Am I first?! ☺️ Hello, everyone. I'm Lisa. My Substack is Secrets from an HSP Copywriter. HSP = Highly Sensitive Person. I'm also a parent, Communications Director for a non-profit focused on people with intellectual disabilities and I'm Canadian. Go, Jays! 🇨🇦
Thanks for clarifying so much, Sarah. I feel a lot better about what I am doing, both after the DNA Workshop and now after this helpful post. My Substack is Spellbound Mystery Magazine, and our main purpose is to offer fun and entertainment in a chaotic world. I've teamed up with three other mystery authors to share our carefully curated list of great mysteries--plus original short stories, hot trends, puzzles, and quizzes. I am focusing on indie mystery authors who are doing such a good job in a tough market. And Lisa, I'm a Californian, but I'm still rooting for the Jays!
Thanks, Sarah. Yeah, we've added features popular in newsstand magazines and tweaked them to relate to mysteries and authors. It's great fun, and you've really helped me spark my creativity. In one of your workshops, you mentioned a coach who said that for every complaint or whine, we need to spend an equal amount of time appreciating good things going on in our lives. That really resonated with me, and I use it every day! Thanks!
Thanks, Nikki. I always appreciate your comments on Spellbound Mystery Magazine. Best of luck with your Substack! There's so much to learn, but Sarah shows us the way.
Thanks so much! And let me know if there's something you'd like to read more about--or a mystery book you want to recommend. I really like your description of Weeknights in Italy. "Unfussy" grabbed me! I just subscribed. ;-)
Thank you, Lynda! And thank you for telling me what was catchy in my profile! I really appreciate that. ❤️ My favorite mystery books are The Alienist, Gone Girl, The Housemaid, and The Thursday Murder Club series. I can’t wait to see what recs you’ve got up your sleeve!
Literally just finished reading one of those prediction posts…thanks for keeping us grounded. My Substack is Yoga for Women’s Wellbeing and I offer soulful practices for curious seekers who no longer have time, money, or interest in heading to the yoga studio. Yoga, for me, is a lifestyle practice and I share a wide variety of resources to help you feel a little calmer after spending a few minutes in my little Substack studio🙂
This might not seem so important but you are a helluva writer! [Isn't that one of the most important things most (all?) of us on Substack want to be recognized for?]
Ha ha! I just read one of those Substack-a-damus posts as well! I have really sharpened my newsletter thanks to your advice. There's a reason 82% value your expert guidance most. Thank you, Sarah, for providing so many ways to help us connect with other writers on Substack.
So, for my newly renamed Quiet Acts of Healing (thank you again for your guidance on changing my Substack newsletter name), I've just finished rewriting my Welcome/Hero post for the gazillionth time and am sharing it here. I hope some of you will take a look. I would love some feedback. https://maryannrollano.substack.com/p/welcome-to-quiet-acts-of-healing
I just read your Welcome post and was struck by its clarity, simplicity -- and surprise factor! I can honestly say I've never heard of a "former critical care nurse turned award-winning tea specialist" before! So well done, your writing is lovely and your subject (or DNA, as Sarah calls it) intriguingly unique. You've got a new subscriber!
Love this! Great welcome post. Subscribing now! Can’t wait for 1% better Mondays!!! What a powerful shift from ER nurse to herbal specialist and tea healer 😀 Excited to learn from you.
Thank you, Ashley, for the feedback and for subscribing! I also love yoga, although truthfully, I slacked off after my favorite yoga instructor sold her practice and moved across the country. Subscribed.
Love this opening! As a former ICU and ER nurse, I know the ways modern medicine saves lives. I also know the ways it doesn’t.
I'm in.
I kind of want this in an About me heading: I’m Mary Ann Rollano—a former critical care nurse turned award-winning tea specialist researching medicinal herbs. I’ve seen what happens when we ignore our bodies’ warning signs. I know stress is a massive driver of illness, and I know which herbs are perfect for a nervous system in overdrive.
Thank you, Sarah. That opening came from a note. I'm finding that writing for Notes forces me to write clearly and more briefly. It's great writing practice, actually.
Hey Mary! You cover a super powerful topic. Read your welcome page. Good job! It has so much my page hasn't. It tells us what we get. It's specific and creates appetite for more. It's ideal in size, easy to digest.
