Hey there [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

It’s no secret that I talk a lot here about how hard change can be.

Sometimes changing something is as simple as a “quick fix.”

But much more of the time, you need input from several different people (+ several years to process it all 😒) to make lasting change.

For me, figuring out how the F%^$ to manage my own time in a way that MOST BENEFITS not only the business but also THE LIFE I’m trying to build has been REALLY, REALLY CHALLENGING.

I’ve listed to all the podcasts, read all the blogs, I’ve even paid people money to help me understand things I feel like I probably already knew about myself.

But so it goes, I’m beginning to notice.

It’s possible that if you are a person with unlimited time, unlimited resources and unlimited BRAIN SPACE (hello parenthood) you might be able to get there on your own.

For me? I needed A LOT of help.

One of the coaches I work with did a VERY TIMELY masterclass last week on how to manage dual sides of your business without exhausting yourself.

(Does she live in my head? Maybe. Is she good at what she does? DEFINITELY.)

**Sidebar—I will never not be coached in some way on this CRAZY business ownership journey. It’s an investment—a pricey one—but having someone that’s ahead of you on this path and see the things you are still blind to? IT’S FREAKING PRICELESS. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the coaches I’ve worked with along the way! **

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So how have I worked with this information over the past 7 days?

I did what any busy business owner—juggling client work, business growth and (oh yeah)—the rest of life— in charge of their own time might do: I recruited AI to help.

And it’s been 🔥.

The trick here isn’t just type, “make me a schedule that works.” Or some boring iteration of a prompt that isn’t at all personalized to YOU.

The thing is (and maybe the most important thing) is that what works for one person doesn’t work for someone else. And I have been trying to pomodoro my way to freedom for 3 years at this point.

Is time blocking PART of my strategy? You bet. Is it the whole thing? Nope.

So entering every last logistical thing I need to do in a day or a week is important. I took some time, got them all out of my brain on to paper and added them to my AI prompt.

This is mind blowing for me because otherwise, I would have to try to Tetris everything into my schedule on my own —which is why it hasn’t happened before now.

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And because I have leaned into some specific ways to better understand myself, I would be silly not to then apply those to my everyday life.

For me, those things are (skip this part if you hate anything Woo-related. But also, I wish you wouldn’t. It’s so refreshing to look at yourself from all angles):

1. Astrology. In particular my 3-4 BIG signs. Sun, Moon, Rising and Venus (or Mars if you’re male identifying and if you’re into Shamanic Astrology). This offers you what fuels you (Sun sign), what you need for rest and nurturing (Moon sign), what mysteries you’re here to learn about (Rising sign) and what path or archetype you’re stepping into or wanting to embody over the course of your life (Venus ♀ or Mars ♂). If you want know this info, simply go to https://astro-charts.com/tools/new/birth-chart/ and enter your birth info! There is so so much to learn here, but you can also keep it simple.
2. ​Human Design: This combines elements from various ancient and modern disciplines to help individuals understand their unique personality, decision-making process, and life purpose. If you go to the link above and enter birth info, it will give you everything you need to know to put into this equation. All of this is free!
3. My Gene Keys: described as a ‘synthesis of practical wisdom to help guide you to a deeper understanding of yourself and your true potential.’ Also free to check out using your birth info!

With these 3 different ways of understanding myself, plus the nitty gritty of what I want and need to get done things like:

• strength training or walking/rucking through out the week (and then time to shower and eat breakfast etc.)
• prospecting and business admin activities
• focused time for client work
• protected “CEO” time for creative “future and growth” planning

I literally put everything I could think of into a list, and then added all of the things I just mentioned above. It offered me not only a schedule with all the details, but little ways I could weave simple rest, ritual and “white space” for more expansive creativity.

Here’s what it looks like:

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I’ll admit, I haven’t FULLY implemented it yet. But what has happened is that I am very aware of how I’m using my time daily and where I’m sabotaging or procrastinating specific tasks. And that’s the first step to change.

I’d love to hear what you think!

Have you ever used AI for something like this?

