthropologist by training, I quit my full time job 2 years ago to retrain as a Co Active coach and I recently started my Substack called Sharing Secrets (and Other Useful stuff) https://lizadebevec.substack.com where I share coaching/life tips based on my conversations with my clients and also my own successes and failures. I recently wrote about how to network well when you're really not into networking. Another recent post was on how to know when to quit your job.
3 things people on Substack don't know about me:
1. I lived on a hill in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for 10 years.
2. I can communicate in 11 languages including 2 African languages
3. I can flirt in Mandarin Chinese. Well , not really, but I can say 'I am a student, your notebook is very nice/good. Where are you going this evening?' (which I learned 32 years ago in a language class at University- that is about if for my Mandarin skills, so it doesn't count in my 11 languages)
11 languages! Thats amazing! Whenever I tell people I know 5 languages (of which only 3 I'm literate in), they seem surprised, well, wait till they meet you :)
Hey Liza, this sounds fascinating on so many levels! I can't believe you can communicate in 11 languages! Would love to hear more about networking for those who aren't into it. :)
Thanks Serena. I find that what works for me in networking is connecting other people. I wrote about this in my most recent Substack post, in case you want to check it out.
What are the languages you speak?
Slovene is my mother tongue. I also speak SerboCroatian (which technically is an artificial combo of Serbian and Croatian, which was the official language of Yugoslavia (which Slovenia was part of from 1945 to 1991), I am fluent in English and French. I can speak Italian, Spanish and Portuguese (with lots of mistakes sprinkled in, but I can communicate and I can read fiction in these languages). I speak German poorly (but would survive in a place where people only spoke German), Swedish even less, but again, if I met someone who only spoke Swedish, we’d manage to communicate for basic survival :-) And then finally, Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia) and Jula (a Manding language from Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire West Africa, mutually intelligible with Bamana/Bambara of Mali). I am not perfect in any of these, including my mother tongue, but I enjoy them all.
How did you go about learning them? So interesting!
I have a good ear, I think, and even as a child I’d be mimicking the sounds of other languages, without speaking/understanding them. Slovenia has only 2 million people and is very small, you drive 1 hour in any direction from my home town and you’re in another country. So as someone who loved languages, I had a lot of opportunity to learn them in real life. But I also studied them in school (English, French, German) especially for French, I had the most brilliant teacher. I started reading in these languages early on, with a use of a good dictionary (I was obsessed with Agatha Christie from the age of 12-15 and so when I read all the translations, I picked up one in English from our public library). I learned the two African languages living in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. I lived in Sweden for 2 years and learned some Swedish there. Watching TV in a foreign language, listening to music, reading books, as an avid cook, reading cook books in another language, studying restaurant menus and lots of eavesdropping to hear people say the useful daily phrases of greetings etc over and over again.
That’s so so fascinating! I have grown up with Japanese but haven’t really progressed past what I learned as a child.
I love that you have a love of languages and have been exposed to so many cultures.
I think our world would be a very different place if we all exposed ourselves to other cultures and languages
I know someone who was the same with German - he mainly grew up in the Czech Republic but he had also lived in Germany for a few years as a child and my friend would always laugh at him for speaking children's German :D But when he moved there, it didn't take him long at all to fill in the gaps.
I think a lot of people who grow up in one culture/language with parents from another culture/language struggle with learning their mother/father tongue. Sociological research shows that it can be an issue of rebelling, or the simple fact that they never learned to read/write in their parents native language or were not schooled in it. American writer Jhumpa Lahiri writes beautifully about related issues. Her parents are Bengali/Indian and she grew up in the US. She speaks a child like Bengali. She learned perfect Italian as an adult and now writes in Italian, but in Italy people who don't know her work treat her poorly as because of her skin colour while failing to acknowledge her language proficiency. Language is fascinating stuff.
I love seeing so many international people here. I’m Sarah, originally from California, living in Amsterdam, and working on starting a tiny bookshop in Italy, which I write about here: https://escapetothebookshop.substack.com/.
Three things people don’t know about me:
1. I grew up Mormon. I don’t go to church anymore, but I still always have months of nonperishable food on hand.
2. When I was 20, I spent four months studying abroad in Syria, and it was probably the defining time of my life. I learned that the world is infinitely more complicated and beautiful than I imagined, and you can feel completely at home with people who are very different from you. And that maybe you aren’t so different after all.
3. I had my daughter when I was 24, so I tend to feel out of place with other parents. Either they’re my age and have little kids, or their kids are in college too, and they’re way older than me.
I keep meaning to check out your substack, great to see you here :)
Thanks!
Nice to meet you, Sarah! I have family in Amsterdam and it feels like a second home to me, so I feel connected to you already! Plus I love bookshops - so cool that you are starting one in Italy!
Great to connect with you!
I’m curious about how many languages you speak 😊
Not so many! I speak Italian and Spanish tolerably well. I tried pretty hard to learn Dutch when I first moved to Amsterdam, but practicing language skills with Dutch people is not for the faint of heart. They’re famously “direct” about telling you everything you’re doing wrong. :D
In the Dutch are direct then the Japanese are the complete opposite. Requests are very passive.
Your Italian must come in handy with the bookshop endeavour
👋🏼 Hi everyone I’m Anna (or Anna Rose) this year I quit my life. I’m 38, and a year or so ago I realised I was treadmilling through life. So in July this year I left my job with no real plan, packed up my place in London and moved down to the coast.
✍🏻 THE BURNOUT REBELLION https://theburnoutrebellion.substack.com I write the burnout rebellion which is a combination of writing about my own rebellion, returning to nature and starting a new life, as well as guiding people through theirs. I share ways to get back in touch with nature, and how to build the foundations of a new life. The community has been growing and we call ourselves the burnout rebels 🔥 it’s such a great space. I have a podcast starting in January too which I’m really excited about.
💬Three things people may not know about me;
1. My word of the year has been courage. Every time I’ve faced a decision I’ve consciously thought of my word and taken the choice that is most courageous. I’ve realised how terrifying and exciting that makes life because you begin to realise ANYTHING is possible.
2. I still believe in magic and I’m sure it exists. Maybe not in the Harry Potter way but when we really explore nature, we realise it is, in fact, magic.
3. I worked as a climate change scientist in the mountains ranging from the Peak District and Snowdonia to the Andes in Peru.
burnout rebels is an amazing name! I'll definitely be checking your substack out later. Might have to wait another 11 years till my own rebellion though :D
Sounds like a beautiful change in direction or at least intentional focus, Anna Rose. Happy to meet you here!
I love the idea of your word being courage and it helps ground you for decisions you have to make!
Hi friends! I’m LeAnna and I write Little Bits of Everything which is…well, little bits of everything from motherhood to marriage to friendships in adulthood and all the little bits in between. I also write two short stories or poems a month which have been very popular lately!
Three things not many people know about me:
I am a faithful Christian who was involved in a youth ministry throughout college, because of my work in the ministry I am very comfortable speaking to large groups of people.
I’m a pediatric nurse by degree but have been writing short stories ever since I was in middle school.
