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“What if I hate it, Mom?”
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I signed deeply, fighting the urge to just tell her she didn’t have to do it. She had been complaining and whining the entire ride over the pool. If it’s one thing that sends me over the edge it’s incessant whining about something that hasn’t happened yet.

I gathered my patience and my breath and was about to launch into a familiar diatribe about why we have to honor our commitments, stay the course, try new things etc.

And then, I blew out all the air and said nothing. Because, what if she did?

We were in the car, sitting in the parking lot before her first swim practice with a new team. As I’ve let you know in detail we moved over the summer. New state, new town, new school, new everything. Including new swim team.

She really wanted to do it. She had a great summer season and was ready to try winter swimming.

Or at least she thought she did. Now that it was here, she was having major doubts.

After all her best friend, the friend she had leaned on during these difficult “new” experiences (who often was doing the same activities), wasn’t there anymore.

At the bottom of all that complaining, there was one big feeling. “But Mom, I’m scared.”

Because of course she was. New things are hard. For kids. For adults who have moved 14 times in the last 20 years. It’s just hard to be somewhere you don’t know anyone.

And the thing is, I keep reminding her (and really myself), if we don’t try, we won’t meet anyone. We won’t feel part of all the new things. If we don’t put ourselves out there, even if it’s comfortable, especially when it’s uncomfortable, we’ll never know what might have been there for us.

And isn’t that worse?

I didn’t say any of this to her. I just took all that air, all those thoughts, all those what ifs, and instead, the thing that came out was:

“… Yeah. Maybe. But what if you LOVE IT?”

We have to keep trying things, even when they are really scary.

This is a thing I am learning alllll over again folks. And I hope there is some little thread here for you today.

If there is, hit reply and tell me. I love hearing your stories.

Happy Monday,

Meredith

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📖Turn the Page📖

Announcement!

I am building an on demand, self-paced version of From Classroom to Copywriter that I’m very excited about! A few of you have let me know you might be interested. If you haven’t let me know but think it could be cool, stay tuned for info.

The short version:

Positives: Less time and much less money

Downsides: No community aspect and no coaching with yours truly) stay tuned.

I will be starting a waitlist for those who think they want to hop on board the debut version—which will likely be the lowest price it will ever be.

Hey there Reader,

First, I have to apologize. I’ve been a bit spotty on my weekly emails. They’ve been more like once every 3 weeks (ISH).

It’s been a wild ride over here; and although I’m super busy with work (job reshaping), with life (buying a house and parenting through the end of the school year IYKYK), things are good—if not: collapse-into-bed-as-soon-as-my-kid-is-asleep chaotic.

Alas. Everything is a season. Amiright?

Ahem. Moving on.

I had this thought today because as, I said, I am in this transition time—learning how go from what I was doing the last 4 years (running a business and all the things that comes with that, doing client work and all the things that come with that etc. You get the point), to being a bigger part of a team, keeping all the things on track that I was doing before, but also now having a lot of other responsibilities.

Anytime you move into doing something “new” or unfamiliar, or maybe even—something you weren’t sure about,you offered an opportunity to train people in how they see you. In how you want to be treated, communicated with, and generally how you want to exist inside of the systems that have already been humming along without you.

Let me be clear when I tell you, this isn’t really actually about your work. It might be, now or in the future. But really?

It’s about the things you believe you are in charge of or responsible for. Often things you just inherited from your family of origin, maybe from watching your parents and how they operate or noticing the world around you and what’s expected.

Most likely, there are things you do or hold that you don’t even realize you do, nor did you ever stop to ask:

Is this actually mine?

Do I agree with that?

Do I want to do that anymore?

And thus this phrase popped into my head this morning.

Just 4 words. But oh the power they can wield.

That’s not my job.

And let me be clear—this is a not a thing I hurl (ever) at my boss, or my colleagues, or my partner or my child.

This is something I let kick around inside of myself when I am feeling overwhelmed and wondering why.

Sometimes Oftentimes, especially as women (sorry men), we are holding responsibilities—clutching at them as if our survival depends on it—while it turns out most of them aren’t ours to hold.

