How did we ever substack without you, Sarah? Thank you for your support here, I'm taking a rough and rocky stab at my Substack DNA. Its not there yet, but I'm creeping up on it?
What This Space Is Really About
I didn’t start this Substack with a master plan.
I started it the way I start most things that matter—with a feeling in my gut, a whisper in my spirit, and a half-empty cup of coffee going cold while I stared out the window wondering if I was ready.
Turns out, I was. Ready enough, anyway.
What began as a way to make sense of my own story—especially the painful, complicated, beautiful parts—has become something more: a shared space. A sacred space. A story-shaped circle where healing and honesty are welcome, and where nobody has to pretend they’ve got it all figured out.
This isn’t a place for perfectly polished answers.
There will be no ten-step formulas.
And absolutely no toxic positivity. (You can keep your “just smile!” mugs, thank you very much.)
Instead, what you’ll find here is this:
🌀 True stories, told with tenderness and courage as I write my memoir and learn from the curriculum of life
🌀 Creative-spiritual practices that help us live more deeply
🌀 The labyrinth as metaphor, map, and mirror
🌀 Body prayer, breathwork, writing prompts, and the occasional poetic rant
🌀 Reflections on recovery, motherhood, longing, and the ache and celebration of becoming
🌀 And all of it held—honestly, clumsily, beautifully—in a Great Love
You’ll also find me talking about K-dramas (yes, really), labyrinth walks that feel like prayers, and what it means to keep showing up when you’re not sure you’re ready but you know you’re called.
This space is especially for women who are in the in-between:
Between knowing and not knowing.
Between silence and voice.
Between the old story and the new one that’s still being written.
If you’ve ever curled up with your dogs, a journal, and a box of Milk Duds while asking, What am I even doing with my life?—you are my people.
If you’re longing to reclaim your voice, your story, or your creative spark—pull up a chair.
If you don’t quite fit into any category, welcome. Neither do I.
I call this space Heart’s Content because that’s what I’m offering: the content of my heart. The stuff that doesn’t always fit anywhere else. The kind of writing that wants to sit beside you, not preach at you. The kind that makes room for the mess and the mystery.
So no, it’s not a brand. It’s not a niche.
It’s a path. A conversation. A place to be real and be received.
This space? It’s for women (and kindreds of all kinds) walking through seasons of becoming.
For those reclaiming their voice, untangling old myths, and trying to live a soulful, creative, fully human life.
Here, I write personal essays about writing to heal, motherhood, recovery, the Divine Feminine, and the things we’re usually taught to keep quiet. I also share practices—like labyrinth walking, body prayer, and creative and spritual practices—to help you walk your own path home.
This isn’t a brand. It’s a circle.
A soft place to land.
And yes, sometimes there are K-dramas, Milk Duds, and spiritual epiphanies in the same paragraph.
If you're drawn to storytelling as a sacred practice, if you're curious about the intersection of creativity and contemplation, or if you're just trying to become the most honest version of yourself—you’re in the right place.
Come as you are. There’s space for all of it here.
This space is rooted in the embodied practice of giving—to strangers, to stories, to my daughter, and to myself.
I’m building a blueprint for a life shaped by intentional pleasures, chosen presence, and creative generosity.
Here, I share emotional truths. I hold space for quiet wounds. I shed the societal expectations that weigh us down—individually and collectively.
I’m here to cheer you on as a kindness ambassador. To help you notice and curate small, meaningful moments. To remind you that speaking your (uncomfortable) truths is an act of love.
My Substack is where I build intentionality, practice kindness and cultivate grace alongside you.
This was a really helpful conversation and spoke exactly to where my head’s been at lately. I posted an article exactly a month ago that did surprisingly well (over 8k views, 270 subs, over 200 shares) and so my growth ramped up quite a bit. It’s been so fun to have something get attention, but it also has me really evaluating a) what is possible and b) what the heck I’m really trying to do here 😅
I think I want my substack to be a place to explore the tough stuff (trauma, grief, mental health) and how the stories we tell ourselves shapes our view of ourselves, others, and the world. I want to share my reflections as a therapist but I don’t want to ALWAYS be speaking from the therapist’s chair while I’m on substack (that’s a tension I’m still trying to work out). Like, I’m a therapist who also likes to talk about books, cats, and plants 🤷♀️
OH. MY. GOOOOOOSHHHH!!! Sarah, this was SO good and incredibly helpful!!
