75 episodes

The Writers’ Co-op is an audio business handbook for freelance creatives. Host and executive producer Wudan Yan leverages her and co-hosts' freelance experiences to provide a transparent look at what it takes to run a resilient freelance business as a creative. From negotiating higher rates, to protecting your business and intellectual property, to taking time off and organizing your workflow, to doing the mindset work needed to achieve your goals, you'll walk away from this podcast with actionable tips to implement right away.

The Writers’ Co-op The Writers' Co-op

    • Education
    • 4.7 • 75 Ratings

The Writers’ Co-op is an audio business handbook for freelance creatives. Host and executive producer Wudan Yan leverages her and co-hosts' freelance experiences to provide a transparent look at what it takes to run a resilient freelance business as a creative. From negotiating higher rates, to protecting your business and intellectual property, to taking time off and organizing your workflow, to doing the mindset work needed to achieve your goals, you'll walk away from this podcast with actionable tips to implement right away.

    Confronting Fear with Nicole Tsong

    Confronting Fear with Nicole Tsong

    Career transitions often come with an element of fear. For freelancers, this might be a fear of rejection or of losing stable income. It might show up as a little voice in our head that says: “But what if I fail?” Fear is meant to protect us, yet it can also hold us back from trying new things and thinking expansively about our businesses. 

    In this episode, Nicole Tsong joins Wudan to talk about confronting fear while making big career swings. 

    Nicole is a former journalist-turned-podcast host and bestselling author. As the founder of Nicole Tsong Coaching and the School of Self-Worth podcast, she helps Asian American women leaders release the pressure valve, supercharge their self-worth and master intuitive decision making. You can follow her on Instagram at @nicoletsong. 

    Nicole dives into how career growth doesn’t have to be linear, how to feel grounded before making a big decision, and how to think of decision-making as an experiment. 

    Resources: 


    The School of Self-Worth podcast


    Nicole’s 5-day Morning Routine Challenge


    Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers


    Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

    • 36 min
    Q&A with Wudan Yan

    Q&A with Wudan Yan

    Welcome to Season 8! We’re calling this year the “Year of Expansive Thinking.” This season will focus on how to think big about our businesses, ourselves, and what we think is possible. 

    In the first episode, host and executive producer Wudan Yan answers questions from guest co-host Pam Moore about her businesses. 

    Pam is an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. Wudan tells Pam more about how her business has changed drastically in the last three years as a result of a mindset shift, what it’s been like to run two businesses, and her goals for 2024.



    Resources: 


    Article: Journalism isn’t who you are. It’s what you do.
    Worksheet: Writers’ Co-op business audit worksheet
    Webinar: Streamlining Journalism
    Newsletter: Real Nourished newsletter
    Podcast: Real Fit with Pam Moore
    Follow Pam Moore on LinkedIn or visit her website
    Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
    Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

    • 32 min
    Crosspost! Conversations, Not Confrontations: Learning the Art of Negotiation with Wudan Yan

    Crosspost! Conversations, Not Confrontations: Learning the Art of Negotiation with Wudan Yan

    This episode is a cross-post between The Writers' Co-op and Freelance Cake, a podcast for ambitious freelancers who want to get more results with less effort, hosted by Austin L. Church.



    Austin had Wudan on his show to talk about how she cultivated a mindset of 'always be negotiating,' and how she got to a place where negotiations felt comfortable and conversation-like, rather than potentially contentious.

    • 45 min
    A sneak peak into Season 8!

    A sneak peak into Season 8!

    A preview into what this upcoming season holds!



    For updates, subscribe to thewriterscoop.substack.com



    Join our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community as an All-Access Patreon at www.patreon.com/twcpod

    • 5 min
    Fast and Slow Freelancing with Amy Romer

    Fast and Slow Freelancing with Amy Romer

    If you’ve been listening to The Writers’ Co-op since the first few seasons, you’ve heard us say: The magic is in the mix of work you get. Slower work – work that is recurring, or on a longer contract or time period – can make us feel both steady and fulfilled. But sometimes, we just need money now. That’s where fast freelancing comes in. 

    Ideally, you have a mix of both in your business. Too much fast work, and you might burn out. Too much slow work and that could build resentment or put you in a financially precarious position. 

    In this episode, Wudan talks with Amy Romer.

    Amy is a visual journalist and fact-checker based in Vancouver, Canada. She covers environmental and indigenous issues for Reuters, The Walrus, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail, among many others. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a recipient of the Global Reporting Centre’s visual storytelling grant. 

    Amy and Wudan discuss tactics for setting yourself up well for both fast and slow work, the mental and emotional toll of each type of work, and more.

    Resources: 


    Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: Amy’s production calendar for mapping out fast and slow work. All-Access members also have access to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community for freelance creatives. 




    Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website


    If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ 

    • 43 min
    Approaching Clueless Clients with Sara Gates

    Approaching Clueless Clients with Sara Gates

    As freelancers, we’ve probably all worked with clients who couldn’t pin down exactly what they wanted. Maybe they never had a clear vision for the project, or maybe they constantly changed their mind—and your scope of work. The experience can be incredibly frustrating. Yet, even these clueless clients need (and deserve) help from freelancers.

    In this episode, Wudan talks to content marketer and strategist Sara Gates. 

    Before Sara started her freelance business, she did a bit of everything at a high-growth startup. She was hired for marketing and did it all: SEO, social media, email, content strategy, messaging development, and so much more. You can follow Sara on Linkedin. 

    Wudan and Sara dive into how to approach clueless clients without costing yourself too much money, emotional energy or sleep. 



    Resources:


    Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website


    Join TWC as an All-Access member to get a very handy project proposal that Sara has shared on how to best work with a clueless client. All-Access level gets you more of these great resources, early access to episodes, and an in to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack Community


    If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

    • 34 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
75 Ratings

75 Ratings

Mar Fran ,

They’ll teach you to value yourself as an entrepreneur

Want to be an entrepreneur but also have a life and value yourself? I love this podcast for all of this. It’s really taught me to be in an air of abundance while building my buisness. It’s for freelance journalists but it applies to entrepreneurs in general.

Kyles ipad12345678901 ,

Abandon it

Wudan is an antinatalist who wants to see humanity become extinct. She supports “Les Knight” and his voluntary human extinction hateful racist repugnant nonsense. So. Abandon the show. Stop listening to people full of so much hate.

Vianna805 ,

I love this podcast so much!

TWC has taught me so many freelancing basics. Even the “boring” material/advice ends up being incredibly inspiring. Wudan and Jenny are skilled hosts, and I love that they’re sharing all this info!

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