2023 was a doozy of a year that was filled with highs and lows. From tons of travel to attending my first NY Fashion Week, to speaking at an Ivy League university, and then to ultimately taking most of Q4 off for a short sabbatical (hello, burnout!), I feel like this year was a decade.
Welcome to my year-in-review recap.
Workload-wise, things weren’t quite as busy as in years past: I’d been steadily increasing my workload for the past several years to the point of being totally overwhelmed and exhausted.
I referenced this in my 2021 recap, but it wasn’t until this past year that it finally caught up with me. I had to make some changes. My body forced me to, really; I kept getting sick, and my brain was overloaded. More on what I did to work on that in a bit.
Aside from that, I did start/revive a few side projects and continue existing ones, spent a lot of time outside (with my dog, Brooks!), read 65+ books, and did a lot of internal work (still am!) on myself in hopes of making 2024 more balanced, manageable, and in line with what I want for my life.
Here’s a deeper look at my 2023.
New Things + Continued Projects
New: The Writing Lab
Toward the end of last year, I *finally* rolled out The Writing Lab, which is the hub for all of my writing-related resources, video lessons, templates, and more. For the past few years, I’ve had these hosted on my Squarespace website, but moving everything over to the Podia platform allowed for greater customization, better design, and in general, more options as far as hosting digital resources.
I plan on adding to it in 2024 with new one-off video lessons and a full-on writing course (coming soon), but it’s been nice to be able to put everything in one place. (Shoutout to my husband for helping bring this to life and handling all the design work!)
New: Off The Clock Podcast
In 2023 I joined forces with two of my dearest friends, Krista Doyle and Allie Decker, to launch a new podcast called Off The Clock. All three of us work in the content marketing space, and we wanted to create a show where we talk about *anything* but work. We’re 13 episodes in so far, and we talk about everything from pop culture to topics around philosophy, psychology, and life in general. It’s been one of the most fun projects I’ve worked on in a long time, and I’m looking forward to more of it in 2024. (It’s been audio-only for a bit, but we’re talking about bringing back the YouTube version soon!)
More of the Freelance Writing Coach Podcast
The other podcast I co-host with my good friend and fellow writer Emma Siemasko continued this year with several new seasons rolling out over 2023, and we covered topics like tips for getting hired and working with high-expectation editors, as well as current events (like the emergence of AI-powered writing tools and the incredible volatility it caused in the freelance space.)
We’ve now got more than 70 episodes under our belts with 60,000 downloads across 100+ countries, and we’re gearing up to record our next batch of episodes later this month. (Psst…if you’d like to sponsor this upcoming season, we’re looking for a partner!)
Bringing Back Coaching
2023 was also the year I revived my one-on-one coaching offering, but with a twist: This time around, instead of having it focused on the freelance business operations side of things, I pivoted it to be writing-focused. So many people I’ve talked to said they struggle with consistency, accountability, and generally feeling like their writing skills are sub-par, so this four-week intensive’s goal is to address all of those issues and help participants publish more and get out of their own way.
That said, if you’re looking for guidance from someone who can help you either start a writing practice (which you can eventually monetize!) or just improve your writing skills in general, this might be what you need for 2024.
Trips & Travels
2023 was one of my busiest travel years to date! I’m someone who really volleys between “Yay, travel! Adventure! Let’s go!” and “Ugh, travel. It’s exhausting, things always get delayed…is it even worth it?” I really leaned in this year to the adventure side of things (some for work, some for fun), and I have zero regrets.
NYFW
In February, I was invited to two different runway shows at New York Fashion Week, which I’d never attended before. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t feel a little out of place, but it was a fascinating experience. Did I have something akin to scenes from The Devil Wears Prada in my head? Yes, I did. Was it like that? Um…no. There were a ton of incredibly dressed people everywhere you looked, and there were street photographers capturing it all (even me!), but I was surprised at how quick the shows themselves were (maybe 15 minutes tops?)
I think if I went again, I’d wear much more comfortable shoes (the stiletto boots I wore absolutely destroyed my feet), I’d dress warmer (NY in February is FRIGID), and I’d take a friend. It’s not as fun when you’re flying solo! However, I did meet a few lovely people there who made it much more enjoyable, and afterward, I got to watch Rhianna’s Superbowl performance from my hotel bathtub. Overall, it was a very cool opportunity.
Palm Springs/Los Angeles
In April I escaped the Midwest winter to stay in an amazing Airbnb with my bffs and fellow freelancer pals Ashley Cummings and Michael Keenan for a few days in Palm Springs. It was not the toasty weather we hoped for, but we got in some quality time before I headed over to attend the eTail West conference later that week. During that trip, we also drove over to LA to visit family and got in some beach walks.