I vaguely recall you had something along these lines in your introductory series when I joined in November—don't know if they're still posted—but this hit a bit differently, in a profound way.
And, of course, I love what you said in the beginning, to paraphrase: Other people may do what you do but NOBODY can do it like YOU do. YAAAAASSSS!!!
OK, my first stab at my DNA: I believe we were all created for something. I could talk ALL DAY about helping people discover what that 'something' is. And to even put the question out there...what if we asked our Creator what they created us for? And what they're inviting us into?
Thinking a bit more about this—I realize my posts are not as much about calling. That's partly bc calling is pretty nebulous and boring unless it's attached to an individual and their unique story. But what's universal about calling is that it can be unearthed by engaging in practices that open us up to the Creator and to ourselves, and to a community of others who can help us dive more deeply into both. So I do a lot more writing about those practices.
I've been sitting with my Substack DNA... here's what I have so far. My Substack DNA is writing and creating community here on this platform - a safe womb like space for artists, creatives, misfits and visionaries to feel safe and seen while also engaging in the transformation process necessary to bring their visions and art to life. A couple thoughts from my about page: "Ophiuchus Moon Alchemy is a portal where mystical meets practical and your True Self emerges through daily transformation. A safe space for you to show up in your rawest authenticity and be celebrated!"
That said, I find I'm still struggling to feel super confident in this and know what to write sometimes because my interests are so varied. One big part of my story is trauma - very long-term abuse - so I feel I deeply understand people who are holding themselves back because of internal wounding... That's where the safe, womb-like space comes in. Would love your thoughts!
Also, I'd totally join the upcoming class but all the calls are super early morning here (I'm in Hawaii...) Would you ever consider having afternoon sessions? Asking for a friend... 😂
My Substack DNA is writing about program management as a creative and innovative job. Too often, it's communicated as an organizational role. In contrast, my experiences have been more about applying my expertise to solve difficult problems, develop new solutions, and help people. I think there's more to explore about the work, and my Substack incentivizes me to think more deeply about my profession.
I love this. One thought: That's what you do and what your Substack's content is, but what part of you do you bring to it? How is your perspective on program management different?
I am a b&r cult survivor, solo teen mom now Nana, in long term recovery. I write from the untouchable wholeness beneath everything—to help you find your way back to it, no matter what you’ve lived through.
My substack is called The Whole Writer, which is its second naming, the first being Creativity Cove. I started off writing about creativity and play from a coaching perspective, but I felt trapped by it and didn't feel comfortable with the positioning as 'expert.' The Whole Writer, for me, is about talking between the lines of being a writer or creative, what does it actually mean to live a creative life? For me, it's impossible to separate the writing development from self growth, or creativity from the world we currently live in. So, I'm gently and honestly interrogating that, and definitely asking people to walk with me and chew over the questions or reflections together. I've also added sections about where I'm at both with publishing my first novel, and of living in the mountains. It feels good to be able to invite people into those conversations and to be able to change the tone as you would in wide ranging conversations with friends.
Carys, I love the pivot you made with the name change. I feel like you come at creativity and what it means to live a creative life in a way that's different from others writing on the topic. This struck me: sections about where I'm at both with publishing my first novel, and of living in the mountains. I'm curious what your view is of each of these. Is it similar?
Thanks Sarah, that's really kind and also lovely to hear! The sections are both based on the emotional experience of those two areas of my life. So, I would say they’re reflective, questioning but inviting in tone. I think the through line is about finding my own way/relationships with things/idea of success, and not promising or teaching down to anyone, rather sharing honestly what it feels like and what else it brings up. Thanks for asking the question, it’s really useful to think about this! I think my DNA is about claiming your authentic voice and finding your own creative path, though I’ve never framed it as that. That’s why you’re so good at what you do!
