Why I changed my Substack subscriptions
(and what it has to do with streamlining my life)
Over the past few months, I’ve been quietly asking myself a simple but uncomfortable question:
What actually feels sustainable?
Not what looks good online.
Not what the algorithm rewards.
Not what I could do if I pushed harder.
But what I can do in a way that lets me live the kind of life I’m writing about.
That question has led to a series of small but meaningful changes—one of them being how I’ve structured Cozy Notes and its subscriptions.
This wasn’t just a business “pivot” so much as a life one.
I’ve been streamlining… everything
For a while now, my goal has been to simplify—not just my calendar, but my creative output.
That looks like:
Letting go of short-form content and reels (it felt like serving you junk food)
Saying no to the pressure to be everywhere, all the time
Focusing instead on long-form writing, podcasts, and longer YouTube videos
In other words: fewer places, deeper work.
And it’s been a relief.
The multipassionate problem (hello, it’s me)
If you’re multipassionate, you might recognize this pattern:
You get excited.
You have ideas.
You start ALL THE THINGS.
And before you know it, you’re maintaining too many platforms, too many promises, too many invisible obligations, until the thing you once loved starts to feel heavy.
That’s been me more times than I care to admit.
Not because I lack focus, but because I have too much of it, spread too thin.
And here’s the part I didn’t want to admit for a long time:
Even slow living content can become unsustainable if you overcomplicate it.
Why I removed paywalls
I realized that constantly creating “extra” content just for paid subscribers wasn’t aligned with the life I’m trying to live… or encourage others to live.
It was adding pressure.
It was fragmenting my attention.
And it was quietly turning my creative practice into something transactional.
So I made a decision that felt both scary and freeing: I opened up all of my writing and podcast content.
No gates. No tiers to manage. No feeling like I had to produce more to justify support.
Everything you read or listen to here is now available to everyone.
What paid support means now
Paid subscriptions aren’t about access anymore. They’re about support.
If you choose to become a paid subscriber, you’re saying:
This work matters to me, and I want to help keep it going.
As a thank-you, paid subscribers get access to one private podcast series—Coming Back to Yourself—along with discounts and early access to future offerings.
And that’s it.
Simple. Clear. Sustainable.
This is personal leadership (in real life)
One thing my business coach, Keri Kugler, often talks about is personal leadership, the idea that we don’t just teach values… we live them. We don’t just talk about alignment… we make decisions that reflect it, even when they’re inconvenient or a little scary.
And this felt like one of those moments.
It would’ve been easier to keep things the way they were. To keep adding layers. To keep producing more content, more bonuses, more reasons to “justify” a subscription.
But personal leadership, at least the way I understand it, asks a different question:
Does this match the life I’m actually trying to live?
For me, the answer was no.
So I chose clarity over complexity.
Sustainability over constant output.
Integrity over optics.
Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s honest.
So this is me actually practicing what I preach
I talk a lot about slowing down, doing less, and creating a life that feels calm instead of chaotic.
This change is me living that out in real time.
I don’t want a life that looks impressive but feels exhausting.
I want one that feels spacious, thoughtful, and human.
And I want Cozy Notes to reflect that… not just in what I write, but in how it exists.
If you’re also doing “too much”
Maybe this post isn’t really about Substack at all.
Maybe it’s an invitation to look at where you’re overextended, overcommitted, or quietly overwhelmed by things you once chose with excitement.
You don’t have to burn it all down.
Sometimes, you just have to simplify.
That’s what I’m doing here.
Thanks for walking this slower path with me.
I’m really glad you’re here.
xo, Xuan