A welcome letter to new readers.
Originally sent to newsletter subscribers on July 19, 2026.
You may have found me through a short video I posted in early June. It was a casual reflection on the awkwardness of visiting the doctor as a medical doctor myself while keeping that part of my life hidden. To my surprise, it became the most engaged piece of content I had created in this season. Thousands of people interacted with it, many visited my website, and quite a number subscribed to this newsletter.
If you’re one of those people, welcome. I thought I’d introduce myself properly.
I started this newsletter a year ago with no clearly defined goal. A means of communicating intimately with thoughtful people through writing? Sign me up for that. I dove into it headlong.
And then came the familiar part that often accompanies starting something new: silence.
Between the technical challenges of setting up a newsletter and balancing other life priorities, my momentum slowed. Months after announcing it, I eventually sent my first email. I titled it “Finally; Hello.”
It was heartfelt. I shed tears while drafting it.
I told readers I was still figuring things out. That has remained the essence of this newsletter: sharing the behind-the-scenes of building my empire.
Behold the empire.
Empire? I’m glad you asked.
2025 marked the culmination of many years of career angst. I left the best tech job I’d had to embrace the challenge of building something of my own as a multi-hyphenate creator and career strategist.
That empire has two sides.
The first is creative. Through music, essays, videos and my podcast, Breakfast and Launch, I explore faith, career, purpose and the often messy process of building a meaningful life. My music lives under the artist name Taiwo Ash and is a mix of afrobeats, gospel and hip-hop. It’s simply music about my life and my wonderful, funny thoughts.
The second is commercial. Through Charmbrook, I help thoughtful professionals navigating career transitions leverage their experience to build visible authority and position themselves for their next strategic opportunity.
Both sides feed each other. The work I create leads to conversations. Those conversations become opportunities to help people more directly.
If you’re curious about what I’m building, you can explore it all at taiwoash.com.
Barely, and abundantly.
It has been a journey. Challenging, rewarding, and everything in between.
Have I been successful?
Barely, and abundantly.
If success means replacing my income and never needing another job again, I have little to show for this adventure so far.
But if success means becoming more aligned with who I am, learning to serve people better, developing meaningful opportunities, making wonderful new friends, learning new, mighty skills, then I have never been in better shape.
This season stretched me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. It taught me resilience, patience, and a level of trust in God that I had simply never needed before.
As I became more comfortable creating, I kept showing up. Not every post was great. Looking back, a lot of them were trash. But I kept going. I kept learning.
Eventually, one ordinary video connected with far more people than I ever expected. It felt like a turning point.
That unexpected moment is probably why you’re reading this today.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you, and welcome.
Naturally, I wrestled with a little imposter syndrome.
What will these new readers expect from me? What if I disappoint them?
Eventually, I realised there was nothing else to do but keep being my plain self.
Isn’t that the most reliable strategy, after all?
So here’s what you can expect.
This isn’t the typical email newsletter. There isn’t a carefully crafted sequence designed to gradually convince you to buy something. I’m simply an ambitious poet trying to build meaningful relationships with thoughtful people.
Sometimes I’ll share a lesson I’m learning. Or a new publication I’ve put out. Sometimes—perhaps most often—it’ll simply be a reflection from me to you.
I usually write three to five times each month, though I’m still finding a rhythm that feels sustainable. I’m working towards daily publications.
More than anything, I hope my journey encourages you to pursue yours with courage.
I’d genuinely love to hear from you.
What inspired you to subscribe?
Just hit reply. There’s no team behind this inbox—it’s simply me, and I read every response personally.
—Taiwo.