"Calm, clear, comforting and hopeful"

Hello, I’m Annie (author, journalist, poet and coach).

Welcome to my corner on Substack.

⭐️ Bestselling, ‘featured’ Substack.

⭐️ Ranks in the top 20 in philosophy, globally.

⭐️ And is a fast-growing community of 6000+ readers.

My writing has been described as "calm, clear, comforting and hopeful". And I've been described as "clever. But not too clever". So it'll never go over your head.

But it will get you thinking and doing.

I was delighted to be named as one of Substack’s ‘Featured Publications’ for 2023.

Each week, I send out:

• A self-development piece (a coaching exercise, business tips, a mindset shift, a guided meditation).

• A personal essay (on freelancing, feminist issues, being a writer, motherhood, creativity and my mistakes).

You can sign up here and you’ll aways get two (but sometimes three, or more) essays a week, direct to your inbox.

Or, choose ‘smart notifications’ in your settings and you’ll access them through the app instead.

It's the best way to get regular writing from me and if you kindly decide to support my work by contributing a small amount each month, you'll get all the writing and self-development tools for the cost of a coffee and a half.

Plus, we will together be proving that the real power lies in the hands of the creator.

Click here to join in: annieridout.substack.com/subscribe.

About me

I’ve had three non-fiction books published (Raise your SQ, Shy and The Freelance Mum). The golden thread running between them is that they all have a message of ‘hope’.

I’ve written for the Guardian, the Observer, Forbes, Grazia, Red Magazine, Stylist, Metro, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard and more.

I also run an online course and coaching business, and I love teaching other women how to launch and grow their own businesses/creative practice.

If you’d like to read more about me, and my Substack, and get a taste of how I write on this platform, you can read this piece (for free): What am I doing here?

Some popular articles include:

• Substack, a year in (what's worked, what hasn't)

• This could change your life.

• Finding your day-to-day focus

• Is it rude to talk about how much you earn?

• Was I being provocative, or just honest?

• Why I'm no longer ambitious (and how you might like to re-think your own ambition)

• Forget external validation and do this

Back to the bio…

As a journalist, I've written 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.

And 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.

I’m also a trained and experienced life coach and on the coaching side of my career, I’ve been featured in Psychologies, the Independent, Women’s Health, Femail and Forbes, as well as dozens of podcasts.

My non-fiction books and poetry

As an author, I’ve had three books published. I was the ghostwriter for a fourth and fifth, plus there’s a sixth in the pipeline, as well as a new non-fiction book.

My books

My latest book - Raise Your SQ: Transform your life with Spiritual Intelligence (Radar, 2023) - is full of tips, rituals, spiritual practices and coaching exercises that will help you to improve your life. I share my own spiritual journey, and interview leading figures to ask about theirs.

Before that, I wrote Shy: How being quiet can lead to success (4th Estate, 2021). This book - part-memoir, part research - reframes shyness as an attribute, rather than a flaw that needs fixing. It has helped thousands of people to embrace this personality trait.

My first book - The Freelance Mum: a flexible guide for better work-life balance (4th Estate, 2019) - is a guide to setting up as a freelancer after having a baby. Again, it's part-memoir, and is packed with tips for setting up as a freelancer/small business owner.

Poetry

I'm a poet, as well. Two of my poems have gone viral - 'I've just had a baby' and 'what I want', after being shared by thousands of women around the world, including Paloma Faith and Busy Philipps.

I turned them into prints and books, which sold globally - across Europe, the US, Australia, Canada.

Behind the career…

Home-life...

I was born and raised in north London, have lived in Somerset (twice) and Liverpool, Brighton and east London, and I’ve travelled the world.

But now I’m back in north London with my husband (part-time) and our three children (full-time).

I play the piano, guitar and handpan and compose my own music.

You can find me on Instagram: @annieridout and (very occasionally) Twitter: @annieridout.

Why is there a paywall on some of the articles?

Well, instead of pitching all my best ideas to write up as articles for newspapers and magazines, I now share them here. It means I can cover the issues that don’t get picked up because advertisers won’t be happy. It means I can write freely.

This is my main business now (alongside writing non-fiction books and ghostwriting). It’s where I can share my writing and coaching with other women (and men) who are curious and like to be inspired. And it’s priced to make both accessible.

So if you’re able to spare a few pounds a month, I can continue to save my best ideas for you.

Whether you stay as a free subscriber, or contribute monthly/yearly, I’m very grateful to have you here.

Thank you.

Annie x

Share your thoughts

I genuinely love receiving emails from subscribers. I always respond. And paid subscribers are also welcome to start conversations with me in the comments and chat section - ask me questions, share your thoughts, ask for advice.