I spent the first half of 2022 writing a non-fiction book proposal about my breakdown.
With 14,000 words of trauma and triumph saved in a word document, I contemplated whether this was an elaborate form of closure therapy, or whether it was a story I actually wanted to share.
To help me make my decision, I started this Substack. A first step. A dipping of my proverbial toes in the water of public oversharing.
I’ve found it to be a friendly, and necessary place.
With growing writing confidence and an ever-increasing need for human stories around mental health, I started to think about sharing my book proposal with publishers.
At the time, a friend Katee was also looking for a home for her book. We asked each other “What if publishers don’t get back to us or reject us? What happens to our stories then?”
So we had an idea.
We messaged a few friends whose experiences we have learnt from and asked them if they’d consider sharing too. We agreed that if they responded positively, we might just do something about it. They did, so we did.
We recruited design-extraordinaire Rebecca and word-whizz Robyn. A team of four creatives, who met at Pentagram - the world's largest independent design agency - and stayed connected out of a love for work with purpose.
Today, we’re officially launching Progress Press, an independent publishing house creating collectable and colourful pocket-sized books to inspire conversations and make change. We exist to advocate for new voices; tackle barriers in publishing; and reduce fear around the issues impacting our future.
We’re currently taking pre-orders on our first collection of six real experiences, written by women from around the world, inviting you to pause, think, talk on topics including mental health, sexual health, belonging, failure and community.
You can pre-order individual books for £10 or the full collection for £50. We’re also offering the opportunity to become a Founding Member of Progress Press.
Without your support of The Mind Matters, Progress Press, this first collection and my book would not exist. Every subscribe, read, comment and share keeps me motivated to continue to write and advocate for conversations around mental health to be part of our every day lives.
Thank you for your ongoing support of my work. It’s great to have you here.
LOVE. Well done