Observations - free subs are steady each month between 400-900 across both platforms.
Mindset - The main thing I noticed was after I got out of my holding pattern of paid subs going up and down here, my voice felt free... I was choked by it... second guessing myself... people kept telling me about other educators and I had to bring in a new energetic boundary and affirmation - good for them, good for me! Giving this stuff and all the negative notes on growth ZERO attention is the best way I can serve you all and free up my creative voice. (Mute and Block)
Feeling - I think the fall out of world politics has had a HUGE impact on how safe folks feel to invest and the attention economy here has tanked thanks to Substack giving everyone one too many options and our eyes blinking away yet another silly viral note! (there are nice ones too) The world is built on opposites...
Surprises - I've had a ridiculous amount of views but subscribers are being more discerning... which feels a good thing... I'm so happy to cultivate a beautiful supportive community and NOT be for everyone... I got a small mention in a Substack feature - it brought around 30 new subs... I think it was responsible for the high views but I stuck to my guns and kept my publication locked down because I'm only one person with a small support team. I was still processing BIG feelings due to recent stealing for ai content...what a time to be ALIVE! No one is you and that my love is your super power!!
Money honey - I'm on track to run a 6figure Substack this year (USD) which is WILD to me... thank you all for your continued support and for helping me to support my family and invest in new ways for my husband to heal his long covid. Last month he met someone who reached out after one of my Substack notes and is now trained in a new modality to help nervous system healing... 💖
Energetics are our best friend in staying true to ourselves- how something feels is 99% of the time how it is.... listen, listen, listen... put your hand on your heart and listen.
Yes to this, super excited for you and your Substack, and it is so well deserved. I love how honest you are about mindset too, as I feel mine had a bit of a slip too. I'm going to have a think and add my quarterly thoughts!
Proud moments - I have been super courageous, and I have lived by values and it has led me to making some beautiful connections. The podcast has done so well, which of course is what I had hoped, but it wasn't the goal. The goal was to build a community and to have these amazing conversations. I think what has made me so happy is the friendships that have formed as a result of it. I feel genuinely supported by an incredible circle of women who I admire and we support each other. I have just finished shortlisting for Season 2 of the podcast, and I had to have a bit of a lie down afterwards because the guests are just incredible, and I was so floored by their brilliance, and so happy they wanted to be interviewed by me. I have an author who's book I've read and loved, several incredible TEDx speakers, individuals who have worked with Harvard and Disney and even been on and recommended by Oprah. The energy in the podcast is right and needed, and it feels like a movement is happening. I also feel like it's supporting me to up my game and expectations of myself too. It feels as if anything is possible.
Challenging times - When my dad died, I wasn't on the platform much for about a month. I gave my subscribers a heads up, and had some lovely messages from them. Over the course of the month I lost 50, and my views and subscriber increases went almost to zero. When I rejoined it took some time to get back in the flow and for numbers to increase again. It left me with a worry about building a business here, as it felt there wasn't a safety net. I had a good chat with a few people on here that were feeling in a bit of a slump too. World politics, news and energy weren't good in general so I don't think that helped, but it led to a bit of a breakthrough.
Breakthroughs - When i rejoined, I realised were I felt the most excited in my work, and what was working and what wasn't, what wasn't usually were the areas I thought made sense for strategy, but didn't intuitively make sense for me. So like Claire, energetics. I want to create a movement, mobilising people to realign themselves spiritually (and scientifically...as I talk about from my evolutionary psychology point of view), provide the tools to support them to be courageous, intuitive, and inspired. So I have added monthly tutorials and a 7-day burnout rebellion kickstarter challenge around the Summer Solstice and new moon in June to my paid subscription. I am keen to collaborate throughout all of this, because there are so many awesome people out there so that will continue to happen with the podcast but I am also having a live programme with guests and in the future featured masterclasses in the paid subscription too. The vibe is community, and uplifting others, and it feels pretty cool.
Observations - I have made my first $1,000 on Substack in a short amount of time since refining my vision and offering. My free and paid subscriptions are steadily increasing as are my followers. Scarcity mindset is the enemy. I started to become anxious when I was losing subscribers but shifting my energy and realising I want people to be with me for as long as it's right for them will mean that naturally the numbers will go up and down.
Thank you for holding such a safe for this Claire, and to have these conversations about growth and challenges. The reflections are super helpful.
