How I went from being a cog in the wheel to a creator
My meandering journey to writing on Substack
How did I end up here?
Hi, I’m Holly – a coach, mindfulness practitioner, and generally curious human being. I came to Substack by chance, or rather, serendipity. A kind friend gifted me a subscription to
’ Step Up Club for Christmas (a great resource for professional women seeking a supportive peer network). Before this, I hadn’t even heard of Substack (and there I was thinking I’m an early adopter…)I’d never thought of myself as “a writer”, though I guess most of us write every day in some form or another. So why start writing now? This is where the serendipity comes in (forgive me for the meandering tale of how I got here).
Hi, I’m Holly - coach, mindfulness facilitator and author of Zestful Zen. I write about self-care, change, personal growth, mindfulness, and purpose. If you like life to be full of zest and energy, complemented by a zen, calm mind, Zestful Zen is the community for you! 💖✨
Lost in the wilderness of burnout and boredom
Until recently, most days I woke up excited about work, eager to make a difference and contribute to something bigger. I was lucky that I could swap roles every few years (often moving countries) and work my way upwards, taking on different challenges and learning new skills. I thrived on the variety (with the odd patch of burnout thrown in).
But after 14 years in a big organisation, I lost the zest that powered me through long hours, demanding projects, and urgent deadlines. I was bored, my achievements didn’t feel meaningful anymore, and in my heart, I knew it was time to move on – but to what? I felt lost and didn’t know where to begin. I’m sure plenty of you have been there too.
Abracadabra! Or my trio of lucky breaks
My first lucky break was discovering the magic of coaching, when my employer paid for me to train as an in-house coach (a “voluntary corporate contribution”, alongside my day job). Learning a new skill that helped others was transformative for me. I could feel my mind expanding again with every workshop and I devoured my textbooks and assignments. It was so nice to “use my brain” again in a different way.
Every client session lit me up inside as I saw the difference I was making to colleagues’ lives, and I started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I could make the leap to a new career in coaching. Meanwhile, I applied the techniques I’d learned on myself, pinpointing my “why” in life – what fulfilled and energised me – and accepting that my current job just wasn’t the right fit anymore, for this season of my life, despite the travel opportunities it offered, and the financial comfort of steady employment.
Lucky break number two came soon after. During a stressful patch at work, exacerbated by my increasing conviction that I just didn’t want to be there anymore, I signed up for an 8-week course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Cue my second transformative experience in a year. As you’d expect from the course name, mindfulness dramatically reduced my stress, bringing back my zen. But not only that, it magically “fixed” my back, neck and shoulder pain (a story for another day).
After this unexpected eureka moment, you can bet I was hooked. I became quite the evangelist, encouraging friends and colleagues to give mindfulness a go. And that quiet voice inside me that had been searching for my “why” said, “hey, why not teach mindfulness too?” I’d been helping some of my coaching clients overcome stress and find balance in their lives, so adding mindfulness practice to my skillset was a no-brainer and I signed up for more courses and teacher training.
So how does this lead to me writing on Substack…?! Well, I guess my solopreneurship journey is the third lucky break that’s brought me here, to this page today. I’m still working a busy 9-5 job, but I’m also training as a mindfulness teacher and launching a coaching and wellbeing business (as a side hustle to start with, hopefully a full-time gig soon).
Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day, but it’s amazing how energised I feel building something meaningful and my zest is coming back with a vengeance. I’ve gone from being a small (bored) cog in a big machine to a creator, pouring my heart and soul into this new adventure. Even something as simple as picking brand colours and website fonts has lit a fire in my imagination.
I’ve found my people here
While building my website and learning about marketing (including how essential a blog is!), I’ve been absorbing fantastic tips on writing, content creation and growing a community from generous Substack writers like
.I’d pictured my blog living on my website, and seen it as a way of building professional credibility through sharing resources to help my clients. But over the months I’ve been imbibing Substack, I’ve felt a more authentic voice emerging and I realise I can bring my own flavour to this.
Yes, I can be professional and offer value, but that doesn’t mean I can’t add a touch of personality to my writing. I credit the supportive Substack community for this shift in perspective. Everyone is so encouraging, building each other up. It’s inspiring to see authors give it their all, overcome obstacles, and succeed, and I feel like I’ve happily stumbled upon “my people” – another serendipitous turn of fate.
Join me on this exploratory journey
So, with this convergence of my lucky stars, it’s time to take the plunge and start my newsletter. What can you expect from me? Well, with massive thanks to all those who so freely share their advice, I’ve gotten the clear message on consistency! I plan to publish every Saturday morning, though I’ll throw in a mid-week bonus post from time to time when I can.
I can’t wait to have some great conversations on here with this awesome community.
I’d love to hear about your Substack journey too
What brought you to Substack?
How does Substack spark your creativity?
What are your top tips for new Substack writers?
What do you most enjoy reading on Substack?
We share so much! From burnout to finding coaching and mindfulness. I trained as a mindfulness teacher after an 8 week MBCT. Training was a wonderful journey. I literally experienced some of my content moments during those months. Good luck with your journey and using this place to explore your writing and creativity!
What a great story Holly, lovely to read!