By Claire Venus
The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.
"When I set up the Heiter Society, I wanted something for myself where I felt less alone, also in my business."
Kiki
"Yes, to some extent, Heiter is definitely slow living, but it is still beautiful."
Kiki
I’m thrilled to bring you another exciting episode of Sparkle on Substack the podcast.
Kiki and I dive deep into creative processes, the importance of branding, and all things related to building joyful, engaging communities online.
🎧 **Episode Highlights:**
1. **Mailing List Moves:** Claire Venus shares her experience of moving her extensive Mailchimp list to her Podia course platform and how she manages to keep her community informed and engaged across multiple platforms. If you're juggling different mailing lists, this segment is a goldmine of practical tips!
2. **Flow desk Insights:** Get inspired by her rundown of the platform's features.
3. **Formatting Magic on Substack:** For all you content creators out there, Claire provides a detailed demonstration of formatting options on Substack—think centralised quotes, headers, images, and seamless video embeds.
4. **Branding Brilliance:** The dynamics of maintaining a consistent brand presence are thoroughly explored. Claire highlights the significance of colours, logos, and pinned posts in creating a cohesive aesthetic.
5. **Editorial Shifts:** Claire discusses her decision to shift from heavy topics to lighter content and seeks input on this editorial journey. What are your thoughts on this shift? Let us know!
6. **Kiki’s Strengths and Collaborations:** Kiki talks about her passion for fashion, storytelling, and her partnerships with design agencies to craft a sustainable magazine. Plus, discover how she’s integrated support roles like sub-editors and virtual assistants to elevate her projects.
7. **Community and Support:** The episode sheds light on various community-building strategies, including Kiki’s use of holistic life coaches and therapists for meditation sessions and book clubs. Claire also shares details of her upcoming masterclass on transitioning Instagram content to Substack.
8. **Navigating Substack:** Together, Kiki and Claire explore the ins and outs of Substack, demonstrating its social media integration, writer profiles, and publication features. Get insights on how you can optimise the platform for your creative ventures.
🌟 **Exclusive Sneak Peek:** Claire reveals some exciting news about upcoming targeted guest posts on joyful growth and monetisation on Substack. Plus, Kiki gives a shout-out to pre-orders for Heiter’s print issue two, "Homecoming," with a deadline at the end of June. Don’t miss your chance to get this beautiful issue!
📌 **Community Engagement:** Concerned about relying too heavily on Substack? Claire reassures with insights on data ownership and maintaining control over your email list. Also, discover different ways to engage your community, both on and off Substack.
💬 Join the Conversation
We’re eager to hear your thoughts on this episode! How do you manage your editorial decisions and branding across platforms?
What are your tips for maintaining consistency and engagement with your community?
Kiki/ Heiter online
https://www.heitermagazine.com
Sparkle on Substack, the podcast is supported by my Diamond Members. You can find out more about them and support their work here.
"How Paywalls Protect Personal Stories: "People pay, not because it's clickbait, because that's just not for everybody. That part of what they're saying, they only want to share it intimately with people who are part of their inner circle and bought in."
Linda @ Substack
I was delighted to meet with Linda @ Substack this week to chat all things Substack.
Linda is a dedicated member of the writer partnerships team at Substack and has been on the staff team since 2021. Widely recognised for her active presence on Substack Notes, Linda's primary role involves engaging with potential new Substack users in the finance category. 🤓 💰
I was SO excited to speak with her for sooo many reasons. The main one? Because she works and supports folks outside of my eco chamber and that’s where as an avid reader and an observer of Substack, I learn the most.
She focuses on attracting individuals who can bring unique content and an audience to the platform and has a genuine passion (like me) for Substack's capabilities.
Linda strongly believes in Substack's potential for individuals starting from scratch, as she's witnessed many success stories firsthand. Alongside her team, she is committed to fostering open dialogues and providing valuable insights to help new users thrive. She’s eager to share her knowledge and experiences with the community, contributing to the growth and success of Substack as a whole.
✨
If you’re short on time, I asked cast magic to summarise the lessons, thanks to Adam Ming for the suggestion of adding take aways for those who need them.
Here are 10 Substack lessons from Linda
1. **Jump Right In**
Over-preparation can hinder starting. Embrace imperfection and create now.