Do you have questions? Hit reply! I’d love to know what you like or are curious about, OR alternatively, what you’d never do!

Happy Friday!

Meredith

P.S. This week I was a guest on one of THE podcasts that got me started in this copywriting world! It was a total honor to talk shop with a guy who has been in the biz for a long time + get to share why teachers are such an incredible fit strategic copy and content writing.

It will be out next week and I can’t wait to share it with you!

P.P.S. Next use case will be our house work flow

📖Turn the Page📖
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Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

Raise your hand if you fancy yourself a good manager of your time?

Yeah. I thought I was too.

Until the person I had to be accountable to was…

ME.

And guess what?

All of a sudden I was as easily distracted as kitten with a yarn ball.

Procrastinating was my middle name.

Had to respond to that (absolutely not urgent) email? Yup.

Scroll just 15 minutes more on LinkedIn? You know it.

Oh the closet needs cleaning out? I’m your girl.

Until I finally realized…

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Please understand that while the awareness of this came pretty quickly, and the DESIRE to change it was there, I COULD NOT MAKE IT HAPPEN UNTIL LITERALLY NOW.

Sometimes (OK most of the time) it’s NOT that we DON’T KNOW we need change.

It’s not even that we don’t WANT change.

It’s that changing something is really f&%$ing hard.

It just is.

Here’s the thing, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE]: Humans are basically a giant pattern.

Once you’re doing something for a long time, you have to take intentional steps Over and Over and Over again to create a new neural pathway.

It feels hard, because it IS really hard.

(I’m going to say that again. It FEELS HARD, because IT IS HARD.)

And that’s OK.

But I’m on my way y’all.

To better time management that is.

Next week I’m going to walk you through the steps I’ve taken to get my damn schedule under control.

Not so I can “OPTIMIZE” every minutes (although yeah, I need to get more done)

But so that I can FEEL BETTER in my days and schedule in some of that deep rest my nervous system so desperately needs in this jacked up, overstimulating, modern world we live in.

Interested? Hit reply and let me know.

This is the stuff that gets me hype!

(I know, also a problem. LOL)

Happy Friday!

xo,

Meredith

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📖Turn the Page📖

Heyyy [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

I have a secret.

Teachers are natural storytellers.

Every day, you:

capture students’ attention with a hook

weave in key details

and guide them to a takeaway they’ll remember.

What you may not realize yet is that this skill is pure gold in copywriting.

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In marketing, facts alone don’t persuade.

What moves people is story—the emotional connection, the “I see myself in this” moment, and

(MOST ESPECIALLY)

the vision of transformation that makes someone click, sign up, or buy.

Think about it:

• Lesson hooks = Headlines. That clever question or story you start class with? That’s the same muscle you’ll use to write copy that grabs attention.

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• Modeling + guided practice = Customer journey. You don’t just hand students the answer—you lead them step by step. In copywriting, you guide readers from problem → possibility → solution.

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• Anecdotes = Testimonials. Just as you share stories of past students to inspire current ones, brands rely on real-world stories of impact to build trust.

The best part? (THERE’S MORE!)

Storytelling isn’t about making things up—it’s about framing the truth in a way that resonates.

Teachers already know how to do this, often without realizing it.

So, when you sit down to write copy, don’t think of yourself as “new” or “starting from scratch.”

You’re already carrying one of the most powerful skills in marketing: the ability to tell a story that makes people lean in, stay engaged, and take action.

👉 Try this: Pick a classroom story you’ve told a hundred times and rewrite it as a short piece of marketing copy. Could it work as a testimonial?

A metaphor for a product benefit?

A way to show transformation?

That’s how you start practicing storytelling that sells.

