I love this community so much

Photo by Valiant Made on Unsplash

Hey friends.

My heart is so full as I write this on Tuesday, June 3.

Honestly? I got a little down this morning. I had a huge launch for my publication yesterday, and I got a little less interest than I expected.

Discouraged, I logged in to the Notes Underground and started reading people’s Notes.

It completely turned my day around.

I came upon a video from my friend

Chris Aldridge

. I don’t know why, but seeing him so comfortable, and ALIVE on this video was so beautiful.

I’ve read Chris’ writing, but SEEING him on video was like meeting him for the first time.

Then I read this Note from

Kristin van Tilburg

.

My emotions overwhelmed me. I’ve known Kristin for years now. I’ve heard this story of her husband’s death before. It’s an intense story, and my heart compelled my fingers to tell her she was my hero in a comment. Because she is. She is stronger than I could ever imagine.

Then I read this gut-wrenching Note from

Teri Leigh 💜

.

So many emotions, people. SO MANY!

In the span of 20 minutes, I felt inspired, humble, proud, sad, overjoyed, and so much more. All because of our community. Whether it’s

• Alex Katsulis
  helping me understand myself better.

• Sam Messersmith
  teaching me to reconnect with nature.

• Bob Lewis
  making me feel like a superhero!

• Nick Simard
  exploring the harsh realities of being a creator

• Christie Sausa, MS
  sharing her fitness journey in real time

• Maria Gamb-Lipari
  quietly writing some of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever seen on Notes

• Michael Glenn
  giving us a masterclass on courage and vulnerability

• Newcomer

  Phil Powis ❤️⚡️
  giving us a daily jolt of positivity

• Marylee Pangman 📝✍️📚
  finally getting recognized for her great Fiction writing

• Watching

  Ana-Maria Janes
  find a new voice and style in real time

• Janet Ridsdale
  posting some of the purist Notes on Substack that feel so… genuine

• Brad Didericksen
  exploring life after quitting a corporate job

• Linnea Butler, MS, LMFT
  teaching me how to heal

• Larry Burton
  dropping bite-sized, hard-hitting personal development Notes

• alycia
  posting business advice with heart, that’s easily worth more than 99% of the business advice you’ll read online

• Lee Drozak
  giving us an absolute masterclass in how to write tight Notes

• Kat Nieh
  who genuinely impresses me with her writing ability every day

• Jeanette Martin
  , a Substack Notes giant who’s decided to bless us with her presence.

I could go on an on naming all the wonderful souls in our community.

Ilona Goanos

, who’s been with me for years, writing her beautiful life stories. Or newcomer

Nnamdi Ibekwe

, who is putting in that work every day to grow his writing talents.

I’ve stopped naming our members because if I do, we’ll be here all day.

In just 20 minutes of reading these beautiful Notes, I felt so connected with these wonderful people.

Then it hit me..

This is what a real community looks like.

Diverse. Supportive. Consistent.

We are sharing 30-40 Notes per day. We’re commenting. We’re cheerleading. We’re following through.

Ana-Maria Janes

says, “For the first time in a while, I feel truly happy about exploring this new way of writing because it’s completely devoid of any “shoulds,” just pure fun, creativity, and exploration.”

I don’t even take credit for that. I just find it so cool she’s sharing that with us in our Slack channel.

I realized something powerful..

We don’t need more people to join. We don’t need to have some big “launch.” We are already successful. We are already doing such beautiful work together.

And if you want to join our family? Great! Welcome!!

If not? That’s fine, too.

Do I think you’d be missing out? YES. 100%.

But that doesn’t matter. You can join (or not join) whenever.

If you’re looking for a tight-knit, supportive community that actually helps you get traction and improve your writing..

Look no further than the Notes Underground.

Become a paid subscriber to join us, or get a free 7-day trial right here.

Remember, you can get 30% off an annual paid subscription until Monday, June 9th (OFFER EXPIRES IN 3 DAYS).

Thanks for reading,

Tom Kuegler