📖Turn the Page📖Hi Reader, I know, I know. Here I am, sneaking into your inbox—and on a Wednesday no less! I’m just so excited to talk to you about this. Because for 17 years (!! that’s like a full grown teenager), I believed that the only thing I could do with my 1.5 + decades of teaching experience, my years of expensive education + multiple degrees and my specialized literacy certification was, well, Teach. Because when we commit ourselves to teaching, that’s often what we are conditioned to believe. Not always outright. Sometimes it’s implicit. A whisper. A suggestion. No one actually ever said to me, “You can only teach now for the rest of your (long) career!” But boy is that what I heard loud and clear. (have you felt that way too, Reader?) One particularly rough morning, after lesson planning until midnight, very low on sleep and general life force—I woke up with this question in my head: Is this it? Is this really what I’m going to do for the rest of my life?The movie playing out was bleak: —The adult bureaucracy —The overwhelm of noise and “never enough time” in the classroom —The nagging feeling that there was something else for me It was a FULL BODY NO.That was the moment everything changed for me. Not because I quit. Not because I flipped a table and stormed out like a badass. (We’ve all had that dream 😉) But because I stopped assuming teaching was the only place my skills could thrive.So what did I do? What could I do? I quietly, immediately changed the way I was showing up for myself. I started building something behind the scenes that I knew would carry me out of one chapter and into the next. And here’s the part I didn’t understand at the time: I wasn’t changing who I was. I was changing where my skills could be applied. One of the things you might not realize (I definitely didn’t until I started this work), is that as a teacher, you ALREADY HAVE what you need to be successful writing for education companies. You are a literal expert at:
You are probably thinking “Good story, bro. Not special. Everyone can do this.” WELL, Reader…
They can’t. This is a skill companies pay very good money for—because it’s the foundation of clear, convincing, authentic communication. When I realized that, everything inside of me just… shifted. I understood that I could use my teaching expertise to write for education companies—not just to make more money (but yes, I wanted that too!), but to change how my daily life felt. I could build something that would eventually offer me: ☕ slower mornings 💃 more autonomy in my day (I’m sorry but peeing whenever you want?? IT’S REAL.) 🔕 Quiet. Space. The ability to hear my own voice again. To know it was OK to make a change What most teachers don’t need is more information—they need a place to actually apply what they already know. If you have ever felt this way—restless and wanting change but also stuck—reply and tell me which feels more like you right now: more restless or more stuck? (You can literally reply with one word!) I’m on the other side, waiting to hear from you! More soon, Meredith
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When your thoughts are Class VI rapids
📖Turn the Page📖Calling All Teachers! A friend of mine is looking for 5 teachers to help test an EdTech App in exchange for a $100 amazon gift card. If you’re interested, read to the bottom where all the info will be! Happy New Year Reader! I usually send emails in the morning on Fridays, but…it’s a been a week. Not quite the “1st week of January,” I had in mind, but then: does that EVER HAPPEN? I digress. I’m really happy to be back in your inbox and to be talking about something important today. So… Before you read the rest of this, I want you to try something small. Step 1: Open a blank note and finish this sentence—quickly, without overthinking it: “What do I already know I want next but haven’t taken action on yet?” 📋 Not the thing your parents would tell you to want 🛠️ Not even the most practical option. 🌱 Just the one that keeps coming back. Maybe it’s like the quiet drip of a leaky faucet. Maybe it’s like a roaring river, carving a path through all your thoughts in a way you can’t ignore.
