Slowly rolling into the new year

on always evolving, changing roads and being your true self

First of all, I want to thank you for being here. For supporting me with your positive comments and likes on my posts. It has been a great first year (or 10 months ;-) on Substack and having you as my reader fills my heart with joy. If you like this publication, please become a paid subscriber and enjoy the benefits of receiving a weekly writing prompt that helps you to create the life that suits you best.

Hello lovely you,

I hope you had a great start of the year and that you feel positive about what is in store for you this year. My year starts in a good balance between hibernating and moving forward into a new version of myself. As I am alone in my (way too cold) old Greek cottage on an almost deserted island there is not much more to do than, work, eat, sleep and going out in nature. In the meanwhile taking care of the cats, cuddling them and making sure the fire keeps burning.

Moving through emotions

I haven’t been writing a very personal update in the last weeks, as I was moving through some pretty heavy things in myself. Now I have moved through most of it and I feel the space to share more about the journey I’m on. The last weeks the energy was tough. I heard from a lot of my sensitive friends that they went through some heavy stuff these weeks as well. Being confronted with old fears of which we thought we had moved through enough. But before moving ahead, some of us where asked to take a step back to answer the question, are you really sure you want this?

For me the answer is: YES, definitely. I am ready for my new chapter and it is going to be amazing. Because I am moving my working life more back to my Dutch speaking clients, I came to ask myself, in what way fits this Substack in my life and work. And this weekend it hit me.

My next year on Substack

As I was writing my morning pages on Sunday, I was a bit distracted by Substack Notes. Just reading all kinds of messages I asked myself do I want to be part of this community and if so, what does it need from me? (how) do I want to show up in this community, or is this newsletter just another tool for me?

Last year was my year of playing and exploring to figure out who am I and what do I want to create in this world. And this Substack become a big part of that journey. This place helped me to refine my message, to find strength and to see how I want to work and with who.

A new year, a new me?

An interesting question that I was working on in the last weeks was the one where I wondered, can you just be a new person when a new year starts? Can you just change overnight? Because I think that moving from someone who is just playing and exploring to be a business owner is not something you do overnight. And on the other hand, I want to be a business owner that is still able to play and explore. But I was told to believe that these two can’t go together.

My first working week of 2024 has shifted my whole idea of this. I published my new Dutch website and since the moment I shared this with the public I feel way more confident to run my business ànd to be able to play and explore. The feedback on what I offer is amazing and I really feel like 2024 is going to be a year where I will be a playful business owner again, like I was when I started my first business almost 20 years ago.

What’s next?

So to answer the question: What role will Substack play in the new year for me? This will be my international place of connection with sensitive women who feel they have a role to play in creating a world that is more loving, caring and sustainable. Where we can be women and relax in the knowing that we are good enough. Just because we are, by being here and doing what we want to do. And what this is, is different for all of us. Whether you are a writer, a mum, a creative being, a healer or a vegan chef. When you want to make the world a better place, I welcome you with open arms.

Changing the direction

I will change some things on this blog. One important change for me is that the free sessions will not return in 2024. I realised that for now they take too much of my energy and drain me, instead of energise me.

In return there will be a weekly writing ritual (for paid subscribers) and a free post about how to write your life, towards the life that suits you best.

You will receive the writing rituals every Sunday, the regular blogs will be posted on Fridays (I think that I will write only once every two weeks, but when I have more time and inspiration they will be posted more frequently).

A question for you

As I am progressing to move forward with this blog, I would love you to answer me what you would like to read in the next year. I will be writing about how I create(d) the life that suits me best and what I learn while doing so. I will write about living on a Greek island and the challenges and joys that brings. I will write about how to do things different than you were taught and how to move through the challenges that brings.

Because you have been reading my stories in the last year, I love to hear from you what you would like to read about how to create the life that suits you best, or maybe you want to know more about me, about Corfu, about my writers life. Or about how to connect with your inner wisdom to make the choices that suit you.

Let me know in the comments or send me an email, I love to hear from you!