Shows
Exit Plan: WriterEP07: What Top Authors Actually Earn & the Cash Flow DilemmaIn this solo episode, I share the money lessons from my first 8-week experiment of ditching the day job to focus on writing. Running a writing business is still a business, and cash flow matters more than I first realized. I talk honestly about the “cash flow dilemma,” what it really takes to fund creative work, and why pretending money doesn’t matter only leads to stress later. I also pull back the curtain on what six-figure authors like Joanna Penn, Sasha Black, and Rachael Herron are actually earning, and how they combine multiple income streams—from book sales to nonfi...
2025-08-2020 minExit Plan: WriterBonus: Guided Meditation for Authors — with Dajana HolstSpecial: A 10 minute guided meditation specific for authors to help set you up to overcome the dreaded first page. Listen to this to find your zone for writing that flows from your fingertips. It’s ten minutes short so you can get to your writing. A perfect meditation for writer’s that need to quickly change their state before sitting down to write. Listen to it whenever you need. Guided meditations have always been my preferred type of relaxation but I’ve missed having one specific for authors that I can listen to before a writing session. So I made o...
2025-08-1210 minExit Plan: WriterEP06: A Writing Life at Sea – with Paul TrammellA story about leaving everything and building a writing life on board a sailboat. In this episode I interview author and sailor Paul Trammell to talk about creativity, solitude, writing routines, and how he’s built a multi-stream writing life from the sea.Mentioned in this episode:Paul Trammell’s website and booksDream Chasers and Eccentrics podcastOffshore Sailing and Cruising podcastPaul’s books The Gold Box, Until They Bury Me, and On a Belt of Foaming SeasKeywords: writing routine, author productivity, writing on a sailboat, how to write o...
2025-08-051h 39Exit Plan: WriterEP05: Clarifying My Book Premise – A Writing Life in ProgressIn this solo episode, I pull back the curtain on my current work-in-progress and share what I’m writing, messy draft and all. You’ll hear about the beginner mistakes I’ve made, what I’m learning about plotting with two protagonists, and how it feels to let others read an unfinished manuscript.I also dig into the potential benefits (and pitfalls) of working with an editor early in the process and what you should have in mind. Plus, I share a personal update on my ongoing experiment: building a sustai...
2025-07-2912 minExit Plan: WriterEP04: Why You’re Not Finishing Your Novel — with Penelope TrunkIn this episode I talk to my old writing coach Penelope Trunk about why I’m not finishing my novel - and why you might not be either. If you’ve ever wanted to eavesdrop on an editor/writer conversation, this is it. We unpack my 50.000 ”non-words”, the trouble with editing yourself and why building a writing desk doesn’t count as writing (even if it’s gorgeous). Penelope, in her famously blunt and brilliant style, calls me out on procrastination disguised as productivity, explains why writing groups often fail, and reminds me that writing is not planning — i...
2025-07-221h 12Exit Plan: WriterEP03: Creating Space to Write and the Myth of Hard Work – With Silke Krieger GenckelIn this episode, Silke Krieger Genckel and I explore what it really takes to claim time for creativity—especially as mothers, writers, and women conditioned to put others first. We talk about guilt, identity, the myth of hard work, and the quiet courage it takes to take yourself seriously as a writer. Silke is embodying the Practical Magic life and I hope she inspires you as much as she inspired me. 👉 Follow the show for more honest conversations about creativity, writing, and life—and share this episode with a fellow writer who needs to hear it...
2025-07-1552 minExit Plan: WriterEP02: Business of Writing Experiment #1 – Losing the Day JobWhat if your day job is riskier than you think? In this solo episode I share more about the plan to build a sustainable writing life and explain the value of intellectual property. The first experiment is all about getting rid of the day job excuse and putting the day dream of a writing life to the test. Listen in to hear me debunk the myths around making money through writing and how I’m doing so far. Transition to full-time writing with me. This is a business of writing experiment episode.
2025-07-0816 minExit Plan: WriterEP01: How I’m Daring to Build a Writing Life in Public — with Lara RickardI’ve wanted to become an author for 20 years, but life, perfectionism, and people-pleasing keeps winning. In this opening conversation I sit down with therapeutic coach Lara Rickard to name what really stops us and to declare—out loud—that I’m building my writing life in real time, mess and all.What actually happens in this episodeWe unpack what’s missing from the conversation about successful author careers and why women with jobs, kids, pets, and partners often put everyone else first—and how that stalls creative goals.Lara explains embodied compassion and h...
2025-06-2955 minExit Plan: WriterEpisode 000 IntroExit Plan: Writer is a writing podcast hosted by me; Dajana Holst, an author starting from scratch and building a writing life in public. Through clever experiments in creativity, income, and mindset, you get the juicy how-to—I get the trial and error trauma. Let’s pivot together into a more intentional, independent writing life.Thank you in advance for subscribing—it supports my unhinged life choices and gets me one step closer to never hearing the phrase “circle back” again.
2025-06-2800 min