Welcome to Well, Actually!
Travel, musings, recipes and REAL LIFE, outside of the pretty Instagram boxes.
Thanks for taking this leap of faith with me. A lot has changed in the last 13 (ah!) years I’ve been blogging.
Some things for the better—no more standing on my dining room table to stage food photos while on a conference call, shhhh don’t tell my old boss!—but there is something I miss about the good ol’ days: being able to connect with you on a more personal level.
Sure, there’s social media, but it’s not easy to condense life (or anything much of value) into 60-second sound bites.
This Substack, which I’m naming “Well, Actually” since it’s meant to represent non-curated, actual life, is going to be where I share the beautifully awkward, the unfiltered, the messy. I can’t wait to have you along for the ride!
As a free subscriber, you’ll receive 1 monthly email called a “coffee chat,” where I share about my travels, what I’m cooking off-the-blog, the occasional product, book, or movie rec, and even a section called “Confessional” where I share the dark, scary thoughts I don’t want to admit outloud…and therefore publish on the internet, because somehow it’s better that way (don’t question the logic, just trust).
I’ll also share the occasional exclusive recipe, and pass on discount codes I receive from brands as a part of my gig as a food blogger and (semi-reluctant) influencer.
But I’m hoping you’ll be a paid subscriber!
What’s that she just asked?
Why should you pay when you can get everything on my primary site, WellPlated.com for free. Excellent question, you smartie you.
You’re supporting independent creator work. With the rise of AI and being whim to social media’s fickle algorithms, creating content is harder than ever. For $5 a month, you can help me keep Well Plated free for all AND get bonus content at the same time! Win-WIN.
You’ll unlock full access to all of my travel guides, including Paris, New York, and Amsterdam, with many more (Charleston! Tokyo! San Francisco! Istanbul! Dubai!…) to come.
You love planning travel around food (same), and want vetted, personal recommendations from someone who’s actually eaten there (me) and researches obsessively (also me).
You want more than recipes. You want the stories behind the food, the kitchen fails, the things I’m wrestling with creatively, and the good stuff that doesn’t make it to the blog.
You like asking the big questions. Like…why does my partner insist on putting his cereal bowl in the sink, when the dishwasher is RIGHT. THERE. ??
You’d be into exclusive cooking classes or demos, and your subscription helps me gauge interest and invest the time/resources to make that happen.
You miss blogs before they were SEO-optimized and Pinterest-perfect. You want something real, and maybe a little bit weird. That’s what this is.
You believe in showing up for the creators you love. If my recipes have ever saved your dinner, inspired a new routine, or just made your day a little easier, this is the most impactful way to say thanks and help me keep going.
You want a safe, welcoming community. The comments here are a space to connect honestly, ask questions, and hopefully make a friend.
You probably won’t miss an extra $5 a month. That’s all I’m asking for month-to-month, and you can get an even better deal if you sign up for the year!
READY??? Click the magic button!
Not ready? No biggie! Feel free to stick around the free sections, and if you ever feel inclined to try Well, Actually out, even for a month, I’ll be so grateful.
MMMMMKKKK! That’s all for now. Stay tuned for our first coffee chat, coming tomorrow!
xoxo, Erin
Why do I feel so proud to see this launch?!