2. **Embrace the Blank Page**
Substack’s design simplicity encourages unique and personal approach. You don’t have to look for a cookie cut out.
3. **From Twitter to Substack**
Move from fleeting social media content to permanent, engaging Substack archives and bring your audience.
4. **Video Strengths**
Utilise video content for deeper, more personal connections with your audience.
5. **Community Support**
Engage and uplift fellow Substack users through workshops and subscriber chats.
6. **Utilise Headers and Footers**
Customise email headers and footers to consistently communicate and engage with readers. Lean into thinking about the messages you want to set for free and paid subs…
7. **Consider Pricing Wisely**
To avoid over thinking, start with common pricing models ($5/month, $50/year), and be prepared to adjust based on value.
8. **Leverage Recommendations**
Substack's recommendation tool helps expand reach and break reader echo chambers.
9. **Exploit Machine Learning**
Discoverability on Substack enhanced through advanced content recommendations over fixed categories.
10. **Sustainable Growth**
Avoid burnout with sustainable posting schedules and clear, value-driven pricing strategies for the long term.
Sparkle on Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Timestamped Overview
00:00 Writer recruiter for Substack, sharing insights today.
09:15 Substack only profits if writers profit first.
13:12 Substack empowers creators with innovative, user-friendly tools.
16:11 Just start creating content on Substack now.
23:12 Unsubscribes are inevitable in email marketing efforts.
31:04 Team created categories; now observe user behaviour.
32:06 Modernly categorising using machine learning, not drop downs.
39:16 Balancing day job and monetising creative efforts on Substack.
45:27 Sustainable writing schedules can improve long-term success.
52:00 Excited, committed to diamond membership's annual model.
56:52 Paywall restricts access to intimate, personal content.
01:00:34 Nudge yourself out of your echo chamber.
✨
📙 Book Recommendations
Struggling with public speaking in your videos or podcasts?
Check out "How to Own the Room" by Viv Groskop — a fantastic resource for overcoming those jitters and enhancing your communication skills.
Seth Godin - all his books!
Kevin Kelly - 1000 True Fans
🟧 Other Substacks mentioned…
See you in the comments? I’d LOVE to know what you think of this one.
Claire
💫
“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”
Arthur Ashe
It was an absolute JOY to connect with David Speed for my podcast a couple of months back. David and I were at the podcast recording of Creative Coffee by Emma Gannon when she interviewed Farrah @Substack in London and I know both of them will be delighted we made this connection if they see this post.
Connection - now there’s a word I overuse but honestly it makes everything possible.
When we met he was pretty new to Substack and enjoying bedding in. Just after I spoke with David, he put out this piece which I loved. Well to be honest I love all of his writing; it’s sophisticated, honest and there’s NO snake oil;
Speaker Bio
David Speed is a multi-disciplinary artist whose current focus is neon painting.
The artist is fascinated by light and shadow and creates work that plays with that drama. David enjoys painting huge murals but is equally happy painting canvas. He relishes the challenge of painting on a small scale using spray paint and pushing the limitations of what is achievable in that medium.
In the early 2000’s David was training to be a primary school teacher while balancing a mostly illegal graffiti career. Frustrated at the school system, he realised that by creating art, mentoring artists and now; podcasting, he could help many more people get in touch with their creativity.
"If you are an artist, or a creative, or a writer or a dancer, and you read, this is marketing, there's so many, your brain will kick ideas in a totally different way than if you're in the marketing space."
David Speed
Timestamped Overview
00:00 From street art to renowned collaborative success.
10:24 Started podcast with no experience; everyone agreed.
15:48 Be mindful of influences and digital noise.
20:14 Building career through influential conversations and a podcast.
26:23 Art-infused Liverpool city tour and Instagram insights
31:32 Artists explore voice and space in new ways.
36:28 1000 true fans theory vital for creatives.
40:54 Passionate about creating and supporting art transparently.
42:58 Real art impacts people beyond social media.
52:53 Encouraging people to make the most of life.
56:34 Paints strangers from submitted photos for street art.
59:05 Innovations happen when humans have creative freedom.
Find David Speed online
🌍 https://www.davidspeed.uk/about
On instagram;
On tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@davidspeeduk
Creative Rebels (the podcast on You Tube) - https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeRebels
"I didn't really want to celebrate people that have already been celebrated. So I started this project called be Neon, where there's a form on my website where you can upload an image, and I will paint you in the street."
