It's been quiet here for over a month. Moving countries took everything I had — I'm on the other side of it now, and I'm back.

I had letters and videos queued for you. They can all wait, because something is happening today, and I'd rather write to you from inside it than about it later.

Today I'm sending one of the hardest emails I've ever written. The one where you raise your price.

For the past year I've worked with someone I deeply respect — one of the first people who ever paid me for this kind of work, back when I had almost nothing to show. We never set a fixed fee. I did the work, sent an invoice now and then, and it was right for what it was. They told me more than once it was worth every penny, and they kept trusting me with more.

And that's exactly how the problem grew — gently, through good news. More projects. More care. More of my time. Meanwhile the tools I pay for to deliver that work kept stacking up, until the occasional invoice didn't even cover them. No one did anything wrong. The work simply outgrew the number, and for months I said nothing, because I was grateful, and because saying it out loud felt like risking the relationship.

Here's what I finally understood. The price stopped being true. The work grew, the tools I pay for grew, and the number stayed where it started. A wrong price doesn't just sit there quietly either — you pay it yourself, every month, in time you don't have and in a resentment you don't want to feel toward someone you care about. Raising it isn't greed. It's just telling the truth about what the work costs. That's why the heart ends up in the throat: it's not the money, it's the honesty.

So today I wrote the number that's true now. I tripled it. I thanked them properly, I offered them an honest way out if it doesn't fit, and I pressed send with no hard feelings either way. Whatever they answer, the relationship is cleaner for it.

Now the part that's actually for you — because sooner or later this is a conversation every one of us has to have, out loud, with a real person on the other end. When did you last raise your price? Not adjusted it — raised it, heart in throat, to the number that's true now? Or maybe you've never charged at all, and the first number is the one stuck in your throat. I've been there too. If this is you, hit reply and tell me where you're stuck — I read everything, and I'll answer.

If this found someone who's been undercharging for years and calling it kindness, pass it on.

Your friend in this — C.

P.S. — A lovely thing kept happening while I was away — people writing to say they're always glad to hear from me. It makes my week every time. So, one small check-in after the quiet month: if these letters have gone unread and life is simply full, no guilt at all. Stay if they serve you, step away if they don't — either way, I'm grateful you're here.

When you're ready for a real conversation,
one-to-one — https://www.theholistic.io

The writing lives here, free — https://theholistic.beehiiv.com

These sharings come from first-hand experience. They are not the ultimate truth — but they are my own truth. This is not the only path, and it may not be yours. Do your own research, make your own choice.

My website | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram