Let's start this year off right!
A hearty "Hello" from Dr. Nafeesah is in store.
Endings are just disguised Beginnings
This is why I’ve decided to re-launch my newsletter afresh on Substack on the last day of 2022. Before we jump into the deets, let’s start with the basics.
Who am I, really?
Chances are you already know a little about me - but here’s a bit about my writing life that you might now know.
I’ve been winning prizes for writing since I was in the third grade, but I never realized that writing - itself - could be a job. Actually, I thought it was antithetical to “a real job,” so I shuttered my self-pub magazine in college, stopped interning for the Fader, and revved myself up for a life of public service. While it paid my college loans (yup, Columbia twice ain’t cheap), my career hasn’t always filled my soul.
Rather than leave a job that I sometimes love very much and am also quite good at, I’ve done a lot in parallel - I got two degrees, including a Ph.D. in Forced Migration. I grew an amazing transnational family and have dabbled in real estate investing. If you google me and find a bit about each of these things, don’t worry - it’s all me!
But… what about writing?
Well, I kept a secret(ish) blog for years - nope, I’m not sharing the name now.
And I published research in academic journals… #funnotfun
Until 2020, that is. Really, it started in 2019…
Faced with pregnancy discrimination at work that threatened my health (my daughter was born nearly a month early) and my livelihood (I shudder to think how much money I lost that year), therapy and life coaching helped me realize that much of why I struggled to love my career was because I expected it to pay me back for everything I sacrificed along the way. Chief among them was financial independence, which was closely followed by autonomy over my own time and location. So, my mindset shifted.
As fate and a pandemic would have it, 2020 offered me time to slow down and re-establish a new relationship with my value and skills.
Most immediately, I had to pay mortgages and lawyers (Don’t worry! In the end, they settled with me, but that’s a story for another day).
Over the long haul, I knew I could only keep going in my career if I didn’t expect it to love me back.
So, I changed my focus. I stopped overworking - in every sense - and over-delivered in the office, given the limited time, resources, and autonomy allotted.
With my personal time and emotional space free, I joined Werk University (affiliate referral link, but I don’t sell snake oil - I really used it and found benefit) and realized that I was part of a cadre of underearners. My upgraded credentials never came with a promotion or raise, so I recognized that I was chasing validation in all the wrong places. I laugh now at how little I appreciated my own writing and strategy experience - nearly 15 years of it at that point. Alas, we live and we learn…
Within a week of starting Werk U, I applied for and got a freelance editing role with CRM Cactus & Editage. And then, I started pitching magazines and editors. Relationships and referrals snowballed. The rest is history.
What Makes My Writing Different?
Very few people are going to bring the right mix of 80’s baby, nomad mama, global appeal, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) wordsmithing pizzazz to your book, paper, magazine, or screen.
In short, my unique background shows in my writing. I’ve lived on 5 continents. I am a trained research scholar. I speak three languages - every single day. Suffice it to say, I am nobody’s one trick pony. I like jumping into topics I know nothing about and learning as I go. And I’m a fan of the Oxford comma. Say something. I dare you!
I write research papers as well as foreign policy briefs. This year, I tackled traditionally published children’s books (a new genre for me) and ghostwriting for changemakers! I edit across all kinds of writing, but truthfully I still don’t really get the line between copyediting and proofreading. I fix whatever sounds wrong…
My heart has always been in magazines, so I still write quite a bit for mags like Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Parents, and more. Frankly, I love it. It’s an opportunity to learn about brands, people, and products that are transforming lives. It’s also a chance to explain the basics of functional things that people actually need. Service pieces and explainers are becoming my new jam.
Above all, I enjoy giving space to diverse experts who usually don’t get their well-deserved shine.
What Do I Write About Most?
I don’t call myself the Swiss Army Knife of Global Communications for nothing.
I actually write about a little bit of everything.
In addition to race, gender, and literature, here are my most common topics:
Real Estate: Markets, Design, Decor, Purchase, Renting, Investing, iBuyers, Financing
Fintech: B2B & B2C, Apps, Software, and Websites for personal and business finance
Parenting: How-to, Multicultural, Multiracial, Multilingual, Pregnancy - Empty Nesters, Women's Health, Family Finance
Travel: Migration, Expat, Remote Work, Relocation, Geographic Arbitrage, Hospitality, Food, Languages, Transportation
Tech for Writers: Productivity, Efficiency, Artificial Intelligence, Copyright, and Intellectual Property, Open Source, Academia
How Can You Work With Me?
Great question!
First check out my work at nafeesahallen.com.
If you like it, then email me at nafeesahallenphd[at]gmail[dot]com if you:
Need a writer for your magazine, blog, company, institution, or academic needs.
Want to share samples or introduce new sources or exclusive pitches.
Need an expert speaker on writing, migration, third culture parenting, etc.
Want me to host a virtual book reading or club in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
Need a brand strategist or executive thought leadership guide.
Have a book idea and need a ghostwriter or publication strategist.
Need a freelance editor for copy, content, or publications.
If you’re into what I’m into, follow my blogs and join these growing communities:
preggyfinance.com
blackhistorybookshelf.com
Now that that’s out of the way…
I wish you a safe end of the year and a spectacular 2023!
I can’t wait to see what amazing things we’ll create together in the new year!