Substack, thanks for the friends
On taking the platform IRL
Yesterday morning I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the wonderful
in real life.It was a scorcher (as anyone in the UK will know), so we met at Trentham Gardens - about halfway between us both - to enjoy the sunshine and some shade too.
Without Substack, I wouldn’t have even known Ella existed. Yet because of this incredible platform, about 12 months ago she cropped up as a new subscriber. What started as likes and comments on each other’s posts branched into the DMs where we discussed Bake Off, Strictly, and life in general. It quickly became a friendship.
Reader, we spent almost three hours together.
It felt like we’d already met IRL, it flowed that easily. We chatted about everything - Substack (obviously), books, the golden days of YouTubers, university, friendships… all sorts.
I owe a lot to this platform; it’s helped me fall back in love with writing for myself and I’ve gained confidence in my words. But more than anything, and most unexpectedly, I have to thank Substack for the amazing connections I’ve made and the community I’m part of. Sat in my dinky spare room, surrounded by a cluttered desk, hunched over my laptop, I’ve formed relationships with “strangers” that are stronger than some of the real-life interactions I’ve had in recent years.
I meet new people every day, but there’s a real pressure when you’re meeting someone you already know and like for the first time IRL. And I can confirm: Ella is just as fabulous in person. You know when someone is exactly like you hoped they’d be? Yeah, that.
Naturally, we’ve already said we’ll meet up again. I have no doubt this is the start of a very strong IRL friendship, completely separate from Substack.
It’s not just those IRL friendships.
and I are talking about starting something very exciting here on Substack, purely from our joint love of reading and wanting to build on those communities we’ve got. I’ve no doubt that if Michelle and I weren’t hundreds of miles from each other, there would be an in-person coffee meet-up to get planning. I can’t wait to see how this pans out <3So thanks, Substack. Not just for the outlet to share my words freely, but for the friends I’ve gained along the way.
Aaahhh two of my favourite Substack angels! I absolutely love this for you two!
And I can't WAIT for our little project. Totally down to try and make an in-person day-out work one day as well ;)
AWWWW SOPHHHH 🥲🥲 so grateful for your post about going sober that started it all!! Had the nicest ever time with you 🤍