I'm a writer, have a PhD in creative writing, and want to help others experience the joy I've found in 'Place Writing'.
However...
Though 'Place Writing' is a good niche, few people understand what it is... and it really is a slippery genre.
So...
I've just recently changed the title of my Substack to 'Home and Place Writing'. It doesn't substantially alter the content but I hope it gives new readers, and potential readers, more of a grasp on what to expect.
I wish it were that easy! I worry that "Home & Place Writing: For Readers, Writers, Artists, Designers, and Researchers" still doesn't tell me who is behind the Substack, i.e., you. Your short description (I think) is set up to broaden your audience, but I suggest digging in a bit.
Go beyond the "what" to who you are and how your view of writing, even place writing, is different from the many other people who teach writing.
Why would writing about place be joyful? What is it about place writing that's different from other types of writing?
And definitely get that in your title and short description.
Loved the live yesterday and this post, Sarah. I’m learning a lot as a newbie here at SW@W! I think my Substack DNA has to do with being a people-watcher who notices. I’m most obsessed with how people behave and communicate through all kinds of transitions and everyday circumstances —I’m always curious about what makes us who we are. I’m still wondering who I’m talking with… fellow observers and listeners? Or fellow empaths who appreciate new insights on humanness?
Hi Emma! I'm waving at you digitally. So excited to see you featured here. Again, Sarah, I cannot overemphasize the little "heart nudge" I feel every time I see a familiar name on SW@W. This community is so incredible, and I'm grateful for your facilitation and support of each of us, no matter how many subscribers we have!
I had tried to pin down one particular area to write on and couldn’t, I then realised that “Joyful ramblings and fictitious adventures to feed your soul” is actually my thing. The invisible string that binds everything I write about across a whole host of different subjects is me, showing up with words I probably desperately needed during a very isolated 2 years after a brain injury.
The way my brain had been impacted I was depressed, paranoid and often felt suicidal, to the point of trying to figure out an exit plan that would look like an accident so that the life insurance paid out. It was all dark times and in retrospect I really needed someone that just talked to me and sparked hope and ways of finding beauty in what was left of my life (I could no longer do the work I had been doing my whole life as a graphic designer, no sudden movements so no aerobics / dancing at concerts etc, new music hurt my brain, that’s not all of it, it felt like everything in the DNA of me was lost).
Light trickled in, slowly at first and then a gush of optimism (thank you Eras Tour) and ever since I’ve been making the most out of the macro moments. My life got so small because of chronic health conditions but that doesn’t mean the things in it can’t be magnificent. Can you tell me the colours in yesterday’s sunset? Things like that are more monumental and have a bigger impact on our lives than any of us realise, until we do, and then it’s like someone switched on a life version of google translate.
So now, I try to write with a the invisible string that is finding joy in the everyday. I don’t know that it’s a deep and narrow niche that will ever be featured by substack, but if it helps even one person recompose their life, then it doesn’t really matter.
Your story is remarkable. And it’s giving you a perspective that only you have that’s narrow and deep.
Finding joy in the everyday and “hope and ways of finding beauty in what was left” after a major, difficult life event – that feels like a strong DNA.
People get tripped up with the idea that our Substacks are us and our active writing. That’s behind the scenes. Our Substacks are the essence of us, which is what you have here
Thank you for your gorgeous words, Sarah. I’m now thinking of everyone and their Substacks as magic potions / ingredients (essences) in beautiful glass bottles on an apothecary shelf. It’s a gorgeous way to imagine us all.
Cool!
How did we ever substack without you, Sarah? Thank you for your support here, I'm taking a rough and rocky stab at my Substack DNA. Its not there yet, but I'm creeping up on it?
What This Space Is Really About
I didn’t start this Substack with a master plan.
I started it the way I start most things that matter—with a feeling in my gut, a whisper in my spirit, and a half-empty cup of coffee going cold while I stared out the window wondering if I was ready.
Turns out, I was. Ready enough, anyway.