My husband and I recently returned from Italy where we learned to make homemade pasta and we have been doing that with our toddler every other week since then. It’s been so fun!
I can’t wait to meet you all!!
I wonder if it’s lien sourdough bread, once you have all the gear and a good recipe, it’s just a matter of getting into a good routine. 🍝
Absolutely!! It’s been such a fun “family tradition” to start with our girls 🫶🏼
1. and 2. I am Teri Adams, and my Substack is Reality Check — Crip Edition. 👩🏽🦼➡️I have been disabled all my life with my primary disability (I have acquired bonus disabilities over the years), epidermolytic ichthyosis. I write about disability-related issues in everyday life, education and employment.
3. Three things not many people know:
I love old movies.
I play Texas Holdem’ through my FireStick on my 📺.
I helped found a Democratic Club for Seniors and People With Disabilities in San Francisco a little over twenty years ago.
A couple of old Hitchcock films— “Notorious” and “Suspicion”. Casablanca, of course, and “Holiday”, with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films. I could go on and on!
What are some of your fav old movies?
👋 Hello! I'm Catherine, a homeschooling mom of three amazing kids, an author, and intuitive life coach for moms. And I love the work I get to do every day!!
✍️ The Soul Care Mom Substack/Podcast is where I explore mastering the art of slow living while navigating the wild ride of motherhood, homeschooling, and entrepreneurship.✨💕
soulcaremom.substack.com
💬 Three things about me…
🍍Pineapple is my favorite fruit
🫶 English was not my first language
🎨 Watercolor is one of my favorite ways to relax, step into a state of flow/creativity
Thank you for creating this loving space, Mika! Looking forward to connecting with all of you! 😘
So fun! I'm an author and homeschool mom too. I love the idea of slow living :)
I love how passionate you are about your work. I’m excited for you reading this! I love pineapple too, but not on pizza 😂
It’s so lovely to connect with you! Thank you for your kind words. 🥰 Pineapple on pizza is not my favorite either 😂
I’m so glad that you joined in. How do you fit painting into your lifestyle?
Thank you, Mika! 🫶
Oh, that’s a great question. I’m fairly new to watercolor, but I like to find pockets of time in my week to play with my paints. It makes me feel so happy to see the colors dance across the paper. Today my 9yo and I sat and painted together. It was a lovely moment of self care and connection. 💕
How about you? I love seeing your posts about creativity and painting. 🎨
Hi all! I'm Victoria from Western New York. I moved from Asheville, NC two years ago to live near my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I have many friends still in Asheville that survived Helene but are overwhelmed now with the clean up. I'm a spiritual coach and mentor, Akashic Records practitioner and personal growth workshop leader.
My Substack newsletter is called The Cosmic Yes and I write about spirituality, consciousness, living an authentic life in alignment with your soul's path, the ups and downs of the human journey, creativity and more.
Not many people know:
I sang onstage at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in NYC as a member of the Masterwork Chorus when I was a teenager.
I joined a cult when I was in my twenties.
I lived and traveled as a digital nomad without a home based for three years.
Now I'm super curious which cult you joined!
A little know group called Eckankar.
Fascinating! I hadn’t heard of this one.
The Cosmic Yes, such a great name for a Substack! I saw the northern lights last night (you never really see them in my part of the world) and it definitely felt like a cosmic yes. Do you miss NC?
Sometimes I do. Mostly, I miss my friends and family there. My sister is in Charlotte, my niece is in Apex, and my younger adult son is moving to Raleigh.
What was life like as a digital nomad? Did you live out of a van?
I did a variety of things but mostly just drove a regular car. I only lived out of a motor home for two months. The rest of the time I stayed in various co-living and intentional communities, and also did house sitting for two years.
Wow! Thank you for sharing those little known parts of your journey. I absolutely love hearing the stories and wisdom that come from your incredible life on your Substack! 💖
Thanks Catherine! It's great to see you on this thread!
Hi, I'm Anna from Australia 👋 I'm a mum to two little ones and I've worked in publishing for the last 10 years.
I write about personal development and mindset with a bit of magic and manifestation sprinkled through over at A Momentary Happiness: https://amomentaryhappiness.substack.com/
I love the 'woo' of manifestation, but I come from a family of scientists so I was always sceptical and am constantly hunting down books and articles explaining the neuroscience of manifestation (spoiler, it's basically goal setting on crack).
Some random facts not many people know about me:
🤿 I can freedive to 22m (or I could, four years ago)
👩💻 I am exploring options to have a major job change in the next few years, hoping to work in a field more closely aligned with my passions - currently exploring psychology, counselling and coaching
📖 I am addicted to personal development books and figuring out what makes humans tick
Anna, I so feel this. The last 2 years or so I’ve been working with manifestation myself. Even when I started it I thought it wasn’t a thing but thought let’s give it a go I’ve got nothing to lose. Since I’ve started my life has changed dramatically. I always use the phrase ‘it’s this or something better’ when I surrender what I want to the universe. At the beginning of last year I wanted to manifest financial abundance (I think we all do at some stage!) and that year the abundance I received was huge but it wasn’t money. My dad was diagnosed with leukaemia and the realisation of the abundance in every moment and every second was incredible, my whole life shifted. To the point I’ve now quit my job and started my life over. Manifestation is incredible so I’m there with you.
I’m actually a scientist myself by trade but I’ve come to realise that science and spirituality are the same thing. There is so much we don’t know. A great teacher once said to me ‘Science is catching up’. Great to have found you!
Another Anna (I feel like I attract amazing Annas into my life, two of my best friends are Annas and I keep finding more and more great ones on here 💗)
I love this and I think this is the key, no one who I know is really out there manifesting a yacht or fancy car, when you get to the essence of it, it’s really about figuring out what’s important and so often that is more time with loved ones, or more freedom (which is usually why we want to manifest money in my experience), or more energy to appreciate what we already have!
And I wholeheartedly agree about science catching up, I love that!!
My husband has an engineer brain but started on his journey to manifesting 20 years ago before that was even a recognised word. He just knew he needed to heal his relationship with money.
It’s been amazing to see his dreams come to life! ✨
Yesss it’s all about unblocking and changing those limiting beliefs. I love that he’s been doing it since way back (and that it’s been working, more proof!)
Hi Anna! So lovely to meet you! 👋
I am a mum who enjoys exploring mindset and manifestation too. I love the title of your Substack and can’t wait to explore it! 💖
So lovely to meet you and discover your Substack! I’ve just subscribed, honestly, I couldn’t not subscribe after I loved literally everything in your most recent post!
I love your Substack as well! Your beautiful energy shines through in your work. Thank you for your kind words and for subscribing. That makes my heart SO happy! 💖
I am loving the conversation on manifesting!! I remember when I first discovered the idea that we create our life experience. It was such an empowering idea and helped me to start being so much more intentional about my thoughts, energy, and how I choose to move through the world.
👋Hi! I'm Mariah- a Midwestern native, now living in Appalachia. I'm a fierce community builder, new sour dough bread baker, poet, nature lover, and mama to a toddler, reclaiming my creativity amidst the beautiful chaos of everyday life.