Either way, if you wrote something down, you’re already further than you think. More often than not, the issue isn’t uncertainty—it’s that without an intentional first step, that knowing never turns into movement. I’ve been thinking a lot about this season I often find myself in—the quiet space between reflection and real movement. The part where you’re not confused anymore… but you’re not quite in motion either. This is usually where people get stuck. Not because they don’t care. Not because they aren’t capable. But because sometimes without real, tangible steps to take, nothing gets chosen. We freeze amidst the possible direction we could go in. So we wait. We gather more ideas. (teachers love to research options 😂) We tell ourselves we’ll start when it feels clearer or calmer. But momentum doesn’t come from waiting for certainty. It comes from choosing one direction, taking one step, and letting clarity catch up. Here’s the second step (and this is the only other thing I want you to do): Step 2: Look back at how you answered the first question. Then ask yourself, “What would it look like to take this seriously for the next two weeks?” Not forever. Not perfectly. Just seriously enough to see what happens. To see if inside you shifts. —It might be setting aside 15 minutes to do a brain dump every day to help you clear out what you actually want and don’t want. —It might be using that 15 minutes to instead partner with AI and get some intel on where your skills, your strengths and your passions collide. —It might emailing that one person and asking if they are willing to talk something through with you. This is how change actually starts—through small, intentional containers that make movement possible. I’ll be sharing more practices like this—simple, grounded ways to take step after small step without burning everything down or doing it alone. For now, notice what shifts when you stop asking “What should I do?” and start asking, “What am I willing to commit to next?” Your captain on the raging river, 💫 Meredith
ps As promised, below is all the info from my friend Tina on testing a fantastic new edtech app: Hi friends, The timeline for this project is as follows: |
With a little structure… a lot of clarity
📖Turn the Page📖 Hi Reader, One last message before I sign off until 2026. I first want to say thank you for being here. Thank you for raising your hand, for being part of this email community. It’s the thing I’m most proud of as we near the end of 2025. It scared me to start an email list, but I did it anyway. Because I’m learning that the things that end up growing you are the ones that you almost don’t choose because of the challenge, but do it even if it feels hard. So my gratitude runs deep for all who continue to click, read and even respond. I love getting to know those who are here for change and willing to show up. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how often we tell ourselves we want “more freedom”… When what we actually need is structure we can relax inside. Because here’s what I see all the time—especially with thoughtful, capable people: When there are no guardrails, everything stays open. When everything stays open, nothing gets chosen. And when nothing gets chosen, creativity and momentum quietly stall. This is SO SO true for me. I crave the space to let my creativity bubble in whatever direction it needs to. But when I have no guardrails on that space, it feels more like a shapeless puddle. Nothing can materialize, because all can see is endless freedom. Sounds weird, I know. But stay with me. The paradox is this: Structure doesn’t limit us. It gives us something to push against. It’s often the thing that frees our thinking. That’s what a short coaching container can do. Not by adding pressure—but by holding the mirrored space you need to see what wants to come forward. I saw this so clearly in a recent session with E. After our work together, he shared that I put words to things he’d “always been thinking, but afraid to say out loud.” That he felt deeply understood—and at the same time, could see a version of himself moving forward with more clarity and confidence. That didn’t come from trying harder. It also didn’t happen from a tightly controlled agenda. It came from being inside a container where reflection, direction, and permission were all present at once. This is why I’m opening 10 free micro coaching spots right now. They’re short, intentional sessions with gentle guardrails—designed to help you:
No pitch. No expectations. Just a space for you to see something you haven’t before. If that kind of structure feels like exactly what you’ve been missing, you can sign up here: As we head into the holidays, I hope you’re able to find real rest—and maybe even discover that a little structure is what allows joy and creativity to show up more fully. See you in the new year! Cheers, Meredith p.s. if you’re interested in seeing what E is building alongside his education career, you can check out his work (including a published book titled The Crumbling Schoolhouse !! and another on the way!) right here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-h-tornfelt-ed-d-14aa986a/ You won’t be disappointed! |
It’s not a time problem…it’s actually this
📖Turn the Page📖Hi Reader! Within months of having left teaching to be a copywriter for education companies full time , I knew it wasn’t THE THING that would light me up forever. (I promise this isn’t a story to discourage you, LOL) I knew but I didn’t know what to do with that information. And—I WAS BUSY. I had a lot of work. (This is a good thing! And…it brings me to the thing I want to talk about with you today…) Because I hear this all the time (HECK, I FEEL this all the time): “I just don’t have enough time to figure anything out right now.” And honestly? I believe you. (Because I’ve been you.)Your days are full. Your energy is split. You’re juggling a lot. But here’s the thing I want to say carefully—because it’s not a character flaw or a motivation issue: Most of the time, it’s not actually a time problem. I know it wasn’t for me. When you get really clear on what’s holding you back… It’s actually a starting problem. And this is true no matter which stage you’re in:
When you don’t know exactly where to begin, everything feels heavier. Every task takes longer. Every free pocket of time disappears because deciding what to work on is exhausting. So the brain defaults to the safest explanation: “I’ll do this when I have more time.” But think about this for a second. Have you ever noticed how, when you’re crystal clear on what the next step is, you somehow find 20 minutes you “didn’t have” before? That’s not discipline. That’s direction.Time doesn’t create momentum. Momentum creates time. When there’s no clear starting point: 😵💫 you overthink 😶🌫️ you hesitate 🎯 you wait for the “right” window When there is a clear starting point: 💨 you move faster ✅ you stop second-guessing ⚡progress starts compounding This is why more planning rarely helps. And why “I just need to get organized first” never actually solves the problem. ❎ You don’t need a perfect schedule (I’d be doomed). ❎ You don’t need a free weekend (with kids? LOL). ❎ You don’t need to magically become more productive (thank goodness for that). What you do need? One clear place to start—and permission to start there imperfectly.You’ll hear me talk A LOT about giving yourself permission. Because truly, your signature is the only one you need to take that first step. Over the next few weeks, I want to talk more about why starting is the skill that changes everything—and why most people never practice it inside the right kind of structure. Right now? I want to offer 10 people 20 minutes with me in a “micro-coaching” session. You bring 1 thing you need clarity and direction on, I walk you through it, ask you the questions you don’t know you need— so YOU can figure out the next right step. I did one of these last week and it was SO GOOD. He told me a little about what he had been doing and where he felt stuck, and I helped him to arrive a one good next step. Next week you’ll hear from me early (because holidays!) and I’ll walk you through what this coaching session looked like and even tell you a little about what my micro-coaching client walked away with that day and what he’s working on. (Because sometimes seeing what others are doing is so inspiring and expansive!) In the mean time if this sounds like something you’d like, please raise your hand by hitting reply with the word CLARITY. And I’ll send you a link to book a micro session in the new year. Because once you start moving, the time question stops being the real question. Happy Friday! Meredith
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The replay is ready (and this part matters most)
📖Turn the Page📖Happy Sunday, Reader! I’ll keep this short and sweet—I just want to make sure you have the recording from our Q&A yesterday in case you wanted some time to check it out before the week starts! Thank you again to those that showed up live and weren’t afraid to be vulnerable about where they are why they want change. This is how it often has to start—by being willing to say: I want something different. This isn’t it anymore. Because as I often say, you can’t figure out where to go if you don’t know where you stand. So from questions about AI and how it affects copywriters these days, to how to actually get clients that will pay you well—and how to take the first small steps towards being ready for that, we pushed away a little of that murkiness surrounding how to get started… and had a little more clarity by the end. In fact A had this say: “You answered that with some great suggestions!” Which was truly my goal for this call—to help even a few of you realize you can start NOW. Even with the smallest steps. You don’t have to wait to feel “ready.” (Because the truth is that we never really feel “ready.”) We wrapped it up by anchoring all of the information with a little reflection. I’m including the journal prompts we used in the list of resources discussed—even if you don’t do any writing, just holding the questions in some thought at the end is helpful. I loved spending time with the educators that participated live, thank you for showing up and being willing to consider your next steps! If you’re checking out the recording—I’d love to hear how it lands! Please hit reply and let me know if something resonated, offered you some clarity, or of you have any follow up questions based on what you hear. And if you find it helpful, know that there is more where that comes from. I’ll be talking over the course of the next few weeks about how you can take the next important (small or big!) steps on your path to something new and how I can support you in the process. Happy watching/listening! Here are a few things we discussed:
Prompt 1: On evidence of MOMENTUM: We talked about how often progress doesn’t show up the way we think it will (high vibes, celebration, every day an inspiration), but that it might actually just feel like less inner friction. 6 months from now, in June of 2026, How will you know you are moving in the right direction?
Prompt 2: One year from now, at the end of 2026, What must be true in order for you to feel that you’re moving towards your definition of success? (You might need to start by spending some time with the question: What does “success” feel like for me?) Looking forward to hearing what you think—or if you have more questions, please hit reply and ask away. I read every email!
💫 Meredith p.s. if something isn’t working with the video, please let me know here!
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