What I am really truly celebrating is the same as the intention I set in January - depth of connection - I've met the most wonderful, thoughtful, creative people through Substack. I love it here. 💖
Thank you Claire. I appreciate the joy and sparkle you bring to each call and your work. I've enjoyed being a Sparkler, and I look forward to continuing to sparkle in 2026!
Here is some of the stuff I am celebrating at the end of 2025 on Substack: I am celebrating over 500 subscribers on my 1st publication and over 200 subscribers on the 2nd one. I am also super proud of the Live I did here in September and the response I got to it- it gave me the confidence to plan another one for December 15th with Rebecca Blackwell.
And finally, I've met some amazing people through Substack, and with some of them I've had wonderful in person and/or over the Zoom conversation. What a wonderful place to be!
Aww Liza - this all sounds wonderful - I definitely feel like I've seen you popping up more. Well done on your live and good luck for the next one - what will you talk about?
It will be about the experience of being on Substack and finding the right audience/our people, trying new things even it it means losing subscribers as what we're putting out there may not be to everyone's liking. I'll share the link when it is announced- we're going to start promoting it tomorrow.
I’m celebrating my growth- to over 2000 free subscribers as of yesterday- whoop! And now setting up my paid membership which I am so excited for. And I’m making plans with two other creators for lives in Jan. It feels right, being on here. I am so enthused to make it work.
Love this all so much!! I’m celebrating launching my publication on my 50th birthday (January 8, 2025) with a goal of 550 subscribers. I’m at 595 as of today. I’ve had two viral notes, shared oodles of my menopause haiku, connected with some truly wonderful people, including another writer who published a collection of poetry-and two of mine were accepted. I’m thankful for Claire and this community. I’ve got big goals and dreams for 2026. Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful holiday.
Hi Claire, I've been on Substack for over 2 and a half years now. But as we end this year, I am so proud that I'm still here. I've posted every single week during that time, and I've pivoted several times. This year, I changed the name of my publication to 'The Empowered Mindset', and I finally found the place I truly wanted to be in this wonderful world of Substack. I've also now tied my blog, Etsy store (with workbooks and guides) and Gumroad (with my mini-course) all together with Sustack being at the heart of it all. I'm already excited about what's to come in 2026. Wishing you and your readers a wonderful end to the year and all the best for 2026. Thank you for your posts. Wendy x
I'm celebrating putting myself out there and taking some risks. I'm celebrating that I've put things out even when they weren't "perfect." So overall I'm celebrating taking action rather than waiting and not beating myself up when things don't go as planned or work out exactly the way I wanted them to. I'm also celebrating the connections with my subscribers and the Substack community and all of you in this group. I've posted weekly for nearly 2 years, I've grown a community of over 2,000, and I hit 50 paid subscribers this month!
I love "celebrating taking action rather than waiting and not beating myself up when things don't go as planned or work out exactly the way I wanted them to." I had to embrace this to get myself to post for the first time (and still do 😉). Congratulations on your Substack community of 2,000+ and 50 paid subscribers!
So happy you posted that first time and continue to do so Nance! Most of the time people are nice, but I’ve had a few nasty comments. I think one guy said my writing was “hackneyed.” Nobody likes to read stuff like that. It bothered me for a few minutes, but then I let it go and blocked the guy. If he doesn’t like my writing, no one is forcing him to read it!
Thanks and very true. It was the first time I had a negative comment like that. It stung a bit at first, but I adopted your philosophy and put it behind me. There will always be some people like that I guess.
I’m not going to let one jerky comment keep me down. When we put ourselves out there, there always seems to be someone who wants to rain on our parade. That’s why I pack an umbrella! :)
My goals for 2025 were to get to 1000 subscribers (which I have achieved yay!) and to find clarity what I want this substack to be be about - which I think I'm finally getting to. So those are two things to celebrate I'd say 🥳
I’m celebrating committing to my Substack and making it beautiful and inviting. I also celebrate that I have created a paid community where I offer a more personal conversation in a style that is sustainable and joyful to me.