David Speed
Other links/ ideas we mentioned;
“Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. You've got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing. One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” Arthur Ashe
🥰 1000 True Fans - https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/
📖 Seth Godin - This is Marketing - https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/This-Is-Marketing-by-Seth-Godin/9780241370148
✨
Your take on this conversation…
💬 We’d love to chat to you more in the comments about the important topics we brought to light in the podcast. There is so much in here about success and commitment and everything we do to make our creative careers work.
Sparkle on Substack is sponsored by my Diamond Members. Thanks to them for supporting me so I can make time to have these conversations and bring them to life in the world. You can read more about them and their work here.
💎
“This idea that we are playing a game that we never really know the rules for, and I think that's a feeling that many people have, like thinking about the algorithm and how often should you post and should you do reels and should you do whatever. That feeling made me feel really bad, and I'm just happy that I don't have to deal with that anymore."— Astrid Bracke
This episode is supported by my Diamond Members here on Substack. You’ll find links to their publications at the end.
It’s the VERY last day to upgrade if you want 1-2-1 support from me for a whole year.
💎 My Sparkle on Substack Diamond Membership is closing until January 2025 and I won’t be offering the 1-2-1 dm perk in the same way again. It will also go up in price. Here are the benefits you unlock immediately including two courses and complimentary podcast sponsorship to help grow your Substack.
💎
WELCOME BACK TO Sparkle on Substack the podcast! Conversations with creatives who use Substack and make it make sense for them.
Astrid Bracke is a dedicated mentor for small business owners, freelancers, and creatives, championing a slower, gentler approach to business that remains financially rewarding. She aims to help professionals break away from the constant hustle and productivity hacks, nurturing their emotional and mental well-being while ensuring profitability. Astrid supports her clients through personalised one-to-one mentoring and innovative group programs like "Marketing Without Social Media and “Substack for Small Businesses”
Additionally, she offers a mini-course on Substack tailored for small business owners and curates a Substack newsletter, which includes a paid segment, providing continuous support and insights for those aspiring to create a balanced and successful business.
“And then in October 2021, I fell ill with severe clinical depression. And at that point, I'd actually just decided to take a three week break from Instagram because I just launched a digital product. But with the depression, that break just extended itself for, I think, about five or six months before I started thinking again about, oh, right, there's this thing called Instagram."— Astrid Bracke
🌐 Episode Highlights:
1. Journey to Selling Products and Services: Claire opened up about her experience transitioning from word-of-mouth promotions to actively selling her offerings. She addresses the common challenge many face – the difficulty of promoting paid services and the risk of giving away too much value for free.
2. Clarity in Communication: Both Claire and Astrid emphasise the importance of clear communication. With readers often missing key messages due to short attention spans, it's crucial to consistently remind your audience about what you offer.
3. The Power of Connection: Astrid highlights how she nurtures a sense of community through her Substack, "female owned," and her website astridbracke.com. Monthly discussion threads, accountability clubs, and new features for collaboration are just a few of the ways she fosters connections.
4. Managing Notifications and Boundaries: Substack is a fantastic creative outlet, but managing notifications can be overwhelming. Claire and Astrid share their strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between personal and business use of the platform.
5. Doing Business Differently: Astrid's approach to business – slow, gentle, and profitable – resonates deeply. Her one-on-one mentoring and group programs, like the marketing without social media initiative, offer a refreshing alternative to traditional business strategies.
6. Overcoming Social Media Challenges: After experiencing clinical depression, Astrid took a hiatus from Instagram and discovered other effective marketing avenues. Her journey inspires many who feel pressured by the constant presence required on social media platforms.
7. Free Resources and Upcoming Courses: Astrid's plan to create more free resources for her subscribers in the coming year is something to look forward to. Plus, don't miss the upcoming relaunch of her self-paced mini course for small business owners, freelancers, and creatives, focusing on using Substack for business growth.
✨
"If we have a scale on which one to one mentoring is, the most intense way in which I can support people or intensive rather then the newsletter here is at the other end of the scale."— Astrid Bracke
Timestamped Overview
00:00 Balancing work, motherhood, and self-care.
05:15 Challenges of social media and online focus.
09:51 Feeling relieved to leave social media challenges.
12:58 Questioning value of social media; prioritizing happiness.