✍🏼 I write Heartbeats and share reflections and questions about what makes us human- vulnerable stories of grief, motherhood, poetry, creativity, and our connection to Spirit.
💬I was homeschooled🎒and grew up very religious but now I read tarot cards and see the whole world as my classroom. My first career was in nursing (I'm still an R.N.) but I quit my job in the ICU when I was 24 to travel solo for a year and never looked back.🌎Since then I've been a farmer, volunteer manager, school nurse, and baker...but my favorite is writer. I call my resume a patchwork quilt and love discovering the throughlines the more life I experience! 😊
Hi Mariah! I also grew up very religious and homeschooled. And I love tarot, but still think of myself as a baby reader. Where did you go during your year of solo traveling?
Oh hi! I love finding other adult homeschoolers in the wild. I spent most of my time in France and Ghana but also traveled to Mexico, Spain, Morocco, and around the U.S. a bit. 😊
Sounds like a very cool year.
Hi there! I’m LadyQuinn, a neurodivergent empty-nester, mystic explorer and fantasy author with a background in live storytelling and the performing arts. I think the world needs more beauty and wonder, and better ways of being with one another, so I write that.
My Substack is AKIN TO TOLKIEN: LadyQuinn’s Gather House, where I share the wisdom I have gleaned from life-giving fantasy stories, extended stillness, and over three decades of challenging marriage. There’s fun in there too. I do some read-alouds of classic or original work and explore the ways fantasy can help us find a better future. I haven’t fully figured Substack out, but I’m getting there!
I offer an optional “Writing by Starlight” birth chart analysis for writers with my $33 one-year subscription, where I highlight the ways your personal astrology design supports you as a writer. (This is how I overcame imposter syndrome!)
3 things:
I deconstructed the faith I was born in, becoming both an astrologer, and a bible-college alumnus.
My husband and I live on one disability pension, so we know how to be creative!
I was part of a baladi bellydance troupe (the happy, fun kind!)
1) Hello! I’m Jeanine. Nice to be here and thank you, Mika, for this format.I write about Mexico and expat life on the Mexican Caribbean where I built a house and opened a bookstore.
2) My Substack is Mexico Soul, concentrating on Mexico, the Maya, travel, art and artists, culture and expat life on the Mexican Caribbean where I built a house and opened a bookstore. I alternately post a chapter every other week of my travel memoir, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya. I’m presently entranced with Maya Warrior queens who have only been identified since around 2004. Yes, they existed! My last two posts have done a deep dive into two of the more prominent queens. It’s a series and I’m researching more.
3) I consider myself an introvert. I studied journalism in college. Right after college I seriously considered moving to Australia.
Australia would have been lucky to have you! I've travelled to Mexico twice and if it wasn't so far from Australia I would go every year, I absolutely love it there. In 2019 my partner and I spent three months in Mexico and it was bliss.
Oh what a nice comment, thank you.
👋 Hello! I'm Jezz, From somewhere destination Sweden. I'm a illustrator and also make Youtube videos. Also have ADHD and ASD.
✍️ The Howling Newsletter/Podcast is where I write about my art journey with ups and downs.
💬 I'm trying to learn Japanese. That would be my 3 language I learn out of my native tongue( Swedish). The other two is English & Swedish Sign Language.
I love trying new things, especially if it comes to sports.
For some reason I'm good at making animal friends at first glance. 🤣
I’m Another ADHD person here, Jezz. I write fantasy so I have something to read that can hold my attention! Good for you with the languages! What sports do you like best?
I’m mostly into action sports, winter and summer. But if I had to choose one, mountain biking for sure 😁
Love your connection to animals! I can do that w/ cats. It's so fun, and I usually accompany it w/ a kitty, kitty, kitty in a seductive voice.
こんにちは！
For the first time ever I knew what that means! 😁 (suck at Hirigana, Katakana and Kanji symbols🤣)
Nice to meet you! I also have ADHD and write about that a bit. Good for you for learning Japanese! I love the culture and would love to visit one day but I'm rubbish at languages.
And yes to the animal friends! I prefer animals to people tbh.
Would love to visit Japan too. One day.
1) Hi! I'm Christie, a figure skater/speed skater/writer living in Lake Placid, NY (the place that hosted two Olympic Games). I write most on Medium (https://medium.com/@christiesausams).
2) I have two Substacks, both of which I'm trying to make time to commit to on a regular basis. Lake Placid Skater (lakeplacidskater.substack.com) is a revival of my first blog which gave me my first taste of online writing and is mostly about my experiences skating and living in Lake Placid as a childless competitive athlete. The other, (this one) is what I consider my primary - Not Your Average Athlete (notyouraverageathlete.substack.com) is about my efforts to live an uncommon life and the lessons I learn along the way while living and training in an Olympic town. I suppose you could catagorize both about being about sports and life lessons, but Lake Placid Skater is more about the former and the experiences of it while NYAA leans into the latter. Not Your Average Athlete, by the way, alludes to my identity as someone who is primarily an athlete but identifies more as a writer, creator, and thinker. :) Follow one or both if these interest you! :)
3) Hmmm, three things about me.....I guess the following count:
* I started my official writing career at 14 or so when I started my blog Lake Placid Skater. I wrote about my experiences training as well as sharing skating-related news from Lake Placid. The blog took off and I nearly got sent to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics
*I have an somewhat improbable acting career, having several credits both on ice and off. My first role was as 'dream sequence skater' in a since-unfinished independent film that was set to include Stephen Lang and Ellyn Burstyn in the cast skating on a frozen lake in minus 10 one cold February morning. I have the dailies here somewhere....since then I have been a background or featured background actor in tv shows including the Blacklist, Succession, The Gilded Age, and the series finale of The Deuce. I love acting but I'm too much of an over thinker to be too good at it. I have also started (and never finished) several screenplays. I love the movies dahling.
* Despite my timid demeanor, I was super into Crossfit for a few years, even teaching and earning my Crossfit Level 1 Trainer certification. The experience inspired me to earn my Masters Degree in Fitness and Wellness Leadership.
Bonus - when I'm not writing or skating, I'm probably outside hiking, taking photos, or riding my bike.
Wow that’s impressive that you’ve been writing in that capacity since such a young age.
I have loved following CrossFit but never done it. It’s so impressive what the athletes can do!
Thank you! I actually started unofficially writing at like 5 or 6, writing stories based on books I read (I wrote a lot of Little House on the Prairie fanfiction, weirdly enough - I had read all the books by age 7).
