Annual Board Meeting

Welcome, stakeholders. We have much to discuss, Book of the Month novels to read, and some glitter gel pens to utilize.

You are a stakeholder in Feeling! Magazine. Whether you are a paid subscriber, a member of the Color Club, or contributing with your valuable time, thoughtful comments, and inbox space, you are a stakeholder, and this is our annual board meeting. Welcome. Take a seat at the conference table. We have matchas, Bon Bon, and even $5 fictional books.

This post is free for everyone because Book of the Month sponsored it!

Welcome to the annual Feeling! Magazine Board Meeting!

✷ First, a state of the union.

Feeling! is currently covered in confetti. In 2025, we more than tripled in readership and subscribers. We transitioned from a longing to write more to a sustainable job and business. I absolutely cannot believe it.

The distinction of this growth was the rich conversation in the comment sections. I feel that I’ve never seen such warmth, hope, and kindness on the internet and feel so lucky to steward it on this very Substack.

You are all a delight, and one of the very best things I get to do is read your words and talk with you. We are building something amazing — this is a good place to be.

Please grab a notebook of your choosing for the meeting today.

✷ Confirming accolades

Typed out in April from the dining table, Advice for Making Life More Whimsical and Joyful went triple platinum on Substack (I don’t really know what that means — it just was my most read post).

Whimsy is now a trending word for 2026 (yikes, does that mean we will all get sick of that word?), and I’d like to think that editorial contributed to the rise and whimsification of this very serious blogging platform.

I’d also like to especially thank Dulce Campos of Letras and Lattes for being the top referrer to Feeling! Magazine. Your referrals are a gift. I’ve sent you a paid subscription to Feeling! as a thank-you treat.

Thank you all for engaging in this colorful matter.

✷ We smelled good; confirmed.

I believe we have officially determined a signature scent for readers of Feeling!, though it feels ambitious to make such a call. Dedcool’s Xtra Milk was the most clicked link in 2025 that I shared with you. I’d like to think, globally, us readers all smell the same now, like we are in a secret society. It has brought Feeling! together across borders. Sniff sniff hooray!

We also have spiral notebook options if you prefer.

✷ Creativity abounds

Beyond numbers, creative feats transpired. Fictional writing collaborations took place. The Monday Letter was born. Recipes were developed. A crafting column AND a design column were launched.

This year was very healing, very full of joy, and I feel more confident in the direction I’d like to go than ever.

If you could please flip to the next page in your folder, I will outline where we are going next. Please stop me at any point to leave your valuable feedback or ask any questions.

Buckle up, because tremendous work is ahead of us.

Did you grab a pen too?

✷ Paid subscriptions

We managed to keep paid subscriptions at $5/mo or $50 a year, making Feeling! a more affordable subscription in the design category of Substack. We’ve maintained this rate since our start in 2023 despite inflation, and have been able to supplement costs with brand partnerships and affiliate linking in order to keep customer prices the same.

I have decided that subscription prices will not go up in 2026 either. Hopefully, this makes the mission of spreading joy and hope more accessible to a larger variety of readers.

From a sustainability standpoint, my aim is to increase overall paid subscribers this year to keep the low rate again — the more that subscribe and support, the easier it will be to keep everything at $5!

In Q4, we launched the “Color Club” initiative for founding subscribers who paid $89 for the year. This level grants them access to every column, and in addition, a tangible printed good in the mail each month.

We have some major updates on this. Ready?

1. The single print was not cutting it per our editor (me). We are adding a greeting card to each envelope in 2026. Every month, subscribers will receive a postcard print and a thoughtfully designed greeting card (with an envelope) they can mail to anyone of their choosing. This will circulate way more colorful snail mail than post offices will know what to do with.

2. 2026, “The Color Club” name will make a lot more sense. Each month will highlight a color in a new, exciting way. Think like a 12-month advent calendar where you have a color surprise in your mailbox (!!!!)

The best time, truthfully, to join in this is January because you will receive the whole year of color. You can subscribe here — make sure you select the founding member option — and then an email will automatically request your shipping address. Sign up today to make sure you receive January’s color! (any guesses?)

Does anyone need a refill of matcha? Good? Okay, moving on.

✷ Brand partnerships

One of the most alluring things to me about magazines is brand partnerships. Magazines get so much creative freedom to advertise in a way that tells a story. I have always been fascinated with ads that felt like art within print copies of magazines.

I just wanted to thank brand partners who made Feeling! happen this year. I was able to bring so many stories and ideas to life because of them. I am really excited to continue to identify brands and businesses that align with Feeling! And share them with you.

✷ Coming soon

Please get out your glitter gel pens and jot this down with me. What can you look forward to in 2026 with Feeling!? Here are some stories coming down the pipeline early this year:

• Going home when you feel different

• How to make jello everything

• How to knit your own neck bandana scarf

• Hosting prompts for Galentine’s events

• The series, “Turning my Kitchen into my Favorite Restaurant,” is back with vigor

• Winter Home Café recipes

As a token of appreciation for your annual attendance, feel free to grab a treat from the treasure box.

✷ Feeling! Press

Perhaps most excitedly, I am sharing the intention to begin two endeavors this year. One is picking up on the dream COVID crushed, and restarting my stationery shop. The second is making a print magazine about the intersection of joy and design.

You, stakeholders, will be privy to all information, updates, and some personal feelings, too, as these new ambitions are brought to life. The stakes are high, but the joy is palpable.

This concludes our annual board meeting. But before you go, I have your weekly colors, loves, and delights. Please flip to the next page of your folder:

Colors of the week: glitter gel pen + manila folder

If reading more was a New Year’s resolution for you, I have a suggestion to keep you blanketed in good books.

Book of the Month’s curated selection of novels helps keep my nightstand well-stocked. For January, I picked Crux, a story about enduring friendship set in the harsh desert, and Anatomy of an Alibi, a whodunit thriller with elabroate twist and turns.

I am also planning on displaying my books like an indie bookstore in my own house this year!

If you want to give yourself the gift of well-designed and well-curated books, and perhaps the most exciting box in the mail ever — Book of the Month is currently offering new members their first box AND a free gift for $5 with the code GOALS at checkout.

I think a Book of the Month subscription also makes a perfect gift for the person in your life who is always discovering the new, cool fiction first — it puts you at the forefront of discovering new work and new writers.

1. Masala Chai Concentrate: If you order chai lattes frequently at cafés, this concentrate will satisfy your chai cravings, but you can house it in your own fridge.

2. Striped Balaclava: The coziest and warmest balaclava from French brand, Balzac Paris, that I will be sporting every day until it is warm.

3. Xtra Milk Lotion: The BEST smell, in a super moisturizing lotion to get you through the winter season.

4. Magical Athlete: Hello, I found the most fun and beautifully illustrated board game ever. It is so fun to play and easy to understand!

5. Ilia Bronzer: This bronzer is making me look like I’ve seen the sunshine, which I need. I love how it applies and the glow it gives in one swoop.

6. Gelee Jello Set: I made shirley temple mocktail jello shots using this set. And I will be making a million more jellos this year with this — it has every tool I need to become jello queen in 2026.

7. Cookie Dough Wool Jacket: The warmest jacket with a giant fluffy turtle neck that I am obsessed with.

I’m so grateful for you all. What a year!

*Graciously, your insight is needed in the comment section as a follow-up to this meeting.

Wishing you a bountiful 2026!

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Thank you, Hailey Howe, for lovely work on Feeling! Magazine Graphics! You made this Monday Letter magical!

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Here are some pieces I think you will really love to read:

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