15:05 Newsletter supports small business owners and freelancers.
18:26 Substack takes time, learning, and patience.
21:33 Using Substack for business and marketing strategies.
24:33 Thinking creatively about creative outlets on Substack.
26:49 Using Substack blurs personal and business boundaries.
32:41 Focusing on nurturing community, fostering growth.
33:35 Community building, mini podcasts, and new features.
38:45 Encouraging sharing and selling to make money.
40:57 Balancing self-employment and selling products.
44:03 Expressing appreciation for connection and collaboration.
Thank you to my Diamond Members who make my work on the podcast possible and help pay for my time and professional edits by Kerry Hinns.
✨ Diamond Sponsors 💎
Alice Kuipers from Confessions & Coffee
Amanda B. Hinton from The Editing Spectrum
Amy Ray from The Meandering Muse
Caroline Donahue from Book Alchemy | Website
Catherine Rayner from Catherine Rayner Studio - behind the scenes... | Website
Catherine Wilde - SoulCareMom from Soul Care Mom with Catherine Wilde | Website
Danusia Malina-Derben from Parents Who Think | Website
Gray Jordan from Gray Jordan: Spellbound by Colour | Website
Gill Moakes from It's a People Thing | Website
Jan Fortune from Alchemical wonderings with Jan Elisabeth | Website
Jennifer Murphy from The Celtic Creatives | Website
Jo Taylor from Seeds, Weeds and Wildflowers
Layla O'Mara from beauty & bone | Instagram
Louise Edington from Cosmic Owl | Website
Louise Tilbrook from Everyday Knitter | Website
Nicole Lawrence from Re:birth with Nicole Lawrence | Website
Ruth Cooper-Dickson from Coffee with Coops | Instagram
Steph Wright from in the arena | Instagram
Tuğba Avci from as slow as possible
Zoe Gardiner from Postpartum Matters CIC | Website
It was a JOY to meet my pal Suzy Walker for the Sparkle on Substack podcast.
Suzy talks to us about ‘starting from scratch’, making the most of our presence online and following your heart even when it tells you to leap!
Suzy is a coach (once named one of the top ten in the UK) and former Editor-in-Chief of Psychologies magazine.
She’s been privileged to have interviewed some of the best self-development greats in the world, from Oprah to Brené Brown, and loves finding tools, books, and experts that support us in making our own leaps in life.
When I met Suzy, my entire life and the way I was building it felt more possible. She told me; “Claire look at this, you are living it.” And I felt that. Those moments where friends, colleagues, new pals really see you - it’s like a lightening bolt. Suzy is my lightening bolt of confirmation often. At the time, two things were true; I was living it and my husband was very sick and I was very scared.
Later in our friendship, we met for coffee and I was telling her my goals for Sparkle on Substack and my hope for replacing income from a tricky commissioned project. She looked at me again and said - £350 a month? You can do that. And again I realised yes, yes I can. The income arrived in a flash and I let go of that tricky comissioner.
“You can build your own creative universe on Substack. It’s like heaven and you can also earn money. I can’t believe it.”
Suzy Walker
Here’s Suzy Walker in her own words;
The Heart Leap newsletter is about tools, ideas, and people who help us make a leap in thinking so we feel inspired and uplifted rather than trapped, stuck, and downhearted.
It’s for writers who want to write and get their books out into the world but who find writing a hard slog but don’t want to give up the dream. Think of Heart Leap as your very own cosy writing nook.
Heart Leap is also for people starting again, literally or metaphorically. I’ve just left a big job and my life in London to start again in the wilds of Northumberland, so I’m right here beside you.
For paid subscribers, we have the Heart Leap Club, which has monthly self-development workshops with brilliant experts and weekly writing hours where you get to hang out with writers for two hours a week and get your books and blogs finished.
(Here’s me by my magic tree on a hill, which overlooks a fairy tale castle and whispers ideas and grants wishes.)
“Live a life that makes your heart leap”
Suzy Walker
Timeline
00:00 Loving work, overwhelmed but in growth phase.
04:06 Transitioned from busy London to peaceful Northumberland.
08:23 Substack offers new freedom for creators.
12:41 Substack fosters creativity and kindness in business.
14:32 Sustainable, joyful approach to consumer education.
17:09 Excited to collaborate on self development portal.
