And to all who have bought the book -- it means so very much, more than you know, and I feel each one of you. In the midst of tending to an industry, your humanity is embedded in my heart. Thank you deeply.
"People love someone who gives without asking for much in return. Especially if that someone is a woman. People love someone who doesn’t try to get too big, too bold. People love someone who pretends to not need much. People love someone who keeps their desires right-sized, which, if we’re being honest, means small." THIS
Figuring out how to share our work, get paid, reach a large enough community that it starts to feel sustainable, and do it all "authentically" while not appearing to ask for too much, is ~exhausting~. Promoting the work is so hard. Chasing the algorithm and being louder and more visible on toxic social platforms also feels like... not the way?! It's a horrible "between a rock and a hard place" situation. Thank you for bringing us along on your journey and for sharing honestly.
"I have gotten so comfortable sharing my heart on social media and in my writing from behind a screen that I’ve neglected creating avenues to receive what I need to live fully so I can keep on giving." That was me, after a decade of wide-open online sharing, writing, teaching, guiding, creating, and facilitating. Deeply meaningful work, and also deeply depleting and limiting. Reconciling my desire for something different with my fear of change (and loss) did not come easily. Then last fall, I deleted all of my social media accounts. It felt like dropping a curtain on my life and, in some ways, the work I had poured everything into creating, the community I had nurtured. There was a lot of ego death involved. Six+ months later, I am beginning to feel and experience the power of that decision, with new ways of relating (and working) coming into being. Wishing you well with all of it as your little one goes through her own big transitions.
Wow, Lisa! I’m blown away by your real share. I feel it all as a guide and fellow author (who, btw, doesn’t have anywhere near your follower numbers!). When I was still a wet-behind-the-ears coach I used to travel to my clients’ college, office, home…and never charge adequately! I think back to that version of me and feel such a depth of compassion for her. She just wanted to serve, to help people at any cost, even to herself!
I’ve come a long, long way since. I quit social media three years ago and have been so much happier and present!
At 62, my boundaries are sturdy and rest is my love language. I claim my knowledge and wisdom as priceless. People fell away, the ones who were invested in me playing and staying small. And that was necessary so that I could finally step into my new self. I charge what I need, to have enough to care for myself. It’s a journey for sure but so worth it.
I just bought it on book shop. Nothing wrong with asking us to buy your work. I was talking today about your first book. She adopted two children from India who were relinquished due to poverty. And they never got past why they weren’t wanted. Until she took one back to see her village. And she got it. Thank you.
May you get the readership you so deserve.
I’m a social worker and therapist. And writer. Have been the first two for 50 years Also. And think you have a lot to offer in person as well as on paper. Hoping to hear more.
Thank you, Lisa. You give into the unknown. You forge through fresh snow and turn to see your solo footsteps. I cherish this unique gift.
There is so much to be valued about what you wrote in “The Ache…” yet I think it is new territory - and the newer it gets, the slower the takeup into people’s consciousness.
But the new path must be taken! You are a gifted, intuitive leader, and as a writer myself, your work has encouraged me to take bolder steps on that snowy path, too.
Yours is the path untravelled, so far… and “that makes all the difference.” (“If” :)
hey lisa! thanks for your candour and honesty. a lot of what you shared resonated with me.
i was a major market commercialradio host for 20 years, where people could access me daily, LIVE even, “for free.” when it’s come to “monetizing” my work or talents, i don’t know if i’ll ever *gulp* be financially compensated for the work i’ve done in this lifetime.
it seems boggling to me that someone (you!) with 400k followers online and 42k newsletter subscribers does not “convert” to book copies sold. and having said that, it is extremely difficult to play internet marketing psychological games when it comes to “content” and “selling yourself” when you have deeply rooted values, ethics, morals, and ways of self-care. we have been reduced to aligning our meaning and worth with the $ amounts and numbers… when none of this is true. and yet - sounds like a time to take into account of what you need and what you want to do moving forward.
i think people seem to want more online without “committing” to anything, and yeah that includes people they may “follow” or connect with. it seems like many don’t want tangible items (a book to hold, a piece of your heart irl) when they can “just” scroll mindlessly or “get content online for free.”
i really appreciated the workshop you held with those that pre-ordered your book.