Anna!!! Thank you for sharing your heart work. Wow this is such a rich and heartfelt share. Thank you for letting us in on the full spectrum of your journey. I felt so moved by your reflections on the podcast how it wasn’t just about growth, but about connection and community. So so so much magic. That’s the real gold. And hearing how Season 2 is shaping up (Oprah-recommended guests?! Incredible!) gives me goosebumps you’re clearly creating something magnetic and meaningful that is needed and appreciated.
Sending love for your loss - That kind of honesty is powerful, and I agree sometimes the most strategic thing we can do is honour our own rhythm and energy, even if the numbers wobble. What you're building is clearly anchored in something much deeper than metrics, and that’s what makes it sustainable. I find a zoom out over the 3-4 months helps with this too... you get to understand lots of patterns are seasonal.
Your breakthroughs around energetics vs logic really resonate with me and I love the sound of the Burnout Rebellion and the solstice-aligned challenge. You’re combining soul and science in a way that feels fresh and grounded. Excited to watch this next chapter unfold for you. Cheering you on.
Would love to hear more about how the live programme and masterclasses evolve too are you planning to open that up to collaborators or guest teachers? We'll have to get a podcast in the diary or a live - just let me know. ✨
Thank you Claire. It has been good to zoom out over the 3-4 months, and its been so useful to be in this sparkle circle and be reminded to do that. It feels like true soul work being here.
The live programme will be with different guests, so I currently have Gabrielle Treanor (1% changes/neurodivergence), Chloe Markham (joy), Caroline Pankhurst (courage), Kendall Platt (gardening) and I am just waiting on a couple of confirmations from a clinical psychologist who specialises in burnout and a restorative rest expert. I just feel so lucky to talk to such interesting people. Collaboration is my jam.
The masterclasses are in the embryo stage at the moment but I'm hoping to invite guest teachers in that can provide their expertise, and support the needs of the community wherever they are in their own rebellion. It is super exciting.
We're already booked in for a podcast interview on Monday yay! I am always up for a live discussion so if you'd like to do that too I am more than happy to but it depends on the timing of the podcast release I guess, as it might double up but happy to have a different theme for each! xx
EXTRACT FROM MINE...
Observations - free subs are steady each month between 400-900 across both platforms.
Mindset - The main thing I noticed was after I got out of my holding pattern of paid subs going up and down here, my voice felt free... I was choked by it... second guessing myself... people kept telling me about other educators and I had to bring in a new energetic boundary and affirmation - good for them, good for me! Giving this stuff and all the negative notes on growth ZERO attention is the best way I can serve you all and free up my creative voice. (Mute and Block)
Feeling - I think the fall out of world politics has had a HUGE impact on how safe folks feel to invest and the attention economy here has tanked thanks to Substack giving everyone one too many options and our eyes blinking away yet another silly viral note! (there are nice ones too) The world is built on opposites...
Surprises - I've had a ridiculous amount of views but subscribers are being more discerning... which feels a good thing... I'm so happy to cultivate a beautiful supportive community and NOT be for everyone... I got a small mention in a Substack feature - it brought around 30 new subs... I think it was responsible for the high views but I stuck to my guns and kept my publication locked down because I'm only one person with a small support team. I was still processing BIG feelings due to recent stealing for ai content...what a time to be ALIVE! No one is you and that my love is your super power!!
Money honey - I'm on track to run a 6figure Substack this year (USD) which is WILD to me... thank you all for your continued support and for helping me to support my family and invest in new ways for my husband to heal his long covid. Last month he met someone who reached out after one of my Substack notes and is now trained in a new modality to help nervous system healing... 💖
Energetics are our best friend in staying true to ourselves- how something feels is 99% of the time how it is.... listen, listen, listen... put your hand on your heart and listen.
Yes to this, super excited for you and your Substack, and it is so well deserved. I love how honest you are about mindset too, as I feel mine had a bit of a slip too. I'm going to have a think and add my quarterly thoughts!
So worth a connect in because it always shows us how far we’ve come and how much has happened too!
A few sections from mine;
Proud moments - I have been super courageous, and I have lived by values and it has led me to making some beautiful connections. The podcast has done so well, which of course is what I had hoped, but it wasn't the goal. The goal was to build a community and to have these amazing conversations. I think what has made me so happy is the friendships that have formed as a result of it. I feel genuinely supported by an incredible circle of women who I admire and we support each other. I have just finished shortlisting for Season 2 of the podcast, and I had to have a bit of a lie down afterwards because the guests are just incredible, and I was so floored by their brilliance, and so happy they wanted to be interviewed by me. I have an author who's book I've read and loved, several incredible TEDx speakers, individuals who have worked with Harvard and Disney and even been on and recommended by Oprah. The energy in the podcast is right and needed, and it feels like a movement is happening. I also feel like it's supporting me to up my game and expectations of myself too. It feels as if anything is possible.
