30 Comments

WOW! I am so excited for you Alexandra! Already subscribed and waiting :)

Saw your wrist braces...how is the healing going?

I didn't know that you DIDN'T like writing twitter threads. Seeing how prolific you've been, I thought you were into it.

Also, love this new format of having a story and a takeaway. I've noticed that is a general theme in your writing, where you start with an anecdote and then you extrapolate from there. I'm stealing that for you.

Good to hear you're in PTYA! I was wondering why I didn't see you in this cohort of WOP...

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Thank you, Ishan!!! Really appreciate your enthusiasm and likewise, I've just subbed to your channel. And I LOVE your scuba diving profile pic. Captures your adventurous-yet-care-free spirit perfectly.

I didn't hate every thread, haha. I enjoyed some but unlike writing on Substack, I just felt like I never "got into it" in terms of looking forward to it. It felt more like a chore.

I'm glad you like the format and will bear that in mind. By all means, steal away! :)

And yes, I have major FOMO sitting out this WOP cohort. So I hope all of you will share plenty of updates so I can live vicariously through you, haha. Enjoy the magic of the next 5 weeks!!

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This newsletter made me feel seen. I have a YouTube channel. It’s mostly cooking.

I used to have someone edit the videos. But I’d prefer to pick up the skill myself so I can have more creative freedom.

I’m obsessed with cooking and talking about cooking - what worked, what didn’t, what it reminds me of, etc. Anywho, thanks again for the awesome edition. Rooting for you to win everywhere you play!

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That's pretty much the biggest compliment I can ask for, knowing someone feels seen! So thank you for sharing, Janahan.

What's your channel, I tried searching but can't find it. But based on the foodie references in your newsletter, I'm sure it's awesome. And that's cool you want to start editing. I agree, it would add more creative freedom (though it's going to be a while before I learn how to edit, haha but it's something to look forward to).

Likewise, rooting for you to win everywhere you play! :)

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My channel is @janahaneats. Its pretty time consuming to edit, but it feels like a great creative expression. Looking forward to seeing you over there 🙂

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Whoa!!! This is so cool! It’s amazing how watching/listening to you feels just like catching up with you on Zoom. I watched your video while making my breakfast lol

I love your awareness in knowing Twitter threads weren’t working for you and instead of only bending yourself to a medium that’s causing too much friction, being open to experimenting with a different medium with more benefits and looking at the upsides of the beginners journey.

Congrats on starting the YouTube journey!

Will you be sharing all the videos here in your newsletter? Excited to follow along ✨

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Thanks, Sandra - you're the best!! Love that I got to join your breakfast prep, haha. The course team says your first 10 videos are basically a write off in terms of just cranking them out to get comfortable on camera so I'm planning to channel Azul and do them as informal chats (my next attempt with be outdoors, so stay tuned for how good or bad that goes! lol).

I'll share them in my newsletter each week - that's a good tip to stay accountable!

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Alexandra where will you take me next?

You lay out your rationale for youtube so clearly. And I was in Charlie's first cohort. Excellent (course , content and delivery).

Ps. I liked the presentation style of this edition story/takeaway

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Thank you, Karena!!! You're a huge role model to me in all that your pursue. Cannot wait for updates on your book!

100% agree, Charlie is a phenomenal teacher. He cares deeply about hist students and their learning objectives and it shows in everything he does. Excited to see him scale his course over time.

And thanks for the format feedback, great to know! :)

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Congratulations on starting a YouTube channel, Alexandra. I'm sure it's going to be as value packed as your newsletter :)

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Thank you, Sairam! I will do my best :)

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Alexandra, I am so excited that you are launching YouTube videos! I'm so excited to follow your journey. As always, I loved the stories you shared! Azul is a great example of someone who found the perfect medium for his voice, instead of trying to make his voice fit a medium. Also, major congrats on the second sprint of your course! I've heard so many good things from our peers who are in it.

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oh wait also the main purpose of me being here CONGRATS ON 80 ISSUES that's absolutely amazing!! So many wins along the way. I'm so happy I had the chance to learn from you and then watch you continue to flourish over the last few months.