20:30 Substack offers collaboration and networking opportunities.
25:35 Honing in on sophisticated editing process.
26:56 Finding audience interest through experimentation and response.
30:14 You are kind, reassuring, and trustworthy.
34:22 Prioritising safety and giving oneself grace.
38:05 Podcasting allows for diverse and engaging content.
39:21 Juliet Thomas turns play into successful novel.
44:19 Positive impact of memoir serializations on sales.
48:16 Embracing neurodiversity, simplicity, and pursuing dreams.
49:45 Balancing digital consumption for a clearer mind.
52:35 Finding a space for uplift and joy.
More connects
* Weekly writing sessions -
https://heartleap.substack.com/p/room-to-write
* Suzy on Instagram
* Buy the Heart Leap necklace!!
* Join the Heart Leap community.
* Juliet Thomas at Under the Trees
* Alnwick Story Fest website - 28 Feb - 2 March 2025 - see you there!!
Also in this episode
* The Rejection Palace - Open Call
We’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments!
Claire and Suzy Walker
💕
It’s the last day to get the EARLY BIRD bonuses in our kickstarter campaign, More here;
Popping in to tell you more about the BRAND NEW course I’m SO excited to deliver!
This course combined two years of my creative expertise distilled down for you into a series of 10 minute tutorial drops.
Live calls optional, replays available. Let’s elevate our Substacks into BEAUTIFUL digital magazines we are proud of?
Join us?
Grab your early bird spot here.
Course replay will be available to 💎 Diamond Members after delivery. More on your exclusive invite to Diamond Membership here, don’t miss the chance to get strategic launch and conversion support for ONE WHOLE YEAR if you join before 1st September.
“I am earth meets sky... soul meets strategy.”
Lauren Barber
Hi all
Welcome back to another episode of Sparkle on Substack, the podcast!
It’s a delight to be here and to tell you my humble little podcast just hit 20k downloads here on Substack. They are an excellent host by the way!! 🎉
If you want to learn more simply head over to the search bar in my publication and type in ‘podcast’ and you’ll find some related articles.
In this episode, I chat with Lauren mainly about Substack and how it fits in our online home..
Lauren Barber is a delight truly. A magical being and space holder and a creative in heart and action.
I could talk to Lauren about creativity and creative process all day. She’s also an incredible space holder for matrescence, brand storytelling and human design. All of which I’ve commissioned her for.
"I feel like the words land differently in Substack. Like they are received and they're received with love."
“I feel like it is rebellious to claim ourselves as whole and to show up in our work and actually say, you know what, these are the multiple pieces of me and I'm not going to keep them separate because I don’t feel like a whole person when I've got something over here and something over here."
"I have lots of pieces I want to write, but I have to wait till that whoosh of energy comes before it's time to write."
"My feeling is that my writing, in its purity, is not paywalled content. I'm not sure how I feel about paywalls, if I'm honest."— Lauren Barber
Here on Substack, Lauren writes Held. By Lauren Barber. An open and honest place for those traversing the path of womanhood, motherhood and sacred business, to arrive, rest, to be seen.
Timestamps for this episode;
04:01 Started Substack for writing about motherhood experiences.
07:51 Authentic, honest writing creates sacred community space.
11:04 Writing with freedom and deep reflection on Substack.
15:36 Embracing diverse women's experiences through all stages.
18:51 Two-year journey questioning social media and connection.
20:11 Seeking unity and acceptance in human experience.
25:27 Waiting for energy, using human design daily.
28:54 Creatively conscious, designing wholehearted living, questioning work.
33:07 Content behind paywall differs, open for 2 weeks.
37:29 Email enhances connection, design, and accessibility.
38:33 Balanced support and connection through launching programs.
42:56 Connection led to creative collaboration for London event.
47:18 Exciting online connections lead to new opportunities.
50:04 Lauren's work has been transformative for me.
51:29 Serendipitous connection, met online after coincidental event.
