This Week’s Featured Creator
This week, it gives me wonderful pleasure to introduce Jeannie Ewing, the writer behind I Grow Strong Again.
Quick Introduction
I am sincerely and deeply grateful that I came across Jeannie’s Substack a year and a half ago. Jeannie always shows up with a full heart, and her readers are continually met with kindness, grace, and refreshing, heartwarming authenticity.
Her Substack community encourages you to show up as yourself, knowing you’ll be welcomed with empathy, curiosity, and kindness the moment you step through the door.
Her heartwarming, tender, and courageous stories offer thoughtful reflections that invite you to return, week after week.
I’m delighted to share our conversation and offer you a closer look at the heart behind her words.
Conversation with Jeannie Ewing
What is the heart of your Substack, and what do you hope readers experience when they spend time there?
I have always wanted to simply show up as me, sharing straight from my heart about life - not just the monumental events, but the everyday pockets of light and joy that I used to rush past.
I know we live in a frenetic culture, and I want to offer an invitation for people who stop by or scroll past my Substack space to pause, exhale, and slow down to notice the quiet and often hidden beauty that surrounds us every day.
In learning about microkindnesses, I feel strongly that these small gestures change our outlook - a smile, a hug, a handwritten note, the sighting of a butterfly or dragonfly, sitting with a sunset for five minutes.
We don’t have to do extraordinary or overwhelming practices in order to change our lives or the immediate world in which we live; we just have to adjust time within our day to make room for these micromoments of connection and awe.
What inspired you to begin writing or creating on Substack?
Honestly, I migrated my newsletter from MailChimp to Substack in March 2023, simply to change platforms for my biweekly (now weekly) newsletter.
Is there a topic, question, or idea that continually calls you back in your work? If so, what is it, and why does it matter to you?
“How am I showing up today? Am I bringing goodness wherever I go?”
It matters, because I’ve witnessed people’s moods and facial expressions shift when I choose to compliment someone, open the door for them, thank them, smile. Many times they will verbalize their gratitude and even open up about how hostile a lot of people/patients/customers can be.
If your writing or creative work could make one meaningful difference in someone’s life, what would you hope that difference would be?
For that person to know they are seen, valued, and loved for who they are.
A Favorite Photograph
Attached is a photo of me with my daughter Sarah when she was a baby, in 2014. At the time, I had been struggling with accepting her diagnosis of Apert syndrome and was resisting the life of a caregiver.
I had been handed this challenge without warning and kept pushing it away. The photo illustrates a turning point that happened in my heart, when I decided to surrender to what is, instead of wishing for a different life. I decided to love Sarah.
What is something that brings you joy or peace in your everyday life outside of writing?
Beginning my day with meditation and journaling. This sets the tone for the entire day when I’m able to give myself the solitude of listening. It’s so important. I also love nature and taking daily walks with my dog, paying attention to the birds, especially ones I’m unfamiliar with. Reading helps me slow down at the end of the day, too.
Featured Article
Click the link below to read:
‘Pretty’ isn’t usually used to describe my daughter.
What has been the most unexpected gift of writing on Substack?
Forming real friendships and meeting them in real life. Such a gift to connect with people on a deeper level - humans who are emotionally aware and evolved, who believe in the good, who are kind and understand complexity and nuance. That’s refreshing in this world so polarized and polarizing.
Anything else you’d like readers to know?
I’m not a coffee drinker but love hot tea, and I’d rather spend time off reading or hiking than sightseeing with crowds of people.
What does “belonging” mean to you?
Belonging is a great word, because in my former days as a high school counselor, I learned that most kids think they have to fit in. That concept doesn’t always leave us in adulthood. But belonging isn’t about conforming to a group; it’s about being who you are and the group celebrating all the ways you are different and unique!
True belonging means every person in a community gets to be authentically themselves without shame or pressure to perform or change.
Warmly,
Jeannie Ewing
Author, Editor, Group Facilitator
Connect With This Creator
Creator Name: Jeannie Ewing
Publication Name: I Grow Strong Again / Ghost Mother
If This Resonates With You
One of the most meaningful ways to support a creator is simply to read their work and stay connected to it.
If something here speaks to you, I encourage you to take a moment to explore Jeannie’s Substack.
You can also support their work in small but powerful ways:
Subscribe to their publication so you don’t miss new writing
Leave a comment to let them know what resonated
Restack or share a piece you loved
Pass their work along to someone who might need it
These small actions are what help independent writers continue creating and what make spaces like Substack feel alive.
Interested in Being Featured?
Creator Spotlight exists to celebrate writers, artists, and creators whose work brings meaning, reflection, creativity, and connection to the Substack community.
If you’d like to be considered for a future feature, feel free to reach out. I’m always open to discovering new voices and sharing work that deserves to be seen.
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Thank you for being part of a space where creators support creators and thoughtful work is shared and celebrated. Your presence here means the world to me.
With much love and gratitude,
Lis 💖
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I love Jeannie and her work is life-changing. Thank you for featuring her!
I love this interview!