A few updates to our Salt, with Soul Programming
It's my Substack and I can adjust as I want to :)
Happy April, Friends.
At the beginning of the year, I tried to change the structure of Salt with Soul. I’ll be honest: being in a space where the caliber of writers is SO high, I thought that changing the structure would help assuage my deepening Imposter Syndrome.
It didn’t. I was writing like it was my job and found that while I loved the topics or found inspiration in them, I lost the authenticity of what this space was meant to be.
I call this my Internet’s Kitchen, and when you’re in my kitchen, we’re gabbing about life- that can’t be pigeon-holed to one topic.
While I was tossing around how to make this all click, I read a quote the morning of our Rehearsal Dinner that stopped me in my tracks.
Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you. - Maya Angelou
I have always lived to pursue my passions, and while I haven’t always made the right decisions (re: lack of focus), I have always found a modicum of success. Pivoting to writing has been scary because it’s new to me. I build layers to protect myself when I'm scared, but that never works well.
I’ve had blogs before, but every blog failed because I was trying to be something I was not. And that’s because, for a long time, I didn’t know who I was. I was always trying to fit in or hide the ugly parts of my life in a way that made the surface-level stuff gleam. While sitting at our rehearsal dinner, I realized that the best things in my life happen when I do them from the heart—even at our wedding, to be honest. We created a personal event, told a story, and did everything without worrying about judgment or “fitting in.” Why couldn’t I translate that to Salt, with Soul?
I’m happiest when I listen to my intuition and attract the right things when I pivot, adjust, and stay true to myself.
And, so Salt, with Soul, is going back to basics! My goal has always been to make cooking enjoyable. To encourage you to look in your refrigerator, and create a dish, instead of simply ordering sushi and paying an exorbitant delivery fee. Cooking is not only a love language rooted in gathering and conversation, it’s a way to save money, be present, and accomplish something. Sometimes in life, we just need to complete a task and celebrate the win. Cooking is the win.
So, here’s the new programming:
Our “Soul” portion will be a Free Essay based on what I’m experiencing each week. Life Lessons, Journaling Prompts, trolling Facebook groups- let’s let it flow. Those will be released every Monday. Life is full of challenges, and my goal is to normalize them. We can’t internalize our struggles, we have to release them, and maybe one day, even laugh about them. It’s good for our soul.
Our “Salt” portion will be a weekly recipe. For paid subscribers, we’ll have a weekly Challenge to step outside our comfort zone, and follow a theme. In addition, there will be video content for paid subscribers called “cook with me.” It’s all grassroots here, but it feels like it will be fun.
In addition, paid subscribers will receive a downloadable guide for 25 days of recipes in the first week of each month. I don’t want to limit myself to the “first” because I’m not great at remembering dates.
Some other housekeeping notes:
I was on Etsy for the wrong reason (re: the quote above). None of those designs spoke to or were authentic to me or what I stand for, so that shop was shut down.
What is authentic to me is my photography as prints. So, this month, I’m going to work on my www.leannegelish.com website and create a print shop—not for money, but because that’s my art, and I’m so proud of it. The prints will be downloadable for a reasonable price, and if you need help with a gallery wall, your girl will help you out. I want to live in a world where both things I love can exist, so I’m creating that.
Another hard truth: I created Martini Monologues because I missed writing freely (I know, I know—it’s all backward—anyone with Imposter Syndrome will understand this spiral!) Under this new structure, we don’t need to hide behind a paywall to be myself. I love the name, though, so I will copyright it—you never know when you’ll need a fun alliteration.
Phew, it feels good to get this off my chest. It’s not easy evolving or admitting that some things are not working. The internet is a living organism; all organisms must adapt to grow. Let’s hope we continue to grow, too.
Our new programming will start Friday with a recipe for our paid subscribers. Becoming a paid subscriber (for the price of a coffee a month) helps support the recipe creation and, let’s be honest- gives me a little boost of confidence along the way. I hope you’ll consider it :)
As a gentle reminder, my new journal/book, Seasons: A Collection of Poetry and Journal to Healing, is available. You can go ahead and buy your copy here.