I love the "1% Better Mondays". First I read about 1% improvements in Atomic Habits. The theme is jaw-flapping. You applied it to your field in a wonderful way. If we improved our Monday by 1% each time it would compound to 68% better Mondays after one year.
YAY!!! The irony?! Having you (and others) push me to what felt like 'choose a box' brought up strong feels. I've spent my entire life resisting boxes! And that, it's now clear, is the throughline. Thank you, Sarah!
Sarah, I've recently become a paid subscriber, because I think you have a vision and intuitive understanding of substack that is grounded in a no nonsense practical wisdom, and is NOT getting caught in the tangle of trends which will lead us nowhere.
Making good things brings us good things.
I'm Emma, writer, mother, leader and teacher. I live in Australia, but work with people all over the world as we navigate our way toward a new consciousness on this planet. I'm so happy to be here.
Longtime fan of Sarah! Through essays, interviews, and fiction, my newsletter, Homecoming, grapples with our most pressing questions: How do we honor both the beauty and the urgency of our environmental moment? How do we find hope within systems that feel broken? What can we learn from those who've walked these paths before us?
I have been with you for most of 2025 and my Substack has benefited tremendously. The most important thing that happened was last June when I made the decision to move my writing into a different area and renamed my Substack. I now write about nature, our relationship in it, and a sense of place. I lost quite a few subscribers as I knew I would. Since June, I have focused on my DNA and my messaging to readers.
I am retired, with a monthly income, and lots of interests but far less energy. I have no intense desire to accumulate subscribers who don't read (my open rate is 40%) so I am now focusing my energy on improving my writing skills to connect with the readers who do read what I write. I have a book idea in the brainstorming phase and have connected with several amazing authors who teach the craft of writing.
I have no illusions about Substack but am disappointed to see the focus on social media. I left all social media several years ago and it was the one of the best decisions I made. For me, Substack has lost its Shiny New Object appeal but it is a platform for my writing - for now.
Sarah, you helped me right at the beginning! Now I've expanded into offering support groups and workshops as well as writing my newsletter for neurodiverse couples in which one partner is autistic and the other is not. I've also changed my tagline to "From clashing to connecting in your neurodiverse relationship | Guidance from Sarah Swenson LMHC"
I'm excited to say my Substack has subscribers from all over the world so my support groups and workshops offer many perspectives on what it's like to be in a neurodiverse relationship.
Wow, your newsletter sounds SO needed! Glad to know about it! I work with a lot of ND caregivers/partners of ND caregivers/parents of ND children in my own community and love knowing that I can send them your way.
So true. But I'd kind of rather you have all sorts subscribing to your Substack so you can win them over :)
I love your short description and what you're doing. This is what pulled me in: Memes catch like sticky paper. Shift from "This is how we've always done it" and break away from the pack thinking.
Thanks for keeping things in perspective, Sarah. It's hard not to get wrapped in the 'What's next for Substack' rhetoric.
I've done a lot of soul work on my Substack this year. I have Bookish stack which is purely used as my author newsletter. Happy for it to grow organically.
My other Substack, Nest Creativity, is where I'm focusing on doing my best work outside of writing books. Nest is a place where creatives and curiosity seekers can feel safe to grow and thrive. A safe space to help you reconnect with your creativity and work towards growing an intentional, creative life.
This is such a great short description: Nest is a home for writers and creatives to come together and explore, nurture and prioritise their creativity.
The prediction posts are so much gloom and doom and I’m tired of it. Thank you for saying the same! I’m interested in growth but mostly interested in engagement and have been trying to really participate in comments. I also want to get better at my writing so that it is more engaging. I plateaued from June through late September and now I’m growing again, slowing but consistently.
I've been active here since April. Growing slowly... still for free. Love to learn from some of you more advanced folk. I write a mix of insight, life lessons, tips on writing, moving, finding our breath, spirit and voice. Stories, humor, reflections on being alive. What it means to be sensitive and to deeply listen.
“What if Substack is simply what it’s always been: an amazing opportunity (we seem to have forgotten how hard it was to make even a dollar from writing before Substack)…”, this is why I came to Substack, and also why I stay. Freedom and empowerment. My Substack is The Creative Advocate, a Sunday online magazine, where you can read short essays on creativity, literature, language, identity, and the power of reinvention.
