You Don't Have to Stay is Now The Wave
Why I renamed my newsletter from a book title to a dream
If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have noticed that You Don’t Have to Stay is now called The Wave. I wanted to take a moment to explain why.
Over the past few months, this publication has grown in ways I never expected, and the old name no longer fit like it did in the beginning.
When it launched, it was closely tied to my book You Don’t Have to Stay and the ideas it explores: overcoming fear, leaving work that drains you, and creating a life that feels more aligned. Those topics aren’t going anywhere. Every Tuesday, I’ll continue sharing personal essays about fear, reinvention, career change, and my ongoing journey from corporate burnout to full-time writer.
Months before starting this newsletter, I’d begun writing a historical fiction novel about Nora Osterly, a Titanic survivor forced to face the sea again. When the Sea Was Still is a story inspired by a transatlantic cruise I’d taken a couple of years ago. I hadn’t planned to include my fiction work in this publication but as Nora’s story evolved, I saw how similar her story was to mine in certain ways. Hers is a story of reinvention after loss. A story of resilience. And a story of what life looks like after the pieces are put back together.
When I learned that serial fiction was making a comeback, I discovered an avenue I hadn’t realized was available to my story. After researching this centuries-old publishing format, it quickly became an exciting way to share Nora’s journey. Everything clicked into place.
If you’re interested in reading Nora’s story, it starts here:
The fact that the novel is set in 1914, when serial fiction was a popular way of consuming stories through monthly magazines, was icing on the cake.
Once I decided my fiction belonged here too, releasing new chapters every Thursday, it was time to rethink the publication name. It took a lot of brainstorming and a lot of iterations, but I landed on The Wave because the name carries a story of its own.
Nora’s story is now part of The Wave, with a new episode every Thursday. To follow along, switch on the When the Sea Was Still section in your subscription settings.
It began with a dream
The night before I was let go from my corporate job, I had a dream so vivid it felt like a message. I was standing in a small boat on a dark ocean, surrounded by towering waves—enormous, roaring walls of water that should have terrified me. Everyone around me was panicking, bracing for impact, afraid for their lives. Yet somehow, I felt completely calm. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the waves wouldn’t take me under.
That certainty stayed with me after I woke. I didn’t know what it meant, only that it felt significant. The dream left a lingering sense of assurance as I went about my morning routine. But by the time I arrived at my desk, it had faded into the background. I never imagined its meaning would reveal itself within hours.
Later that same day, life delivered the wave the dream had promised. I was unexpectedly let go from my job—the job that had drained me, crushed my self-esteem, and worn me down for years. The job I’d already planned to leave, just not yet. Instead of collapsing into fear, I felt liberated. It was as though the universe had opened a door I hadn’t been brave enough to walk through on my own. The tears that came weren’t panic; they were relief. It felt like a pressure valve hissing open, years of tension finally getting released. I felt freedom on the horizon and a strong sense of awe.
In that moment, I believed the dream had been sent to prepare me—to remind me that I was protected, and that my future was still secure. The waves hadn’t arrived to destroy me—they had arrived to move me. I was being pushed out of a job that no longer served me and I was profoundly grateful and relieved that it was finally over.
“The waves hadn’t arrived to destroy me—they had arrived to move me.”
That layoff was the start of my new life and the dream is what prepared me for the uncertainty it would bring. I still think back on that dream when times get tough, because they do. And it helps. I remember the fearlessness I felt in the face of danger. I take comfort in the fact that the wave couldn’t take me under.
That’s why the name The Wave is so meaningful to me. It’s a reminder that uncertainty isn’t always something to fear. Sometimes it’s the very thing that carries us where we’re meant to go.
Riding the Wave: Going Deeper on Fridays
Renaming this newsletter wasn’t just cosmetic—it came with a commitment to give you more.
Beginning this Friday, I’ll be introducing a series of practical guides designed to help readers move from inspiration to action. These guides will include worksheets, planning tools, and exercises focused on overcoming fear, navigating career change, and building a life that feels more aligned.
This Friday’s guide, the Exit Timeline Planner, will be a free preview. It’s a practical exercise designed to help you determine where you are today, where you want to go, and what steps need to happen between now and your next chapter.
After this week, the Friday guides are part of the paid subscription, $7/month or $70/year; Tuesdays and Thursdays stay free.
My goal with The Wave has always been to encourage people to pursue what lights them up. These Friday guides are designed to help you do exactly that.
As a thank-you to early readers, paid subscriptions are 30% off through July 4