A new way for us to connect
For anyone who wants to chat one-on-one ☎️
Hi friend,
I’ve largely been offline for the last two weeks—still tending to my neck pain, but doing some fun things too. Like hanging out with Tall Man and his kids while they were off school, and getting ready for a trip down to London this weekend for a very exciting event which I’m sure I’ll gush about next week!
While I haven’t been publishing any words, I have been thinking about the business side of my writing life. That’s something I don’t talk much about, but do get questions about: how I make money. There are so many different ways authors piece together a living (and I do mean: it’s in pieces). You can write, edit, consult, teach, speak, create and sell products, and offer all kinds of other services…
Over the last 15 years, I’ve done a little bit of everything—and quickly figured out what I like/don’t like doing. It probably won’t surprise you to learn: I don’t like most of the “models” of what I see other authors doing. Sometimes I try them on for size, but they never feel quite right. I could list off examples of what you might see others offer, but I’d rather say why it doesn’t feel right for me personally: because of how much distance it creates between the reader and the author. The author becomes a high-paid expert and is put on a pedestal. I don’t want to be on a pedestal. And I don’t want to be an expert. I just want to be a human. This is something I first said when I quit blogging in 2018, and it still feels true today.
Anyway, I’ve had an idea about something I’d like to add to my business for a long time, but talked myself out of it for a variety of reasons. First, I couldn’t find any other authors who offered this. Or if they did, they were charging 2-3x the price, making it completely unaffordable for 99% of people. I can’t do it for free, because I still have to survive under capitalism too! But the price I was thinking of didn’t seem to match what anyone else was charging. So then I went through the whole line of questionning of whether or not I was “underselling” myself or “not charging my worth” whatever that means anymore. And about a year ago, I just let the idea go… but I don’t want to let it go. I want to do this and I want to do it my way. So, I am.
I love writing books and this newsletter. It’s my favourite form of self-expression. But I feel most like myself with I’m present and engaged in conversation—and I want to bring that part of myself to my business.
I want to spend more time in conversation with you. Not just replying to comments or getting to do a few short exchanges in journalling sessions. Actual one-on-one conversations. Over the years, people have asked if I offer any form of calls, and the answer was no. But now it’s YES! And I’m not doing it as an expert or coach (I’m not one of those). I’m calling it… a friendly chat. This won’t be for everyone! So if you’re not inerested, you can stop reading here. But if you’ve ever wanted a chance to talk one-on-one, pick my brain or chat through a topic/project together, I’m finally making that option available for some of the paying subscribers in our community! Here are answers to some of the questions I think you’ll have about this. Like most things I do, I’m considering this an experiment and an offering that I know will shift over time… but here’s where we’re starting:
Now offering: One-on-one calls ☎️
How does it work?
Up until now, there have been two ways to subscribe and pay for this newsletter: monthly or annually (at a discount). I’ve added a third option.
When you upgrade your subscription to the “Friendly Chat” option, you will be sent a link that allows you to book a (single) one-on-one chat with me. This is a 60-minute private Zoom session, where we will discuss a topic/project of YOUR choosing. We could talk about:
Topics I’ve addressed in my books or newsletter. (Money? Shopping bans? Decluttering? Mindfulness? Travel or moving? Anything else?)
Goals/experiments I have some experience with, and could potentially help you map out for yourself, in a way that feels healthy and achievable.
Writing/publishing a book. I’m happy to answer any questions I can, and/or point you to resources that have helped me!
Writing a newsletter. I’m happy to answer questions, or we can brainstorm, plan, process, etc.
Or maybe you don’t know why you want to talk, but you just want a chance to connect! We can do that too and see where the conversation takes us.
I don’t mind what we talk about, friend. I’m just excited to connect with you and hope something I say might be helpful! The one disclaimer I need to make is to please remember I am not a mental health professional, coach, etc. I'm simply a writer who knows how valuable it can be to talk and learn from people who live and work in ways that feel aligned.
What’s your availability?
From now until July 16th, my availability is: Tuesday, Wednesday, and most Thursday from 2pm-5pm UK time (6am-9am PT, 9am-12pm ET). If weekends are better for you, there are also two slots available on Sunday, June 15th + July 13th. I only do 1 call per day, so once someone books a slot, that day gets greyed out in the calendar.
I know these times won’t work for everyone. One of the biggest challenges of moving to the UK has been navigating the fact that the majority (~70%) of my readers/subscribers/customers are based in North America. And I moved 5-8 timezones ahead of you. I think about this all the time, and have been trying to work in ways that accommodate the most people possible—but I have to start working within more of my own boundaries and responsibilities here. These are days and times I know work for me, so we’re starting with this.
My calendar is currently setup for bookings until July 16th. I want to see how this initial test run goes, and figure out if the times work or if anything needs to change or I can open up more time slots. I also need to figure out what summer holidays will look like with Tall Man, when I’m going home to Canada for a visit, etc. So I won’t be available July 17th-August 31st. But then I’ll come up with a new schedule for September onward! I’ll keep you posted on all calendar updates, until you’ve booked your chat.
What do I need to prepare/bring?
Just yourself and anything you want to talk about! Depending on the topic, you might want to come up with a list of questions for me. On my end, I’ll bring my curiosity and experience, and be prepared to ask you questions as I listen too!
Oh and one thing to note is our Zoom session will not be recorded. So you might want to bring something to take notes! (I’ll take some notes too, and will ask if you’d like me to send them to you after.)
What is your cancellation policy?
I know that life happens and we can't always make it to the appointments in our calendars. I also know that I organize my day around calls, and rescheduling is disruptive to both life and creative flow. So I've tried to create a cancellation policy that feels reasonable and fair:
This subscription + one-on-one chat is non-refundable.
If you have to reschedule, you can do that a max of two (2) times.
If you want to cancel altogether, you will not be refunded.
And no-shows will not be granted future booking attempts.
I’m ready and know what I want to talk about! How do I book our chat?
Upgrade your subscription to the “Friendly Chat” option, which is £100 (£64 more than a regular annual subscription). The approx. exchange rate = $130 USD, $180 CAD, €116.
After you do this, you’ll get an email that includes a link to book your one-on-one chat. Scroll through the calendar and find a day/time that works for you. Once you’ve filled in the form and clicked “Book,” you’ll get an email from Zoom with all the details you need to join the meeting on your chosen day/time. You’ll also get a reminder email 24 hours before our chat!
With your subscription, you get 1 chat per year—and you can book it anytime in the next 12 months (though I imagine you’ll want to chat sooner than later!). But it’s already crossed my mind that some people may want to chat more than once. If, after our first chat, you find yourself wanting to talk again… let me know. I don’t have a system setup for this yet, but I feel open to figuring out ways for people to book extra calls (at separate prices).
Ok, that’s all I can think of sharing about this right now… so I’ll leave you here, friend! I’ll be back next Wednesday with a review of what happened at The Lighthouse in April (spoiler: Birdy’s babies are almost all grown up!). And next Saturday, I’ll send out a regular weekly dispatch and tell you a bit about what we’re doing in London this weekend…
If you have any other questions about this offering, let me know! This is all new, and I’m excited to figure out how it’ll work—together.
xx Cait