Thank you for sharing so deeply about your firing situation. Those are particularly painful, aren’t they? I know the pain from the sting (er, stings; twice) eventually subsides, but never fully goes away.
“I felt like everything about me that was once viewed as an asset to the organization was now seen as an obstacle to someone else's agenda.” -- And life is way too short to be someone else’s speedbump.
Looking forward to the changes you describe; smooth sailing!
Floor tea in complete form! A zap of pleasure seeing that. I process change by feeling allll of it and talking about it with a select few. I also turn to doodling and walking and cooking over writing - something about the bigger forms help me process. I need a ton of space on a good day. On a bad day, I need an ocean! As for tweaks, I follow my internal urges (don’t say urges lol) around Substack and make changes to help myself as transparent, comfortable, and motivated as possible. I’m so glad your team made you feel seen and trusted and loved. It’s so hard to see at the time how much jobs are temporary in the long scheme of ours lives. They are also so formative, even the shitty ones. (And no one will have the careers that our dad had. Those long company relationships are toast.) That Phoebe meme is 💯
I really appreciate this. Very much looking forward to where your writing journey takes you going forward! And yeah, I have two modes: full bore or completely shut down. I have spent the better part of the past decade shut down after some significant life changes led to some significant disappointments. But finally (!) feeling energized again. Grateful to have crossed paths with you!
I'm looking forward to seeing where the next evolution of the newsletter takes us all!
"If you have a Substack, what kind of tweeks have you made along the way, and what kind of results have you seen?"
Mine started as one of those "5 things I found interesting this week" newsletters most people write at least once. Then down to just one (think Josh Spector's "For The Interested," but for curiosities), before shifting to music. The name, logo, format, and schedule have all changed at least once.
"I’d love to hear from you about a time when you felt like you didn't belong, like you'd snuck into something way out of your league and were afraid of being discovered. "
So one day I decided to start writing on Substack...
Jen, this post is amazing. I had the option to read this or my romance book or reply to both my middle school kids’ calling for me on non-urgent matters and I stayed and finished this post. Why? Because like a lot of the countless other posts I’ve read from you, it makes me feel seen. To hell with all the non Ned Starks out there. The very values that you embody are the ones that win out and maybe not every time but the times that matter. I can relate to the leader and follower quote of yours. It’s the desire to “not make waves” because you fear for losing your income and all the things that come with it that may or may not be real in any way. Anyways, keep on doing that thing you do. Speaking truth to power and light 💡 it up.
Wow, Beth. Thank you so much for this comment. I can’t tell you how many times I publish something and immediately think, “This is dumb. Why are you telling these dumb stories. Nobody wants to hear about your dumb life.”
Thank you for sharing so deeply about your firing situation. Those are particularly painful, aren’t they? I know the pain from the sting (er, stings; twice) eventually subsides, but never fully goes away.
“I felt like everything about me that was once viewed as an asset to the organization was now seen as an obstacle to someone else's agenda.” -- And life is way too short to be someone else’s speedbump.
Looking forward to the changes you describe; smooth sailing!
So true about life being too short. I learned a lot from that experience and have exited toxic situations much earlier since then.
Floor tea in complete form! A zap of pleasure seeing that. I process change by feeling allll of it and talking about it with a select few. I also turn to doodling and walking and cooking over writing - something about the bigger forms help me process. I need a ton of space on a good day. On a bad day, I need an ocean! As for tweaks, I follow my internal urges (don’t say urges lol) around Substack and make changes to help myself as transparent, comfortable, and motivated as possible. I’m so glad your team made you feel seen and trusted and loved. It’s so hard to see at the time how much jobs are temporary in the long scheme of ours lives. They are also so formative, even the shitty ones. (And no one will have the careers that our dad had. Those long company relationships are toast.) That Phoebe meme is 💯
Walking, weeding, tinkering, doing dishes - all these things help me think and process, too.
I'm looking forward to seeing the new iteration of your newsletter. I already enjoy it so I'm sure it will be great.
Thanks Rocco!
I really appreciate this. Very much looking forward to where your writing journey takes you going forward! And yeah, I have two modes: full bore or completely shut down. I have spent the better part of the past decade shut down after some significant life changes led to some significant disappointments. But finally (!) feeling energized again. Grateful to have crossed paths with you!
Glad to hear you’re feeling energized again! I can identify with it taking a long time to recover from disappointment.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the next evolution of the newsletter takes us all!
"If you have a Substack, what kind of tweeks have you made along the way, and what kind of results have you seen?"
Mine started as one of those "5 things I found interesting this week" newsletters most people write at least once. Then down to just one (think Josh Spector's "For The Interested," but for curiosities), before shifting to music. The name, logo, format, and schedule have all changed at least once.
"I’d love to hear from you about a time when you felt like you didn't belong, like you'd snuck into something way out of your league and were afraid of being discovered. "
So one day I decided to start writing on Substack...
😂 So true about taking the leap into Substack!
Oh boy howdy this one resonates.
Yup.
Jen, this post is amazing. I had the option to read this or my romance book or reply to both my middle school kids’ calling for me on non-urgent matters and I stayed and finished this post. Why? Because like a lot of the countless other posts I’ve read from you, it makes me feel seen. To hell with all the non Ned Starks out there. The very values that you embody are the ones that win out and maybe not every time but the times that matter. I can relate to the leader and follower quote of yours. It’s the desire to “not make waves” because you fear for losing your income and all the things that come with it that may or may not be real in any way. Anyways, keep on doing that thing you do. Speaking truth to power and light 💡 it up.
Wow, Beth. Thank you so much for this comment. I can’t tell you how many times I publish something and immediately think, “This is dumb. Why are you telling these dumb stories. Nobody wants to hear about your dumb life.”
We are always our own biggest self critics. This in no way reflects the reality.