Looking Back at the First Decade of Puttylike

My dear Puttylike community,

I have news. Like really big news.

If you’ve been following my writing closely, this won’t come as a surprise. But it’s still huge.

The new Puttylike website is just about ready for your eyes and will be launching IN EXACTLY 1 WEEK!!!!! The new website is now live! You should be looking at it right now.

I’ve been working on this design with our developer for over a year. It’s been a massive project and I’m so freaking excited (and nervous! Nervecited!) to share it with you.

The old Puttylike design was from 2010. We barely touched it since then. And it’s done its job. It’s fine. But with where I want to take Puttylike in the future, the old website just won’t cut it.

Puttylike 2.0 is more than just a redesign. It’s a re-imagining of what Puttylike could be. It’s a lot more polished, while retaining the playful vibe of the original site. The articles are easier to read and navigate. The design allows us to feature large, beautiful images and the whole site has a more visual feel to it.

I’m really proud of the new Puttylike website. But if I’m being honest, I’m also a little scared to launch it. I’m scared some of you will miss the old site. I’m scared I’LL miss the old site. It’s been nearly 10 years, you know? That old, clunky, outdated WordPress theme holds a seriously special place in my heart—it changed my life!—and I know that’s true for many of you who have been around for a while.

But it’s time that the design of the site reflect and do justice to the amazing articles we’ve been publishing recently. We’ve really upped our game in the last couple years—thanks in no small part to our wonderful editor, Claire Nyles, and writers, Neil and Kristin!

So, here’s the plan: check back in here next Tuesday, July 7. And, barring any sort of tech malfunction, Puttylike.com will look completely different (and hopefully delightful) to you!

Until then, please enjoy my reflections on 9.5 years of Puttylike.

The first decade of Puttylike: a history

I sat down to write a timeline of the last decade of Puttylike and I couldn’t do it. I mean, I could give you a list of all the projects and products I launched, the wins and the flops. I could talk about the growth of the Puttylike and Puttytribe communities and all the cool events we’ve run. But honestly, that would be a really long list and it probably wouldn’t be very fun to read…

However, with the launch of Puttylike 2.0 next week, I do feel like we need to celebrate how far we’ve come. So, instead of presenting you with a timeline of dates and facts, I’ve divided the years into three periods, and I’ll share some themes and highlights from each. These periods represent both the evolution of this community and of my life circumstances: the two are inextricably linked.

September 2010 – December 2014: Inspiration, exploration and growth

I was so freaking pumped when I launched Puttylike on September 27, 2010. At that time, I was inspired by authors like Tim Ferriss and Chris Guillebeau. Folks who wrote about lifestyle design, non-conformity and entrepreneurship. I was part of this cohort of young bloggers who had read The 4-Hour Workweek, got inspired and wanted to start their own businesses.

Check out the video I made for the original Puttylike launch in September 2010:

When I look back at the articles I wrote in the early years of Puttylike, I feel fairly embarrassed, ha. But truly, if I hadn’t been so energized, hopeful and a little naive, Puttylike wouldn’t have gotten off the ground. There’s no way.

And I’ve gotta say, those early days were SO. MUCH. FUN. There was energy in the air and in the blogosphere (a term that barely even means anything today). I made amazing friends, many of whom are my BEST friends today. There was so much optimism. We lifted each other up. It was a magical time.

This period represents the last years of my twenties and I moved around a lot during this time. Copenhagen, Portland, Chicago, Portland. I met my wife, Valerie. I got my dog, Grendel. I drove to LA to write and record an album in a month! It was a very dynamic, exploratory time in my life and in Puttylike’s history.

During these years I grew a coaching practice, wrote and launched ebooks and courses, launched the Puttytribe, and began doing public speaking. I started to find my voice, and develop my ideas about multipotentiality. These years set the stage for what was to come.

January 2015 – June 2017: Effort coming to fruition

At the beginning of 2015, I learned that my application to speak at a TEDx event in Bend, Oregon had been accepted. That kicked off an intense 2.5 year period where things just happened.

It was a flurry: writing and giving the TED talk, the book deal, actually WRITING the book, press, book readings, speaking in places as far away as Romania and Australia, the literal doubling of the size of our community! Not to mention: getting married, moving to a remote island in Canada, buying a freaking house!

This was the most thrilling period in my life!

But it also left me feeling exhausted. By the end of these two and a half years, I’d started to feel like I’d said everything I needed to say about multipotentialites. I wanted to step back from the spotlight, stop spreading the word about multipotentialites and actually work with the multipods in our community.

Between the TED talk, the book, the interviews and the hundreds of articles on Puttylike, I just felt like my best stuff was already out there. I didn’t want to keep repeating myself in interviews and on stage.

June 2017 – June 2020: Rootedness, upping our game and empowering others

The last three years have been about putting down roots on the beautiful, remote island where Valerie and I now live. I’ve been seeking in-person community and strengthening my online communities and business. I’ve spent a lot more time in nature, hiking and swimming. I’ve enjoyed a slower lifestyle that feels more supportive to my mental health.

This period has been less about flashy one-off projects that put me in the spotlight, and more about strengthening the everyday operations that are the core of Puttylike. I’ve re-focused on the blog and on making our content shine (which really just involved finding a stellar team and supporting them in whatever ways I could). I’ve been spending more time than ever in the Puttytribe. We added extra events to the calendar when the pandemic hit and more puttypeep started turning to the community for support.

The only exception to this theme of grounding myself, focusing on the core activities of the business and staying out of the spotlight might be Everything Conference. ETC was a flashy, wondrous event that we ran in Portland last September. But even our 100- person multipotentialite conference was less about me and more about bringing our community together and empowering y’all to teach and connect with one another. Also, it was an opportunity for me to be in person with this community that I love so much. That was incredibly grounding.

Finally, this period of upping our game has involved a reimagining Puttylike as more of a media company with a plurality of voices than a personal blog with me at the center. I want Puttylike to be known for its smart, thoughtful, beautifully-written articles. I want multipotentialites to feel seen and understood and supported. I want you to love spending time here. And that means, at the very least, that you are able to read the articles without having to squint. 😉

I’m eternally grateful to you all for being on this journey with me and for teaching and inspiring me every single day. Let’s keep going, multipods!

Love,
Emilie

Your Turn

How have your thoughts and feelings about being a multipotentialite evolved over the last 9.5 years? 🙂