This Newsletter is Now a Toddler

Reflections on 2 years of writing Hello, Adversity

My Canva skills are improving. Slowly.

It’s hard to believe that Friday, January 17th is the two-year anniversary of Hello, Adversity. It feels like yesterday that I published my very first post, an essay introducing who I am and why I started this site.

I remember the trepidation of hitting “send”, even though it was going to just seven people, three of whom were…well…me.

I knew I wanted to write about resilience strategies that helped me on my rare disease journey, but I didn’t know much else. I had never written a newsletter before, and there were so many unanswered questions.

I wondered:

Will anyone care about what I have to say?

What if I get tired of writing about adversity?

What if I run out of topics?

Can I stick to a consistent writing schedule?

How do I attract new readers without selling my soul to an algorithm?

Thankfully, all these questions have satisfying answers, and my soul remains intact.

The early days

Realizing that I should probably tell people about Hello, Adversity if I wanted them to subscribe, I reached out to friends and family, which led to a few dozen signups. A few days later, I let my LinkedIn and Facebook network know about my newsletter, and growth surged.

By mid-February, I had 200 subscribers; best of all, I didn’t have to bribe anyone. (That could have gotten expensive.)

That April, Substack Notes — the platform’s internal social media site — was launched. Suddenly, it became much easier to meet other writers, share my work, and find like-minded people interested in resilience and personal development. One of the best decisions I ever made was tagging

Polina Pompliano

in a post and asking her a question about her writing process. To my surprise, she replied, and we’ve been friends ever since. (Hi Polina!)

In August 2023, I left my job to take some time off to write, catch up on a few health-related issues, and take stock of what came next in my career. Although my “sabbatical” has lasted longer than I intended, it has given me time to reflect on my purpose and what matters most to me. Whatever I do next, I know it will be aligned with my values.

The writing life

In the first year, I tinkered with my writing cadence. Initially, I published every other Wednesday, with a weekly Saturday links roundup. I enjoyed the frenetic schedule, but it was a lot of work, ultimately more than I could handle. There was simply no time to take a break.

Something had to give, and sadly, the weekly roundup rode off into the sunset. (RIP, old friend.) I ultimately settled on writing a new post every Wednesday.

In the blink of an eye, one year became two.

To my delight, I haven’t yet run out of things to say. It’s hard to fathom how I’ve been able to keep this up for two years; part of me expected I’d quit after a few months.

Today, I have 2600+ subscribers and am read in 49 states and 100 countries. (For whatever reason, Alaska is not impressed by my writing.) And many support me with a paid subscription.

Metrics are nice and all, but they don’t tell the full story.

Over the last two years, I’ve fallen in love with writing. I’ve clarified my thinking and what I believe. And I’ve met so many wonderful people — writers, readers, commenters, and others in the creator community. For better or worse, many people can relate to my content. Adversity, sadly, is something we’re all familiar with these days.

Although on some days writing is a chore, and I still put way too much pressure on myself, Hello, Adversity has brought me endless joy and fulfillment.

My disease has taken so much from me. But in a way, it’s also given me a future.

What I’ve learned about writing a newsletter

If you know me, you know that I’m a huge proponent of people sharing their stories. If you’re considering starting a newsletter or a blog, here are a few things I’ve learned over the past two years:

You’ll never feel “ready.”

I knew I wanted to write a newsletter back in 2021, a year before I created my Substack account. I kept waiting for “the perfect time”, only to realize there is no perfect time. There will always be risk and uncertainty.

If you want to start writing, just get started. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner or if your idea isn’t fully formed. You’ll learn and improve along the way.

Writing is a great way to make new friends.

One of my goals was to meet new people through my writing. I don’t get out much anymore and my social interaction is more limited than I’d like. But I never realized just how many people I’d meet. I’ve made so many new friends in the last two years, including fellow writers I talk to daily.

These relationships make the writing life, which can be solitary at times, far less lonely and far more enjoyable.

Writing = serendipity.

Writer David Perell often says that writing is a serendipity vehicle. Every time you write, you send a piece of your soul out into the world.

You never know who will read your words. Maybe something you write changes someone’s life for the better. Or maybe it leads to new opportunities you never would have considered — collaborations, relationships, job offers, etc.