You can also watch our conversation on YouTube if you’d prefer and please do subscribe while you’re there as I tend to premier these conversations a few days earlier than releasing the podcast so you can be first to watch…
You can subscribe to Lauren right here on Substack or over on Instagram
✨ Also, if you are quick, you can meet Lauren Barber and Lyndsay Kaldor in The Rose Garden (online) this summer solstice (next week). More here…
"I like to have a plan, but remaining flexible to respond to what my audience is enjoying,"— Molly Ella
Earlier this year I caught up with the wonderful Molly Ella over at Slow Scottish Stories. I connected with Molly early on my Substack journey and have read her pieces almost every week. She has a weekly posting schedule where she explores themes of slow, frugal living, Scottish highland life and reading for pleasure. She has a wonderful tone of invitation to her readers and it’s been a joy to watch her stick to her boundaries and grow joyfully here.
Molly has an audience of over 50k on her YouTube channel and if you pop over there you’ll soon see why. Molly’s content and videos give you the permission to exhale, to slow down, to know you will be held by her words, stories and visuals.
In her own words; “Slow Scottish Stories is a publication designed to help you slow down and celebrate everything that make’s you YOU”.
Molly is a full time content creator, living in a Tiny Home, nestled in the Scottish Highlands.
A slow living fanatic and proof that, if you really want to, you can reject the hustle culture and live the life YOU desire.
Molly's Substack is a breath of fresh air in a noisy world. I love her take on slow living, especially living in her tiny home in the Scottish Highlands! 🤍 Simple & Calm
Molly entered the digital world with a passion for creating content that resonated with her audience.
Initially, she utilised Instagram as a platform to showcase her lifestyle and thoughts, but as she sought to focus more on her writing, she realised a shift was necessary. In 2021, Molly repositioned her Instagram to specifically highlight her blog, which proved to be a significant turning point as her followers rapidly increased.
Embracing the momentum, Molly expanded her online presence in the spring of 2022 by launching a YouTube channel, allowing her to engage with her audience through a different medium. She then managed a trifecta of platforms: her original blog, her rebranded Instagram, and her fresh YouTube presence, juggling content creation across all three.
However, by August 2022, Molly recognised that her dedication to Instagram was impeding her ability to write—the craft she held dearest. Balancing a full-time job alongside her online endeavours only amplified this challenge, leading to a decision to reallocate her time and energy. She made the bold move to depart from Instagram, a choice that allowed her to revive her blog after weeks, even months, of inactivity.
In the same month she stepped back from Instagram, Molly launched her Substack, a subscription-based platform perfect for nurturing her first love of writing without the intense demands of daily social media engagement.
Though she bid farewell to Instagram, she maintained her YouTube channel, balancing her passion for writing with visual storytelling for her growing audience.
Molly's journey reflects a creator mindful of her time, dedicated to her craft, and adaptive to the changing landscapes of online content creation. She’s a Substack ‘bestseller’ with over 100 paid subscribers to her publication.
"My Substack and particularly my members will be my priority going forwards. And that's mostly linked back to the fact that I've always thought long term writing is my main passion. I think it's probably underestimated, at least I underestimated how much time it takes just to respond to comments.
And I found already quite a lot, because I'm like, oh, these people are paying now, they need me to respond to them."
Molly Ella
Molly online;
Website - https://www.hippyhighlandliving.com/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@hippyhighlandliving
Etsy shop - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SlowScottishStore
Tee mill shop (organic merch) - https://hippy-highland-living.teemill.com/
Membership via Substack -
Watch on YouTube with captions
"The more personal I am, the more specific I am about my life, the more other people can see aspects of their own life reflected there.”
Clover Stroud
I was delighted to grab an hour this week with best selling memoir author Clover Stroud in the midst of her fourth book launch.
I wanted to talk with Clover about her writing craft, her recent wildly successful Substack launch and her upcoming book.
I ADORE Clover’s writing and I know lots of you will already be connected.
Her books and words are life affirming and show me the thread of fragility that runs through us all. Storytelling that unites us, feelings that ground us.
Clover’s words show us what’s real in our hearts. She gives us a zoom out button to press. We can feel impossibly small and also see the enormity of everything we adore in full technicolour all at once. When I read her work, gentle reassurance runs through my cells. It’s everything I need.
Clover’s 4th memoir, The Giant on the Skyline is about home, where we find it and how we connect to it within ourselves. The book is out on 8th May (next week)!!
“Home is a concept that has obsessed me since I was very small and homesickness is one of the emotions I can identify earliest as a child.”