Things like:

—walking into every room and immediately trying to sense the “temperature” of the room

—scrutinizing every thing you want to say before you say it to make sure no one feels uncomfortable

—not speaking up about something even though you know you have a good idea

—feeling responsible for how others feel when you do or something from a place of honesty and truth

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If any of this sounds like you (if you are a teacher, I AM POSITIVE you will relate to at least 1 of them), please consider, that some of that is simply just NOT YOUR JOB.

Being able to separate what’s yours from what someone else should be responsible for holding is often the very step in realizing you have actually grown out of something or are ready to hold different types of challenges.

Don’t let it scare you.

You don’t even ever have to say it out loud (although, hear me out, it can be incredibly freeing if you do say it, with grace, in the right situation. I said what I said people).

If you can just let your curiosity lead with one thing you feel certain isn’t yours to hold (maybe never should have been in the first place?), you may start to feel just the little shift you need to to be able to take a step in a different direction.

I hope you have an amazing first weekend in June!

For those of you that are wrapping up your school year, maybe you can set an intention for one thing that you will decide is not your job over the next few weeks. It could just change your whole outlook.

Right there with you,

Meredith

P.S. If any of this has resonated, I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply and tell me what’s on your mind. Even if you hate what I have to say! I’m always open to hearing a different perspective.

P.P.S. If you are feeling interested in learning about what it takes to move from teaching into copywriting, go back and read the top of this email! Because I am moving this summer, I won’t be doing another live cohort until later this year. In the meantime, I am cooking up something else for all those interested!

I know there are some SHARP teachers in this community, Reader.

And still…not everyone hits reply and says the thing they are thinking.

But I got a really good question after my last email and I’m honestly so excited about it!

Because here’s the thing— it led me down a rabbit hole of thinking:

How can I most fully support these incredible women into and through what I KNOW can be a powerful next chapter? (Even if they are still struggling to see it?)

(TL;DR: I’m adding a fantastic bonus for anyone who joins now —and everyone who is already inside obviously!

But Keep reading, lol!)

So… someone replied and said:

“But is that the only way to do this?”

Meaning—the path I shared:
Learn → practice → put yourself out there → get a client → build from there.

Validate (again and again… and again) before “leaping.”

And the answer is:

No.

That’s just one way.

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The truth is, there are actually a few different ways teachers make this transition.

I’ve seen people walk this path in each of these different ways… and do it successfully.

Some people:

→ Start small
​Keep teaching, take on 1–2 projects, and build income slowly on the side.

Some people do this for years. Maybe they eventually go part time if they are able (I did for this a bit), maybe they stay in this mode for a long time because actually it suits them.

Education companies are getting the benefit of your ongoing “boots on the ground” perspective through the quickly changing education landscape after all!

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Others:

→ Build momentum first, then step away
​Spend a few months building skills and portfolio pieces, land a couple of clients, and then make a more confident transition.

This is closest to the path I ended up taking. It felt right for my family’s financial situation (a dual income household that wasn’t prepared to go down to 1 income) and for what I knew I wanted to build.

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And some people:

→ Decide they’re ready for a bigger shift
​And move more quickly once they see the opportunity and traction.

Sometimes this looks like applying for in house, remote, jobs once you have some skills under your belt.

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Let me say this part loud and clear:

None of these are “right” or “wrong.”

They’re just different paths depending on your:

• financial situation
• energy
• timeline
• level of “readiness”

… and maybe your tolerance for perceived risk and discomfort. (I could write a whole book on this one…)

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And this is the part I wish I had when I was starting:

Someone to help me figure out which path made the most sense for me. (New Bonus Alert!)

Because for a long time, it felt like a shot in the dark.

I was guessing.

Piecing things together.

Hoping I was doing the “right” next step.

So for the final days of enrollment, I decided to add something new.

​If you join From Classroom to Copywriter, you’ll now receive:

A 1:1 Personal Transition Roadmap Call with me

We’ll map out:

• Which is the path that makes the most sense for you!
• What your first steps should look like
• How to move forward without burning out or making a leap that doesn’t feel safe

And paired with that, you’ll also get the bonus I spoke about over the past few days:

Your Personalized LinkedIn Profile Audit (when you’re ready!)

So once you know your path…

You also know how to position yourself and start connecting with the companies who can hire you.