Your writing can also turn into a book!

I didn’t intend to write the book I’m writing now — all I was trying to do was create a PDF of the top 100 resilience lessons I’ve learned on my rare disease journey. Something to include in new subscriber emails.

After I made the list, I looked it over and felt like I needed to add more context. I decided to add a sentence for each lesson. That still didn’t feel like enough. One sentence became two sentences. Two sentences became a paragraph. Then, next thing I knew, I realized I had a book on my hands.

And I haven’t looked back.

You improve by writing consistently.

I’ve written 139 posts on Hello, Adversity. I’m not the same writer I was in January 2023, and that’s a good thing.

For starters, I’m more concise. (Don’t laugh — I regularly wrote 3500-4000 word posts in the beginning! 🤦‍♂️) I’m better at blending storytelling with practical how-to steps. And I’ve learned how to infuse my personality — dry wit and incomparable charm — into my essays.

Every one of my 139 posts helped me improve as a writer, little by little.

Unsubscribes hurt, but don’t take them personally.

In the beginning, I used to get autogenerated emails whenever someone unsubscribed:

The first time it happened it hurt. The first time it was someone I knew, it really hurt. But now, two years in, I see that unsubscribes are part of the process. (I also learned how to turn off the notifications, thank goodness.)

The truth is, people unsubscribe for all sorts of reasons. Maybe they get too many emails. Maybe they like my newsletter, but just don’t have time to read it. Or maybe they prefer to read my posts by going to the website directly.

And some accidentally unsubscribe without realizing it.

Attrition is a normal part of the process.

Don’t let trolls get you down.

Although 99% of people I’ve interacted with have been kind, there’s been the occasional snide comment.

Some people love to be a contrarian. Others love to start frivolous arguments. And some have something deeply wrong with them.

(For example, one guy called me a “lazy dope” for using Grammarly, before bragging about how he used to spot typos in newspapers for fun. Buddy, that says more about you than it does me.)

Moral of the story? You can’t please everyone. Don’t even try.

Writing has its unglamorous moments…

I know you read my words and think, “Perfection. Utter perfection.” But in reality, writing is a struggle most of the time.

Whether it’s writer’s block, endless refining and wordsmithing, blowing past my word count, trying to write when I’m under the weather, or hitting publish only to realize that I forgot to double-check the links, some days can be incredibly frustrating.

When they say, “The joy of writing is having written”, I know what they mean.

…And yet, writing is the best.

Despite the occasional frustrations, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Writing gives me an outlet to process my emotions, share my knowledge, and help others. The upsides far outweigh the downsides.

Know why you’re writing.

When you start writing, make sure you understand your motivation. Are you looking for a creative outlet? Do you want to inform or persuade? Do you need the practice? Are you trying to build an online presence or portfolio?

Knowing your why will sustain you on low days. You’re writing for a reason; never lose sight of this reason.

Metrics are important, but they aren’t everything.

In any creative endeavor, there will always be people doing “better” than you, however you define it. In the newsletter world, it’s easy to compare how you’re doing vs. your peers. There will always be someone with more subscribers, making more money, growing faster than you.

I fall into the comparison trap all the time, even though I know I shouldn’t. What helps? Returning to my why.

I started this newsletter to help others, share what I’ve learned, and build a following from scratch. I didn’t start it to make a boatload of money or “compete” against other writers.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’d gladly take a boatload of money; it’s just not my sole motivation.)

When I stay in my lane, I’m at my happiest. Only I can tell my story. There’s no need to compare.

I still don’t know how to pronounce “niche”.

Nitch? Neesh? The debate rages.

Looking ahead

In 2025, there’s so much I want to accomplish. I hope to finish my book. I want to start doing webinars, maybe even coaching. And I’m eager to return to my weekly writing cadence.

Although I’m not sure I’ll be able to write every Wednesday just yet (book editing is mentally taxing), that’s my goal. I love writing for all of you and helping you navigate adversity any way I can. The world is a crazy place these days, and there are a lot of people who are struggling.

In the meantime, if you have any topics you’d like me to write about, let me know.

Thank you SO MUCH for your support these last two years. It really does mean the world to me.

- Chris

PS - Stay strong, LA. 💔

AMA

Here’s the write-up from last week’s AMA. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions!

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