Am I first?! ☺️ Hello, everyone. I'm Lisa. My Substack is Secrets from an HSP Copywriter. HSP = Highly Sensitive Person. I'm also a parent, Communications Director for a non-profit focused on people with intellectual disabilities and I'm Canadian. Go, Jays! 🇨🇦
Thank you for going first!
Thanks for clarifying so much, Sarah. I feel a lot better about what I am doing, both after the DNA Workshop and now after this helpful post. My Substack is Spellbound Mystery Magazine, and our main purpose is to offer fun and entertainment in a chaotic world. I've teamed up with three other mystery authors to share our carefully curated list of great mysteries--plus original short stories, hot trends, puzzles, and quizzes. I am focusing on indie mystery authors who are doing such a good job in a tough market. And Lisa, I'm a Californian, but I'm still rooting for the Jays!
I'm so glad, Lynda. So cool. Puzzles? Mystery authors? Oh, my gosh.
Thanks, Sarah. Yeah, we've added features popular in newsstand magazines and tweaked them to relate to mysteries and authors. It's great fun, and you've really helped me spark my creativity. In one of your workshops, you mentioned a coach who said that for every complaint or whine, we need to spend an equal amount of time appreciating good things going on in our lives. That really resonated with me, and I use it every day! Thanks!
Thank you for the reminder! I always forget. EAT: equal air time.
Very cool, Lynda! Off to check out your Substack... 🚶♀️
Oh, and thank you for rooting for the Jays! ⚾️
Wow! They're a powerhouse, doing a great job. Maybe tomorrow night!!
Yesssss! 🍁
Love your work Lynda!
Thanks, Nikki. I always appreciate your comments on Spellbound Mystery Magazine. Best of luck with your Substack! There's so much to learn, but Sarah shows us the way.
Too true!
I subscribed -- I'm such a fan of mysteries and puzzles and really enjoying your work so far!
I checked out yours, and I already get a kick out of your sense of humor! Looking forward to following what you're up to.
Thank you so much!
So interesting! Just subscribed!
Thanks so much! And let me know if there's something you'd like to read more about--or a mystery book you want to recommend. I really like your description of Weeknights in Italy. "Unfussy" grabbed me! I just subscribed. ;-)
Thank you, Lynda! And thank you for telling me what was catchy in my profile! I really appreciate that. ❤️ My favorite mystery books are The Alienist, Gone Girl, The Housemaid, and The Thursday Murder Club series. I can’t wait to see what recs you’ve got up your sleeve!
Great reads, Lolly! Thanks for sharing. I hope you find some new favorites on Spellbound. All the best!
Literally just finished reading one of those prediction posts…thanks for keeping us grounded. My Substack is Yoga for Women’s Wellbeing and I offer soulful practices for curious seekers who no longer have time, money, or interest in heading to the yoga studio. Yoga, for me, is a lifestyle practice and I share a wide variety of resources to help you feel a little calmer after spending a few minutes in my little Substack studio🙂
Excellent!
Calm is such a valuable commodity these days. ☺️
It is AND it should just be the natural order of things. Sigh.
This might not seem so important but you are a helluva writer! [Isn't that one of the most important things most (all?) of us on Substack want to be recognized for?]
100000%
As are you, David.
Ha ha! I just read one of those Substack-a-damus posts as well! I have really sharpened my newsletter thanks to your advice. There's a reason 82% value your expert guidance most. Thank you, Sarah, for providing so many ways to help us connect with other writers on Substack.
So, for my newly renamed Quiet Acts of Healing (thank you again for your guidance on changing my Substack newsletter name), I've just finished rewriting my Welcome/Hero post for the gazillionth time and am sharing it here. I hope some of you will take a look. I would love some feedback. https://maryannrollano.substack.com/p/welcome-to-quiet-acts-of-healing
I just read your Welcome post and was struck by its clarity, simplicity -- and surprise factor! I can honestly say I've never heard of a "former critical care nurse turned award-winning tea specialist" before! So well done, your writing is lovely and your subject (or DNA, as Sarah calls it) intriguingly unique. You've got a new subscriber!
Thank you so much. I do appreciate the positive feedback; it's very helpful. And you're subscribing—thank you!
Love this! Great welcome post. Subscribing now! Can’t wait for 1% better Mondays!!! What a powerful shift from ER nurse to herbal specialist and tea healer 😀 Excited to learn from you.
