What 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.

You can follow my daily progress at exitplanwriter.com

As always , email me at podcast@exitplanwriter.com

Or follow me on Instagram @exitplanwriter

FREE: Dan Koe’s book: https://thedankoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Purpose-Profit-2.pdf

Which I strongly urge you to get in print as well, it has a special place in my bookshelf.

I’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 episode

• ​We 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 how it helps untangle perfectionism, procrastination, and the urge to “fix yourself before you start.”
• ​I share my pattern of struggling to commit to drafts until they’re done.
• ​Together we discuss the Core Quadrant model to show how our biggest character flaws actually stem from our core strength.

If you’re juggling real-life responsibilities and still aching to write, follow along as I figure it out—one honest episode at a time.

You can find Lara on instagram @lararickard_

follow me on instagram @exitplanwriter

Or email me at podcast@exitplanwriter.com and I can put your character through the Core Quadrants model

Exit 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.