Hello, friends!

It’s been a while since my last article. What started as a conscious effort to unplug for a week or two turned into a 6-weeks challenge of balancing work commitments, study, and family holidays. Writing had to take a back seat. I’m grateful to everyone who’s continued to read Trauma At Work and subscribe despite my unplanned hiatus.

This accidental pause provided an opportunity to zoom out and reevaluate my purpose for this publication, recent events and changes on Substack and what they mean for me, and how everything sits with the fact that Trauma At Work is no longer a publication only, but a business as well.

So here’s where my mind is at.

Writing + community = ❤️

I arrived on Substack almost one year ago with two goals: to build a space where we can talk honestly about the intersection of trauma and work, and to connect with people who care about the topic, whether they identify as survivors or not. For all its flaws, Substack has delivered that, and then some. I’ve discovered so many wonderful voices here that speak their truth and share their hard-won wisdom with the world. That is pure gold, and something I hope we continue to build together.

Writing continues to be laborious 😊, but getting easier as time goes by. Books have always been a source of strength and hope in my life, which is why I always wanted to be a writer. I’m not even sure what that means anymore – I certainly don’t feel like I am one – but I remain as committed to the painstaking, thrilling, and addictive practice of writing as I was the day I started.

Noise + plagiarism + tech issues = 😟

The past six months or so have been full of cautionary tales here on Substack. Witnessing Lucy Werner’s total wipeout ordeal, Katie Jgln’s experience with blatant plagiarism, the disintegration of Notes under the deluge of AI slop, and the shifts in Substack’s strategy have all taken a toll on the level of enthusiasm I feel for this platform that, for a while, stood out as refreshingly different. Of course, some of this was inevitable - all social media will deal with these issues to a certain extent.

Nonetheless, these events prompted me to reconsider my approach to self-expression and engagement. I’ve made the decision to pay more attention to complementary platforms like LinkedIn and my website. For instance, for the first time it felt safer to publish this piece about how to choose the right coach on the Trauma At Work blog rather than here. Only a few months ago, I would have published it here exclusively, without hesitation.

I’d love to chat to those of you who use Substack to drive your message (and perhaps a business) about your thoughts on the platform, and what are you doing to mitigate some of the risks that come with it. DM me if you’re up for it.

Evolving message => evolving audience

I’m also mindful of the fact that lots of people come to Substack to escape sales pitches and work related conversations. The recent launch of Trauma At Work as a business means talking about my products and services will be inevitable – something part of my audience here might dislike. To honour everyone’s interests I plan to continue posting my most personal content here, while publishing the more business leaning articles on other platforms (and signposting them here for anyone keen).

The more time I spend exploring the opportunities presented by trauma informed practice in the workplace, the more excited I feel. I hope my work inspires you to think a bit differently about the weight of the personal stories people carry with them silently at work, and the many ways in which we can start addressing that reality in a way that alleviates suffering, and increases wellbeing and performance.

On a somewhat related note, I’ve also decided to switch on the paying subscriber option, although there will be nothing behind the paywall. This offers a pathway for the people who’ve asked how they can support Trauma At Work to do just that, while allowing me to stay true to my original intent: keep all content here free. If the Substack growth gurus are right, switching on payments should also help increase visibility.

It’s good to be back! I hope everyone in the Northern hemisphere has had a good summer. Back here in London it’s clear I can now safely put my summer wardrobe away.

Thanks for tuning in,

Adina

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