67 Comments

I’m Eden, from California but traveling in Southeast Asia and now headed to South Africa -- a *courageous* thing I did last year was quit my job to travel and explore my creativity...and now start this newsletter😇

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Nov 24, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

I’m Jose. I live in Atlanta, sort of, but at the moment I’m sitting on a porch in Rosemary Beach, FL. Retiring is the scariest thing I’ve done in the last few years - uncertainty about breaking off from stable routine and pay of work, family life now that I would be home all the time, what to do with my time. What’s the worst that can happen? I asked myself, and the answer I found was - nothing we couldn’t adjust to. It’s been nearly five years now since I took the plunge and the rewards of retirement have not all been as expected - travel, concerts, better relationships, also lots of walking, finding clients that still want to work with me part-time, having the time to help care for my mom. I’m learning - still work in progress - life is not linear, ups, downs, joy, sadness, sometimes all in the same day

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I’m Elizabeth, and I live in Los Angeles. I feel like I do scary things all the time, but making a commitment to rest regularly is super weird for me, and I’m not sure how to go about it.

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Oct 21, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

Heyyyy Tati! / Hi, everyone. Giselle from the DC area here.

A scary thing I did recently was sign up for my first writing class since… college? High school? I don't even know—it's been a VERY LONG TIME. So far I'm the only participant (hah, of course), so it's going to be interesting.

One day, maybe, I'd like to try to get a short story or personal essay published somewhere. We shall see.

Stay brazen! We love it. xoxo

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I'm Chrissy, I live in Wilmington, NC!

I recently traveled to Italy with my husband. My first time out of the US in 16 or so years, his first time EVER. We had a very loose itinerary, rented a car (terrifying, but fun!) and had a great time. I was nervous about many aspects (language barriers, spending money, getting lost, crashing our rental car). It wasn't a perfect trip, but it was perfect for us.

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Oct 21, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

Hola! Blanca! Traveling currently in Lisbon!

I’m doing the scariest thing - traveling and making arrangements as I go! 😆😁🥺🤣

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Oct 21, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

1. Hi, I’m Kristen and I’m currently writing from Hanoi, Vietnam.

2. The scariest thing I did recently is leave everything I’ve ever known back home in the U.S. and packed as much as I could fit in a backpack to start a new adventure in Vietnam. I didn’t have a job or a place to live before coming here and didn’t know anyone and it’s been the scariest thing I’ve ever done navigating living in a whole new country I’ve never been to and doing it all by myself.

3. I want to start posting regularly on my blog about all my experiences and travels and not let imposter syndrome and self doubt prevent me from doing that. Also in the near future want to take a year to focus all on traveling and writing!

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Oct 21, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

1. Brenna from San Diego!

2. I decided to make a course about how to make friends as an adult. I shared the news with my Instagram friends and asked them to take my test course. I hoped for 4 but 7 people signed up! Wahoo 🥰

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Oct 21, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

1. I’m Elle Griffin and I live in Salt Lake City.

2. I recently started publishing my second book, a utopian novel, as a serial for my newsletter subscribers.

3. I want to travel the world, while writing my newsletter for a living and being ever more imaginative and expansive with my art. 😍

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1. Holly from Mississippi in the Southern U.S.

2. Last week I published a post that was really personal and included bits about my faith--which can be a really taboo thing to talk about, right.

Also, I donated stem cells for my brother’s transplant this summer. I tried not to think about the process or the discomfort, but I gotta tell you: getting that big freaking tube shoved into my neck and down my veins was anxiety-inducing!

3. I’m thinking of doing more voiceovers and maybe even some podcasts. I don’t love my voice and am not as confident speaking as I am writing, so we’ll see...

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You’re too cool I love these

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Thank you so much for the shout out! Your newsletter and all your adventures are definitely an inspiration to many of us.