The 4 x1

• Update about Content Biz: Y’all. I’m overhauling my self-time management this fall and it’s been SUCH A CHANGE. Interested? Let me know. Maybe I’ll write about it here!
• Update about Coaching Biz: My Cup is Beyond Full. These women are SHOWING up with their brave, vulnerable, willing-to-ask-questions-and-learn whole selves and it’s just THE BEST. Interested in what we’re doing? Hit reply and I’ll fill you in!
• Tiny Brave Thing: I watched my 1st grade BABY get on the bus for the first time on Monday and 😭. (Me, naturally. She did GREAT). This was my brave thing, LOL. I am legit FLOORED daily by what it means to grow a human and then just LET THEM GO IN THE WORLD??? Like what?
• One to Grow On: When was the last time you had to practice the art of detachment? (this is what I’m calling this parent phenomenon btw) The TRUST part is truly challenging sometimes. Especially in today’s dumpster fire of a reality. I’d love to hear about your micro (or macro) moments!

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📖Turn the Page📖

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Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

There’s a tiny red tomato hanging perilously over the edge of my deck right now.

I wonder if it’s rethinking its purpose here, I mused this morning, chuckling out loud at the thought.

My summer “deck garden” (all 2.5 plants) has been a freaking masterclass in resurrection.

The basil that looked completely spent last month? It just needed a good drink and some shade—now it’s flourishing again.

Those flowers whose leaves curl inward like prayer hands when they’re thirsty?

They’ve taught me that distress signals aren’t always death knells; sometimes they’re just requests for attention.

But it’s the tomato plant that’s been my Mr. Miyagi.

Y’know… Grow on, Grow off.

This scrappy little thing has “died” what feels like a thousand deaths this summer—wilted in the brutal heat, leaves brown and brittle, looking like it belonged in the compost bin.

Yet here it is, still producing those perfect little gems: first green, then orange-ish then blushing a deep red, or starting to as my eager kiddo plucks them just before their peak ripeness…

Each one a small miracle of persistence.

Plants understand something we are constantly forgetting: that life isn’t meant to be a constant state of thriving.

They’re born into this sweet nuance, existing their entire lifespan in the space between growth and rest, abundance and dormancy.

Dead on the outside, but alive underground in winter, resting deeply.

Shedding in the fall, only to grow again in spring.

Nature operates in cycles, not straight lines.

Trees don’t apologize for losing their leaves. Perennials don’t feel shame about dying back to their roots.

They trust the rhythm, the ebb and flow—

the necessity of both the growing and the letting go.

Why then, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], can’t we humans live just a little bit more in the nuance?

Why do we try so hard to be always in one cycle?

Why do we panic at the first sign of withering, the first hint that we might need to pull back, rest, or start over?

Maybe the real wisdom isn’t in avoiding the dying back—maybe it’s in learning to trust that sometimes we need to curl our leaves, retreat to our roots, and wait for the right moment to unfurl again.

After all, that little tomato didn’t get there by staying the same.

It got there by dying a thousand small deaths and choosing, each time, to grow again anyway.

So, here we are at the end of summer.

School starts next week.

I am feeling a bit like a dwelt horse. (Full transparency—I had to describe this idea to google in order to get the term)

As in, should be ready to go™ after this summer, to hit the ground running, to roar.

And yet.

I’m feeling like I need a slower start (and a long freaking NAP) this time around.

I feel like I am finally learning this funny thing about myself (SURPRISE):

If I don’t rest, exhale, decompress, celebrate what already is… I will be stuck.

No forward motion. No growth.

So, I am moving into September, my “new year” (you can take a girl out of teaching but…)

With A LOT more intention.

Some serious work with managing my own time and commitments.

Some DEEP, starting at the wall, sitting in silence, laying the grass, people watching…

REST.

So that I have the brain space to do all the things I know are coming.

If you are a teacher and you know you want to build something new on the side this year, I challenge you to schedule in some starting at the wall time.

Start with 5 minutes.

Your roots are going to need that rest as you move through the seasons.

What’s teaching you about cycles and renewal right now? I’d love to hear about your own gardens—literal or metaphorical.