Clover Stroud
Do pop over and subscribe to Clover’s incredible writing here on Substack and consider being a paid subscriber to receive her weekly essays;
There are 2 more days to save 35% on an annual subscription here at Sparkle on Substack
🎙️ Timestamped podcast overview
00:00 Enthusiasm for book writing and the editing process.
04:03 Creating a secure and beautiful home for family.
07:57 Generous and unique storytelling on Instagram.
10:59 Passionate about Substack, evolving and expanding options.
13:22 Adjusting to new country life: complex and overwhelming.
18:37 Professional commitment and disappointment in subscriber culture.
22:46 Attention spans shortening, challenge in holding readers.
25:38 Writers find freedom in Substack's simplicity.
27:05 Aspiring to write, creativity, curiosity, and book promotions.
32:04 Growing interest in newsletters among publishers.
36:30 Setting up paywall for podcast, building community.
39:40 Husband describes intense memoir retreat experience.
41:27 Writing is becoming more creative.
45:44 Facing adversities, searching for unreachable mother, motherhood adventures.
48:31 Writing the books I needed to read.
51:21 Memoir is real, emotional truth is key.
53:53 Emotional appreciation for awakening and sharing gifts.
57:14 Encouraging Clover's beautiful work in future.
“Clover Stroud is a force of nature and a woman who is fearless in the face of life and death. A fearless explorer of the human heart, and a writer of incomparable grace and passion”. Elizabeth Gilbert
"We're in this really fast paced environment now where we're multitasking x100. When I look back to what my mum and my grandmother had on their shoulders and I look at the role that we have today I think it's because we know no different.
We've got these go faster stripes going, more, more, more. More input from the moment we wake up to the moment we're going to bed and I just worry about the state of our mental health moving forward.”
Tanya Lynch
Tanya and I met at the very start of both of our journeys on Substack in Spring 2022. I remember her original publication so well and the warmth of her connection.
I leant into her storytelling and we’ve stayed connected.
I was fascinated to learn more about Tanya’s Rage on a Page journalling work and retreats. We also talked about her process with Substack and I know you are all going to connect deeply with this episode.
While I’m here please do consider leaving me a 5⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts - it means the world to me and will mean that more folks can find the podcast off Substack. As you know this podcast is a passion project and I’m sharing everything I learn with you along the way.
There are limited spaces for Tanya’s popular Ease Retreats in 2024. Work with authors such as Emma Gannon, Stacey Heale and Clover Stroud in intimate rural settings capturing life affirming pockets of stolen time and tranforming your connection to creativity.
Writers retreats with brilliant authors in the tranquility of the UK Countryside:
"I do try and get as many people to Wales, to Cardiff or Pembrokeshire, because it is so beautiful."— Tanya Lynch
Places to connect with Tanya online;
* https://www.easeretreats.com/about
* https://www.instagram.com/easeretreats/
* Contact Tanya for retreat details - [email protected]
If you’d like to watch our conversation from my coat cupboard (!) with captions feel free to do that here and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there?
"I think the difference between Instagram and Substack is … we're all in cars on the motorway. With Instagram, traffic is always flowing.
If there's a queue, you may see, oh, there's a familiar face, or you'll go through a town and you'll see someone familiar.
But with Substack, it's almost like you've gone to a drive through movie and everybody's there to watch and participate in the same event. And you can see each other and there's a big warm glow and you maybe get out and have a chat and have a drink. There’s time."
Timestamped overview
00:00 Organising writing retreats with well-known authors.
03:48 Discussing goal setting, writing, and inspiration through Substack.
08:14 Empower women through 30-day word journaling.
11:54 Women find warmth and joy in play.
13:07 Space for self-expression, connection, and community.
18:34 Struggling with puppy challenges, seeking advice and understanding.
20:03 Memoir about raising dogs, finding companionship, business.
25:48 Retreats and big achievements can feel anticlimactic.
26:46 Embracing change and self-care brings peace.
30:44 Retreats focus on intimacy, rest, and fine-tuning.
35:26 Gorgeous content, challenging for writers on Substack.
38:54 Networking challenges in rural living, seeking support.
41:31 Creating mental images to explain malapropisms. Instagram vs Substack traffic metaphor.
43:22 Promoting travel to Wales and Oxfordshire countryside.
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I’ll leave you with a quote from Tanya; "I've got 100,000 tales to tell, and it's all beautiful things to talk about."
The podcast currently has 27 episodes available.