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Meet Leigh Shulman, the Buenos Aires-based founder of The Inspired Writer Community, a close-knit group of women writers working to create their ideal writing lives. Welcome to “How I Escaped.” This Discovery Sessions interview series probes inspiring individuals who successfully ditched the rat race to inspire readers just like you. 

 

Where are you from or where do you feel local to?

Leigh Shulman: I’ve been moving around most of my life. I was born in South Africa, grew up in the US, and have lived in so many countries since that I don’t feel like I’m from anywhere in particular. My passport is US. I live in Argentina, and I tend to feel pretty comfortable anywhere I go. I particularly love Latin America because life tends to be more laid back.

 

How did you escape the rat race? Tell us the backstory of your former profession.

LS: I designed websites at MTV, taught at universities, and ran my own business for a while, all in NYC. For me, the rat race wasn’t as much about where I worked as a mindset. Living in NYC where the culture constantly pushed us to want more left me feeling stressed all the time. I didn’t know how to relax, because nothing is ever enough. We were always in a race to “pay our dues,” and life felt intense all the time.

 

When I saw the World Trade Center fall while standing on the roof of my building, I recognized how life can change in a moment, and the NYC rules I followed didn’t work for me anymore. Becoming a parent left me wanting more space for my body and mind. I ended up getting debilitating migraines from the stress and lack of sleep. I knew it was time to leave, so my husband and I sold everything we owned and left for open-ended travel with our daughter.

 

 

What advice would you give someone looking to become a writer? 

LS: Start writing and sending your work out for publication. You can start with shorter articles based on topics that interest you or your areas of expertise. I recommend finding a community to support you as you do this, so you can get advice about how to pitch, find publications, and build your bylines. This is the kind of thing you can do while you’re still working, and you can do it on your own time without a lot of stress. It also teaches you what kind of writing you like. Once you can hone in on what you enjoy, then you can start developing your writing in that area.

 

I started a writing community called The Inspired Writer Community to offer support and resources to people as they do all of these things from learning to pitch to leaving full-time jobs to write. I’ve incorporated neuroscience, behavior, and habit-building techniques as part of a toolbox to write and build businesses based on core values and self-care.

 

What does a typical day in the life look like for you (if you have one)? 

LS: I have more of a typical week. Mondays and Fridays are my writing days. I spend my time writing articles and books. These days also leave me time to see friends, go for hikes, or do other things to take care of myself. Tuesday through Thursday are my days to do everything else. From running my business and marketing to working with clients and creating new courses and workshops. Weekends are for me, family, and friends. I have to hold these boundaries and avoid procrastination to get everything done.

 

What’s the biggest challenge of life as a writer? 

LS: Rejection. I’m rejected in one way or another daily. An editor doesn’t want my story or a potential client decides to take another direction or an agent doesn’t respond to my query for representation. You have to believe in yourself and your work and keep going no matter what. No matter how solid your mindset may be, there will always be times when rejection gets to you. Learning how to move forward a step at a time no matter what gets me through those times.

 

What’s the biggest reward of life as a writer? 

LS: I’m doing exactly what I love doing most. I get to write creative projects of my choice. I work with wonderful clients and see them create the kind of writing lives they most desire. Even my worst work day is a pleasure.

 

 

What does freedom mean to you? When do you feel the most free?

LS: Freedom means being able to relax and have fun. It can be sitting in the sun doing nothing or having lunch with family and friends while our kids play. Living my life in a balanced, stress-free environment surrounded by people I love and trust is my goal. Reaching that goal is my freedom.

 

What advice would you give to someone wanting to become location-independent, work online, and maximize their freedom?

LS: “What do you want?” is the first question I ask every client and every member of my writing community. It’s also the topic of my book “The Writing Roadmap: Paving the Way To Your Ideal Writing Life.” Then, focus on creating what you want by minimizing your needs. When you live in one place, it’s easy to end up with a lot of stuff. Choose what’s important to you and buy or do those things. Learn to resist big box stores and say no to buying things because they’re cheap. Instead, spend your time and money only on that which you love.

 

I also recommend creating a schedule for yourself. It can be loose like mine or add as many boundaries as you want. The key is to create a schedule that’s flexible enough to take off for travel days, birthdays, family events, and vacations but structured enough to have the time and space to sit down and get your work done. Also, remember it takes time to build a practice of your work or writing. Requiring less allows you to be more flexible as you move around and choose the work that you enjoy most and brings you the most money for your enjoyment.

 

What do you wish you did differently (in work or life)? 

LS: I wish I hadn’t let fear hold me back. I would have started sooner. You already know what you want, but it’s easy to get distracted by the constant messages the world tells us about how you “should” live your life. Those messages reinforce ideas like you have to make x amount of money or that you’re a failure if you make mistakes. Ignore the voices and instead take what you already know and create a clear vision for your life. Anyone reading this wants to chat and find out more about how to start writing, contact me and we can talk more.