The 4 x1

• 1 Update about Content Biz: Dwelt horse over here 👋. I am getting serious about time blocking and priority listing. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome 😄
• 1 Update about Coaching Biz: We are through week 1/Module 1 in Classroom to Copywriter! This work is so joyful, and we have the BEST little group of women. If you were thinking about it last time and didn’t join us, I hope you’ll stay tuned here for the next launch! 😊
• 1 Tiny Brave Thing: I’ve been struggling with what to do with my Substack because I don’t want it to just be the same thing as I’m doing here. I used to LOVE writing poetry but never did anything with it. I’m toying with making that a spot for my random poetry to live out in the world. This idea is way braver than I actually am. So we’ll see. Interested in what’s already there? Check it out here!
• 1 to Grow on: What’s teaching you about cycles and renewal right now? I’d love to hear about your own gardens—literal or metaphorical. OR Use this as a journal prompt or a doodle prompt if you like to sketch or draw. What do cycles look like in your life?

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📖Turn the Page📖

​Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

I was talking to a teacher last week who said, “I’m not sure I have what it takes to be a copywriter. I’ve never written or done anything like this before.”

I had to stop her right there.

You’ve been writing copy your entire career. You just called it something else.

Stay with me here:

That parent email you sent about the field trip? That was direct response copy. You had to get busy parents to take action (sign the form, send money, pack a lunch) by a specific deadline. You probably included social proof (“The kids are so excited!”) and addressed objections (“Don’t worry about the weather—we have indoor backup plans”).

Your classroom newsletter? That was content marketing. You were nurturing your audience (parents), building trust, and positioning yourself as the expert guide for their child’s education.

That lesson where you hooked reluctant students on fractions or (GASP) POETRY?? That was conversion copywriting. You had to grab attention, overcome resistance (“When will I ever use this?” or “Poetry is so dumb!”), and get them to take action (engage with the material).

Your parent-teacher conference prep? That was client communication and stakeholder management. You presented data, told stories, and guided conversations toward desired outcomes.

Here’s what most people don’t realize:

Good copywriting isn’t about manipulation or pushy sales tactics. It’s about clear communication that helps people make decisions that serve them.

Sound familiar?

You’ve spent years:

• Understanding your audience’s needs and motivations
• Communicating complex ideas simply
• Overcoming resistance and objections
• Guiding people toward beneficial actions
• Building trust and credibility
• Adapting your message based on feedback

These aren’t skills you need to learn. These are skills you need to recognize.

The only difference between your classroom communication and copywriting is the context.

Instead of helping students learn fractions, you’re helping customers understand why they need a solution. Instead of getting parents to sign field trip forms, you’re getting readers to join an email list.

Same skills. Different application.

So what’s next?

1. Start noticing your communication wins. When you write an email that gets quick responses, or explain something in a way that finally clicks—that’s copywriting in action.
2. Collect your success stories. Every time you convinced a resistant student to try, or helped a confused parent understand their child’s needs—write it down. These become your case studies.
3. Practice the translation. Take a piece of successful teacher communication and think: “How would I apply this same approach to help a business owner connect with their customers?”

You’re not starting from zero. You’re building on expertise.

What’s one communication win you had this week?

Hit reply and tell me about it. I’d love to celebrate it with you.

Cheering you on,

Meredith

The 4 x1

• Update about Content Biz: I’m spending a lot of time on goal mapping and planning right now. This is something I have avoided or rather just kind of glazed over in the hustle of starting my own business, but this summer has really motivated me to plan for the next 9 months so that my summer looks a bit different next year! Interested? Hit reply and I’ll send you my framework!
• Update about Coaching Biz: The Debut Cohort of From Classroom to Copywriter starts next week! I’m so freaking excited to dive in with the amazing ladies who signed up. Know someone that would love to get in on it next time? Forward this link so they can get on the waitlist! ​
• Tiny Brave Thing: Last week I stretched my social muscles while at a conference for 5 days. Working from home has definitely meant less time with others, you know, conversating. It was really amazing to learn so much from so many brilliant people—and also, it was exhausting. I’m still catching up.
• One to Grow On: Question from James Clear in his weekly newsletter… “Let’s say the worst-case scenario actually occurs. There are obviously things you won’t like about it. But what aspects of that scenario are you excited about?” (This one really made me think. How many people out there have this tiny spark inside when something really dramatic happens?)

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