I loved performing my piece at write up. It had been around 25 years since I had - had acted a lot before that - so it was quite emotional for me. I’d love to carry on writing but to do some more live performing too. I’ve still got the taste for it … more opportunities for live performance of writing in 2026 - and writing collabs leading to performance please - maybe dialogue as well as monologue would be amazing ..
Oh wow Joanna - there's nothing quite like being in a room of people is there? I love that you re-visited it as part of your connections here - sounds like a truly wonderful eve, are you going to the Christmas one?
I am celebrating my recent commitment to serve my paid subscribers more consistently and in a more focused way! They are now receiving 4 brief, actionable emails from me every Mon-Thurs, and it’s going really, really well!
I'm celebrating just getting started here on Substack and meeting so many, encouraging, inviting, supportive, talented, and truly wonderful people! I'm also celebrating posting my first audio and video. 🎉
I set two goals for the year back in Jan: to start a podcast and make it to 1000 free subscribers. I had no idea how I was going to do either one, lol! But now it’s Dec and I just recorded my 18th podcast episode! And I hit 1K in Oct! 🙌
What I am MOST proud of in this first full year of my Substack is in fulfilling the commitment I made to myself when I started 65 issues ago - that the best way I could serve my community was by showing up and being consistent. In my very first post I told my subscribers that the first thing they could expect from me was a new issue every Friday morning without fail and I have delivered that, along with some content of which I am also very proud - detailed posts answering readers' genuine real world problems, interviews with bestselling authors, and connecting aspiring authors with beta readers for their books. I've also enjoyed the odd rant along the way!
This month I'm celebrating six months of publishing weekly essays and hosting several successful online book chats! I'm truly thankful for my nearly 700 subscribers and 46 financial supporters, and I feel the growth has been slow and steady. For me it has always been about finding enough financial support so that I can continue to inspire folks to engage with excellent literature. I'm in the middle of a five-week read along of the poetry of Denise Levertov for Advent, and the response has been so encouraging. It is nice to find a home here for my work. I'm writing more than ever because I don't have to spend time pitching articles or book ideas to editors. I just write what I want to write! And thanks to Claire's excellent advice to contact Simon Haisell, I have also created a LIT CLUB HUB on my page to help people find the great variety of book clubs here on Substack. Thus have I continued my vocation as a scholar and teacher of literature, and it is very gratifying. Thank you, subscribers!
Hi Claire, I'm proud to have finally starter my Substack after 2 years of procrastination and life upheaval. I'm still not sure what I'm doing or where I'm going but being here is something I'm proud of!
What I am really truly celebrating is the same as the intention I set in January - depth of connection - I've met the most wonderful, thoughtful, creative people through Substack. I love it here. 💖
Thanks Claire for the tips and encouragement you bring! I always enjoy reading what you have to share and the way you share it.
Aww you’re so welcome! It’s truly a joy to do this work and be connected with so many wonderful creatives!
Thank you Claire. I appreciate the joy and sparkle you bring to each call and your work. I've enjoyed being a Sparkler, and I look forward to continuing to sparkle in 2026!
Here is some of the stuff I am celebrating at the end of 2025 on Substack: I am celebrating over 500 subscribers on my 1st publication and over 200 subscribers on the 2nd one. I am also super proud of the Live I did here in September and the response I got to it- it gave me the confidence to plan another one for December 15th with Rebecca Blackwell.
And finally, I've met some amazing people through Substack, and with some of them I've had wonderful in person and/or over the Zoom conversation. What a wonderful place to be!
Aww Liza - this all sounds wonderful - I definitely feel like I've seen you popping up more. Well done on your live and good luck for the next one - what will you talk about?
It will be about the experience of being on Substack and finding the right audience/our people, trying new things even it it means losing subscribers as what we're putting out there may not be to everyone's liking. I'll share the link when it is announced- we're going to start promoting it tomorrow.
I’m celebrating my growth- to over 2000 free subscribers as of yesterday- whoop! And now setting up my paid membership which I am so excited for. And I’m making plans with two other creators for lives in Jan. It feels right, being on here. I am so enthused to make it work.
