My Substack Journey: 5 Months of Finding My People
A reflection on building community, embracing pivots, and the beauty of figuring it out as you go.
When I started my Substack back in July, I didn’t have it all figured out.
And honestly? That’s been one of the most beautiful parts of this journey.
You know what I love most about Substack? You can just come here and be you. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you start. No perfectly polished brand strategy. No content calendar mapped out for the next six months. You can simply post what’s on your heart and mind, and the focus and clarity come as you do the thing, not before you start.
My own massive pivot and rebranding? Living proof.
The Pivot(s)
So I started out writing about writing—specifically, writing for Christian writers. I was all about helping other Christian authors learn how to integrate their faith and their creativity in authentic ways, how to write characters who believe without making them sound preachy, and how to weave biblical themes into stories without hitting readers over the head with a Bible. How to honor both your calling as a writer and your identity as a Christian. Then I pivoted to building a digital business and ministry using my Soft Sacred Slow philosophy. Along the way, I made some other pretty significant decisions. I quit all other social media platforms and went all in on Substack and my writing career—both fiction and non-fiction. I also permanently stepped away from YouTube after fifteen years of creating content there.
Yeah. Fifteen years.
These weren’t small decisions, you know? That’s a long time to invest in any platform. But I realized that what I was building on YouTube—all that content about productivity and systems—had become so misaligned with who I was becoming and what I actually wanted to say to the world.
I didn’t want to promote hustle culture anymore. I wanted to invite people into something softer, more sacred, slower.
And Substack? It gave me the space to explore that invitation without the pressure of algorithms or the noise of multiple platforms pulling me in different directions.
Finding My People (The Living Waters)
You know how in Genesis, Day 5 is when God filled the waters and skies with living creatures? All that vibrant, abundant life flourishing in community? That’s what these five months on Substack have felt like for me—watching a living community begin to take shape.
So here’s where things stand today: 62 email subscribers, 144 followers, and I’m averaging 900-1,000 views per month. My podcast has 203 downloads, and somehow this little corner of the internet is reaching people across 20 US states and 12 countries. Which is wild to think about when I remember that I’m just here writing about what’s on my heart.
But honestly? More than the numbers, what matters is that I’ve finally zeroed in on my audience and community. I’m talking to my people—female Christian creatives who want to build intentional lives and ministries that honor both their faith and their unique design. And the difference is so palpable. I’m getting better comments and deeper conversations because I’m no longer trying to speak to everyone. I’m speaking to the women who actually need what I have to offer.
A Couple of Highlight Moments
Recently, one of my articles got restacked by a Christian writer with industry connections and a much larger audience than mine. And friend, that single restack has led to consistent views and a steady stream of new followers and subscribers coming in to read my work.
It reminded me that community building isn’t just about the people who show up in your immediate circle—it’s about creating work that resonates so deeply that others want to share it with their circles too.
Another highlight was hosting my first Substack Live session. I was just testing out the desktop live feature, but it made me genuinely happy to explore the video and live features that Substack keeps improving. It felt like another way to create that warm, nurturing space I’m always reaching for.
How My Personality Shapes This Space
So I’m a High C (Compliant) with an S (Steady) minor on the DISC assessment, which basically means I naturally gravitate toward detail-oriented content that’s actually helpful and thorough, frameworks that give structure without feeling restrictive, and creating safe community spaces where people feel seen and supported. (If you want to learn more about DISC personality types and figure out your own type, I wrote a whole intro post about it called Sacred Design that breaks it all down.) This all shows up in how I organize my content around the Genesis Framework with the seven Garden Spaces, how I approach teaching with care and precision, and how I’ve structured my paid tier.
Here’s the thing—all of my teaching content is free. I want it to be accessible to anyone who needs it. I even add audio to posts to make them more accessible for those who prefer to listen while they’re folding laundry or driving carpool (I see you, fellow moms). My paid tier—The Cultivator’s Circle—isn’t about hiding content behind a paywall. It’s about creating a deeper, more intimate community space for those who want more behind-the-scenes access to my creative business and ministry-building journey.
Permission to Not Have It Figured Out
Listen, if you’re reading this and you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, waiting until you have everything figured out before you start creating—consider this your permission slip to just begin.
Substack is the kind of place where you can show up as yourself, change your mind about what you’re creating, pivot when something isn’t working, build slowly and sustainably, and create community at your own pace. You don’t need to have a massive audience or a perfectly polished brand. You just need something to say and the willingness to say it.
Because here’s what I’ve learned: the clarity comes in the doing. The community forms around the authenticity. The ministry happens when you stop performing and start showing up.
What’s Next
I’m continuing to lean into this space I’m building. There’s so much on the horizon—expanding my Genesis Framework content, developing my Christian DISC offerings for creative ministry, building out my Rooted Reflections personal essay series, creating more video and audio content through Substack’s features, and deepening relationships with my Cultivator’s Circle members.
But mostly? I’m just going to keep showing up. Keep writing. Keep teaching. Keep building this soft, sacred, slow community with all of you.
Join the Conversation
For creators: What has your Substack journey been like? How long have you been here, and what have you learned along the way? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
For readers (and listeners): Have you considered starting your own Substack? What’s holding you back, or what’s drawing you toward it?
And if you’re not already part of The Cultivator’s Circle, I’d love to have you join us. It’s where I share the behind-the-scenes of building this Substack and my creative business—the messy middle, the experiments, the pivots, and the slow, steady growth of building something sustainable.
Here’s to five more months of figuring it out as we go, together.
With intention and joy,
Antonisha
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