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Oct 20, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

Here in Vancouver, BC, a population made up of immigrants and refugees from a gadzillion countries. Canada comes from the from the Aloquin-Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” It is the #1 choice of immigrants and refugees. Those who arrive in the east often make their way to the West Coast due to the mild weather, English as the dominant languge, and the presence of lots of communities of many immgrants and refugees that made their way here. Of courses, the natural beauty was repeatedly heralded by National Geographic x 3 as one of the 6 most beautiful cities in the world, long before "My American Cousin" was filmed or Hollywood North became an insitution. Here we go for Doner Kabobs.

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Ok Tatiana,

Always inspiring us to be playful! Although I see people are already coming to your party; I want to help you with your fear of no one showing up, and turning this event into a full house!

1. I am Maja and currently live in Stockholm, Sweden. Moving hear years ago was one of the scariest things that I did and I am still trying to wrap my head around if it was a good idea.

2. Starting my own Substack, Tarantula: Authors and Art was scary ... especially since I try to find artists to inspire conversations and stories. And I am very proud of my self as I contacted an artists who just had an exhibition at the Ford Institution in NYC, and she said yes! that's coming up next months, but the fear of rejection was real! Although I feel a bit braver now!

3. I am actually thinking of what else can I do in my life as I feel like I have a lot more that I can contribute, but after years of writing for self and mothering, and being in a foreign country looking for a part time job is scary! So let's see what happens next! (I can't believe I just said this out loud!)

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Oct 20, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

Hello 👋 my name is Anonymous and I am currently located in a place called Anonymous.

Recently I presented in front of group of 30 people… scary stuff. But I took a deep breath and trusted my gut. Turned out great!

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Oct 20, 2022Liked by Tatiana Gallardo

1. Hello! My name is Maryam. I live in Lagos, Nigeria, as a writer.

2. I finally started a Master’s programme, and it’s been running for a whopping three months! It feels surreal and amazing to start and, actually, enjoy a goal that I’ve been looking forward to accomplishing.

3. I'd like to get rid of the gnawing fear in my throat, resume blogging, and keep sharing my stories with the rest of the world.

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Love the thread illustrations and play on words!

1. Liz, in Brooklyn, but currently at a writing retreat in rural Pennsylvania, in a big white rocking chair on the porch of a barn.

2. Scariest thing I’ve done recently: starting my life over at 40, and then sharing photo essays on Substack about finding the courage to begin again.

3. Thing I’m scared to do soon: starting a new phase of my career and going freelance so I have more time to sit in rocking chairs at writing retreats!

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Hi! I’m Natasha and I live in London. Actually right this minute my husband is booking our Christmas trains in Berlin. I write and podcast over at The Rest Room about living with chronic illness and I like to spend my spare time learning yiddish and french.

Something I’ve written about a fair amount recently is growing up terrified of my body. I experienced a lot of dislocations, and as I got older and they got more frequent. I’ve dislocated my knee the most (the last time, ever so glamorously and on-trend, slipping on the floor in the security room of the Holocaust museum in Paris) and it has lead to physical reactions whenever I’m near water on a wet floor - or when I see it on the tv (I can’t watch Cameron Diaz slip across the ice in The Holiday). I’ve been working for years to feel safe having my feet near water, to remind myself that I don’t dislocate my knee every time I’m near something wet. So that’s something I’m continuing to work on (today was actually a milestone with that!)

The fear will remain and I need to be careful, but it’s not black and white.

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Oct 20, 2022·edited Oct 20, 2022Author

In the spirit of putting on my Brazenface, I'll take the first plunge:

1. Tatiana, currently writing/illustrating to you from Berlin, Germany. The lovely land of doner, dancing, and danke :)

2. A recent fear: starting my very first Substack thread—which kinda feels like sending out a party invite to thousands of people and crossing your fingers that people will actually show up. Fear of rejection is real!! But giving it a go anyway.

3. I want to push myself to make a mini short film soon (!!)

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You’re amazing-- you inspire us all

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