I liked Crossfit and was probably the strongest I'll ever be when I was training there every day but it has it's downsides. I saw quite a few injuries from people who were too focused on recording certain scores and not on solid technique, encouraged by the emphasis on 'as many reps as possible' for certain workouts. Getting my Masters showed me I was right to be concerned, and that, coupled with a toxic culture at the gym I was at, led to me stopping coaching and training in CF shortly before COVID hit. It turned out to be a good call in more ways than one. That being said, I like the concept behind Crossfit, I just think there needs to be more focus on technique and less on hitting certain scores for ego. :)
Haha, I wrote "as media" after that but I guess it got deleted. I was in the running to be sent to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as media but despite being a semi-finalist I didn't win. :( Unfortunately I never had the money to train at the level I needed to go to the Olympics for figure skating as a competitor, but I was told that I could probably qualify for the Olys as a speed skater if I moved to a training center and trained really hard for several years. I didn't do that because I didn't want to leave Lake Placid or stop figure skating. So that's my story!
That is so interesting - thanks for sharing 😊
What was the reason they did not send you to Olympics? Just curious 😊
Hey folks. My name is Matthew and I live in Tennessee, USA. I recently retired after 24 years in the Navy and am reading and writing full time now. My publication is Beyond the Bookshelf where I write about Life and Literature and how they are connected. Would love to have you join the conversation.
https://matthewmlong.substack.com/
Three things not many people know:
1 - I spent about two years of my life submerged on a submarine (not all at once!).
2 - I love karaoke and do a pretty good imitation of Johnny Cash.
3 - I sincerely believe pickles are the spawn of Satan.
3 -
Sounds fascinating! So great you are now pursuing your dream.
Do people in the Navy have a hard time adjusting to civilian life?
I think that some do. I seem to be adjusting just fine :)
Hello all, I'm Carly 🙋🏻♀️!
I write a Substack called Going Solo where I am documenting my journey as an Ops Generalist building towards a Portfolio Career. I've spent a decade and a half working full time in startups but want to diversify my professional life.
3 things not many people know about me are:
1) I was diagnosed with ADHD this year at age 40 👀
2) I have Trypophobia which is an aversion to seeing repetitive patterns, clusters of small holes or bumps usually found in nature 🤢
3) My morning work kickoff song is the instrumental version of "Forgot about Dre" 🎧
Late diagnosis here as well! 🙋♀️
I managed really well when I was working a 9-5, with urgent deadlines etc, but often don’t feel like I use my time wisely now. So many tasks that require breaking it down etc.
I love Substack because I have created clear and manageable structure. Plus it’s super fun! Much more fun than declutteting etc. 😆
Yes! I agree that managing time is tougher with team accountability. I manufacture my own deadlines now and I find Substack is my public accountaability buddy. DM me if you wanna chat about breaking things down. I have some tricks that work for me and might be helpful (?)
It sure sucks that some get their ADHD diagnosis so late 😢
Where you surprised of getting it?
You know, I think I've had a hunch for a while. When I was a kid I struggled a lot with misplacing/forgetting things, time blindness, messiness and franticness. I used to beat myself up about it.
The upside is that I eventually learned strategies, leveraged tools and built systems to help me be more organized.
How has it been for you?
I have seen the signs since I was a kid. But because I was the silent little girl in class, no one bother to check.
Got min diagnosis 10 years ago. And learning new things about myself everyday. 😊 Its a true roller-coaster.
👋🏻 Hi! I’m Breeann from Montana.
✍️ I write on my Substack @Just Write Mama about motherhood, foster care, adoption, parenting, and creativity.
💭 I took American Sign Language courses for several years in college and loved it. 🤟🏻
💭 I have never used TikTok or SnapChat and I don’t like Instagram. I’m hopelessly addicted to Facebook (and now Substack.) 🤷🏻♀️
💭 I wore my favorite Chaco sandals at my own wedding.
Just read your latest article and I am in awe, the world is lucky to have you!
I also absolutely love that you wore Chaco sandals to your wedding.
Oh my gosh, thanks for reading! That’s so kind of you to say. 💜
And, truly, the Chacos were so “me” at the time, I couldn’t not wear them 😊
Same, never posted on TikTok and Snapchat. Don’t need something else to get addicted too! 😂
My thoughts exactly! I’m sure I’d love them too much - so best to stay away!
If only sign language was universal!
I was studying the Swedish one back in school.
Oh, I know! It would always surprise people who I talked to about it that sign language wasn’t universal and varied by country and there were different “dialects”. I loved learning it!
I found out that British Sign Language is different from American Sign Language when I had student going to an Overseas Studies to Oxford from our American university. (So—American student needed ASL interpreter in England. We found some, but it was dicey.
Yes, isn’t that so interesting? I’m glad they found someone!
High five for adoption Breeann! I'm a Korean adopted baby ;)
Oh yay! Thanks for sharing! 😊 We adopted our oldest two children from foster care.
Alexander 👋 I am an engineer but actually a pilgrim and undercover yogi, originally from Sweden.
WrestleWithTheSun is my creative writing ans music about coming into deeper connection with ourselves, our lives and the mystery. And about listening to and caring for each other.
Three things 😊 I like dandelions and put them in my salads. The most luxurious thing I know is getting undressed and jumping under the covers for a stolen nap. I always have something to say exactly when I'm brushing my teeth.
Thank you for listening 🙏
Love the undercover yogi part!
The undercover yogi - secretly in bliss wherever he goes 😁✨❤️ never complaining about the weather.
I ❤️U.Y.
That is SO luxurious Alexander!
YES! 🤤
👋 Hi everyone. I'm Sophie - originally from Belgium, but now living in New Zealand with my husband and parrot.
✍️ I write on This Is Sophie Today: https://thisissophietoday.substack.com/ which is all about reconnecting with nature, rewilding and slow living - for busy humans
💭Three things people don't know about me, gosh that's difficult.
1. I love languages and speak 5 different languages, in varying degrees of fluency. I also studied a 6th language (Arabic) years ago but have forgotten everything unfortunately.
2. My parrot is my baby - although if you've been following me on notes people probably know that. I take him on walks and he has been on quite a few big New Zealand hikes, include the Tongariro crossing and to the top of Taranaki.
3. I'm afraid of clowns because a teacher when I was in school and definitely not even 10 years old thought it was a great idea to show the movie IT in class.
I also studied Arabic and then forgot everything (except the grammar! Pretty sure I still know the ten verb forms). My kids go to Dutch school and also had to learn all the same languages, plus Latin and Greek. It's so wild to me as an American!
Ah yep I had Latin and Greek as well! It's honestly such a good thing to learn as a kid, I find it relatively easy to pick up new languages and it's because I learnt so early on I think.
I am wildly impressed that you speak 5 languages!!! What’s your best tool to learn them on your own? I would love to learn another language!!
Uhm what worked for me is "being forced to learn them at school" 😂 In Belgium we have to learn English, Dutch, French and German at school. The only one I learned later on is Spanish, for that I did a mix of Duolingo and a tutor. To learn Arabic (which I no longer speak) I took classes. So not sure if that's much help actually 😅
I did Arabic for about a year but didn't really have time to study and have forgotten everything! But I love how now when I see Arabic I see letters rather than squiggly patterns :D
Yes it's such a difficult language to learn!
That’s great you learned them in school, that’s the best time to learn them!
Silly question…how does your pet not fly away? Did you raise them from a wee baby bird?
I took Spanish for a year and managed to forget everything as well! Can’t believe I was able to sustain a very basic conversation!
