The final goodbye and trusting what's to come
When letting go becomes the bravest choice to honor a truer calling
November 8th, 2024 at 735pm
I grieved the death and the end by delivering the last email to a newsletter I’ve been writing for 4 years.
By making that public announcement to my email list, it became very real that I had closed down the dating niche era of my business.
This bittersweet turmoil and grief have been weighing on me heavily, and I sat on that email for nearly 2 weeks, wondering… “What should I say?… How do I close out this chapter of my business and life?”
I’ve sent out Paper Planes (the name of that newsletter) for 4 years now, and it really started to gain traction in the past couple of years. I’ve even incorporated paper planes into my brand photos, too, as they have become a part of my identity.
But the disheartening part is that my heart is no longer in promoting dating content.
I saw how excited and dedicated other dating coaches continued to be with the topic… as I felt my passion waning.
It took a lot of courage to face that, especially since I was featured in Kit’s newsletter in August, and I’ve been getting invites to be a part of dating summits and events and podcast interviews, too.
…but I had to be honest with myself.
Last March 7th (2023) around 430pm
My then-business coach asked me, “Is this really what you want to do?”
I was in denial and decided to prove her wrong by doubling down on my commitment.
So, for more than a year, I made a big push to grow that newsletter and business, thinking that would “solve” the diminishing interest… but that frustration only bubbled deeper.
As a desperate final attempt to try another approach, I hired another top-tier business coach last December and went 120% all in with his strategies and methodologies.
I got results, but I hustled my way to burnout.
June 12th, 2024 at 930am
This conversation made me see what and where I’ve been going about this all wrong.
On my last coaching call with him, he got really real with me. He transparently shared his journey and made me realize that no matter where you are in entrepreneurship, how I felt was a continual struggle. That’s when I realized chasing after the “right” strategy was a fool’s errand. It’s about crafting the proper strategy for me that was going to get me to that glorious, holy grail of “there”.
And with alllllll the different courses, programs, coaching, certifications, books, and numerous types of content I’ve come across and consumed, I had more than enough options and data points I could pull from.
More importantly, that call awakened something deeper within me. Because, at the root of it, my life has been evolving, and my soul has been leading me elsewhere.
I had to create the courage to follow my heart
I had to face all my fears, doubts, concerns, and the seeming sense of failure. Pivoting a moving ship with momentum isn’t easy. I had to pump the brakes to make sure I wasn’t speeding down the wrong path or building something unsustainable in the long run.
In the process of slowing down and tuning within, I had my answer.
Even though I have plenty of more wisdom to share in regards to relationship building, it’s time for that to evolve beyond dating... and open it up to more. Plus, that intuitive strategist within me has been having so much fun supporting others on the side for more than a year, and she’s yearning to help even more people!
That’s why I took that leap of faith in starting this Substack in June and sharing my mission to build a business with a proper work life balance that fits within my desired lifestyle. All because I’m DONE with all the hustling and inauthentic strategies! I am dedicating my time and energy to establishing a well-rounded, Soulfueled work life instead.
I feel very exposed by making this vulnerable choice to share my journey on Substack. I’ve been let down. I’ve been steered in the wrong directions. I’ve even been swindled. I’ve also made plenty of silly mistakes, too. But the severity of those can’t compare to how the current status quo and what we’ve bought into all feel so broken. These conversations need to be had and shared, so that you don’t make those same costly mistakes I did with my time, money, and wellbeing.
As I create, build, and grow this new business, I’m happy to spearhead this Soulfueled way like a mad scientist, using myself as a guinea pig experimenting, testing, and gathering feedback, so that I can report back results and strategies that could work for you, too.
I want to be an encouraging voice on your journey to show that what you want IS possible. It’s ok to remain a solopreneur. It’s ok to run your business with a small support team, whether they’re contractors or employees. You don’t need to keep 10x-ing your progress and process to have the impact and financial results you want.
I now understand that I’ve been substantially feeling all the challenges and pain points of entrepreneurship, so I can transform my experiences into something relatable and practical to overcome and share.
I had enough content to even write a book in 2 weeks! I’ve planned out future workshops and mini courses. I’ve even invested in having a dedicated app and platform to host all this content and grow this Soulfueled community.
No, this won’t be a temporary interest or a side hobby.
This is a way of life I am fully committed to!
Cheers to embracing a Soulfueled way of being and this new beginning of something amazingly aligned.
USEFUL JOURNAL PROMPTS
What is the calling from your heart and soul that you have been ignoring or putting off? What specifically is holding you back from doing it? What’s something you can do to create the courage you need to get started?
P.S. Click the ❤️ if this reminded you that it’s never too late to pivot and honor what’s truly calling you. Share or restack this post to help remind others that letting go of what no longer fits is what makes space for what’s finally right.
I can feel the "soulfueled and strong" in your writing Kat! Which says a lot about how aligned this new direction is for you.
Giving ourselves a break to be true to our changing selves is so important. And letting go of the past needs time.
Thank you for allowing us in to see your journey. I feel braver watching you be vulnerable and candid about your story. I think that's the essence of "soulfueled."
Well done for taking the leap. You have to be passionately about what you write, and especially with writing about dating, you have to be close to it.
I wrote about dating on Medium but by then I’d met my partner, and after a couple of years the topic wasn’t relevant to me anymore. So I stopped and concentrated on leadership and training. Now I’m more focusing training. What I’m saying is that things change, and it takes a while to work out what you want to do.