Oh this is VERY exciting Emma!
Oh sounds right up my street - I just talked about that very thing on a podcast today...
I'll have a listen.
Congratulations Liza! And it has been so nice to meet you this year in the Mastermind food community!
Celebrating you, Liza! That’s incredible!
That's a fantastic set of achievements - congratulations
Love this all so much!! I’m celebrating launching my publication on my 50th birthday (January 8, 2025) with a goal of 550 subscribers. I’m at 595 as of today. I’ve had two viral notes, shared oodles of my menopause haiku, connected with some truly wonderful people, including another writer who published a collection of poetry-and two of mine were accepted. I’m thankful for Claire and this community. I’ve got big goals and dreams for 2026. Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful holiday.
Aww Vanessa - it's been a joy to be connected to you this year!!
I didn’t even realize this has been your first year, Vanessa! You are so good at this🌟
Christina, that is truly beautiful thing to say. I appreciate it so much. Thank you. 🙏 It’s been fun to explore and play and learn.
Well done! Menopause haiku, that sounds lovely!
Thank you, Josefin. They've been so wonderful to write and share. Have a great weekend!
Wow, you are doing great, Vanessa! Well done.
Hi Claire, I've been on Substack for over 2 and a half years now. But as we end this year, I am so proud that I'm still here. I've posted every single week during that time, and I've pivoted several times. This year, I changed the name of my publication to 'The Empowered Mindset', and I finally found the place I truly wanted to be in this wonderful world of Substack. I've also now tied my blog, Etsy store (with workbooks and guides) and Gumroad (with my mini-course) all together with Sustack being at the heart of it all. I'm already excited about what's to come in 2026. Wishing you and your readers a wonderful end to the year and all the best for 2026. Thank you for your posts. Wendy x
A year of tie-ing together - love that... thanks for sharing with us Wendy!!
I love the community I’m building, the people I’ve met (and some in real life!), and the commitment I’ve made to my creativity and work.
Beautiful - yes me too Celia.
Right now I’m celebrating the enjoyment I feel at being here 😊
The loveliest part has been the people
Aw Jo - same same - it's such a moment isn't it and worth feeling into that. Cx
Likewise!
Yes as you say to celebrating the lovely people I’ve found here too - well said👏
I'm celebrating putting myself out there and taking some risks. I'm celebrating that I've put things out even when they weren't "perfect." So overall I'm celebrating taking action rather than waiting and not beating myself up when things don't go as planned or work out exactly the way I wanted them to. I'm also celebrating the connections with my subscribers and the Substack community and all of you in this group. I've posted weekly for nearly 2 years, I've grown a community of over 2,000, and I hit 50 paid subscribers this month!
WOW Daria - you are really flying here and in your mindset too - just brilliant!
I love "celebrating taking action rather than waiting and not beating myself up when things don't go as planned or work out exactly the way I wanted them to." I had to embrace this to get myself to post for the first time (and still do 😉). Congratulations on your Substack community of 2,000+ and 50 paid subscribers!
So happy you posted that first time and continue to do so Nance! Most of the time people are nice, but I’ve had a few nasty comments. I think one guy said my writing was “hackneyed.” Nobody likes to read stuff like that. It bothered me for a few minutes, but then I let it go and blocked the guy. If he doesn’t like my writing, no one is forcing him to read it!
If some random guy , makes a comment like that, it says more about them than you.
Thanks and very true. It was the first time I had a negative comment like that. It stung a bit at first, but I adopted your philosophy and put it behind me. There will always be some people like that I guess.
I'm so sorry you received that comment. I'm glad you were able to block them and continue to keep writing and sharing.
I’m not going to let one jerky comment keep me down. When we put ourselves out there, there always seems to be someone who wants to rain on our parade. That’s why I pack an umbrella! :)
Congratulations - 'don't let perfect be the enemy of good' is a mindset we can all benefit from, thanks for the reminder!