Not a silly question at all - he's got a harness 😊 he is fully flighted, but when he has his harness on he knows he won't get far so he doesn't even try anymore. Yep he's been with us since he was 12 weeks, and he's 8 now 😊
OMG! IT in class 🤣😱😭
it was at one of those teacher only days - but kids who didn't have anywhere to go were allowed to come to school and they would just put on some movies in class. I bet the teacher was pissed that a few of us showed up which meant he had to look after us 😯
I used to have a green-cheeked conure, Sophie. Birds are the best! So feisty and full of personality. Now that I've had human children, I can confidently say that owning parrots is just like having a toddler for twenty years.
that's what my mum says - she says our parrot is just like a flying toddler who just never grows up 😂
Love that you have a parrot who goes on adventures with you 🦜
We did a camping trip once and it was like bringing a very unwilling toddler along 😂 but most of the time he absolutely loves it!
I have a greyhound and would not want her in a tent with me - for more than one reason!! 😂
lol 😂
👋Hi, I’m Bronwen from Bournemouth on the south coast of the UK. I have in most recent years worked for charities doing admin, donor relations, fundraising and now social media. But my degree was in cartography and geology. I love creating things and am currently working on a crochet blanket.
✍🏼My substack is Clearing Out which is about my struggles and wins in clearing out my home which has become rather full of stuff over the years. It’s a keeping track thing, accountability and shared experience thing too.
💬 I was adopted at 10 months by Scottish parents and when I learnt to talk at first I had a Scottish accent despite living in London. It soon went when I started nursery.
I’ve taken part in a couple of world record attempts - the second was successful - it was the most objects in the air at one time organised by the juggling group I was part of at the time.
Bronwen Leigh is not my legal name, however both are on my original birth certificate, but as I can’t find that at the moment, and after mum gave me some personal documents recently, I think I may have spelled these names differently to how they were originally - oops. 😬
Cartography—how cool. Is it more ancient maps now that GPS is so prominent?
Hi Jeanine, it was everything from how to design a map, what works, physically how to collect data and transfer that to the page, dark room skills making plates, scribing and drawing skills and also the history of cartography, which was one of my favourite things. We learnt GPS - it still helps to have a skilled operator, and even though everyone just pinches maps from the internet these days, some people still value a personally designed map made by a trained cartographer ;)
That’s fascinating about the spelling of the name!
I just followed you! I'm always looking for help organizing and decluttering. Living at home with my elderly parents, we have lots of stuff and not enough room to store it which causes some consternation. So I'm always on the lookout for cleaning and organizing hacks. :)
Thank you ☺️. I hope I can provide some inspiration. It’s about being open to getting rid of things I think. It’s so hard with elderly relatives, I’m helping mum just now as she’s hoping to move nearer my brother and I, but everything has so many memories. I’d suggest going in gently - and maybe try the minimalist game/challenge. 💚
i love maps! kept all my paper versions. whenever on a road trip i'd always follow along on a map. in my first novel, a thriller set in many locales in mexico, i hired an artist to draw a map for tge book so readers knew where the action was taking place. It's Book 1 in my Wheels Up Yucatan thriller trilogy.
Got to love a book with maps in it. In fact I once wrote an article about that for the Society of Cartographers bulletin :) Sadly I don’t have up to date software anymore as I’m not working with maps just now and it’s so expensive. But I do still enjoy designing and producing maps.
I started my Substack for accountability too Bronwen :) And I was 8 months old when I was adopted 🐣
Ooh - lovely to meet you. Maybe it’s a weird thing to have in common, but it’s always good to find others who’ve experienced similar things. I hope your experience has been a good one 💚
That world record is really cool - do you have any videos of that anywhere?
I’m sure some must have been taken but I don’t have any. The group who organised it were called More Balls Than Most. The successful attempt took place at London zoo in the early- mid 90s.
That's the best juggling group name ever 😂
It’s pretty cool. I used to have a t-shirt with it on - probably still have it somewhere ;)
I'm Ann and I live in London with my husband of 61 years.
You can see the name of my Substack, which will take you there and in case you are curious, yes, I do stand on my head and you can see a two-minute video of me doing so right there on my front page. I write a lot about being old and how it is a good place to be, I write about sex from time to time and I write about anything that captures my imagination: it may be something that happened to me or a painting I liked or whatever. I even wrote a funny piece about Substack's chatbot https://arichardson.substack.com/p/conversations-with-a-bot.
Three things very few people know about me are i) c 80 years ago, I danced with Gene Kelly (I was c 2 years old at the time); ii) about 60 years ago, I shook the hand of Lyndon B Johnson (he was a sort-of friend of my father) and iii) about 40 years ago, I was an extra in a film which starred Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave and was Meryl Streep's first film (called Julia).
Lovely to meet you here Ann. How cool. that you were an extra in a film.
Yes and when the film was on TV, I could pause it where I was supposed to be and there was nothing but a blur! So much for my fame. It was very interesting to do, however.
How great to have danced with Gene Kelly. Quite an icebreaker if ever in need of a talking prompt!
Yes, I loved that when I learned it. I have no memory. I think it was on VE day and the Kellys lived down the street (but he was always away filming and my mother met Mrs Gene Kelly and asked her what her husband did – AND he was famous then) and he picked me up and danced down the street with joy. It must have been a sight, as I was reputedly a very cute little kid - less so when I got older.
How incredible. Kind of like a scene in one of his movies.
Love all these facts about you Ann! Amazing!
Well, I mostly just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was reading your post while on a bus and thought I replied to someone about having milked a cow in the old fashioned way, but when I got home I couldn't find it.
Nice to meet you! I also do background acting and I'm envious of you being able to dance with Gene Kelly. As a skater I appreciate how he was such an athlete and could not only dance but roller skate (and apparently ice skate) quite well! There's a video on Youtube of him roller skating for a film, he looks like he'd been doing it his whole life. Just followed you. :)
She asked for little known facts and I provided them. Unfortunately, I have no memory of the Gene Kelly dance. As I just wrote to someone else, I think it was on VE day and the Kellys lived down the street (but he was always away filming and my mother met Mrs Gene Kelly and asked her what her husband did – AND he was famous then!) and he picked me up and danced down the street with joy. It must have been a sight, as I was reputedly a very cute little kid - less so when I got older. My posts are a mixture of serious and gentle humour. I hope you like them. I am 11 subscribers short of 1000 so if you want to go a step further, it would be great.
👋 hey everyone! I'm Lucy, a former seamstress, I work now for an early intervention charity with children and young people in a therapeutic role. I am also an artist and I love to make all kinds of art.
✍️ I've recently set up my substack and am tentatively dipping my toe in the water, having not shared my writing before. I'm much more comfortable sharing drawings and doodles, but my love of the written word and poetry has led me to want to be braver, develop my craft, purely for the joy of making and living an expressive life. So far I've written just two posts(!), on the joy of living alone and an introspective piece inspired by my childhood.
