Hello helloooo.
I’m back and feeling fresh (other than 2 sick kids) from a 10 day vacation in Steamboat Springs CO, where Greg and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. whew! Hard to believe how fast that went. And in my time away from the computer, I had some time to think about where I want to focus my energy the 2nd half of the year (highly recommend carving out some time to do that if you haven’t). Which leads me to this:
I'm running something new for six months. Six issues, then a verdict. In January I'll tell you whether it worked, and if it's dying, I'll kill it in front of you rather than let it get quietly worse in your inbox. And I want to tell you exactly what it is before I do it, so you can leave now if it’s not for you. No hard feelings. There’s a button at the bottom of every letter where you can click “unsubscribe” to update what you subscribe to of mine, today there are 3 sections:
The heart of Life at Play: essays/interviews etc
Around Here: a round-up for locals, visitors and the Serenbe/Chatt Hills curious
and now this…
Once a month, on the last Sunday week of the month, I’m going to sit down and write what actually happened.
Not just the good parts. The whole account, in order, including the fumbles.
What I bought and what it cost, thrifted or new, with the number attached. What I consumed (read/watched) and whether it was worth the time. The new thing I’m poking at (currently: waking up at 5:30am, and a lettuce grow garden I almost killed while out of town). The thing I screwed up. The lesson, if there was one, usually delivered as a note to whichever younger version of me needed it. And what I’m working on next, offers and waitlists and all, so you are never guessing what I’m up to.
It’s called Play by Play.
A play by play is not a highlight reel. That’s the whole reason I picked it. A highlight reel is what I would write if I were trying to look good, and I have already spent fifteen years doing that professionally.
Here’s what it is not
There are no affiliate links in it. No ads. No sponsorships.
Nothing in Play by Play pays me, and nothing gets into it by paying to be there. If I tell you that $20 of thrifted bedspreads or an $800 lamp was the best thing I bought this month, I’m not making a nickel on it, and neither is anyone else. That is the entire reason to trust it, and the moment I break it, you should stop reading.
I could make some money doing it the other way. I’ve run the numbers. It’s not very much money, and it costs the only thing that makes this worth reading.
One exception, and I’d rather tell you than let you find it: Around Here, my local Serenbe and Chatt Hills letter, runs small ads for local businesses. They’re always labeled. That’s a different letter with a different job, and I’ll never quietly slide one into this one.
Here’s what I promise you
Every issue has at least one thing I got wrong and paid for. If a month goes by and I can’t find one, it means I didn’t look, and I’ll say that instead of faking it.
Every object comes with a price. A recommendation with the price hidden is usually an ad in disguise.
I stop before the bow. I’m not going to drop you into something hard and then rescue us both with “but then I realized.” Some months I won’t have realized anything. That’s the month.
It ships on the last Sunday week of every month.
Shifted to the last week of the month because we are now doing a Sabbath-ish two Sunday’s a month. More on that here.
The money, out loud
Everything I write is free. All of it. Essays, Around Here, Play by Play, the guides. Paid subscribers do not get more. They never have, and I have no plans to change that.
Today, Life at Play makes $5,278 a year from paid subscribers.
Paying doesn’t buy you anything except this continuing to exist + deep, deep gratitude from me. That’s the deal, and I know it’s a strange one.
And the real answer to “how does she make money,” since we’re here: it isn’t this. It’s people who hire me for one-on-one support, or who join a cohort, or come to a day, or a workshop. That’s the business. It lives on this page on my site (which needs to be updated and given some love… another day)
This letter is not a funnel. It’s the front porch. Some people sit on it and never come inside, and that’s completely fine by me.
Two more things
I’m hosting 2 free things in the next few weeks: 1 virtual and 1 in person in Serenbe.
Jul 30 | The Career Gut Check. Are you where you want to be? | A free live webinar session with one of my greatest teachers over the past two years, Christina Trifero. Think learning how to hear and trust your Intuition and your career path. It’s going to be fun. Save Your Seat
Aug 7 | Playdates (for grown ass women) | First Friday of the month we meet up IRL for a walk in the woods of Serenbe (and sometimes other fun gatherings. Join the club
And if you are looking for deeper support in pausing and planning out the next chapter of your life I have two 1:1 support slots opening in August. These always start with a free 30 minute consult to see if we are a good fit.
First Play by Play lands Sunday, July 26.
See you on the trails or in your inbox,
xx, Gina
P.S. If you know someone who’d like this, pass it along. That’s how the best things get found.
Love your writing gina. amazing.