Yes Adrian! I’ve adopted that mindset this year for the first time in my life!
My goals for 2025 were to get to 1000 subscribers (which I have achieved yay!) and to find clarity what I want this substack to be be about - which I think I'm finally getting to. So those are two things to celebrate I'd say 🥳
Oh super stuff Sophie! Well done! ✨
I’m celebrating committing to my Substack and making it beautiful and inviting. I also celebrate that I have created a paid community where I offer a more personal conversation in a style that is sustainable and joyful to me.
So so lovely AND your wonderful book! What a year!
I celebrate that too, proudly!
I loved performing my piece at write up. It had been around 25 years since I had - had acted a lot before that - so it was quite emotional for me. I’d love to carry on writing but to do some more live performing too. I’ve still got the taste for it … more opportunities for live performance of writing in 2026 - and writing collabs leading to performance please - maybe dialogue as well as monologue would be amazing ..
Oh wow Joanna - there's nothing quite like being in a room of people is there? I love that you re-visited it as part of your connections here - sounds like a truly wonderful eve, are you going to the Christmas one?
Yes definitely :)
I am celebrating my recent commitment to serve my paid subscribers more consistently and in a more focused way! They are now receiving 4 brief, actionable emails from me every Mon-Thurs, and it’s going really, really well!
Oh that sounds great - I love that you've focussed in on what you feel they need...
Rock on, Christine!
I'm celebrating just getting started here on Substack and meeting so many, encouraging, inviting, supportive, talented, and truly wonderful people! I'm also celebrating posting my first audio and video. 🎉
Big steps - audio and video can feel scary but in my experience it gets easy and it deepens the connection quicker too. Celebrating you Nance
Thank you 😊
I set two goals for the year back in Jan: to start a podcast and make it to 1000 free subscribers. I had no idea how I was going to do either one, lol! But now it’s Dec and I just recorded my 18th podcast episode! And I hit 1K in Oct! 🙌
WOW! I love how intentional setting calls in all the gifts - congratulations! 🙌🏻
Yes, I learned a lot about intentional setting through this!
What I am MOST proud of in this first full year of my Substack is in fulfilling the commitment I made to myself when I started 65 issues ago - that the best way I could serve my community was by showing up and being consistent. In my very first post I told my subscribers that the first thing they could expect from me was a new issue every Friday morning without fail and I have delivered that, along with some content of which I am also very proud - detailed posts answering readers' genuine real world problems, interviews with bestselling authors, and connecting aspiring authors with beta readers for their books. I've also enjoyed the odd rant along the way!
That’s very cool Adrian - it’s harder than it sounds to keep a promise you should be super proud! ✨
This month I'm celebrating six months of publishing weekly essays and hosting several successful online book chats! I'm truly thankful for my nearly 700 subscribers and 46 financial supporters, and I feel the growth has been slow and steady. For me it has always been about finding enough financial support so that I can continue to inspire folks to engage with excellent literature. I'm in the middle of a five-week read along of the poetry of Denise Levertov for Advent, and the response has been so encouraging. It is nice to find a home here for my work. I'm writing more than ever because I don't have to spend time pitching articles or book ideas to editors. I just write what I want to write! And thanks to Claire's excellent advice to contact Simon Haisell, I have also created a LIT CLUB HUB on my page to help people find the great variety of book clubs here on Substack. Thus have I continued my vocation as a scholar and teacher of literature, and it is very gratifying. Thank you, subscribers!
Aww what a beautiful note of gratitude Christina! Sooo much to celebrate here - well done and so so glad the advent project is going well. 💞
That's one closer to 700 subscribers just for the LIT CLUB HUB! 👍
🪁
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼😎
Hi Claire, I'm proud to have finally starter my Substack after 2 years of procrastination and life upheaval. I'm still not sure what I'm doing or where I'm going but being here is something I'm proud of!
Yay! 🥳 Here’s to being here and all that brings!
That’s brilliant Harri welcome to Substack it’s wonderful to have you here 🥳💖🥂looking forward to seeing what 2026 unfolds 🌟