💬 Three things you wouldn't know about me... I used to work as a lingerie seamstress for a company that held the Royal warrant (for Queen Liz and the Queen mother)
Despite being Cornish and very much 'from the seaside', I have an innate and extraordinary fear of the bottom of boats.
I am a huge Christine and the Queens fan and last year saw them live for the first time in London at the Southbank Centre, where they walked through the audience mid gig, knelt on one knee and held my hand as they sang. So basically what I'm trying to say is, I think we got engaged.
Hi, Lucy. I envy your sewing skills. Congrats on your engagement!
Congrats on the engagement! 😁
Totally legit! 💍💎🎉🥳
He's such a romantic, pulling such a stunt mid gig. Clearly wanted the world to witness our love.
Hahaha love it!!
Hold on …. The bottom of boats? So is it all bottoms of all boats? So if you’re in one, or is it just an upturned boat? Apologies but this is fascinating to me!
And you worked with the queens lingerie makers, that’s wild! Brilliant facts
I can be in a boat (on a boat?) no problem. But when I'm looking at a boat, I don't want to see the bit that should be in the water. So dry docks are a big nope. Harbours when the tide is out, gahh. Boat maintenance yards, get me out of there. Being in the water next to a boat and touching the bit that's under the water line - actual terror. The bigger the boat the bigger the fear!
That is such an interesting, irrational fear - do you know where it comes from?
It seemed to come out of nowhere really. I don't think I have any boat related trauma. I thought I was just very strange but apparently it is a known fear - submechanophobia!
Wow, and growing up in Cornwall - that is not a good combo!
Apparently exposure therapy doesn't seem to work on me 😅
😂
Reminds me a little of my irrational fear of being sucked under a truck when they drive past me. Unfortunately, I think I may have passed it on to my kids. 🤦🏻♀️
Sucked under a truck definitely feels of the same ilk as boat bottom fear. A sentence I never knew I'd get to write, thank you 😅
I'm Rebecca, English comp, literature, and creative writing teacher, museum docent, mother to two shimmery neurodivergent children, and acolyte of all things Dorothy Sayers. I hail from Atlanta, Georgia, live in Lynchburg, Virginia, and have called many places home in between--Asheville, North Carolina was my favorite.
I write about nature, literature, and autistic special interests at Out for Stars. I also give weekly poetry readings there and am slowly releasing my bookish autism memoir, _At Home with Books_.
There are a lot of things lots of people don't know about me, because I am a seasoned autistic masker. People who know me in real life and don't read my Substack don't tend to guess I'm autistic, and probably don't realize my deep and abiding love for the Indigo Girls.
Hi Rebecca, I had to look up Dorothy Sayers. I now want to read sth by her. I have been exploring whether I am neurodivergent, lots of things make me think that, so I will be curious to read about your journey.
Liza, there are so many of us figuring this out. It's good to be in it together. :)
Just followed you! I have ADHD and also suspect autism. I have also developed masking techniques and no one believes that I'm 'really that ADHD' because I've accomplished so much. I identify with the special interests thing - I'm fascinated with cults and can read/watch/listen about them for hours, and I guess I can call my writing a special interest lol. :)
Ah, I have followed you now, too, Christie! Absolutely about people not believing. It's such a common experience for those of us lucky (or unlucky?) enough to be able to mask. Too funny about cults--that's the topic of the Substack post I'm running tomorrow! Writing is *definitely* a special interest. :) Glad to have connected with you. Going to check out your Substack!
Have you got a link to a post where you talk about your Autism journey? I’m curious about how and when you recognised you had it.
Mika, I don't have a post yet that walks through my discovery proces. That is coming in a couple months, part of a series of memoir-style essays I'm releasing. It will be called "At the Center of a Certain Turbulence" and will appear on my Substack around early December.
For now, I have this:
https://midstory.substack.com/p/losing-the-mask-in-english-class
... and this:
https://rebeccadmartin.substack.com/p/dispatches-from-an-autistic-english
Thank you for asking!
Hello from a fellow committed Indigo Girls fan 👋❤️
Oooh so glad to meet you, Lucy! Their music has meant so much to me over the decades. What are some of your favorite songs/albums?
My fave albums are Swamp Ophelia and Rites of Passage (Galileo is perfection, and I love Power of Two & Least Complicated...) Audibly squealed with delight at Closer to Fines' moment in the Barbie movie 😅 Noone tells a story like the Indigo Girls. Their songs are so much fun to belt out in the car but so beautiful and moving and tender too! They are total legends. Love them! Still yet to see them live. Have you been to see them?
Those are top albums for me, too! And the iconic Closer to Fine album--just about every song on it, but especially "Love's Recovery." I have several essays that talk about that song, might be a little obsessed, ha ha. "World Falls" is another favorite. And "Three County Highway." And and and. :) I saw them in Atlanta for my sixteenth birthday (have an essay about that, too!), then in college in Athens, Georgia, 25 years ago (I was lucky to live basically in their stomping grounds). ... And this December, I'm going to see them again where I live now in Virginia. I CAN'T WAIT. Have you seen the documentary _It's Only Life after All"? So good. Made me love them even more.
Oh I haven't seen the doc! I'm going to look for it. How incredible to have seen them live so many times (and on your 16th birthday! Wowee that feels so monumental).
I missed the chance to see them live for the first time last year, when they played at Shepherds Bush Empire in London where I live. I couldn't believe they were so close to my home and I couldn't go! But I'm sure I will get to a gig some day, and I will likely be a weeping, dancing, beautiful mess hahah!
I want to read your indigo girls articles! Are they on your stack? I'm new here and still working out how to find everything.
I will be a weeping, dancing, beautiful mess this December! And I'm really looking forward to that. :)
Here is one essay that mentions "World Falls," and I have one coming, serendipitously in December, that involves "Love's Recovery":
https://midstory.substack.com/p/losing-the-mask-in-english-class
... I have a more focused essay in the works inspired by something Amy Ray says in the documentary. We'll see how long it takes me to get that to a point I can share it.
Hi Substack friends, I'm Vicki, a psychologist and yoga teacher who writes about all things therapy and life related, over at my Substack The Therapy Room
https://drvickiconnop.substack.com
3 things you may not know about me:
⭐I was born in Wolverhampton in the UK and have travelled a long way from home all the way to my now-home in Auckland on the opposite side of the globe.
⭐I am the archetypal 'crazy' cat lady - my two fur babies Heihei and Tigerlily are among my most important relationships
⭐My therapy room is my happy place, a quiet serene space, looking out into treetops where my nervous system is (mostly) calm and I can tune into the wisest parts of myself
Nature has such a beautiful way of healing. Probably why I’m on the lookout for something that’s surrounded by nature.