What began as a way to make sense of my own story—especially the painful, complicated, beautiful parts—has become something more: a shared space. A sacred space. A story-shaped circle where healing and honesty are welcome, and where nobody has to pretend they’ve got it all figured out.
This isn’t a place for perfectly polished answers.
There will be no ten-step formulas.
And absolutely no toxic positivity. (You can keep your “just smile!” mugs, thank you very much.)
Instead, what you’ll find here is this:
🌀 True stories, told with tenderness and courage as I write my memoir and learn from the curriculum of life
🌀 Creative-spiritual practices that help us live more deeply
🌀 The labyrinth as metaphor, map, and mirror
🌀 Body prayer, breathwork, writing prompts, and the occasional poetic rant
🌀 Reflections on recovery, motherhood, longing, and the ache and celebration of becoming
🌀 And all of it held—honestly, clumsily, beautifully—in a Great Love
You’ll also find me talking about K-dramas (yes, really), labyrinth walks that feel like prayers, and what it means to keep showing up when you’re not sure you’re ready but you know you’re called.
This space is especially for women who are in the in-between:
Between knowing and not knowing.
Between silence and voice.
Between the old story and the new one that’s still being written.
If you’ve ever curled up with your dogs, a journal, and a box of Milk Duds while asking, What am I even doing with my life?—you are my people.
If you’re longing to reclaim your voice, your story, or your creative spark—pull up a chair.
If you don’t quite fit into any category, welcome. Neither do I.
I call this space Heart’s Content because that’s what I’m offering: the content of my heart. The stuff that doesn’t always fit anywhere else. The kind of writing that wants to sit beside you, not preach at you. The kind that makes room for the mess and the mystery.
So no, it’s not a brand. It’s not a niche.
It’s a path. A conversation. A place to be real and be received.
Thanks for being here. Truly.
Let’s keep walking.
With heart,
Mary
Ok last one, I promise: Welcome to Heart’s Content
I’m Mary—a retired actor, labyrinth facilitator, late-in-life writer, and longtime storyteller.
This space? It’s for women (and kindreds of all kinds) walking through seasons of becoming.
For those reclaiming their voice, untangling old myths, and trying to live a soulful, creative, fully human life.
Here, I write personal essays about writing to heal, motherhood, recovery, the Divine Feminine, and the things we’re usually taught to keep quiet. I also share practices—like labyrinth walking, body prayer, and creative and spritual practices—to help you walk your own path home.
This isn’t a brand. It’s a circle.
A soft place to land.
And yes, sometimes there are K-dramas, Milk Duds, and spiritual epiphanies in the same paragraph.
If you're drawn to storytelling as a sacred practice, if you're curious about the intersection of creativity and contemplation, or if you're just trying to become the most honest version of yourself—you’re in the right place.
Come as you are. There’s space for all of it here.
—Mary
My Substack DNA
This space is rooted in the embodied practice of giving—to strangers, to stories, to my daughter, and to myself.
I’m building a blueprint for a life shaped by intentional pleasures, chosen presence, and creative generosity.
Here, I share emotional truths. I hold space for quiet wounds. I shed the societal expectations that weigh us down—individually and collectively.
I’m here to cheer you on as a kindness ambassador. To help you notice and curate small, meaningful moments. To remind you that speaking your (uncomfortable) truths is an act of love.
My Substack is where I build intentionality, practice kindness and cultivate grace alongside you.
This was a really helpful conversation and spoke exactly to where my head’s been at lately. I posted an article exactly a month ago that did surprisingly well (over 8k views, 270 subs, over 200 shares) and so my growth ramped up quite a bit. It’s been so fun to have something get attention, but it also has me really evaluating a) what is possible and b) what the heck I’m really trying to do here 😅
I think I want my substack to be a place to explore the tough stuff (trauma, grief, mental health) and how the stories we tell ourselves shapes our view of ourselves, others, and the world. I want to share my reflections as a therapist but I don’t want to ALWAYS be speaking from the therapist’s chair while I’m on substack (that’s a tension I’m still trying to work out). Like, I’m a therapist who also likes to talk about books, cats, and plants 🤷♀️
OH. MY. GOOOOOOSHHHH!!! Sarah, this was SO good and incredibly helpful!!
