We need to talk. My mission with this blog has always been the same. I want to genuinely help others while remaining authentic and to build an all-inclusive, judgment-free, supportive community so no one feels alone like I was. I still believe that I can help people AND make enough while doing it to feed my kids and pay the mortgage. Two separate bloggers have told me that it isn’t possible. I disagree, but I might need to pivot.

The problem is that I have been blogging full-time since late February, and I have gone through my savings, and I am into my investments. Not cool. I have seven clients, which is great, but not one of them can afford to pay me. I can’t seem to say no to people wanting coaching that can’t afford it. You can see how this would be a problem, right? 

I want to explain how I came to this conclusion and how pivoting can actually save the day, so to speak. Let’s talk about a pivot mindset.

A pivot in regard to a blog is a change in the direction, focus, niche, mission, etc. A blogger may choose to pivot for many reasons, such as to adapt to changing trends, improve their audience engagement, traffic, and/or outreach efforts, explore new interests, or address a shift in their personal or professional goals.

Pivoting might involve things such as shifting the core theme, subject matter, or niche of the blog. This change could be broad, such as transitioning from a fashion blog to a lifestyle blog, or it could be more specific, like moving from writing about general travel to focusing solely on eco-friendly travel tips. The extent of the pivot can vary based on the blogger’s goals and the needs of their audience. For me, the audience is my determining factor.

Here are a few scenarios where a blogger might consider a pivot:

1. Audience Engagement: If a blogger notices that their current content is not resonating well with their audience, they might pivot to create content that aligns better with their readers’ interests and needs.
2. Market Trends: Bloggers often need to stay current with trends in their niche. If a particular topic becomes popular or experiences a decline in interest, a blogger might pivot to take advantage of these trends or to remain relevant.
3. Personal Growth: As bloggers evolve personally and professionally, their interests and expertise might change. A pivot can reflect this growth and allow them to explore new areas of expertise.
4. Monetization: The way a blogger monetizes their content might shift over time. This could lead to a pivot in content strategy, focusing on topics that have higher revenue potential.
5. Competition: If a particular niche becomes oversaturated with other bloggers or the competition becomes too intense, a blogger might pivot to a less crowded space where they can stand out more effectively.
6. Passion and Authenticity: A blogger might pivot to align their content more closely with their true passions and interests, which can lead to increased authenticity and stronger connections with their audience.

It’s important for bloggers to approach pivots thoughtfully and strategically. Before making a pivot, bloggers should consider factors such as their current audience, their goals for the blog, the potential impact on traffic and engagement, and the resources required for the transition. Communicating the pivot to the existing audience and providing context for the change can also help maintain their trust and interest.

Ultimately, a pivot can breathe new life into my blog, attract new readers, and provide this blog with fresh opportunities for creativity and growth. However, I understand that it’s essential to strike a balance between adapting to changes and staying true to the core values and identity of this blog, which is exactly why I am considering pivoting from addiction recovery to personal development/health & wellness. This will allow me to help people on a larger scale and to help more people become their best and highest selves without jeopardizing my mission or my authenticity. This is the game plan. For the few readers that I have, nothing changes, but for the readers I gain in the future, we can all grow together. People with all issues and people with no issues. No bias here. No stigma here.

I want you to understand what brought me here so that if/when you plan to shift into a pivot mindset, you have a case study. Hopefully, I will acquire some success with this pivot so that you can see firsthand the differences and the possible gains.

The end of the summer is here, and I haven’t made a dime. I had no idea all that goes into blogging before starting. I was naive and thought that I could just write. Yeah. Nope. That is definitely not the case. I have had to teach myself all the techs and specs of creating and maintaining a website, along with the maintenance and security. 

Then, we have keyword research. It’s totally a thing. A big thing, as it turns out. The importance of SERPs (search engine results page) and (SEO Search Engine Optimization) is really important as well.

We also have plugins, which I managed to spend my entire savings on (one-year subscriptions). WordPress just kept popping them all on my screen, so I assumed they were things I needed (foolish Vermonter). I seriously have purchased two plugins for that same thing and had my site crash! Who does that? Sam does that. Yes. She definitely does.

It is just a lot for someone my age who’s in long-term recovery, suffering from ADHD like you read about, a new addiction to personal development, and who is the primary caregiver to a three-year-old and a six-year-old. C’mon.

