17 Oct 2026
Writing in public, getting over fear, rebranding with grace and finding your people IRL with Michaella & Lex...
“Something about writing in public, changes the way you write.”
Michaella Parkes (https://substack.com/profile/129371997-michaella-parkes)
I first met Michaella and Lex at the Substack summer party in London in 2025 (one of those dreamy evenings where I kept drifting back to their corner), and I’ve wanted to bring them onto the podcast ever since. I LOVE what they do and who they are in the world and I think you will too. ♥️
If you’re a multi-hyphenate weaving Substack into a bigger creative life, this conversation is for you.
“The most important thing was that I was going to be able to be consistent... having a format that was consistent and not having metrics in it that would stop me.” Lex Hearth (https://substack.com/profile/74075535-lex-hearth)
Meet the guests
Michaella is a freelance food and lifestyle journalist, and she’s writing her first novel. Her Substack, For Starters, is about being hungry for life, love and everything in between.
Lex is a DJ, music producer, broadcaster and podcaster. She writes Five Good Things every week and Dance Music Digest (which began on Substack and now has a record label attached). She also hosts The Side Quest podcast.
📍 Together they co-host Writers IRL, an in-person meetup for Substack writers in London.
“This is incredibly brave work we’re doing... It’s the first time we’ve been able to do this and experiment with feeling safe in our voice this way.” Claire Venus ✨ (https://substack.com/profile/8406699-claire-venus)
Amy I Beeson 🐝 (https://substack.com/profile/38687081-amy-i-beeson) JP Clark (https://substack.com/profile/155998334-jp-clark) Lex Hearth (https://substack.com/profile/74075535-lex-hearth) Michaella Parkes (https://substack.com/profile/129371997-michaella-parkes) and me.
What we explored
* Consistency as a gift. Both of them built their audiences by creating a simple, repeatable format they could keep showing up for. Michaella wrote her weekly Add to List for 100 weeks, then took a two-month pause. Readers wrote in asking when it was coming back.
* The metrics that matter to them. Lex keeps an eye on her unsubscribe rate because an inbox is such a personal, precious space. Michaella watches who arrives and who leaves rather than raw views.
* Rebranding without fear. About 18 months in, Michaella moved from Structured Stream of Consciousness to For Starters so her Substack matched the writer she’d become. Being transparent brought her readers along for the ride, and she can now point to her Substack when pitching editors.
* Perfectionism dissolves with rhythm. When something goes out every week, one imperfect post matters far less.
* Why IRL matters. Their first Substack writers’ meetup was five or six slightly nervous writers in a room above a pub. Some events have since grown to 50+ (helped by finding the one pub in London that wasn’t showing the England match). It’s a reminder that Substack is people, not just an algorithm.
My own shifts this year. I’m emailing less, honouring the inbox, and choosing deep, long-term community over fast growth... because growth is only growth if churn doesn’t churn.
From left to right - Amy I Beeson 🐝 (https://substack.com/profile/38687081-amy-i-beeson) and me, lovely party-goers and parasols, my beautiful friend Jo Hutton (https://substack.com/profile/102126080-jo-hutton), Michaella Parkes (https://substack.com/profile/129371997-michaella-parkes) and Lex Hearth (https://substack.com/profile/74075535-lex-hearth) one of the rare pics I took that evening.
Connect with Michaella and Lex online…
* Writers IRL meetups: writersirl.substack.com (https://writersirl.substack.com). Their 2026 calendar lists the Christmas party on 3 December.
* Michaella’s For Starters: michaella.substack.com (https://michaella.substack.com)
* Michaella’s website: michaellaparkes.co.uk (https://michaellaparkes.co.uk)
* Lex’s Five Good Things: lexhearth.substack.com (https://lexhearth.substack.com)
* Lex’s Dance Music Digest: dancemusicdigest.substack.com (https://dancemusicdigest.substack.com)
Lex’s podcast: The Side Quest -
If it sparked something for you, a five-star review wherever you listen (apple or spotify) would mean the world. Feel free to drop us a comment when you’ve listened below.
Claire
✨
P.S - it’s your last chance to support a WONDERFUL London based event with diverse writer’s voices - Amy I Beeson 🐝 (https://substack.com/profile/38687081-amy-i-beeson) is hosting an IRL event for writers and people who want to read and celebrate their work next month…Amy is crowdfunding to make the event happen - do chuck across some gold coins if you can!!!
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