what would you do if you fully saw yourself?
the answer wasn’t what I expected.
Back in March, I kept getting this ping that something needed to change in the way I work with clients.
I needed more space to study, write, review client files, and keep deepening the quality of my work.
As a business owner, doing less is scary. Especially when things feel uncertain. But I made a choice that felt difficult at first, and a few months later, I can see how much better it is.
I now take one week off from client-facing work every month, and I only work with three 1:1 clients per quarter. Anyone beyond that goes on the waitlist for the next round. Check this out for 1:1 work.
This is the first time in my business that I’ve prioritized what I need in order to be my best at the work I do.
And, unsurprisingly, that extra week of uninterrupted attention gave me time to write.
A lot.
It also overlapped with an exploration I’ve been in: how to actually be seen.
The question I kept asking myself was:
What would you do if you fully saw yourself?
The answer was simple.
I would write.
I love writing. It’s how I make sense of the world.
My writing journey started in 2017, after I read The Artist’s Way, and I’ve written every day since. I just never really considered sharing it until I started Substack last February.
At first, I only shared small pieces of my personal writing, process, and behind-the-scenes thoughts in my weekly newsletter.
Then I looked at the analytics and realized some of the most-read pieces were the personal ones.
That still surprises me.
And when some of you book a call and tell me something I wrote resonated with you, I’m surprised every time.
Like… really? You read the stuff I write?
When it comes to Substack, the common advice is not to monetize until you have at least 1,000 subscribers. I’m only about a third of the way there, and I never saw my writing as something to monetize.
But during this “being seen” exploration, I started wondering:
Why not?
Because the truth is, it feels deeply vulnerable to trust that other people might support your writing.
To trust that they care about your work.
To trust that they want it to exist in the world.
What I’ve learned is that being seen has three parts:
See yourself.
Let yourself be seen.
Surrender how you’re being seen, because that part is out of your control.
So today, I’m excited, and a little nervous, to share that some of my Substack writing will go behind the paywall.
If you enjoy my work and you’re able to support it financially, I would deeply appreciate it.
And if that’s not possible right now, please know that sharing my writing, referring my work, and telling someone about this space is also incredibly supportive. You can do it here.
It helps this space grow, and it’s a strong reminder that this work matters.
Thank you for joining me on the path of unconditioning,
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Hedi Shah
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👁️ Mindfulness Teacher & Bodyworker
🐉 Nervous system regulation, breathwork, and posture-focused strength training to target the cause of what keeps you stuck and in pain, not just symptoms.
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