The Joy Voyage

I'm ready for my next adventure - you coming?

HELLO SUBSTACK!!

I do not have a clue how this space works.
I don’t know if what I’m writing is going to resonate...but I am following my nose.

And my nose has led me HERE.

Word on the street is that Substack is way more chill than Instagram?

Apparently I don’t have to come up with ‘scroll stopping’ hooks or be an algorithm bitch?! I can actually make true and thoughtful connections just through…my work!?

COULD IT BE TRUE?! 

I’ve heard whispers that I can write and people will read it without getting bored 3 seconds in and scrolling down to watch someone make a quick-fire reel on their skincare routine followed by some nice triggery comparisonitis when you see someone doing what you want to do, but apparently better, because they’ve got 10 million followers which clearly means that somewhere, somehow you fucked things up?

Is it true?!

I’m still over there on the ‘gram. 

I know how to use the thing for a start. This is going to sound…a bit daft. But I actually love dancing and filming myself doing it- not because I’m a narcissistic knob head, but because I actually don’t care if people see me fannying about in my kitchen with my tunes and I know it spreads a bit of joy. OR SO I AM TOLD. 

Now, that brings me on to the point of this publication.

JOY.

There are lots of other writers and people far more knowledgeable than me who have written PHD thesis’s (thesis? Plural of thesis anyone?!) on JOY…but after spending years sort of containing a lot of my personal joy or censoring what I share and making sure I’m not ‘too jolly’ on my IG (due to the trauma and pain and grief many of my followers are going through) I realised that I was becoming less and less truthful there and showing up out of alignment.

I needed two clearly separate spaces. One for my valued, cherished, amazing fertility audience who need gentle, compassionate empathy. And then I had this other huge part of me which was practically EXPLODING inside my original IG account.

I needed to write about my life as it is now. My passions. My challenges over the last 7 years: three pregnancies, motherhood, postpartum (oh god, postpartum!! My grateful thanks to Lauren Barber who not only writes on this so powerfully but who has also held me through my own matrescence so carefully and has supported me in my business and is just generally a wise and wonderful woman!!) and all of that woven in with running a business - which last year was the sole income provider in the house.

IT HAS BEEN A LOT.

I have learnt so very much and I couldn’t write about any of that on my IG before. 

I am certain my following will nosedive - but it took months of not feeling Quite Right for me to finally take the plunge and start sharing more of my story as well as my actual work, the thing I am passionate about: JOY, SELF COMPASSION AND PERSONAL GROWTH BABY!

And the thing is…

I AM A JOLLY TYPE OF PERSON. It’s hilarious how freeing it feels to write this for me after being so ultra careful with my words and the way I show up online for 6 years. Like, writing that you’re quite jolly should surely be a totally ‘fine’ thing to write down. Not particularly interesting even. But you see, this became very hard to say anywhere online for me.

And the thing is, fertility became such a part of my life that the actual work I do (I am a transformative mindset coach and business mentor!) became lost because I have become so associated with the fertility world.

And I do want to be clear: I will always be fertility conscious -  I am the founder of Fertility Life Raft, I will still work in the space; speak on the topic on podcasts/stages/at internal business events. I still write about it, advocate and campaign for better fertility awareness, funding and mental health support. My meditation is on the side of a pregnancy test brand (wahhh!! SO PROUD!!) I run live calls and events and my podcast…it’s a huge part of what I have created…it’s just that there’s also MORE.

I have been asked if it’s wise to start something ELSE as well as all this. But I know this is part of what my next level is about. I know that without showing up authentically and being totally me, no one is going to benefit.

The Fertility Life Raft energy is already in more flow, providing better support than ever this year - because my energy has totally shifted. (Some of this is down to the fact my littlest baby is now almost 2. That's another article.)

So, yeah. Jolliness. Joy. At heart I am mostly quite jolly (!!)  cheerful, optimistic and, as my husband Si says, a bit ‘Famous Five’. 

As you can imagine, this just doesn’t fit with the care, gentleness and compassion needed in the fertility world - with people going through hellish, painful and traumatic experiences. They don’t really need me jumping about sharing how grateful and joyful I am all the time. 

OBVIOUSLY I’m not like this all the time. Like, of course. You should have seen me in March 2020, locked down after a C-Section with a reflux newborn baby, a 3 year old and a husband who at that point was still trying to work full time. IT WAS HORREDOUS AND I WAS NOT JOLLY. I was surviving. 

And that’s partly what I want to write about too.

I can live a Joy First existence (more about this soon!) which actually means I can show up for my business, my children, my relationships and most importantly MYSELF with more success, energy, financial abundance and alignment even when the shit is well and truly hitting the fan and that I can do it with SELF COMPASSIONATE CONSCIOUS TENACITY.

Ohhhh. Yeah.

Now, I realise I’ve been a bit shouty in this first article and as I’m writing this, some self doubty thoughts are creeping in:

No one is going to want to read this you berk
People want wise, calm, gentle words - not this shouty mess!
Other people on substack write beautifully phrased carefully thought out articles and this is going to read like a humongous ramble without an actual point to it
You don’t have a clear plan for when or what exactly you’re going to write and how this publication will be of service, you need to do that first

And these are the thoughts I’m reaching for and that will actually see this article published/shared/out there (don’t know the proper substack lingo yet):

You’ve wanted to start a Substack for months, well done! You’re about to do it!
The whole point of this space is so you can be free and aligned to what you really want to write about without censorship, that’s exactly what you’ve done
You’ve got to start somewhere and done is better than perfect. Look at where you started with IG and where it got you. Go for it lady! 
It feels right to be here. It feels good to write this. Your fingers are literally flying across the laptop. You are SO in alignment in Jan 2024…listen to your heart, listen to your spirit, what does it want you to do? PUBLISH IT!!

So there you have it. My first article. Sort of a ramble. Sort of an insight into why I’m writing this and A START. I’m finding my way. I’m going to really love love love getting to build a new community who want to be on this joy voyage with me…I’ll expand on why I’ve chosen that title next time!

I’m a writer at heart, a creative really. My first love was theatre (I went to drama school), singing, writing, books. It’s time I shared more of myself with the world…here I am. Here we are. (And by the way, before you think I’m a sort of joyful jumping jelly bean every minute of the day, I feel I should give you fair warning that what you’ll ACTUALLY get here is total truth…it’ll be me, showing up just as I am, looking for joy always, as well as sharing when it’s harder to come by. I am spiritual, seasonal, intuitive, interested in slow living and always learning from people who seem to have this nailed because I do not. I’m a Manifesting Generator in human design, I am curious, open-minded and love dancing and coffee. I have three children and a husband. Reside in Wiltshire these days after 15 years in the Big Smoke. Fond of festivals, books and wild swimming.)

ANYWAY.

JOY. The Joy Voyage. Oh we’re going to have fun here!! One thing I really do know how to do is gather like minded people together and lift their energy, their positivity. I know how to help them light the fire, ignite their beliefs and lift them up. I love to do it. I love to see what changes for women when they’re boosted, cheerleaded and when their unique energy is honoured. So…that’s what’s going to happen here!! There will be a paid thingy soon. I’ve got too much to share not to offer that. So much. I can’t wait to see who comes into my world here.

What does JOY mean to you? Please tell me I’d LOVE to hear from you truly!! 

Thank you for having me Substack. I think I might like it here. 

Alice x