I vaguely recall you had something along these lines in your introductory series when I joined in November—don't know if they're still posted—but this hit a bit differently, in a profound way.
And, of course, I love what you said in the beginning, to paraphrase: Other people may do what you do but NOBODY can do it like YOU do. YAAAAASSSS!!!
OK, my first stab at my DNA: I believe we were all created for something. I could talk ALL DAY about helping people discover what that 'something' is. And to even put the question out there...what if we asked our Creator what they created us for? And what they're inviting us into?
Thinking a bit more about this—I realize my posts are not as much about calling. That's partly bc calling is pretty nebulous and boring unless it's attached to an individual and their unique story. But what's universal about calling is that it can be unearthed by engaging in practices that open us up to the Creator and to ourselves, and to a community of others who can help us dive more deeply into both. So I do a lot more writing about those practices.
I've been sitting with my Substack DNA... here's what I have so far. My Substack DNA is writing and creating community here on this platform - a safe womb like space for artists, creatives, misfits and visionaries to feel safe and seen while also engaging in the transformation process necessary to bring their visions and art to life. A couple thoughts from my about page: "Ophiuchus Moon Alchemy is a portal where mystical meets practical and your True Self emerges through daily transformation. A safe space for you to show up in your rawest authenticity and be celebrated!"
That said, I find I'm still struggling to feel super confident in this and know what to write sometimes because my interests are so varied. One big part of my story is trauma - very long-term abuse - so I feel I deeply understand people who are holding themselves back because of internal wounding... That's where the safe, womb-like space comes in. Would love your thoughts!
Also, I'd totally join the upcoming class but all the calls are super early morning here (I'm in Hawaii...) Would you ever consider having afternoon sessions? Asking for a friend... 😂
This is incredible food for thought. I know a lot of the genes in my Substack DNA but still figuring out the double helix. More to come, I’m sure!
My Substack DNA is writing about program management as a creative and innovative job. Too often, it's communicated as an organizational role. In contrast, my experiences have been more about applying my expertise to solve difficult problems, develop new solutions, and help people. I think there's more to explore about the work, and my Substack incentivizes me to think more deeply about my profession.
I love this. One thought: That's what you do and what your Substack's content is, but what part of you do you bring to it? How is your perspective on program management different?
I am a b&r cult survivor, solo teen mom now Nana, in long term recovery. I write from the untouchable wholeness beneath everything—to help you find your way back to it, no matter what you’ve lived through.
Brava
My substack is called The Whole Writer, which is its second naming, the first being Creativity Cove. I started off writing about creativity and play from a coaching perspective, but I felt trapped by it and didn't feel comfortable with the positioning as 'expert.' The Whole Writer, for me, is about talking between the lines of being a writer or creative, what does it actually mean to live a creative life? For me, it's impossible to separate the writing development from self growth, or creativity from the world we currently live in. So, I'm gently and honestly interrogating that, and definitely asking people to walk with me and chew over the questions or reflections together. I've also added sections about where I'm at both with publishing my first novel, and of living in the mountains. It feels good to be able to invite people into those conversations and to be able to change the tone as you would in wide ranging conversations with friends.
Carys, I love the pivot you made with the name change. I feel like you come at creativity and what it means to live a creative life in a way that's different from others writing on the topic. This struck me: sections about where I'm at both with publishing my first novel, and of living in the mountains. I'm curious what your view is of each of these. Is it similar?
Thanks Sarah, that's really kind and also lovely to hear! The sections are both based on the emotional experience of those two areas of my life. So, I would say they’re reflective, questioning but inviting in tone. I think the through line is about finding my own way/relationships with things/idea of success, and not promising or teaching down to anyone, rather sharing honestly what it feels like and what else it brings up. Thanks for asking the question, it’s really useful to think about this! I think my DNA is about claiming your authentic voice and finding your own creative path, though I’ve never framed it as that. That’s why you’re so good at what you do!