Hi Vicki! 👋 4 cats, love it! 🥰🐱
Yay! Crazy cat ladies unite 😻
Hi, everybody ☀️
My name is Rose, and I write A Look Inside the Mind, which is a newsletter about the big questions related to the mind and the nature of our existence. I broach big, tangled topics like consciousness, mortality, emotion, and memory. https://open.substack.com/pub/rosetyler?r=2p6dql&utm_medium=ios
As for three things you may not know or guess about me,
-I’ve been studying French for more or less 12 years 🇫🇷
-I’m a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association 🧠
-My dream is to publish a novel 📖
Looking forward to meeting you in the comments 😊
I love the title of your newsletter Rose, shall circle back and check it out (when I'm not supposed to be doing my taxes 🙃)
Would love to hear your thoughts 🤍
You write beautifully Rose. Looking forward to reading more from you 😊
That is so kind. Looking forward to hearing more from you, as well 🤍
What sort of things do you do in your volunteer position?
I’m considered a community educator, so I give presentations on dementia-related topics to help local families and caregivers learn more about how to cope with the disease.
That’s so helpful xx
Hey hey! My name is Nobuhle, the author of Young & Oversharing, a newsletter about adulting, surviving adulting and becoming better versions of ourselves.
Three things about me!? Tough considering all I do is overshare.🤣
1. I find putting my feet up against the wall relaxing when I am laying down. 🤷🏾♀️
2. I can't stand the sight of boiling water, it makes my skin crawl. Can't explain why!
3. I am a bit of a neat freak. Just a little.
Mika, thank you for bringing us together once again! 💕
Nobuhle, I had a hard time coming up with three due to also being an oversharer!
🤣🤣🤣 omg, hi Oversharer! It's nice to e-meet you. 💕
With the boiling water is it anything to do with the bubbles? A lot of people have trypophobia - an aversion to repetitive patterns or clusters of small holes
Yes, it is. My brain immediately paints a picture of my skin bubbling and popping. 😭😭😭
Forgot to add the link, here it is: https://youngnoversharing.substack.com/
THE MIND-SOUL SANCTUM
Hi all. I write about the soul of this existence by looking at the world with mental health as the focus. Mental health just means your state of mind. I have come to believe my niche is people who like to think, even though I am supposed to pick something more focused. But, I have never been able to do anything the "normal way" it seems. Come and join for free and see if you like it.
https://strawbridgeideas.substack.com/about
3 things?
I believe "they" should have stopped inventing new ice cream flavors after they made chocolate
I have been a professor but hate to argue
I love dachshunds
Have to disagree with you on the ice cream flavours - what about strawberry, blueberry, boysenberry, all the berries!
Well I will keep my maxim as true for me. I don't know I think berries are better for muffins and pies.
I wouldn't say no to a berry and white chocolate muffin 🧁
Did mint choc chip come before or after chocolate because that would be my ice cream hard stop. Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint choc chip. Now I want ice cream but it’s bed time
I think we can make a few exceptions.
Thank you!
I am so with you on the chocolate ice-cream!!! (Though mint choc chip also gets a hall pass from me 😁)
And always happy to stumble across other writers in the mental health arena. Mental health is my passion ❤
Hi. Well honestly I like lots of flavors but chocolate is king. I’m glad to meet someone interested in mental health. I didn’t know this would be my topic, and I probably have a different definition of mental health than most. Life pulled me in this direction.
I'll try to circle back and check out your Substack later when I'm not working 😊
I also love a good chocolate mousse…..mmmmmm 🤤
Yes that sounds great. I have simple tastes sometimes. I am on team chocolate for sure.
I have a daxijack 🐶
They are great and expressive. They are always funny in everything they do. I have a dachshund as well.
Mine is so funny and expressive too! She brings me so much joy!
As always, thanks to Mika for providing this space. Hello everyone, I'm Jael. I write about food, books, life, and pop culture (but mostly about the show Lost): https://4buckets.substack.com/p/40-things-i-want-to-do-or-accomplish
Three things you might not know about me...hmmm...I used to play the clarinet, I'm terrified of public speaking (and had to do a lot of it in college), and (says very quietly) I don't know how to ride a bike. 😊
Lost played a really important role in my life when it came out! I watched it with new friends soon after moving to a new town in my single late twenties. By the last couple seasons, I was married and introduced my new husband to it. Lots of good memories.
Still in the middle of rewatching (near the end of Season 3). It's the last season that wasn't popping for me, but I might change my tune when I get to it.
It's been a long time for me. I wonder what would sit differently now.
I did clarinet for a little while in high school. It was so much fun! Were you ever tempted to move onto the sax?
No. But I was tempted to try the flute. I ended up sticking with the clarinet all through high school.
I learned a bit of piano but never long enough to play publicly 😂
Same I know a few notes of Heart and Soul, but that's about it.
1. I'm Gabi, an educator who likes travelling, quizzing, long walks, and forests.
2. I write about less popular UNESCO sites in Europe (https://journeyjots.substack.com/), and about fast facts about those countries (https://flashfacts.substack.com/). I also love etymology so I write about certain phrases on my main profile (https://substack.com/@gabrijelacorkovic)
3. I've visited 33 countries, I know how to make my own soap, I can sing :)
Oooh I’m all about the less popular, give me an underdog any day. Also the less popular sites are quieter so it’s a win! Will check out your publication 🧡
Thank you! I will check out yours too! I haven't been to the Orkneys, but I would love to see them. I've seen them only from an airplane :)
There are some really good sites here, I wonder if any are unesco or if the whole of mainland is a unesco site!
Heart of Neolithic Orkney - https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/514
I hope one day...
I had to look up what UNESCO was! 😅
I just counted up the counties I’ve visited and it’s 19. Which I was pretty proud of, considering we live so far away from everything! 😂 (I love counting the Vatican as a country 🤣)
19 is great, especially since you live in NZ :) I live in Europe and for me it's so easy to travel to different countries and cities, I just lack the time :)
And UNESCO - let's just say I would like to write about Tongariro National Park one day :)
Our Europe counties definitely padded that number.
It’s so hard to not overly pack our itinerary when we are over your side of the world! We hit all the tourist spots but I would love to go back and go out of the hustle and bustle. Sounds like you love that too. 😊
Yes, definitely. Although I don't mind the loudness of London and other big cities, I prefer walking around without people sticking their selfie stick in my face :)
Europe is just so rich in culture and history so there is so much to see...
Sooo much! I haven’t made it to any Scandinavian countries, so I would love to go there. But I think at the top of my list is a small town in Italy somewhere. ☺️
There are so many :)))
Try visiting small towns in Croatia first :) (my home country)
Hi Everyone,
I always appreciate Mika’s hospitality. I’m a retired counselor. I am writing a book, enjoying my Substack community, and I love helping my clients as they move towards healing and growth. I have a backyard cabin where I write and see coaching clients. My husband and I live in Oregon with our Aussie Mt Doodle.
A few things you might not know: I took New Testament Greek at a seminary near home my last year of high school. I have lived with multiple sclerosis most of my adult life, but have had a very rich life anyway. I am planning to visit Australia in the spring. My close friend, and her mom and my friend’s family live in Australia. We met when I worked in China. I haven’t ever been to Australia before.
https://open.substack.com/pub/susankuenzi/p/what-motivates-you-to-finish-your?r=22wfou&utm_medium=ios.
