I Was Published on Business Insider!

& other writing updates

Some good news from my world: after a string of rejections, one of my pitches was finally accepted! Here’s the resulting piece, published last week:

Gentle parenting was sucking out the joy of being a mom. Now I have a trial and error approach.

I answered a pitch call from an editor at BI who was looking for stories about gentle parenting. She passed on my first idea but pursued my second (I reached out twice—persistence is key in the writing world!).

I pitched it with this title: I Quit Gentle Parenting Because I Want to Enjoy My Kids.

The 2 key takeaway points:

1. Parenting is hard. Gentle parenting, despite its name, makes an already hard job feel impossible. We’re constantly looking to outside sources and trying to do things the “right” way instead of enjoying moments with our kids. We only get to experience parenthood once. And, truly, I think we need to lighten up. Parenthood should be (at least a little bit) fun!!

2. Of course, your kids’ emotions matter. But they don’t matter more than everyone else’s (including yours!) and they need to be aware of how their actions impact others.

I hope you check out the article!! I’m pretty proud of it :)

And in case you’re curious, here are some of my other writing projects in the works:

Kids Picture book: I’m collaborating with someone else on this, and it has taken (much) longer than expected to perfect our draft. Life happens! But we are getting ready to submit it to agents/publishers, so I hope to share more soon!

Nonfiction book: This one has been in the works for a while (years), but I sent my completed proposal to an agent and am waiting to hear back.

More pitches to different outlets: I’m getting better at summarizing my ideas in pitch form for publications. Hopefully I’ll have more bylines to share soon!

This Substack newsletter: I’m considering starting a series about some SLP-related topics (researched tips and hacks when it comes to kids’ language/literacy), but I’m not sure if there’s a market for it (it would be paid). So, if you’d be interested in reading this sort of stuff, message me!

A note on creativity in motherhood:

Becoming a mom has sparked a sense of urgency in my creative life. I have more ideas than time, so I’m still figuring out how and what to prioritize. Thank you for bearing with me!

Trying to find some sort of balance has been a beautiful challenge. I will say that overall, motherhood has given me a sense of clarity when it comes to what I’m meant to do in this world. I’ll keep working towards my writing goals and see where it takes me! Regardless, my kids will have these words to look back on one day, and that is something special.

And finally, if you need something to look forward to …

In the midst of all this political chaos, don’t forget that the Olympics are starting next week!! Here’s what I’ve been reading to get me in the spirit:

Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women's Olympic Team by Elise Hooper

Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women by

Maggie Mertens

These books have really put things in perspective and reminded me how far women have come in a relatively short period of time. We are strong, amazing warriors!! Be inspired!