I ordered your new book from my local indie bookshop and I am really loving it! I wish all 400k of your Insta followers would do the same. I know they would enjoy it as much as I am!
Hi Lisa, gee, I have no answers (I wish I did) , but I love your questions. You continue to be one the most thoughtful voices to follow. And, 🙏 that some answers to some of your quandries arrive. Particularly in letting you be present, and still be more than barely solvent. You deserve more. Looking forward to seeing you in Pt. Reyes. Might make it to Petaluma if I'm able. Take care.
Your work amazes me and speaks to me daily. I don’t work in your field; I work in a healthcare profession, in a reproductive health role, for an academic medical institution, a corporation that theoretically is at the foundation of our healthcare system. I’ve worked hard, for 20+ years caring for women and marginalized folks and I take call shifts that span the wee hours of the night to wait for babies, and I must see more patients in a clinic day than can fit, based on the time they actually need me to spend with them, which leads to late evenings doing documentation. I’m not allowed to construct the role differently, though I’m now a survivor of Stage IV cancer and would like to. But the corporation knows how much it can get out of me and other women like me, who need to feed their families and pay for college. They set the bar so we have to always work a bit harder to hang on to the draft of the speeding peloton . And how do I step away and make that move to say, I need something different, I am going to do something different ? I’m no longer ok with having my life and life force used this way. It’s not clear what’s right to do. I just want to say I hope you can find a good path that feels like there is some kind of balance. I’ve grown to understand the stability of even my modest corporate salary and health insurance has a high collateral, though I know it is also incredibly privileged . But your writing offers me permission to inquire, and a courage to think outside of my box, as I also address my own Aches that Remain. I am so grateful to have your book. I recommend it daily . 🫶
Longtime lover of your work and the way your words slip softly into the center of my heart. Your books are well loved and shared companions and yet I’ve never upgraded my newsletter subscription to paid. Changed that today. Grateful for what you share so freely - and the chance today to consider how I show up and if I could do more to support and value the work you do. 🌱
And to all who have bought the book -- it means so very much, more than you know, and I feel each one of you. In the midst of tending to an industry, your humanity is embedded in my heart. Thank you deeply.
"People love someone who gives without asking for much in return. Especially if that someone is a woman. People love someone who doesn’t try to get too big, too bold. People love someone who pretends to not need much. People love someone who keeps their desires right-sized, which, if we’re being honest, means small." THIS
Totally. This!
Figuring out how to share our work, get paid, reach a large enough community that it starts to feel sustainable, and do it all "authentically" while not appearing to ask for too much, is ~exhausting~. Promoting the work is so hard. Chasing the algorithm and being louder and more visible on toxic social platforms also feels like... not the way?! It's a horrible "between a rock and a hard place" situation. Thank you for bringing us along on your journey and for sharing honestly.
"I have gotten so comfortable sharing my heart on social media and in my writing from behind a screen that I’ve neglected creating avenues to receive what I need to live fully so I can keep on giving." That was me, after a decade of wide-open online sharing, writing, teaching, guiding, creating, and facilitating. Deeply meaningful work, and also deeply depleting and limiting. Reconciling my desire for something different with my fear of change (and loss) did not come easily. Then last fall, I deleted all of my social media accounts. It felt like dropping a curtain on my life and, in some ways, the work I had poured everything into creating, the community I had nurtured. There was a lot of ego death involved. Six+ months later, I am beginning to feel and experience the power of that decision, with new ways of relating (and working) coming into being. Wishing you well with all of it as your little one goes through her own big transitions.
Wow, Lisa! I’m blown away by your real share. I feel it all as a guide and fellow author (who, btw, doesn’t have anywhere near your follower numbers!). When I was still a wet-behind-the-ears coach I used to travel to my clients’ college, office, home…and never charge adequately! I think back to that version of me and feel such a depth of compassion for her. She just wanted to serve, to help people at any cost, even to herself!
I’ve come a long, long way since. I quit social media three years ago and have been so much happier and present!
At 62, my boundaries are sturdy and rest is my love language. I claim my knowledge and wisdom as priceless. People fell away, the ones who were invested in me playing and staying small. And that was necessary so that I could finally step into my new self. I charge what I need, to have enough to care for myself. It’s a journey for sure but so worth it.