I didn't know about the multiple sclerosis Susan. Sorry to hear that. I have a strong interest in chronic illness too, having lived with an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's) for more than 15 years. It informs so much of my work these days and has been a huge learning journey.
I am familiar with Hashimoto’s. Sorry to hear this. Health challenges can impact so much.
Your backyard cabin sounds dreamy
It’s such a blessing.
Hi! I am Rachel and I write at Conscious Living about living mindfully and connecting deeply with people and the world.
Three things people may not know about me:
1. I used to be a drummer in a girl band.
2. When I was a kid, I dreamed someday I will I learn how to fly. Possibly influenced by Dragonball (yes I read them comics, this could be another point!)
3. I played for my school's basketball team, despite my height. Most of us were not tall nor very good, but we really loved it and played a lot!
Thanks Mika for this fun space to share!
Drummer sounds like so much fun!✨️ And basketball was always my favorite team sport in school, even though I wasn't very good at it either😂
Your Substack sounds lovely Rachel ✨
Thanks Kate! Do drop by, lovely to have you :)
can confirm Rachel's substack is lovely and well worth a visit 😊
Drummers are so damn cool 😁😍
My mouth dropped with your first fact! I need pictures! 🥁
I can try to dig some out, back in those days we don't have a camera with us all the time like nowadays :)
and videos! we want to hear the sound too 😁
Yeah.. we might have some bad quality videos taken by our friend during a gig! Ah those were the days :)
Hello tribe! Thank you Mika! 😃👋
I’m Kate, a midlife psychotherapist on the outskirts of London, and mum to a teenager now at Uni.
I write Letters From Therapy, sharing inspiration, tools, meditations and therapeutic journaling for you to flourish in a life you love. https://lettersfromtherapy.substack.com
I also make silver jewellery for a living, I wrote a Christmas novel for children, and I’m most happy walking in nature with my cute little dog Pepper!
Lovely to be here! 👋😃
Yay! Another jeweller! Jewellery is my first art-love and is still my primary field too.
I love that you wrote a Christmas novel for children!! That so incredibly fun and heartwarming!! ❤️
Thank you! I called it ‘The Wish that Saved Christmas’ it is ‘a heartwarming tale for all the family!’itbis on Amazon. ✨
I’ll definitely check it out!! 🫶🏼
Ooh I'm so glad to be reminded of your jewellery Kate, must take another look at your website - would you mind sharing the link again?
Oh do have a look Vicki: It’s https://www.graceandflora.co.uk xx ✨
Thanks Kate 😀
☺️
Hi Kate, I love your Substack premise! It sounds so helpful, especially for those of us wanting to connect (or reconnect) with things like meditation and journaling. Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you so much! I love creating these materials and my subscribers seem to get loads out of it. A little effort goes a long way 😊
I am just reading your letter to your dad. Beautiful. 🧡 I’m writing about grief for the next couple of posts, a bit about me and a bit educational. Lovely to connect with you here 🙏🏻
What kind of dog do you have? ☺️
Pepper is half dachshund, half Jack Russell. A daxijack or a jackshund, depending on your point of view!! She believes she is human though 😅
Dachshunds are one of my favorite things about this world.
I bet they have a lot of energy! So cute 🥰
She does, though fortunately likes a lie in in the mornings! 🤣
Lucky!! 🥱😴
I used to have to get up rain or shine for my old dog. Pepper comes and snuggles next to me for hours in the morning! A lovely way to start the day 🥰
A wonderful initiative Mika, allowing writers to find and connect with one another 💛
1️⃣ Hi I’m Ruhie! Writer, doctor (primary care physician), mum, and a daughter who lost her dad to a terminal illness.
2️⃣ My Substack is From the Heart to Beyond which can be found here: ruhievaidya.substack.com. I share life-affirming personal stories and reflections on grief, healing & family — the three big pillars of my life, connected by one overarching purpose — to live with intention. I write so that others feel seen and less alone in their experiences, as well as to share with others the biggest lesson I’ve learnt — to stop taking life for granted and make the most of the time we are given.
3️⃣ Three things people might not know about me:
- I’m currently on maternity leave after having baby number 3 💛 When not wrangling young kids, I spend most of my free time writing (or thinking about writing!)
- I’m working on a book! A memoir. Here’s a link to a piece I wrote about why I’m taking the risk to write and share my story: https://open.substack.com/pub/ruhievaidya/p/why-im-taking-the-risk-to-write-and?r=27c77i&utm_medium=ios
- I was born and brought up in the land down under (Australia), and am a second generation immigrant (my parents are from India… well actually my mum was an Indian refugee from Uganda under the reign of dictator Idi Amin, but that’s a whole other story - maybe even a book one day!)
Hi Ruhie! I love hearing that you're working on a memoir. I started a memoir many years ago but dropped it when a friend suggested I turn it into a screenplay, which was a blast to write. I've also taught a class called "How to Write Your Life Story" for over twenty-five years. It's my most popular class!
I love the purpose of your Substack!
Thank you so much Breeann! 🫶
That article/letter was just beautiful 🥹
Thank you Mika! ❤️ (Btw total side track but I’ve found a new autocorrect for you — “Mila”! Mine are “Ruthie” and I get “Richie” quite a lot too 🤣)
Oh wow! That’s new! Haha
Apparently I write about snooker but that's not really the case. I'm Lucy - I am a writer - I can touch type, have a TV directing credit and what else?! I wrote this somewhere else and am trying to remember what I said. Oh yes - I have been to Robben Island - that's it! My Substack is about my life in Suffolk and my work-in-progress. Oh I sold shoes as a teenager and was good at sports - especially netball and later on basketball and I finally went skiing as a grown women, that's six things probably but people might know the first three. I will have a look at the Orkney Outpost and Sarah's blog about Belgian baking.
Love reading all these facts about you!
Ah - thanks!
Hi all! I'm Cassandra and I live on an island on the west coast of Canada with my husband and our dog, Chewie.
I started my Substack, Notes from a Kindred Spirit, in December. It's a bi-weekly newsletter about embracing curiosity, exploring hobbies, living with chronic illness, and finding contentment in the everyday. I talk a lot about two of my favourite things: books and Bullet Journaling!
3 things that not many people know about me:
1. I started public speaking when I was 5 years old to help raise awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
2. I am terrified of snakes and can't even look at one on the TV.
3. I was obsessed with horses when I was a kid and thought for sure I'd be living on a horse ranch by now!
Looking forward to connecting! 😊
Your Substack sounds so interesting Cassandra! I love bullet journalling too but have lost touch with it - I’d love to get back into it :)
Oh thank you! 💖
I wrote a post all about bullet journaling here: https://cassandrabumpus.substack.com/p/find-your-serenity-now-with-a-bullet?r=987l6
Maybe that will help you get back into it! 😊
Thank you! Keen to check it out :)
These are so great! I hope your path leads you to your horsies! 🐴
Do you do anything with your public speaking now?
I've done some public speaking as an adult but I think the last time I spoke at a fundraising event was in 2018! Right now I'm mostly using my voice to record voiceovers for my Substack posts 😂 but I'd also love to start a podcast someday!
Second this question!