Why pivots are signs of growth, not failure

How to navigate changes while keeping your audience

Mar 08, 2025

When I started my Substack, I had a clear idea of what I wanted to write about. It made sense at the time. I had a plan, a niche, a direction: sharing my experiences about how I’m building my personal brand and business as a non-native English speaker. But as time went on, something shifted. My interests evolved, my perspective deepened, and suddenly, the plan that once felt exciting started to feel like a cage.

At first, I resisted the urge to change. I told myself I needed to be consistent. That readers expected a certain kind of content. That pivoting meant starting over. But here’s what I’ve realized:

The biggest mistake isn’t changing your mind. The biggest mistake is forcing yourself to stick to a plan that no longer fits.

Why we cling to the old plan

We’re taught that success comes from consistency. Pick a niche. Stick with it. Build an audience that knows exactly what to expect.

But what happens when what you expect from yourself changes? What if the version of you who started this newsletter isn’t the version of you sitting here today?

Fear creeps in.

• What if I confuse my readers?

• What if no one follows me in this new direction?

• What if I’ve wasted all this time?

But let’s be honest: No one is keeping track of your content strategy as closely as you are. Your audience isn’t here for a category—they’re here for you. And if you’re creating from a place of obligation rather than excitement, they’ll feel it.

Signs it might be time to pivot

How do you know if you’re holding onto something that no longer serves you?

• You dread writing about your original topic.

• Your best ideas don’t fit the box you put yourself in.

• You feel creatively stuck, uninspired, or drained.

• You keep forcing yourself to stick to the plan, hoping the excitement will return.

If this sounds familiar, you don’t need to work harder, you need to give yourself permission to pivot.

How to pivot without starting over

The beauty of a pivot is that it doesn’t require burning everything down and starting from scratch. You can shift gradually, keeping what works and letting go of what doesn’t. Here’s how:

Test small changes. Instead of a dramatic rebrand, introduce new topics, formats, or styles in small ways and see how they feel.
Communicate with your audience. People love authenticity. Let them in on your thought process and bring them along for the journey.
Give yourself permission. You don’t need an external reason to pivot. If something isn’t working for you, that’s reason enough.
Trust that the right people will stay. The people who resonate with your true voice will follow. Those who don’t? They were never your core audience anyway.

The freedom of letting yourself evolve

Your Substack should feel like an expression of who you are now, not who you were when you started.

Your Substack exists to serve you first. If you’re not excited about what you’re creating, why should anyone else be? Pivoting doesn’t mean starting over. It means making adjustments so that your content grows with you, not against you.

The truth is, your best work will always come when you feel free to explore, experiment, and evolve. Readers who resonate with your voice will follow you on the journey. And those who don’t? They were never meant to stay.

Permission to change

You don’t owe anyone the version of yourself that started this newsletter. You are allowed to change. Your Substack should grow with you, not hold you back.

So if your plan no longer fits, don’t force it. Let it go. Trust that what’s ahead will feel so much better than what you’re leaving behind.

This is the 3. part of The Permission Series: