What's going on here?

A little introduction to the Chasing Carly newsletter.

Over the last several years, I’ve realized that I bring a sort of authenticity and vulnerability to the world that helps other people feel seen and heard. Now I feel like it’s time for my writing to be heard.

A Quick Overview of My Last 5 Years

I often look at my life and think: how did we even get here? I feel like I’m too young to be feeling this way. Here’s a super quick rundown of what the last 5 years have looked like for me:

2018: Graduated college with a degree in Journalism & Mass Communication

2019-2020: Drove a giant hotdog-shaped truck across the United States (Yes, that one. It will not be named because I don’t want to potentially be sued over a silly little newsletter.) I got to see big cities, small-town America, and just about everything in between, and it shaped my perspective on my home country and the people in it. I’m known to casually drop wild tales from the road like driving the thing through the Lincoln Tunnel and getting invited to strangers’ homes for dinner.

2021-2022: Fulfilled my dream of moving “out west”, beginning a journey of self-exploration that continues to this day. Here, I had my mid-twenties existential crisis where I took a good hard look at my life and realized I was unhappy with almost everything in it. I quit my 9-5 job in search of a more fulfilling way to spend my days, doing freelance marketing work and part-time childcare to make ends meet. I ended a relationship with a live-in partner who felt more like an apathetic roommate than someone to plan a future with. I got a proper mental health diagnosis and started taking medication again. I started advocating for myself and putting myself first.

2023: I got my dream job, being paid to travel. I lived van life in New Zealand and Australia, creating social media content about what it was like to be a digital nomad living in a van. Realistically, I should have started this newsletter then. We could have had a fun little travel update situation. But I didn’t, so you’ll have to hear silly anecdotes about my travels after the fact. But I realize stories like my two months spent living and working on a cattle farm or an invite to join a fire-spinning drum circle on the beach that turned into a 3-day adventure with new friends are definitely stories worth telling.

2024: I settled into a more “normal” life, seeking stability but still finding ways to sprinkle in a little adventure. Now I’m just a city girl who likes to touch grass regularly and travel when I can. And I’m never afraid to go solo.

Why listen to me?

I really have no good reason why you’d want to read my ramblings, but we’re all here, aren’t we? For a long time, I convinced myself that people don’t care. I’m not qualified to give advice on a lot of things. But I’m funny and don’t take things too seriously, and neither should you.

A newsletter is something I’ve considered for a while. I’ve been craving a space to share my writing - something that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since I was a kid. I’ve got a degree in Journalism but most of my writing stays stashed in notebooks on my bookshelf.

What’s in it for you?

I’m hoping that in some small way, being part of this community makes you feel less alone. It’s a wild world out there, and we all need a bit more authenticity and connection in our lives. I hope that this newsletter feels like a chat with a friend, something you can nod along with and say “Yes! I feel that!”

What can I expect from this newsletter?

It’s hard for me to ~pick a niche~ , something too often suggested in the social media world. I expect this space to evolve as I do, but some topics you can expect to be covered are:

🌎 Travel

🧘🏻‍♀️ The art of being alone

🌲 How I spend my offline time

📚 Books I’ve been reading

🛍️ Conscious consumption

🧠 Managing mental illness

💭 Overall thoughts on navigating this wild world as a single, childless woman in her late twenties

How often will I get this newsletter?

Hopefully once a month. Maybe twice a month. We’ll see. Consistency isn’t really my thing, but I’m working on it.

I hope you choose to get comfy & stay a while. I’m just getting started.

💛 CJK