‘Annie’s soul is so soothing and just encourages us to think of things differently’
– Holly Tucker, MBE
Hello, I’m Annie Ridout (non-fiction author, essayist, viral poet and Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter).
On here, I publish work/life essays and author interviews.
Covering: success, failure, productivity, work-life balance and what it means to be a woman writer, aged 40, living in London with a husband and three kids.
And then I teach through online courses and coaching/consultancy.
On Substack, I’m delighted to be a bestseller, named as a ‘Featured Publication’ and to rank in the global top 50.
If you subscribe, you’ll get weekly essays delivered to your inbox, with a hand-drawn illustration at the top.
(Scroll to the bottom for some of my most popular essays.)
My career
I trained in journalism and spent 15 years writing for the Guardian, the Observer, Forbes, Grazia, Red Magazine, Stylist, Metro, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard, Refinery29, You Magazine, Women's Health, iNews and more.
This led me onto non-fiction book writing, and I’ve had three books published: Raise your SQ (Radar, 2023), Shy (Fourth Estate 2021), The Freelance Mum (Fourth Estate 2019). I’m also a Sunday Times-bestselling ghostwriter for celebrities.
As a poet, I’ve self-published three collections that have sold in the thousands, globally, and several of my poems have gone viral after being shared by women around the world, including Paloma Faith and Busy Philipps.
I've been interviewed on BBC Woman's Hour, on a panel at Stylist Live, on the Sunday Times Style Secrets of the Side Hustle podcast, on Gaby Roslin's BBC Radio London show, The Jeremy Vine Show and for the Independent.
Now…
I’m working on a new collection of poems and essays, along the lines of the poems I've been sharing recently on Instagram and the essays I share here on Substack (to be published in 2026), while still deep in mothering with my school-aged kids.
Here’s what people in my Substack community say…
"I love reading Annie's work and often find both reassurance and empowerment in her writing" - Emma Svanberg
"Your work is thought provoking and encourages action. I love that!" - Shahidah Al-AMin
"Hi Annie. Always love what you write and always inspired by your Madonna-like ability to change, adapt and flex to what you, your family and your career require. Brava! Felicity " - Felicity Haythorn
Here are some popular articles…