Thank you, Ashley, for the feedback and for subscribing! I also love yoga, although truthfully, I slacked off after my favorite yoga instructor sold her practice and moved across the country. Subscribed.
Substack-a-damus--exactly.
Ashley's right. It's so clear.
Love this opening! As a former ICU and ER nurse, I know the ways modern medicine saves lives. I also know the ways it doesn’t.
I'm in.
I kind of want this in an About me heading: I’m Mary Ann Rollano—a former critical care nurse turned award-winning tea specialist researching medicinal herbs. I’ve seen what happens when we ignore our bodies’ warning signs. I know stress is a massive driver of illness, and I know which herbs are perfect for a nervous system in overdrive.
Thank you, Sarah. That opening came from a note. I'm finding that writing for Notes forces me to write clearly and more briefly. It's great writing practice, actually.
I love that.
No such thing as slacking. Just moving through the cycles and seasons of life 🙂 excited to have you in the studio!
I need to revisit my Welcome/Hero post. Yours is great. So good that I subscribed. 👍
Thank you! It took many revisions.
I just revised mine! We’ll be talking about this! The new goal: 150 words. Impossible, but I think it got mine down to 350 words :)
Unless it’s your philosophy/manifesto (of sorts), an essay, then it can be longer but still broken up into shorter paragraphs.
Sounds good. Looking forward to reading your advice.
Hey Mary! You cover a super powerful topic. Read your welcome page. Good job! It has so much my page hasn't. It tells us what we get. It's specific and creates appetite for more. It's ideal in size, easy to digest.
I love the "1% Better Mondays". First I read about 1% improvements in Atomic Habits. The theme is jaw-flapping. You applied it to your field in a wonderful way. If we improved our Monday by 1% each time it would compound to 68% better Mondays after one year.
Wish all possible success!
Thank you!
More than welcome!
Hello, everyone! Rather than read those posts (I'd rather be exploring), I'll let you do that, Sarah, and take your word for it :)!
My newsletter is unTamed Science: Society tries to put us in boxes. I’m trying to escape them. Lessons in flow.
https://splashed.substack.com
OMG! I love this! I’d love to interview you for my Reciprocity series. If you’re interested, DM me. ☺️
OMG! I can't say 'yes' fast enough! Finding my people in flow...
I'll DM you.
I want to stand next to you so some of that flow rubs off on me!!
Come on over, Julia!! :)
I just subscribed!
Yay! Welcome!
LOVE!!! Your lens is getting super clear. I'm curious about Science now. unTamed something that's you as a woman/human.
YAY!!! The irony?! Having you (and others) push me to what felt like 'choose a box' brought up strong feels. I've spent my entire life resisting boxes! And that, it's now clear, is the throughline. Thank you, Sarah!
Hilarious.
🤣
Sarah, I've recently become a paid subscriber, because I think you have a vision and intuitive understanding of substack that is grounded in a no nonsense practical wisdom, and is NOT getting caught in the tangle of trends which will lead us nowhere.
Making good things brings us good things.
I'm Emma, writer, mother, leader and teacher. I live in Australia, but work with people all over the world as we navigate our way toward a new consciousness on this planet. I'm so happy to be here.
I'm so happy to have you.
I love this: "Making good things brings us good things."
Amen.
Will you share your Substack URL, so we can visit?
Longtime fan of Sarah! Through essays, interviews, and fiction, my newsletter, Homecoming, grapples with our most pressing questions: How do we honor both the beauty and the urgency of our environmental moment? How do we find hope within systems that feel broken? What can we learn from those who've walked these paths before us?
Julie!!!! I've been thinking of you. I love how you've broadened to give us a definition of home that's not just my tiny apartment.
Oh, I hope to see you in here every week.
Thanks! I appreciate your encouragement. And of course these valuable lessons and perspectives.
I have been with you for most of 2025 and my Substack has benefited tremendously. The most important thing that happened was last June when I made the decision to move my writing into a different area and renamed my Substack. I now write about nature, our relationship in it, and a sense of place. I lost quite a few subscribers as I knew I would. Since June, I have focused on my DNA and my messaging to readers.
I am retired, with a monthly income, and lots of interests but far less energy. I have no intense desire to accumulate subscribers who don't read (my open rate is 40%) so I am now focusing my energy on improving my writing skills to connect with the readers who do read what I write. I have a book idea in the brainstorming phase and have connected with several amazing authors who teach the craft of writing.
