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Anti-Hustle Culture with guest Rachel May and Emily Golden (Ep187)

Aligned Author Podcast

Release Date: 05/14/2025

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Aligned Author Podcast

PATREON: Thanks to new patron Heidi Walker!  Thank you to my existing patrons for believing in my work offline and here in the podcast.  I've just revamped my Patreon Page. I'm so so so pleased with it and proud of my work in simplifying it. Too many pay walls and exclusions. Now it is fresh and easy. If you are a patron, in either tier, you get all my content, always. You can support me and my dreams and my writing and my aligned author life for $11.11 USD, and I will be so so grateful. Truly. Heart to heart. Gratitude for your gifts. If you want coaching too (with TWO LIVE CALLS...

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Aligned Author Podcast

Hello Writers! I'm Valerie Ihsan, and this is Episode 208 of the podcast and it's April 8, 2026 as I record this.  Main Topic:  Infusing Self into Your Work When You Come Back to the Page (with ) (Part of the series on "Starting Over Again, or Coming Back to Yourself and Your Writing")   Become a patron of the arts and of me at . And you can support my friend and colleague and Resident Ghostwriter and Friend of the Podcast author Erick Mertz at for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. He's a really great writer.     Announcements/Author Updates: doctors...

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Aligned Author Podcast

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Aligned Author Podcast

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Free masterclass: The Alchemy of Memory — Writing the Hybrid Memoir (Wed, Oct 8, 2025). Learn to braid personal narrative with research, family history, and big ideas—plus structures, privacy choices, and momentum tools. Includes a short meditation + oracle card pull. Save your seat →   ***   Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates): (Valerie): planning my free masterclass on hybrid memoir writing for October 8th. (Erick): booked all the conferences for the rest of the year; new ghostwriting ads; working on new series of stories;  What are you reading? Valerie: ...

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More Episodes

Main Topic:  Anti-Hustle Culture with guests Rachel May and Emily Golden, book coaches and editors at Golden May Editing, and podcast hosts of the Story Magic podcast.

 

Up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code

VALERIE20 at checkout

You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20

#magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance

PATREON:

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast. 

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

 

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

  • (Valerie): revamped website 
  • Emily: ARC just came in "Crimson Tide: Up in Molten Lights", 20K in to new book; 
  • Rachel: revising third book is slower than planned.
  • (Erick): Preorder up for Shadow Signals , front and back matter done

What are you reading?

  • Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):
  • Tidbit #1: • Tidbit #2: 

 

Segment 3 (Main Topic):  Years ago, in the days before COVID, they met on Twitter through the #WritingCommunity hashtag. As fantasy writers, they immediately hit it off through beta reading each other’s work, which evolved into critique partnering, and then a mutual fascination with writing craft. They became obsessed with learning a) how stories worked, and b) how writers’ mindsets could help or harm their progress. Together they dove head first into book coaching and editing training, which ultimately resulted in Golden May. Please welcome Rachel and Emily.

Value is based in what you produce = hustle culture

Pitfalls of hunger to create and make an impact on world.

Make money, make a lot, make it fast

Sustainable success comes from the opposite place

Mindset is more important, untangle perfectionism and hustle culture

Generational/societal = capitalism ranked over all; "You are only valuable and worthy if you make money."

You can't rest because ... 

If you do more, you make more money. We aren't machines. Burnout. Less effective. Care for yourself so you CAN work. 

Mindset breeds shame is what drives the hustle culture .

Anti-hustle is about separating mindset from the "norm."

What did you do to separate and feel worthy?

1. Come down to earth: what are the stakes? Writing is not life/death situation. If I don't ..., then I'm not worthy and I'm gonna die. (Start reframe it)

2. Awareness. Hustle culture. Learn the opposite. (Amy McNee - We Need Your Art) Ask where these thoughts are coming from? Follow the threads. Reparenting inner child. Catch the thoughts in the moment. What's my programming? 1st thought: programming, 2nd thought: what I really believe. Talking to coworkers and family about "letting them down."

3. Join a community interested in anti-hustle. Reframe daily.

4. Devon Price "Laziness Does Not Exist", "Burnout" (Nagaski sisters)

5. Affirmations

6. What is your brain trying to tell you? 

Rest is a learned thing. The Power of Ritual (Casper ter Kuile) 

We all rest differently. 

The tenants of anti-hustle culture:

Worth is not tied to our output.

Your success isn't determined by someone else's standards.

Body and Brain deserve rest.

 

"I don't have time to learn how to rest." Learned how to be productive in your body.

 

tenaciouswriting.com

goldenmayediting.com

Story magic podcast

IG @tenaciouswriting

 

And don't forget: Get 48% off the Magic Mind :

https://magicmind.com/VALERIE20 and use Valerie20 at checkout.

#magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance

 

Next episode: 

Find Us:

 

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan (Find Passion Planner discount codes here.)

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Patreons: 

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan   

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)