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-Wort ..read more

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 tw ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

As freelancers, we’ve probably all worked with clients who couldn’t pin down exactly what they wanted. Maybe they never had a clear vision for the project, or maybe they constantly changed their mind—and your scope of work. The experience can be incredibly frustrating. Yet, even these clueless clients need (and deserve) help from freelancers. In this episode, Wudan talks to content marketer and strategist Sara Gates.  Before Sara started her freelance business, she did a bit of everything at a high-growth startup. She was hired for marketing and did it all: SEO, social media, email, conte ..read more

A very overdone and true statement about freelancing is: “You’re running a business!” Businesses of all sizes have things like income targets, goals, creative direction—and even business plans! While some of those terms can sound a bit like “corporate speak,” these ways of doing things and problem solving in the corporate world can also be applied to your freelance business.  In this episode, Wudan talks to Melody Burdette. Melody is a freelance content strategist and copywriter based out of Billie, her Ford Transit. (Yes, that’s a van.) She spent the early part of her career working in e ..read more

Most of the time, freelancers who work with clients do not own the rights to the creative work that's produced. Even retaining a modicum of your rights is frequently a prolonged legal battle that results in very little. But some freelancers who want ownership over their work are turning to another source of income: newsletters.  Creating a newsletter is like running your own mini publication. There are questions about when to publish, how frequently to publish, how much to charge your subscribers, and more. In this episode Wudan talks to Leah Sottile.  Leah is an independent journali ..read more

Determining rates can be really tricky for freelancers. We need our clients to agree to a price for a project, but we can’t sell ourselves short and leave money on the table. Naturally, freelancers might wonder: How much can I charge before I price myself out of work?  In this episode, Wudan talks to freelancer Kat Boogaard.  Kat is a Wisconsin-based writer focused on blog content for software clients in the productivity, project management, and business ownership spaces. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Kat’s a high earner: In 2021, she grossed over $300k in income (nett ..read more

Navigating crossroads in our careers isn’t easy — not when we’re traditionally employed, and certainly not as freelancers, where we pick the rules. The possibilities can seem endless. One assignment, one client, or maybe even one email can completely change what we decide to do next. While considering making a big career shift, we can sometimes feel stuck, and the next steps might not feel immediately obvious.  In this episode, guest host Simone Stolzoff joins Wudan to talk about how to navigate big career transitions.  Simone is a journalist and designer based in San Francisco who’s ..read more

If you consume media, are a media worker, or just happen to pay attention to what’s happening to the media landscape, you might have heard that the industry is having… a bad time, to say the least. Hundreds of reporters and media employees have been laid off this year as newsrooms are shutting down or downsizing.  Some who are affected by these cuts try to move on to another full-time job, but other times, a layoff can lead to the freelance life. In this episode, Wudan is joined by guest co-host Karen Given  Karen is a freelance audio journalist, host, producer, editor, and voice coa ..read more