Chicago
I typically have a couple of train trips into Chicago during the year, and twice, I went into the city to record an in-person episode of Off The Clock with my co-host buds. While I was there, I visited the Field Museum (which I always love…I could spend HOURS looking at the gemstone collection there; the Death special exhibit was surprisingly moving as well.) Other highlights included the Art Institute, seeing the Improvised Shakespeare Company (hilarious, you MUST go see them if you’re in the city), and a stay in the incredible Langham Hotel.
NYC
I headed back to NYC in July to participate in a panel at the Columbia School of Journalism, speaking to an audience of graduate students on the topic of AI as it relates to the current state of reporting-related work (including its legal/policy implications, its impacts, and more.)
Overall it was a hopeful discussion, and while AI is 100% rapidly changing the writing profession, the general message here was: These tools are not going away, but it’s also not all doom and gloom for writers and journalists.
During this trip, I also popped into the Natural History Museum (another incredible mineral collection), ate at my favorite restaurant (Palma), and got extremely overstimulated by the smells and sounds and sights that is the city in the summertime.
Austin
In September, I attended an ecommerce meet-up in the city, stayed at a very cool Airbnb, and got to see Krista (1/3 of the Off the Clock Pod) for some top-notch Halloween hangs. It was alarmingly hot there and I was sick with a stomach bug, so overall, I didn’t get to do a whole lot during that trip. I need a do-over!
Writing Retreats
I took a couple of brief writing retreats in 2023 to work on a novel that I started during National Novel Writing Month like…three years ago. Both were at Airbnbs not too far from home but in locations remote enough that distractions were minimized.
I’m currently doing a massive re-write of the first draft and about 50% of the way through, but have lost my inspiration and motivation to work on it over the past weeks. I need to get back to it. The writing retreats are always an exercise in getting some fresh scenery that hopefully sparks some inspiration, but I’ve found they also sometimes create a sense of pressure and urgency that isn’t super helpful.
If I’m honest, I get the most writing work done when a stroke of inspiration hits, and I immediately sit down to write in my home office on my desktop computer. Here’s to hoping I finish this thing in 2024.
I’m close, what I have so far is pretty solid, and the subject matter/theme is super timely. Hold me to this, people!
Life Things
2023 was a year where I pushed. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to do more solo traveling, to be deliberate about making/maintaining new friendships, to question a lot of my limiting beliefs, and to follow my interests more intentionally.
I celebrated my 10-year anniversary of self-employment this year, and that milestone stirred up a lot of existential questions for me about my life, my work, my relationships, and what I wanted for myself over the next decade. Long story short: I decided to make some changes, pushed back on a lot of the patterns/programming I’d built up in myself over time, and worked at re-designing things in a pretty major way.
A few things that stand out:
Building a greater sense of community in my life. I joined two local book clubs as well as InterIntellect (an online hub for salons/discussions on various topics), started a new just-for-fun podcast, made time to see friends from far away face-to-face, and tried to become a better texter (I’m still not good at it, but I need to do it so I can keep in touch with friends who don’t use social media.)
Prioritizing physical fitness. I’ve got a lot of energy most days, and if I don’t burn it off, it shows. I started taking pilates reformer classes, taught a few dance classes at a local studio, started working out with a personal trainer, and made myself go outside to hike, kayak, swim, or ride bikes on nice days. Brooks (dog) was very happy about this change, as he often went along.
Following my interests. This was the year I made time for the things that I love. I went to museums and looked at rocks and fossils. I attended the launch of the first public quantum computing network. I read a lot of philosophy. I ate more Greek food. I dressed up as Hedy Lamarr for Halloween. I started tracking my outfits just because. I sat in front of one of my favorite paintings in a museum for a long time (more than once.)
Taking a sabbatical. The burnout I felt around work was pretty intense, and as a result, I took much of the last 2.5 months of the year off. I still worked, but not a ton, and I didn’t take on any speaking gigs. I’m back in action now and taking on new clients, but the rest was much needed. I’m grateful I was able to do that.
Did I figure *everything* out? No. Do I have a game plan for 2024? Not really! But I feel like I’m moving in the right direction now, have more clear priorities, and have established a better routine that helps me break some old patterns that weren’t really serving me anymore. (Hell yes you can hear my therapy talking.)
Looking Ahead
I don’t know about you, but as a freelance writer and, in general, a human being, things feel like they are changing faster than ever right now. Online, we’re hit with a non-stop stream of information that’s incredibly overwhelming.
My plan for the year ahead is to be more mindful of those inputs, to go back to more manual activities (so, putting down the phone and picking up a book, a film camera, a paintbrush), and to take back control over my brain and what goes in it.
