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Hello lovely ones,
How are you feeling today? How is your heart?
Last week marked two years since I took the leap and started writing on Substack, I wasn’t planning on doing anything specific to mark this, however when I started reflecting on 24 months of re-devoting myself to writing and cultivating connection in community, I felt the call to share a little solo podcast chat about the journey and the gifts that it has given me.
This is not a ‘how to’ by any stretch of the imagination, simply a little bit of storytelling around the past two years and how writing on Substack has shaped and soothed me.
If you fancy a little trip down memory lane and wish to explore some of the posts in my archive click below.
Before we get to the episode… just incase you are interested… here is my Substack journey timeline and a little recap of my learnings on this platform.
March 2023 - launched with 20 subscribers - sharing this post.
April 2023 - I had my first post that gained a little traction and started connecting me with more people on the platform. I don’t want to live my life in a square.
August 2023 - I started sharing meditation practices on here and in October I started playing around with paid offerings around sacred business support.
January 2024 - I rebranded to the new name - Held. by Lauren Barber in this post here. At this point I had 473 subscribers.
February 2024 - I felt called to take a month off and rested in the creative void (the irony after a launch!!)
March 2024 - I launched a totally new collaboration on here with my dear friend
(who I met through Substack!) as we started sharing Holding Stories offerings - which began as a live in person event in London last April.Also in March I took part in a huge International Women’s Day collaboration led by
and shared this post around the power of Women’s Circles — which re-ignited in me my innate NEED to come back to holding in person Circles of my own.In addition in March (clearly the Spring vibes got to me!!) I rebirthed my podcast Unravelling and transferred it onto Substack after previously hosting it on Libsyn.
June 2024 - I started to have the confidence to share some of my poetry on here.
August 2024 - I finally got round to writing a Hero post after much procrastination (it was actually a really wonderful way to get clear on what I wanted to bring to this space so I recommend doing one if you haven’t already and feel called).
November 2024 - After having the dream of reaching 1000 subscribers by the end of the year, I met this number early and at the end of November had 1022 subscribers.
December 2024 - I finally had the courage to start sharing officially about Human Design here — despite having been offering readings for nearly 5 years — and it has fast become one of my top posts and also lead to some incredible collaborations.
January 2025 - I relaunched my paid membership as The Balm and now have nearly 50 paid members which absolutely makes my heart soar because community and connection is the number 1 reason I am here.
March 2025 - I re-rebirthed the Unravelling podcast — because my capacity last year was just not there to continue with it — with this incredible conversation with
about Sobriety, Compassion and Curiosity and in a few weeks will be sharing a beautiful conversation with that I cannot wait for.
My top pieces…
The practice that has been listened to the most is The Held Heart Yoga Nidra (which I have opened up for free for a week as a little gift to you today if you would like to sample it) and the top Motherhood related post is ‘I will be a better Mother tomorrow’ which I shared in July 2023, with ‘Not the year I thought it would be’ shared in January 2024 (which talks about my first year as a Mother of two) coming in a close second.
While numbers are not the be all and end all, I do desire to grow and expand this space. My big bold vision for 2025 is to reach 2000 free subscribers by the end of 2025 and 100 paying members. Both feel massive stretches but also expansive and exciting.
What have I learned?
You can listen to the whole episode to get the full story, but here are my biggest takeaways…
Through experimentation I have learned so much about what feels most aligned to me. I have leaned heavily on my Human Design during this past two years and actually Substack has been such a beautiful playground to help me embody it more into my heart work.
I previously thought I couldn’t hold a membership because I had tried on several platforms before and the energy and enthusiasm waned after a little while. What I realise in hindight is that I actually love to journey with others over time BUT I need to have an element of flexibility in what I share. Here it feels like I am able to offer a gentle structure without feeling too restricted.
I need a rhythm to hold me accountable but without restriction. A Wednesday weekly sharing provides me with this, the creation itself can move with fluidity but the rhythm stays the same. This feels like a beautiful dance between sacred structure and divine flow and it really works for me.
I LOVE being live in community and I want to bring more and more of that. In the past creating membership offerings had felt heavy because there was no interaction, here I have built it so that there is many live components (in the membership) so it feeds that need in me and energises me.
Sharing through my voice feels very aligned to me, whenever possible I will record my post as well because there is something about speaking it out loud that integrates it further in me and connects me deeper to those who are listening. Depth and intimacy is a huge part of my heart and soul work and so I will do anything to create more opportunities to do that.
I am an experiential writer and very much write from the heart, as if I am in conversation with the reader rather than laying out facts and figures in a more structured way. My writing will often meander and take people on a journey from poetry, to images, to real life learnings… it may not be the most perfectly formulated style but it feels so right in my system.
I go very much on what is most alive for me in the moment, I write my posts at the start of the week and schedule them on a Tuesday to go out the next day. Sometimes that is a mad dash to complete and other times it flows easily. All of it is done around the edges of client work and Mothering.
I ADORE collaboration and have been so honoured to be invited to co-create with some amazing writers. I share all of these collaborative pieces here.
I see this space as a home to all of my creative expressions and cannot label myself as one thing. It totally goes against my Manifesting Generator nature. What I love about Substack is that I can showcase it all and have never once felt that I needed to hide a side of myself to be appreciated in this space.
I share this all to show the reality of growing in what has felt like a sustainable way, a way that has felt aligned to my values and my life and a way that has put my nervous system and natural energy at the forefront of importance.
It has been a really deep and rich few years, full of ebbs and flows and not without challenge, but I have found my writing and creating such a tether through it all. I genuinely cannot see how things would have evolved in the way they have without this space to express on Substack.
“I have just shown up and written and just shared what I wanted to share. Shared what's felt exciting and alive for me in that moment. And honestly, if I was going to share any advice to anyone that was at the beginning of their Substack journey, or someone who wanted to start a Substack, I would genuinely say... just write what you love.”
—Lauren Barber
On to the podcast…. in this episode I share…
What sparked me to create my Substack back in March 2023, and how it has evolved over the past two years.
A crazy story about an Oracle card and how the Universe really does work in magical ways at times.
How I view my Substack space as a home for all the things I love to share — from practices to audios, to poetry to written essays.
Why finding a rhythm and structure was so useful for me, and how I honour my need for creativity within that.
How confidence giving writing on Substack has been for my creative expression and how it has become an integral part of my heart work ecosystem.
How it took me two years to really experiment and land in this space.
And so much more…
You can also listen to the episode on Apple here and Spotify here.
“That's what I really love. It's not about numbers. It's about a space that is ready to receive. It's about being in a space that feels safe and nourishing in the nervous system to be visible on. Visibility has been a huge part of my journey in kind of unraveling and allowing parts of me to be seen and so I just feel very grateful to have found a space where I feel wholeheartedly received for who I am.”
—Lauren Barber
Thank you so much for being here to listen to read my words and listen this conversation of Unravelling, I would love to hear in the comments if you enjoy this episode and if there is anything that surfaces for you when you listen.
Until next time…
With so much love,
Lauren
xxx
The Unravelling Podcast is a sacred space for you to come to when you feel the need to be nurtured, inspired and witnessed in all the beautiful messiness of life. You can expect an eclectic mix of topics that include Motherhood, Womanhood, Soulful Business & all that is Sacred. The episodes are intended to be soothing and gentle, yet powerful and impactful, weaving the beautiful art of storytelling together with life lessons, practical tools and a little bit of magic too. The journey of unravelling has many, many layers, and each of us are on our own unique path. My hope is that the words shared in each episode will offer a spark of curiosity and a moment of resonance, and help support you in your own beautiful explorations.
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