I just bought it on book shop. Nothing wrong with asking us to buy your work. I was talking today about your first book. She adopted two children from India who were relinquished due to poverty. And they never got past why they weren’t wanted. Until she took one back to see her village. And she got it. Thank you.
May you get the readership you so deserve.
I’m a social worker and therapist. And writer. Have been the first two for 50 years Also. And think you have a lot to offer in person as well as on paper. Hoping to hear more.
Thank you, Lisa. You give into the unknown. You forge through fresh snow and turn to see your solo footsteps. I cherish this unique gift.
There is so much to be valued about what you wrote in “The Ache…” yet I think it is new territory - and the newer it gets, the slower the takeup into people’s consciousness.
But the new path must be taken! You are a gifted, intuitive leader, and as a writer myself, your work has encouraged me to take bolder steps on that snowy path, too.
Yours is the path untravelled, so far… and “that makes all the difference.” (“If” :)
Keep writing from the heart. It shows.
This is such a beautiful and generous demonstration of what it means to honor and protect one's creative work.
As artists and healers, we can be generous and we can want and ask for more. Thank you for the reminder.
hey lisa! thanks for your candour and honesty. a lot of what you shared resonated with me.
i was a major market commercialradio host for 20 years, where people could access me daily, LIVE even, “for free.” when it’s come to “monetizing” my work or talents, i don’t know if i’ll ever *gulp* be financially compensated for the work i’ve done in this lifetime.
it seems boggling to me that someone (you!) with 400k followers online and 42k newsletter subscribers does not “convert” to book copies sold. and having said that, it is extremely difficult to play internet marketing psychological games when it comes to “content” and “selling yourself” when you have deeply rooted values, ethics, morals, and ways of self-care. we have been reduced to aligning our meaning and worth with the $ amounts and numbers… when none of this is true. and yet - sounds like a time to take into account of what you need and what you want to do moving forward.
i think people seem to want more online without “committing” to anything, and yeah that includes people they may “follow” or connect with. it seems like many don’t want tangible items (a book to hold, a piece of your heart irl) when they can “just” scroll mindlessly or “get content online for free.”
i really appreciated the workshop you held with those that pre-ordered your book.
Reading this immediately transported me to a Waxahatchee song called Lilacs. And then I saw the Polaroid photo from 2007.
Thanks for sharing the process of becoming, as always, to remind all of us we are not the only ones muddling through complexity and tension.
I ordered your new book from my local indie bookshop and I am really loving it! I wish all 400k of your Insta followers would do the same. I know they would enjoy it as much as I am!
Hi Lisa, gee, I have no answers (I wish I did) , but I love your questions. You continue to be one the most thoughtful voices to follow. And, 🙏 that some answers to some of your quandries arrive. Particularly in letting you be present, and still be more than barely solvent. You deserve more. Looking forward to seeing you in Pt. Reyes. Might make it to Petaluma if I'm able. Take care.
rooting for you <3
Your work amazes me and speaks to me daily. I don’t work in your field; I work in a healthcare profession, in a reproductive health role, for an academic medical institution, a corporation that theoretically is at the foundation of our healthcare system. I’ve worked hard, for 20+ years caring for women and marginalized folks and I take call shifts that span the wee hours of the night to wait for babies, and I must see more patients in a clinic day than can fit, based on the time they actually need me to spend with them, which leads to late evenings doing documentation. I’m not allowed to construct the role differently, though I’m now a survivor of Stage IV cancer and would like to. But the corporation knows how much it can get out of me and other women like me, who need to feed their families and pay for college. They set the bar so we have to always work a bit harder to hang on to the draft of the speeding peloton . And how do I step away and make that move to say, I need something different, I am going to do something different ? I’m no longer ok with having my life and life force used this way. It’s not clear what’s right to do. I just want to say I hope you can find a good path that feels like there is some kind of balance. I’ve grown to understand the stability of even my modest corporate salary and health insurance has a high collateral, though I know it is also incredibly privileged . But your writing offers me permission to inquire, and a courage to think outside of my box, as I also address my own Aches that Remain. I am so grateful to have your book. I recommend it daily . 🫶
Longtime lover of your work and the way your words slip softly into the center of my heart. Your books are well loved and shared companions and yet I’ve never upgraded my newsletter subscription to paid. Changed that today. Grateful for what you share so freely - and the chance today to consider how I show up and if I could do more to support and value the work you do. 🌱