I have no illusions about Substack but am disappointed to see the focus on social media. I left all social media several years ago and it was the one of the best decisions I made. For me, Substack has lost its Shiny New Object appeal but it is a platform for my writing - for now.
I'm so happy to have you! And to be of help.
40% is an excellent open rate. And remember that doesn't mean the same 40% read your posts. Some open one week, others the next.
Yes, we'll pivot and lose people. Perfectly normal.
That was an email I am going to save and use as reference.
Quite and update. Thank you.
I'm so glad, Cynthia. I hope a good email.
Oh, yes. It was a good email.
Sarah, you helped me right at the beginning! Now I've expanded into offering support groups and workshops as well as writing my newsletter for neurodiverse couples in which one partner is autistic and the other is not. I've also changed my tagline to "From clashing to connecting in your neurodiverse relationship | Guidance from Sarah Swenson LMHC"
I'm excited to say my Substack has subscribers from all over the world so my support groups and workshops offer many perspectives on what it's like to be in a neurodiverse relationship.
Wow, your newsletter sounds SO needed! Glad to know about it! I work with a lot of ND caregivers/partners of ND caregivers/parents of ND children in my own community and love knowing that I can send them your way.
So cool, Sarah! And it's so good to see you!
I looked at a person who followed me and they had Hundreds of people they were following. There is No way someone who genuinely read all those parts.
Growth may happen and where did that lead if it's just likes and random followers.
So true. But I'd kind of rather you have all sorts subscribing to your Substack so you can win them over :)
I love your short description and what you're doing. This is what pulled me in: Memes catch like sticky paper. Shift from "This is how we've always done it" and break away from the pack thinking.
Thank you!
I have been blocking a number of new followers. They have too much ick factor, all men, no posts themselves, and not my vibe.
Thanks for keeping things in perspective, Sarah. It's hard not to get wrapped in the 'What's next for Substack' rhetoric.
I've done a lot of soul work on my Substack this year. I have Bookish stack which is purely used as my author newsletter. Happy for it to grow organically.
My other Substack, Nest Creativity, is where I'm focusing on doing my best work outside of writing books. Nest is a place where creatives and curiosity seekers can feel safe to grow and thrive. A safe space to help you reconnect with your creativity and work towards growing an intentional, creative life.
https://nestcreative.substack.com/
This is such a great short description: Nest is a home for writers and creatives to come together and explore, nurture and prioritise their creativity.
Thank you!
I love soul work on your Substack.
That will keep things in perspective.
The prediction posts are so much gloom and doom and I’m tired of it. Thank you for saying the same! I’m interested in growth but mostly interested in engagement and have been trying to really participate in comments. I also want to get better at my writing so that it is more engaging. I plateaued from June through late September and now I’m growing again, slowing but consistently.
Me too! Re: comments. So important.
The writing piece is so key. I love that you're doing that.
I've been active here since April. Growing slowly... still for free. Love to learn from some of you more advanced folk. I write a mix of insight, life lessons, tips on writing, moving, finding our breath, spirit and voice. Stories, humor, reflections on being alive. What it means to be sensitive and to deeply listen.
https://substack.com/@deborahjeanneweitzman?r=bystz&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile
You offer so much!
Unsolicited advice incoming so disregard if not helpful!
I'm curious about separating your bio and short description:
Bio: Writer and teacher of Voice, Breath, and Free Movement. (I'm big on fragments.)
SD: A supportive space to talk and learn about overcoming perfectionism and living an authentic and joyful life with the world's challenges.
Thank you, Sarah. I kind of bugged it together for the message here it's a little bit clearer on my Substack.
“What if Substack is simply what it’s always been: an amazing opportunity (we seem to have forgotten how hard it was to make even a dollar from writing before Substack)…”, this is why I came to Substack, and also why I stay. Freedom and empowerment. My Substack is The Creative Advocate, a Sunday online magazine, where you can read short essays on creativity, literature, language, identity, and the power of reinvention.
https://thecreativeadvocate.substack.com/
Betina! I'm very excited to have workshops again and so hope to see you. You're always such a bright light.
The Creative Advocate, a Sunday online magazine--I love a Sunday online Magazine.
Thank you, Sarah!!! And of course, you’ll see me at the workshops, as always!!!