I've been thinking about my Substack DNA.
I'm a writer, have a PhD in creative writing, and want to help others experience the joy I've found in 'Place Writing'.
However...
Though 'Place Writing' is a good niche, few people understand what it is... and it really is a slippery genre.
So...
I've just recently changed the title of my Substack to 'Home and Place Writing'. It doesn't substantially alter the content but I hope it gives new readers, and potential readers, more of a grasp on what to expect.
I'm looking for the hockey-stick up-tick now!!!
I wish it were that easy! I worry that "Home & Place Writing: For Readers, Writers, Artists, Designers, and Researchers" still doesn't tell me who is behind the Substack, i.e., you. Your short description (I think) is set up to broaden your audience, but I suggest digging in a bit.
Go beyond the "what" to who you are and how your view of writing, even place writing, is different from the many other people who teach writing.
Why would writing about place be joyful? What is it about place writing that's different from other types of writing?
And definitely get that in your title and short description.
Thanks Sarah. Revised short description:
Dig into the field of Place Writing with me as your guide. Discover new ways of thinking and writing about home and place.
Loved the live yesterday and this post, Sarah. I’m learning a lot as a newbie here at SW@W! I think my Substack DNA has to do with being a people-watcher who notices. I’m most obsessed with how people behave and communicate through all kinds of transitions and everyday circumstances —I’m always curious about what makes us who we are. I’m still wondering who I’m talking with… fellow observers and listeners? Or fellow empaths who appreciate new insights on humanness?
I love that. Do you know Anne Kadet’s Substack? Similar vibe but different, of course. She’s strictly NYC.
I don’t! But will explore. Thank you!
Hi Emma! I'm waving at you digitally. So excited to see you featured here. Again, Sarah, I cannot overemphasize the little "heart nudge" I feel every time I see a familiar name on SW@W. This community is so incredible, and I'm grateful for your facilitation and support of each of us, no matter how many subscribers we have!
Aw, hi Jeannie! So happy to have your support! 🧡
Yes! That’s my goal.
I had tried to pin down one particular area to write on and couldn’t, I then realised that “Joyful ramblings and fictitious adventures to feed your soul” is actually my thing. The invisible string that binds everything I write about across a whole host of different subjects is me, showing up with words I probably desperately needed during a very isolated 2 years after a brain injury.
The way my brain had been impacted I was depressed, paranoid and often felt suicidal, to the point of trying to figure out an exit plan that would look like an accident so that the life insurance paid out. It was all dark times and in retrospect I really needed someone that just talked to me and sparked hope and ways of finding beauty in what was left of my life (I could no longer do the work I had been doing my whole life as a graphic designer, no sudden movements so no aerobics / dancing at concerts etc, new music hurt my brain, that’s not all of it, it felt like everything in the DNA of me was lost).
Light trickled in, slowly at first and then a gush of optimism (thank you Eras Tour) and ever since I’ve been making the most out of the macro moments. My life got so small because of chronic health conditions but that doesn’t mean the things in it can’t be magnificent. Can you tell me the colours in yesterday’s sunset? Things like that are more monumental and have a bigger impact on our lives than any of us realise, until we do, and then it’s like someone switched on a life version of google translate.
So now, I try to write with a the invisible string that is finding joy in the everyday. I don’t know that it’s a deep and narrow niche that will ever be featured by substack, but if it helps even one person recompose their life, then it doesn’t really matter.
Your story is remarkable. And it’s giving you a perspective that only you have that’s narrow and deep.
Finding joy in the everyday and “hope and ways of finding beauty in what was left” after a major, difficult life event – that feels like a strong DNA.
People get tripped up with the idea that our Substacks are us and our active writing. That’s behind the scenes. Our Substacks are the essence of us, which is what you have here
Thank you for your gorgeous words, Sarah. I’m now thinking of everyone and their Substacks as magic potions / ingredients (essences) in beautiful glass bottles on an apothecary shelf. It’s a gorgeous way to imagine us all.