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I gave myself one year. One year of subscriptions. Should I not make money by February of next year, I won’t have much of a choice but to throw it in. I also hadn’t counted on using my savings or to start tapping into my investments. The truth is… Nobody in my niche, except Alysse Bryson, who is amazing and made me a Sober Curator, has been willing to work with me or has been willing to allow me to guest post. As I once wrote a post about, the addiction recovery niche is stigmatizing me. The “leaders” of the niche have completely shut me out. I hate to think about how they treat those still struggling and in active addiction.

I have started affiliate marketing and just began creating my own merch on Amazon, but there aren’t many products that all people in recovery or people actively using substances are into. I have some digital products completed and a hundred in the works. I have also turned more into freebies than I have for sale. My original plan was to build my brand, create content, and build a community. It’s not going too well. I am the only member of my forums, and my email list is so small that I have yet to send out a newsletter. (I bet those subscribers are pissed, right?) 

I figured I would do my addiction recovery thing and serve up a side dish of spirituality and health & wellness. Two months ago, I started my second site. The Collective Consciousness. I figured I could do my brand thing over here and my spiritual stuff over there. I figured wrong. I can barely create content for this site, let alone another. I did get it up, though. Just saying. Things never ever work out the way I have them overly planned.

I’m dying here. I have to say that it is really difficult to remain authentic when you remain authentic. Let me give you a couple of examples. People matter to me more than money ever could, so this typically causes me to put myself and money last. I have been made aware of some of the following examples.

1. I put my work with me page last, above policies, in my navigation menu.
2. My donation page is somewhere down there, too.
3. I haven’t yet advertised my coaching on my site, except on the shop page and maybe in comments talking to my non-paying clients. (Sorry, guys.)
4. I also don’t mention anywhere on my site that I even sell anything.
5. Most blogs place their affiliate links throughout their posts. I offer four affiliate products at the end of each post, the very end. Nobody makes it that far. I write like I talk… A LOT. Too much, too fast.
6. These links usually have nothing to do with the post because people suffering from SUD aren’t typically into online shopping, so they have absolutely no selling point, and I know this.

 I had hopes that there were more people like me. Seven years sober from a lifelong heroin addiction, a convicted felon turned professional coach, Reiki II, Crystal, and sound healing practitioner, with two late-in-life kids, her own home, newly hooked on gaining knowledge and personal development (oh my), and that is in the midst of a spiritual awakening. Yeah, billions of us. We all shop together… online… yeah. Not here, though. Somewhere way cooler. You should be starting to see the big picture here, and much sooner than I was able to.

Ok. Back to my original statement. I still have some time to turn things around, right? Right! I never give up, ever. I think it is time for me to PIVOT. Now that you know what I mean by pivoting, I want to reiterate that I ultimately want to help people. This pivot will allow me to help all people, not just those struggling with SUD. If I start leaning towards personal development, isn’t recovery a kind of personal development? Yes! It totally is. I don’t have to be strictly about addiction, and I don’t have to be strictly about personal development, but I can encompass both and throw in a side of spirituality.

The thought of throwing it in makes my heart hurt and my eyes water, so I have decided that isn’t an option, and in a perfect world, that would actually matter. I am going to keep going as long as I possibly can. If I stay positive and continue to put authenticity first, it might work. It has to work. What do you guys think? The crazy thing is that I actually love blogging. I love everything about it. I love that it sometimes has me pulling my hair out and staying up all night for days. I love how I can check my ranking on ahrefs and create content on Surfer. I love it. Total pain in the ass that it is. I love that it challenges me and puts me outside of my comfort zone.

I love it, and that has to count for something. I will do my very best to hold on as long as possible, but as you know, my kids come first, and there is no negotiating that. Let me know what you think and if you know anything about pivoting because I would love to hear it in the comments below. Please be sure to comment, like, share, subscribe and register. It really does help.

If this post resonated with you or you have experience with pivoting, please feel free to share in the comments below. We would love to hear from you. If you are in need of support, please register to join the PNP community and check out the forums here. Keep in mind this is a new community that will continue to grow. All the more reason to follow, like, share, comment, and register!

*These are affiliate links. When you use my links to purchase products, I earn a small commission, which costs nothing for you but supports my work so I can keep creating great content. You can find my full disclosure here.*