Substack 2025: Looking Ahead

A year of meaning and more to come

Unsplash+ Maryam Sicard

Woohoo!

I feel very fortunate to have begun building my Substack community. As I write this, I am proud to say that I am nearing a reach of 200 subscribers, which, for some, might feel like “pocket change,” but for me, feels celebratory.

Looking ahead to 2025, I hope to continue to build readership and bring content your way that is thoughtful, hopeful, always real, and occasionally funny.

I am always on the hunt for good humor, which must explain why the first question I always asked my kids when they came home from school was, “Did anything make you laugh today?”

Since I am not, by nature, a funny person, I have described two roles in achieving humor: the creator and the appreciator. We need ‘em both. I think I’m the latter.

Looking ahead

My big news in 2025 will be my rolling out the third book in my Alfred series. The third book, Coming of Age at Forty, shares the evolution of Alfred’s mom, who has suppressed traumatic moments of her past, only to finally face them and come out healthier and more whole.

We might think of “coming of age” as a theme about teens and young adults because that is how we’ve experienced the idea in books and movies. This novel makes the point that “coming of age” is a life-long endeavor and an important one, too. My favorite 40-year-old female protagonist, Ellie, will make the point well, I believe.

Stay tuned as I will share the launch date when I know more.

Welcome 2025

I have a long list of topics to write about in 2025. For example:

• Parenting and being parented from afar. There’s that sweet age where you are still a parent with wisdom to offer, and your kids decide to step up their game in caring for you. What if you don’t live near each other?

• Our most amazing strength is our disposition. Attitude is everything. Can we shape it?

• What it’s like to go from first to worst? My case in point is the New England Patriots

• What are a few simple lessons for our toddlers that we can make accessible? They benefit us, too.

• Humor: Where is it today? What if you’re not built to be funny? There is still an important role for you as an appreciator. Come join me :)

• Attention span: The books my book club picks reflect our attention span, and it comes at a cost. Do we care?

And so much more—all real topics that mark our lives on a daily basis .

And now my marketing hat

Now, I get to wear my marketing hat… that’s the one I paid a lot of money for when I went to business school and that I seldom use.

It’s not lost on me that I am growing my readership, and that makes me happy. While writers often write primarily for themselves (or at least this writer does), we all want to be read. It adds purpose to our words.

When I did my assessment of how my writing has gone in 2024, there was much I was proud of. However, one statistic that had me thinking was that of my almost 200 subscribers, less than 4 percent are paid subscriptions. To be clear, I am thankful people give their time to read me, and that is always my top priority.

However, for the month of January, I am going to offer a promotion to see if I can get a few more paid subscribers, and if not, I will at least feel that I wore the hat for a day.

Here is my offer. If you choose to be a paid subscriber, I will say thank you by offering to send you one of these two books from my collection. They are both available in Kindle and paperback format.

Lessons of Our Mothers: As part of my “At My Pace series,” this book is a collection of short essays from various writers that describe one lesson from their mom that made all the difference in their lives. The stories are poignant, funny, insightful, and honest. An easy, meaningful read packed with punch.

Hannah’s Journal to Be Happy: As the second book in my Alfred series, I offer a fun and funny read that I hope serves as a conversation starter with our kids on light and serious topics. The journal entries are short, and the voice is that of a young adult who loves her words (maybe autobiographical? Especially when you throw in the tennis). Adults tell me Hannah’s topics speak to all ages.

My January promotion is that for those who are interested in being a paid subscriber to A Sense of Belonging, I will send you one of these books—your pick—in the format that you choose as my small way of saying thank you.

If you choose to opt in, the subscription price is $5/ month or, alternatively, an annual subscription price of $40.

I am very cognizant that our most precious resource is time, and that you choose to read me is a gift in itself— whether as a free or paid subscriber.

Here’s to wishing you a healthy, meaningful year ahead full of connection, hope, and an occasional chuckle, if not more.