Because learning the skills you need for this next chapter is one piece.

But knowing how to actually transition is the part that keeps most people stuck.

If that’s been the thing holding you back—the real, nitty-gritty “but how would I actually do this?” logistics of it all question—

Well… This bonus is designed for exactly that.

You can learn more and join here. And as soon as I have everyone’s info, I will start booking those Personal Transition Roadmap Calls.

I am REALLY excited about this!

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Got questions? You know where to find me! (also stay tuned for an FAQ (with YOUR questions answered!) coming your way soon!)

Meredith

P.S. This bonus for a 1-1 roadmap call is available for the final 48 hours (+7 !!), and enrollment closes Thursday at midnight.

P.P.S You don’t have to figure this out alone—but you do have to decide if you’re ready to start.

P.P.S. If you know this isn’t for you right now and you’d like to opt out of these emails but remain on the list—click here! ​

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From Classroom to Copywriter

As I am launching my course for teachers who want to learn how to be paid copywriters, I will be sending more emails than usual this week!

​If you know this isn’t for you right now and don’t want to receive these emails, please go ahead and click here to opt out of this sequence! Don’t worry, you will stay on my email list (yay!) and will still receive my regular weekly newsletters! Thanks

Also, if you didn’t make it the training last week and want the replay, respond to this email with the word REPLAY. I’ll send over the recording + a discount I offered those who watched!

Hi Reader,

I want to share something quickly—especially with enrollment closing on Thursday.

I want to show you what this actually looked like for me—because sometimes when you only have small glimpses, or a snapshot, it can feel a lot more mysterious than it really is.

In November 2021, I decided I needed a way out of teaching. And that I wanted to try copywriting.

I didn’t have a clear plan.
I didn’t have a roadmap.
I just knew I wanted something different.

So I started the only way I knew how:

I learned everything I could about it.

Then after I had been able to land a few small random gigs—and prove that I could get paid for my writing—

I decided to invest some of that income in learning from someone who stood where I knew I wanted to be.

In a writing community, I practiced specific writing skills—not just writing for the sake of writing, but actually learning how to write the specific types of projects I was interested in.

From there, I created a few very strategic sample pieces so I had something a little more specific to show the companies I knew I really wanted to work with.

Then I moved into the part that felt the most uncomfortable at the time:

I started connecting and reaching out to some of these companies on LinkedIn.

Not because I felt “ready”—I didn’t ( 😬 spoiler, you never REALLY feel “ready.”)

But because I realized readiness wasn’t going to come first.

Action was.

Eventually, in September of 2022, I got my first education client.

It wasn’t perfect.
I was figuring things out as I went.

But I did the work, got feedback, improved, and then charged more for the next one.

By November 2022—one year from when I started—I had built enough:

Momentum
Evidence
Confidence

(yes, all while still teaching!)

…That I told my head of school it would be my last year.

And on June 8th, 2023, I walked out of that school and into the freedom I had started building over a year before that.

Here’s the part I think about a lot, though…

It felt like a shot in the dark for a long time.

Because I didn’t have this framework when I started.

Which is exactly what one of my students described when she said:

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Because what I was missing back then wasn’t effort.

It was structure.

It was knowing what to focus on, in what order, and how to actually turn practice into progress.

That’s also why feedback became such a big part of how I improved.

Not just writing more—but knowing how to get better.

As Laura also shared:

That’s the difference between guessing your way forward…
and building real momentum.

And eventually I realized:

Learning from someone who had already done it would have saved me so much time and energy.

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That’s the difference.

Not more time.
Not more research.

Just a clearer path forward.

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​That’s a big part of why I built From Classroom to Copywriter the way I did.

• So you don’t have to guess your way through it.
• So you can follow a path that actually builds momentum.
• So you can skip over the parts that keep people stuck.

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Because when that shift happens, it’s not just about skills.

It’s about what becomes possible.

Like Cara L. shared:

If you’re in that place right now—knowing you want something different, but not fully sure how to get from point A to point B—

I’d love to be that bridge for you.

You can learn more about the program here:

Enrollment closes in 48 hours so if you know you don’t want to wait any longer to take your first steps towards something new…

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Meredith

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