Where You Can Now Find Me After 14 Years of Blogging

Hi hi hi! For the 7 of you who have been with me from the VERY beginning of my blogging days, you’ve seen many iterations of my work.

It all started with “Shannon’s NYC” on blogspot almost 14 years ago, with my first-ever post on July 22, 2011. I started the blog to keep my family in the loop while I started my new life in New York City, pursuing my once-held dream of being on Broadway.

From there, I changed the name of the blog to Generation GrannY — a play on being “a granny trapped in a Generation Y body” (my nickname was Shanny the Granny).

Then, about 9 years ago, I decided to start what I called “The Expert Beginner,” where my blog posts could reflect my desire to always learn and grow…thus, always being a “beginner.”

Needless to say, a LOT has changed since 23-year-old me started a blog. But the one thing that never changed? How much I love writing for all of you.

Now, 36-year-old me is ready for another little adventure. You might be wondering…are you FINALLY changing your website name to just “shannonleyko.com” so we can stop being confused with all the title changes?? Listen, that’s coming. I promise. I just haven’t gotten around to it. At least I know I’m not going to change it to “paringdown.com” because who knows what the future holds? I think Paring Down will be around for a good, long while, but I definitely want to leave things a bit more open-ended on here.

That said, my next iteration of the blog is pretty simple…I’ve joined Substack! As usual, I’ll be writing blog posts that [hopefully] help us think a little deeper and get a good laugh once in a while — it’ll just be on that platform rather than here on my website. Well…mostly.

The way I’m setting up my Substack is that anyone and everyone can read my weekly newsletter, The L.E.S.S. Express, designed to help you live with less stuff and more intention. You’ll also get to read periodic blog posts, just like you have here! The biggest difference is that I’ll be offering more posts to a smaller subsect of people who are more deeply invested in what I have to say.

I’ve spent 14 years happily, gratefully offering my voice into the world entirely free of cost, simply because I love writing and sharing! My weekly podcast is free, my daily tips and inspo on social media are free, and this blog has hundreds upon hundreds of posts with free information and insight. I want to continue offering as much of that for free as possible, but I do think I’ve come to see that the amount I pour into these endeavors holds real value.

Real value that can help my family and increase our ability to be financially generous.

Real value that better represents respect for both the creative community and women’s labor.

Real value that protects my emotional and intellectual availability.

There’s a balance here, and I hope to strike it with generosity, integrity, and respect. Like I said - my podcast, social media, newsletter, multiple digital resources, and most blog posts will remain totally free! But there will be an option to become a paid subscriber and access even more of what I want to share.

Let me expand on why, beyond what I wrote above regarding value.

You all know I try not to be an awkward oversharer, but you may have noticed that I’ve taken some of my personal life out of my blog posts…and this is in large part due to my much-larger audience. I have paper skin thin and can’t handle trolls. I also don’t want to talk about my kids or family in any capacity that leaves them exposed to public attention.

Generally speaking, a low paywall means I’ll be writing for a smaller group of people who are reading what I write out of genuine interest and support. This will build a trust that opens me back up to sharing in an even more authentic way…which I miss!!

All of that said, some of my blog posts will now be for paid subscribers only - and no, you do not need to have a Substack account to access them! It’s only $5/month or $50/year (only $4.13/month), so hopefully won’t break the bank. I hope this new approach not only can turn what I love to do into a more viable career that in turn spirals toward more opportunity to help and make an impact on my community, but also gives me more peace-of-mind when it comes to posting more “personal” things on the internet.

No matter if you choose to become a paid subscriber or not, I’m beyond grateful for all of you who’ve found me over the last 14 years, and I can’t wait to continue learning and growing together!