Reclaiming Your Voice in 2025

The power of community and accountability to kickstart your next writing project

I spent the majority of the past three months in a significant slump. My friends and family heard me toss around words like, “stuck, rut, rage,” and even “depression,” a term I mostly danced around in a whisper, because I wasn’t sure if it fit. Besides, I’m not one to lean towards melancholy or that “can’t get out of bed feeling.” Irritability and anxiety? Most definitely. Perimenopause mixed with ADHD? Oh, hell yes.

However I ultimately characterized my funk or its origins, the upshot was that I spent most of fall in some sort of disorienting fog, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise: 2024 was an uphill battle from the beginning, and I had finally slid helplessly to the bottom of the hill. My oldest daughter left for college; I had just endured a year-long excruciating divorce that left me bewildered and parenting on my own; I had to put my beloved dog down. All this combined with the fact that I was working full-time for the first time in 18 years—without the safety net of a “normal” job, as I’m one of those women who prefers the creative chaos of self-employment.

And oh, that’s right—November 5th happened at the apex of my midlife crisis soup.

The perfect midlife storm for blocked creativity

I know I’m not the only midlife woman who feels stuck right now. It’s fairly on brand for one’s mid (late?) forties and beyond, isn’t it? We are juggling our own health and hormones, various stages of parenting for some of us, often including monumental transitions like looming empty-nest-hood, aging parents, career changes, divorce. . . the burdens of midlife can be a creativity killer.

But it can also be an accelerant. And when I dug myself out of the rut I very much needed to inhabit for a short time, I realized I remembered myself, and I also remembered what I need in order to thrive. And creativity is a huge part of it. So is connection.

Many of us are at a stage of life where we are asking a lot of questions and don’t have a lot of answers. We are struggling to remember who we are at our essence, before marriage or motherhood or menopause; we aren’t sure where we should focus the beam of our very limited energy. Creativity, dream-chasing, and writing projects often feel like luxuries we can’t afford.

I suspect most of us usually know how that ends. When we turn our backs on our voices, writing, and passion projects, there is usually a consequence, and it often shows up in our physical, mental, or emotional health.

After over a decade of writing in community with women, we’ve learned that there is a very specific kind of alchemy that occurs when we write together. Combining creativity and connection is some sort of magic recipe for accountability and inspiration—we can’t explain it, but it’s true.

Join us in January

I am beyond excited about our January offering—a month-long “incubator” where we join together in a powerful container for writing projects: a dynamic community of like-minded women, nine talented guest instructors, lessons, and co-writing sessions.

As I allowed my own manuscript / proposal / query letter progress to be halted by my fall slump, I have to admit that I am personally extra excited to begin my new year with this thirty day intensive. It never ceases to amaze me how much more we can accomplish as writers when we simply remember to turn to our community to share wisdom, cheer us on, and help each other get un-stuck.

We’re thrilled to announce our first ever Project Incubator. It’s for midlife women who are starting new writing projects in 2025. Thirty days of speakers and workshops, co-working, assignments and lessons, starting January 13th.

Here's a little bit about what's included in the Incubator:

Lessons and Assignments

Stay accountable throughout the 30 days.

9 guest instructors

Learn from 9 Zoom workshops throughout the month led by other midlife women who want to share their knowledge with you.

Community

Zoom co-working sessions, meetups, and a private forum for connection and collaboration.

Learn more HERE.

As we cleared the holiday season, I felt my own fog begin to dissipate and experienced that joyful relief of coming back home to myself. I know that I needed to allow myself to experience the “growing pains” of this unique moment in time, to even wallow for a bit. But I am ready to get back on track and return to my writing. And what a comfort and delight it is to know I don’t have to do it alone. I hope that December brought a small opportunity to cocoon, to go within, to hibernate, and that January brings a fresh start and a return to inspiration. We hope you’ll join us this month.

XO,
Steph