You've got maybe 40 minutes. The house is quiet. You open your phone, scroll past the reels you saved, and sit there thinking about everything you actually want to say out loud but can't figure out how to fit into 60 seconds of trending audio.
The caption you trimmed. The story behind the story. The real version that didn’t make the final edits before hitting publish.
If that sounds familiar, this newsletter is the place I'm building for exactly that.
Why I'm here (the short version)
I've been a writer way longer than I've been a content creator. I started a blog back in 2015, still in school studying marketing and digital communications, and that turned into years of freelance content writing, putting other people's ideas into words for a living.
Writing has always been the thing I come back to.
Right now I'm on mat leave with my second, running an Etsy greeting card shop I've had for six years, posting on Instagram, and quietly building things in the background.
And the more I build, the more I realize I have things to say that don't fit in a reel or a 2,200 character caption.
So this isn't me jumping on a newsletter trend. This is me coming back to the thing I've always loved.
What you'll actually get here
I'm calling this The Beautiful, Messy In-Between, because that's exactly where I am, and I think a lot of you are too.
Not at the beginning. Not at some big arrival. Somewhere in the middle, building something while also living a full life that doesn't pause so you can figure it out.
Here's what I'll be writing about:
Building a creative life
What it actually looks like to make things when your longest uninterrupted window is 45 minutes, at best because there always seems to be a new sleep regression or leap happening.
I’ll be sharing the experiments, the tools, and the creative energy that comes and goes. Think personal branding, growing online, exploring old and new creative passions, and all the fun stuff.
Making money because life is expensive and we all want to be wealthy
I have multiple streams of income that aren’t huge, but they’re something. I’ll be sharing how I make income outside of my 9-5 so you can learn from my experiences and grow something of your own.
We’re talking about… What it costs to run an Etsy shop and what I'm learning about building income streams that don't require me to be online 24/7. The honest numbers, not just the wins.
And fyi, I’m not going to be sharing ways for you to get rich overnight or “ask ChatGPT for a list of ideas that I can pop into an AI generator tool to start making today”.
We’re all about sustainable, realistic growth here. We got kids to feed, y’all.
Marketing without the fluff
I'm a marketer by trade. I'll share what I'd actually tell a friend over coffee about growing online, not the recycled "post consistently and add value" advice you've already heard.
And it’ll be digestible and easy to understand because we’re 3 coffees in and our brains can only handle so much more.
Motherhood and ambition
For anyone who's tired of choosing between being a good mom and being ambitious. Both exist at the same time.
Yes, it's messy but it’s worth talking about. That’s the whole point of this, right?
The in-between diaries for anyone who cares
The personal stuff. The weeks that don't have a tidy lesson. The things I'm figuring out in real time.
I’m not a well-known content creator or influencer. Heck, I don’t even think my next door neighbours know my name. But that’s what will make this honest and real. I’m not here to sugar coat things because I literally have no one I’m trying to impress.
Who this is for
This is for the women who want to make money, make things, try new ideas, and build something of their own without waiting for the "perfect" season to start.
Those who don't have a five year plan but do have a notes app full of half-formed ideas and a lot of energy.
If Instagram is the storefront, this is the living room.
So pull up a chair (maybe with your donut pillow sitting on top if you’re freshly postpartum, iykyk) because we’re about to get comfy and situated.
I don't have a content calendar for this, but I do have a long list of things I've been wanting to say.
So let's start there.
With love,
Sally
I feel like this is exactly what I also want my Substack to be about! I can’t wait to read more of your stuff. Fellow writer who’s also building a personal brand online?! We literally gotta meet up haha
So much yes!!! Can’t wait to read more. 💖