Challenging times - When my dad died, I wasn't on the platform much for about a month. I gave my subscribers a heads up, and had some lovely messages from them. Over the course of the month I lost 50, and my views and subscriber increases went almost to zero. When I rejoined it took some time to get back in the flow and for numbers to increase again. It left me with a worry about building a business here, as it felt there wasn't a safety net. I had a good chat with a few people on here that were feeling in a bit of a slump too. World politics, news and energy weren't good in general so I don't think that helped, but it led to a bit of a breakthrough.
Breakthroughs - When i rejoined, I realised were I felt the most excited in my work, and what was working and what wasn't, what wasn't usually were the areas I thought made sense for strategy, but didn't intuitively make sense for me. So like Claire, energetics. I want to create a movement, mobilising people to realign themselves spiritually (and scientifically...as I talk about from my evolutionary psychology point of view), provide the tools to support them to be courageous, intuitive, and inspired. So I have added monthly tutorials and a 7-day burnout rebellion kickstarter challenge around the Summer Solstice and new moon in June to my paid subscription. I am keen to collaborate throughout all of this, because there are so many awesome people out there so that will continue to happen with the podcast but I am also having a live programme with guests and in the future featured masterclasses in the paid subscription too. The vibe is community, and uplifting others, and it feels pretty cool.
Observations - I have made my first $1,000 on Substack in a short amount of time since refining my vision and offering. My free and paid subscriptions are steadily increasing as are my followers. Scarcity mindset is the enemy. I started to become anxious when I was losing subscribers but shifting my energy and realising I want people to be with me for as long as it's right for them will mean that naturally the numbers will go up and down.
Thank you for holding such a safe for this Claire, and to have these conversations about growth and challenges. The reflections are super helpful.
Anna!!! Thank you for sharing your heart work. Wow this is such a rich and heartfelt share. Thank you for letting us in on the full spectrum of your journey. I felt so moved by your reflections on the podcast how it wasn’t just about growth, but about connection and community. So so so much magic. That’s the real gold. And hearing how Season 2 is shaping up (Oprah-recommended guests?! Incredible!) gives me goosebumps you’re clearly creating something magnetic and meaningful that is needed and appreciated.
Sending love for your loss - That kind of honesty is powerful, and I agree sometimes the most strategic thing we can do is honour our own rhythm and energy, even if the numbers wobble. What you're building is clearly anchored in something much deeper than metrics, and that’s what makes it sustainable. I find a zoom out over the 3-4 months helps with this too... you get to understand lots of patterns are seasonal.
Your breakthroughs around energetics vs logic really resonate with me and I love the sound of the Burnout Rebellion and the solstice-aligned challenge. You’re combining soul and science in a way that feels fresh and grounded. Excited to watch this next chapter unfold for you. Cheering you on.
Would love to hear more about how the live programme and masterclasses evolve too are you planning to open that up to collaborators or guest teachers? We'll have to get a podcast in the diary or a live - just let me know. ✨
Thank you Claire. It has been good to zoom out over the 3-4 months, and its been so useful to be in this sparkle circle and be reminded to do that. It feels like true soul work being here.
The live programme will be with different guests, so I currently have Gabrielle Treanor (1% changes/neurodivergence), Chloe Markham (joy), Caroline Pankhurst (courage), Kendall Platt (gardening) and I am just waiting on a couple of confirmations from a clinical psychologist who specialises in burnout and a restorative rest expert. I just feel so lucky to talk to such interesting people. Collaboration is my jam.
The masterclasses are in the embryo stage at the moment but I'm hoping to invite guest teachers in that can provide their expertise, and support the needs of the community wherever they are in their own rebellion. It is super exciting.
We're already booked in for a podcast interview on Monday yay! I am always up for a live discussion so if you'd like to do that too I am more than happy to but it depends on the timing of the podcast release I guess, as it might double up but happy to have a different theme for each! xx
Claire, it's like you read my mind...really enjoying working through all the resources!
I’ve had so many people ask recently and I’m so proud of the navigation I have now I thought why not pull it all together…
Thank you so much, Claire. As ever you lead from the front. x
Ever grateful for you and your magic!
Hi Claire, where can I find: 4 week beginners course - ‘Stay Creative on Substack’? I just joined as a subscriber. Thank you.