The Writers’ Co-op The Writers' Co-op

What if we told you that all freelancers are leaders? 

The idea might seem counterintuitive at first: After all, freelancers provide services or products to our clients. We’re not leading or managing a team in a conventional sense.

But leadership isn’t just about managing a team. It’s how you position yourself, how you talk about yourself, and how you show up every day in your work. 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Cynthia Pong. 

Cynthia is an award-winning career and leadership coach, speaker, and author of “Don't Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for Women of Color.” An NYU-trained lawyer turned career coach, she founded her company, Embrace Change, to help women of color—and people of color—secure the money, power, and respect they deserve.

Wudan and Cynthia dive into how to adopt a leadership mindset—even as a team of one.



Resources


Embrace Change website and Instagram
Jumpstart Your Online Business
How Best to Work with Me
Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

Career transitions often come with an element of fear. For freelancers, this might be a fear of rejection or of losing stable income. It might show up as a little voice in our head that says: “But what if I fail?” Fear is meant to protect us, yet it can also hold us back from trying new things and thinking expansively about our businesses. 

In this episode, Nicole Tsong joins Wudan to talk about confronting fear while making big career swings. 

Nicole is a former journalist-turned-podcast host and bestselling author. As the founder of Nicole Tsong Coaching and the School of Self-Worth podcast, she helps Asian American women leaders release the pressure valve, supercharge their self-worth and master intuitive decision making. You can follow her on Instagram at @nicoletsong. 

Nicole dives into how career growth doesn’t have to be linear, how to feel grounded before making a big decision, and how to think of decision-making as an experiment. 

Resources: 


The School of Self-Worth podcast


Nicole’s 5-day Morning Routine Challenge


Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers


Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

Welcome to Season 8! We’re calling this year the “Year of Expansive Thinking.” This season will focus on how to think big about our businesses, ourselves, and what we think is possible. 

In the first episode, host and executive producer Wudan Yan answers questions from guest co-host Pam Moore about her businesses. 

Pam is an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. Wudan tells Pam more about how her business has changed drastically in the last three years as a result of a mindset shift, what it’s been like to run two businesses, and her goals for 2024.



Resources: 


Article: Journalism isn’t who you are. It’s what you do.
Worksheet: Writers’ Co-op business audit worksheet
Webinar: Streamlining Journalism
Newsletter: Real Nourished newsletter
Podcast: Real Fit with Pam Moore
Follow Pam Moore on LinkedIn or visit her website
Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

This episode is a cross-post between The Writers' Co-op and Freelance Cake, a podcast for ambitious freelancers who want to get more results with less effort, hosted by Austin L. Church.



Austin had Wudan on his show to talk about how she cultivated a mindset of 'always be negotiating,' and how she got to a place where negotiations felt comfortable and conversation-like, rather than potentially contentious.

A preview into what this upcoming season holds!



For updates, subscribe to thewriterscoop.substack.com



Join our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community as an All-Access Patreon at www.patreon.com/twcpod

If you’ve been listening to The Writers’ Co-op since the first few seasons, you’ve heard us say: The magic is in the mix of work you get. Slower work – work that is recurring, or on a longer contract or time period – can make us feel both steady and fulfilled. But sometimes, we just need money now. That’s where fast freelancing comes in. 

Ideally, you have a mix of both in your business. Too much fast work, and you might burn out. Too much slow work and that could build resentment or put you in a financially precarious position. 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Amy Romer.

Amy is a visual journalist and fact-checker based in Vancouver, Canada. She covers environmental and indigenous issues for Reuters, The Walrus, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail, among many others. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a recipient of the Global Reporting Centre’s visual storytelling grant. 

Amy and Wudan discuss tactics for setting yourself up well for both fast and slow work, the mental and emotional toll of each type of work, and more.

Resources: 


Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: Amy’s production calendar for mapping out fast and slow work. All-Access members also have access to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community for freelance creatives. 




Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website


If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/