SEASON THREE WRAP UP: Highlights, Love Notes, and Ways to Work With Rachie
Omg PLUS, I am finally done with grad school which means more time for writing!!
for more of my story recovering from an eating disorder, suicidal depression, and my divorce, read my bestselling memoir “where the river flows.”
Welcome to the FINAL WEEK of season three of The Messy Middle.
I am so incredibly grateful to you for your readership. I started my Substack in January, and there are now 800+ of you here, and 100 of you are paid subscribers. THANK YOU.
If you are not yet a paid subscriber, I will do my very best to convince you that contributing five dollhairs per month is entirely worthwhile, while also affirming that whether you have a paid subscription or not, I AM GLAD YOU ARE HERE.
Let’s BEGIN our SEASON THREE WRAP UP!
I will be taking next week OFF to rest, center, and prepare for season four. I have also FINALLY finished grad school (I defended my research last Friday, more on that here).
As we did last season, I would LOVE your feedback before I start season three.
A quick reminder before the Poll Hole: The Messy Middle consists of three components:
The Monday Messy (weekly newsletter with tips & journaling prompts)
We Met in the Middle (stories of humanity/conversations with strangers)
Mess Hall (community chat)
My goal with this publication was to:
A) Tell honest stories about my eating disorder, divorce, depression, and suicidal thoughts in hopes that one person might feel less alone.
B) Offer tips, journaling prompts, and wisdom from my 18+ years (and counting) in therapy, psychology education, and continued personal introspection on living as a human.
C) Develop community through a private chat space that helps us connect outside of comparative and overstimulating platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
My idea was that every “season” I would have a central theme to inform the newsletters, stories, and chat space.
This is now the last week of our third season. The theme was “showing up authentically,” and I tried (sometimes we strayed a wee bit from the theme, but hey—MESSY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME) to center stories and tips around this topic.
I also learned this season that my real love for writing lies in stories. I started to wean off the tips/tricks component of my newsletters, and found relief in simply getting to tell you a story.
I’ve also noticed myself feeling rushed to push out a newsletter on Monday, so I’m considering changing the day of my newsletter to hopefully allow me to flush out better pieces that tell a greater story.
POLL HOLE!
Anywho, it’s time for a poll hole! I would love your feedback so I can make this space extra juicy, nourishing, relieving, supportive…or I guess you better tell me what you want it to be and I’ll take it from there.
If you don’t like giving your opinion, that’s cool just skip on down to the HIGHLIGHTS reel!
If you love giving your opinion and want to give MORE of it, make sure to COMMENT all your thoughts and feelz.
1. WhY?!
2. “The Mess Hall” Chat Space: I am hoping to create more connections and community in our chat space, as I think it’s a fun and more private option for us to really chat.
3. I am always trying to make my content accessible (within my means and the means of the platforms I’m using. SO, out of curiosity, I’d like to know how you consume Substack content and what your needs are.
4. Newsletters, Notes, and Chats, oh my!
If you’re not sure what notes are, they’re like tweets within Substack.
You can see my notes by clicking the button below if you haven’t perused them yet—lots of honest thoughts, questions, and little inspiring shares in short form!
Thanks for sharing your heart and soul in the Poll Hole! Now let’s take a look now at this season’s highlights.
Highlights: Top stories, love notes, and ways to work with Rachie!
Here is a quick rundown of what ya’ll loved the most this season.
Some of your favorite stories included:
This post where I talk about getting my confidence back (in my body, writing, and all over the place). cw: sexual trauma + eating disorders
When I wrote about Harvard inviting me to their first ever Mental Health Creator’s Summit and how it inspired me after almost giving up
The one where I shared poems and honest insights into a relapse of depression
Love Notes:
I JUST found out that paid subscribers can share WHY they decided to become paid subscribers, and holy wow my little heart 😭
Huge thanks to
, , , , and for being here and reminding me why I do what I do!!!!
If you’d like to leave a love note, it’s only $5/month to become a paid subscriber. And no—love notes aren’t required, I’d be truly grateful that you even decided to become a paid reader of The Messy Middle :)
Ways to Work With Rachie
I started offering 1:1 writing consultations last year and absolutely LOVE doing them. You are all RICH with stories to tell, and I adore hearing every word of them. If you’re thinking about writing a book, starting a Substack, or sharing your story online, I would LOVE to help you.
Writing Consultations
Recently, I had a consultation with
, and within a week she launched her Substack and is posting consistently with tremendous heart, courage, and vulnerability.Book Writing Mentorship
I am also in the midst of helping Bartholemew (ok that’s not his name but he’s writing under a pen name) write his memoir about his mental health, and it has been an honor to help him weave his tale into a narrative that helps de-stigmatize Bipolar disorder.
Writing Masterclass
Or, if you prefer to learn at your own pace, my Wounds to Wisdom Writing Masterclass is available to purchase as a recorded replay. It includes a digital guidebook for writing stories that connect with readers, building an online platform, and the steps of self-publishing a book.
Coming Soon: Vote for the Season 4 theme
Last season I polled you for season three’s theme, here were the options (and the winner, which we just wrapped up)!
It’s now time to vote for season four’s theme, so LMK your thoughts! Or don’t! I will write regardless! Whether it be good or bad or messy in the middle oh my god she really threw that in didn’t she.
PLOT TWIST!
Substack has just rolled out a…🥁drumroll please…REFERRAL PROGRAM!
What is the referral program, Rach-face?
Essentially, when you refer readers to my substack, you get jelly beans. Substack has developed a cute tier where the more readers you subscribe, the more jelly beans you get!
Did I say jelly beans? I mean months free.
Referral Program EXPLAINED:
How to participate:
1. Share The Messy Middle. When you use the referral link below, or the “Share” button on any post, you'll get credit for any new subscribers (JELLY BEAN!!!!). Just send the link in a text, email, or share it on social media with other human beans!
2. Earn benefits! When more friends use your referral link to subscribe (free or paid!), you’ll get lots of jelly beans!
Get a 1 month comp for 3 referrals
Get a 3 month comp for 8 referrals
Get a 6 month comp for 20 referrals + an ebook copy of any of my books/journals!
Thank you! Bon Voyage! STAY A WHILE! Drink water! Other salutations!
I am so eternally grateful you are here.
Thank you for allowing me to unravel, unfold, and unearth the fullest expression of my wild, weird, sometimes wise and wistful self. It has been such a fucking honor to have the privilege to share my internal world with you for three years—whether you’ve been following me on instagram, reading my blog, watching my TikToks, or just joining us here on Substack, I am thankful.
Without you my writing means nothing, and you keep me going. You have given me the courage to be vulnerable and expose my darkest parts of self, and in doing so helped me heal knowing it’s safe to fall apart. You’ve encouraged me to embrace joy and honor times of levity and peace, which has cultivated further joy and expressions of my silly self that I haven’t accessed since childhood.
I could not be here today if it weren’t for your support, readership, and shared vulnerability. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Here’s to another messy, wild, and uncertain season of The Messy Middle.
All my messy love,
Rach
You can learn how to join Mess Hall chat here.
You can read chapter one of my book free here.
Download my free guided journals here.
Take my Writing Masterclass here.
If you’re not yet convinced to be a paid subscriber, here’s a 7-day trial:
Take your time reading the archive once it’s unlocked in your trial and see if the Full Mess is for you. Whether it is or not, know that I fully love your mess, and am so glad you’re here.