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Thanks, Michelle!! Really appreciate all your support and you’re definitely an inspiration to me with your writing, podcasting, and community-building efforts. You shine across all three mediums (I’ve also heard great things from members of the communities you manage!).

Azul is indeed an inspiration as well. I’m so glad WOP connected all of us from different walks of life as there’s so much we can learn from the years of wisdom people like Azul have on us. And I’m thrilled for him that he’s gaining recognition and building his audience in a way that’s fun for him.

Thanks for the congrats and can’t wait to celebrate 80 editions of *your* newsletter! I’m blown away by the quality of yours since the first edition so by 80 I’ll bet you have the better part of a book written. :)

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Love your ability to find a positive attitude in a tough situation. Such an important attribute to possess to succeed and also to be a happier person.

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Thanks, Mary Lou! I agree and you’re a shining example of having a positive outlook in every circumstance. It’s one of the things I admire most about you. Thanks for reading!

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Oh gosh, you're hitting a nerve with the You Tube channel. I've been avoiding this one now for years after having taken a few tries at it in the past, but maybe it's time to give it a try again. Inspired by your commitment to the pottery class method. I watched your first video that you linked to and found you sharing about the carpel tunnel issue to be a great choice, very personal and relatable in terms of dealing with a challenge. Maybe I'll jump back in the YT waters!

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Thanks Rick, much appreciated!! You’ll see in the comments several others are keen to get more active on YT so do it and we can all support each other. It’ll be fun! :)

I love the pottery example. It’s such a powerful lesson.

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YES!!!!!! 🥳

I'm *so* excited for you, and I'm sure your YouTube journey will be just as inspiring as your writing.

Your first video was a joy to watch and just like your writing, full of golden nuggets. Great thoughts on silver linings, positivity and gratitude! 😊

I hope your hands recover fast. Until then, enjoy as many hands-free experiences as you can!

Keep up the amazing work! 🙌

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Thank you, Merott - super kind of you!!! Your encouragement means a lot. I’m so glad you enjoyed the first video (especially considering how cringy I felt posting it 😅).

I definitely resonate with taking positivity and inspo from others sharing their journeys so I feel compelled to do the same.

Thanks for the well wishes!

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Best of luck with your YouTube channel Alexandra!! :) For someone risk averse like me, it's very inspiring to see you tackle new challenges

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Thanks, Catalina!! Really appreciate your ongoing encouragement. The trick for me has been lowering the barrier to entry to get started with new things.

Remember how during WOP7 David quoted Ira Glass on "the taste gap" and how we often perform to standards below our taste when we start something new but if we persevere, we'll eventually close the gap? That mindset sold me on riding through the "storm of cringiness" as I call it, haha.

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Right! We need to have the courage to be cringe and eventually we'll perform as we wish to

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“My prediction is YouTube will be a better fit for me than forcing myself to write Twitter threads, which I’m not good at and don’t enjoy.” -- I loved this, as I can so relate. My YT presence is null at the moment. But reading this made me think that I should consider getting on there and do something. Thank you Alexandra!

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Thanks, Silvio! Glad it resonated. And 100%, if you get active on YouTube, drop me your link and I'll be glad to follow your journey. Judging by some of the other comments, a number of us are planning to be more active on YT, so let's support each other in the process!

P.S. As a photographer, I'm sure your standards are a lot higher for what constitutes acceptable production value (at least compared to me lol) and I'm sure you could crank out great videos fast if you're willing to start "small" in terms of production level. Either way, keep us posted!

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Subscribed!

I'll join you too. I need to get my s*** together when it comes to video. Committing to a weekly cadence of uploading is going to be a great way to iterate on that.

https://www.youtube.com/@JamesRoloff/

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Thanks, James - just subbed to yours as well!

And 100% lets be accountability pals along with Eric Ho (who I can't tag in a comment but hope he's reading this, haha). Eric is great on camera and has filmed some Azul-esque videos with glorious views of the Lake District as he's walking and talking.

He joked yesterday during office hours he would join the weekly cadence, so let's all support each other to keep the momentum alive!

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Sounds great - I'm a big fan of bullying people into compliance, so we can tag-team Eric on that!

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Awesome work, just subbed to your YouTube channel

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Thanks, Linda! Appreciate your support :)

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