New Substack Series Coming Soon

**And how to get involved**

Hi Readers,

Apologies if you noticed I was MIA for a while, particularly when it comes to sending newsletters and writing long-form pieces here on Substack.

I’d love to say I’ve been living it up and all that good stuff, but you know how it goes….

I will say, I’ve been busy. Busy preparing my brain and body for the onslaught of stimulation that the summer holidays are about to unleash. Busy forcing myself to stay calm while trialling new medication and managing the neverending symptom cycle of chronic illness and busy trying to juggle the relentless medical appointments with parenting.

BUT… I’ve also been busy interviewing for my new Substack series: I’m Rarely Thriving When…

The series will consist of long-form person-centred pieces, created off the back of video interviews with fellow disabled people. The first piece, which will land in your inbox shortly, (just polishing up the edit) is with psychologist David B Younger, Author of Cracked Open.

David lives with Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), a progressive muscle disorder primarily affecting the face, shoulders and upper arms but can affect the whole body.

I’m really looking forward to you reading the write up from our conversation, which was vulnerable and insightful as well as in some parts, deeply emotional.

If you feel like you’re “Rarely Thriving” are neurodivergent, have a disability or chronic health condition, or you care for someone who does and would like to share your story, here are a few things to know:

Each article will be written, edited and published by me in a journalistic format.

My main purpose as a journalist is to report accurately on your story, while also including facts and statistics that help readers to fully understand how you are impacted, and provide resources for further support and learning.

The interview and subsequent article are completely, (and mutually) voluntary. I will not be making any money from publishing and these articles will be free to read for all of my subscribers.

I will retain the copyright for the published article. However, as this is a process based on trust I will work with you from start to finish to make sure you are happy with the information being published.

My only agenda is to highlight disabled voices and practice my interview skills. Having completed a journalism diploma in 2024, I’m keen to lean into the style and believe there is space here at Rarely Thriving for both my personal essays and person-led interviews. These interviews are focused on the disabled community to align with my values as a disabled woman.

If you are interested, please email me stephcullenwrites@gmail.com so we can arrange a suitable time for the interview.

You can find examples of my previous work here.

All interviews will be conducted via Zoom or Google meet and recorded.

I really hope you’ll stick around to give David’s article a read and I will be back sharing my own higgledy-piggledy disability journey soon.

Enjoy a restful weekend, I'll mostly be doing this!! ⬇️

Steph 💚