Witches classifieds post, winter 2024

No-bra pilates, a feminist chickpea, inclusive styling, v/o, data analytics and more!

A couple times a year I ask my paid subscribers if they have a product or service they’d like to make known to all readers and today is one of those blessed days when I share their replies with you.

Below, in no particular order, please peruse some of the amazing skills, services, and products other witches produce. You might find something you want to buy, someone you might want to hire, something to read, or a project you want to support.

If you are not a paid subscriber (or are but missed the call to get into this issue) yet want to promote YOUR project/business/wares, go ahead and mention it in the comments. Don’t forget to include a link!

Getting your thing sent out to the huge mailing list is a good reason to become a paid subscriber for the future, so do so now at a discount to get the next call for classifieds (probably in the spring).

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I’m a children’s book writer and editor who develops picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction for kids for clients like Chronicle Books, Storey Publishing, and Bravery Magazine. I love fairy tales, can-do characters, and stories about our inner wild things. I like weird crossover projects, too! You can learn more about manuscript critiques and creative coaching at helloheidifiedler.com. I’m also interviewing 100 creative mothers for my Substack Nebula Notebook. Send me a message if you would like to be included!

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I co-run a data analysis firm with another witchy mom. We conduct research (like surveys, focus groups, etc) and provide succinct analysis and implementation support (strategic plans and stuff). We’re not like all the stuffy men who have lots of rules about what’s allowed to be counted. We think it all matters and creatively figure out how to capture it. If you have a survey you’re thinking of doing or results from one that you don’t know what to do with, I can help! Send me a message at allie@contextmatters.work

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I am a Pilates teacher who specializes in pre and postpartum Pilates. I am particularly skilled in working with low back pain, rehabbing pelvic floor/deep abdominals and fixing your aching neck and shoulders! I joke that I teach “no bra” Pilates. Come as you are; we will work hard but in a slow, mindful and approachable way. I teach a mat class online every Tuesday at 9:15am CST (drop the kids at school and jump on Zoom). I also work one one-on-one on Zoom (intro special 3 sessions for $200), and if you happen to live in Bloomington, IL, come see me IRL!

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Readable Moments is a weekly newsletter that helps you find the perfect children’s book for life’s teachable moments. The books I recommend are fun, a great way to bond together, and, best of all, encourage a love for reading from an early age.

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I’m a freelance writer specializing in food, drinks, and hospitality. I’ve worked for editorial publications, have crafted copy for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, and I recently published the book Twin Cities Cocktails. Web copy, brand voice, newsletters, marketing — I can do it all. Find me at mollyeach.com.

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Holly’s House of Stickers - free weekly newsletter that is mostly about stickers. New post every Friday.

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If you like dumb stuff, I created, produced, and wrote an animated series about a feminist chickpea going through a quarterlife crisis - it’s called Bean There, Done That. It covers everything from tampon shame to bad first dates to asking the age-old question: Should men be allowed to use social media?

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Want to raise a reader? Can we read? is your weekly guide to children’s books and building a culture of reading in your home. Let me save you the time, energy, and emotional labor of finding excellent books so you have more bandwidth for what really matters: reading together.

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Fan Favorite is a hilarious rom-com from comedian and podcaster Adrienne Gunn about a regular thirtysomething gal who eats carbs and wears Birkenstocks and still finds herself in a hot tub of Instagram models when she enters the wild world of reality TV dating. Preorder available now and in stores 6/24/25!

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For the science or sci-fi lover, you can order a signed, personalized copy of my nonfiction book, The Possibility of Life, from River Bend Bookshop for the holidays. It’s about how we imagine alien life through science and science fiction. Popular Mechanics called it a “profound and intriguing book that inspires readers to daydream about making contact with alien lifeforms—while also reminding them that Earth is already packed with a wonderfully diverse array of living creatures.” A Goodreads user wrote, “This is a book for anyone who’s ever cried in a museum.” I also have a Substack with sporadic essays about parenting, writing, reading, and creativity.

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My newsletter Leave it to Leonor: Every Thursday, you’ll receive a curated newsletter of things to read, shows to watch, music and podcasts to listen to, places to go and other recommendations. I’ve been writing it for over eight years and it is my favorite passion project.

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I make books for kids (Jabari Jumps,) and want to shout out my latest: “The Best Bed for Me” is the perfect read for animal-loving kids (–especially ones with two moms, a pug sibling, and/or new big-kid status in the family.) Finished during the height of pandemic lock down, it is my love letter to all witchy caregivers who barely survive bedtime.

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I’m a nurse practitioner turned doula and health educator, committed to transforming the journey to parenthood and providing comprehensive reproductive health education and support. Among other things, I provide both one-time consultations and ongoing support for people navigating reproductive health issues--from contraception to preparing to conceive, to planning for birth, to fertility challenges and beyond—to help evaluate and clarify treatment options and flatten the learning curve to building a family. I’d love to be a part of your village! You can find out more about what I do and who I serve here, and I offer free video consultations to be sure we’d be a good fit.

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Are you a writer who could use an editor’s help on your journey to publication? Whether you are just beginning your creative career or have a few books under your belt, and whether you plan to pursue traditional publication or publish independently, I can help. I have more than 20 years of experience in publishing and communications, and I am also the author of several traditionally published novels, so I’ve been there! I love helping fiction and nonfiction writers solve problems in their manuscripts, improve their craft, and create the best possible version of their work for publication. Let’s work together and move your project forward!

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I help women heal their relationships with food, exercise, and bodies via 1:1 virtual coaching. I’m a certified intuitive eating counselor with a background as an occupational therapist, freelance health and fitness writer, and (amateur) endurance athlete and as a fellow witch, I want to help you navigate the (often lonely, challenging) path to letting go of diet culture. If coaching isn’t right for you or you just want to learn more, my free resources include my newsletter, Real Nourished, and my podcast, Real Fit. Find everything at pam-moore.com

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Read my illustrated diary! Buy my goofy greeting cards!! — Edith Zimmerman

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Do you know a baby? I guarantee that baby is grateful for their caregivers but can’t say so in English, and I guarantee their caregivers would love to hear that their baby is grateful. Let my onesies help. Take it from me: it is way nicer to care for a screaming 6mo when their shirt says “thank you, mama” or any of several other similar phrases. Witches get 15% off 12/6 through 12/13 at this link.

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The Good Mother Myth uses memoir and research to unpack the shoddy science beneath our bad ideas about how to be a good mom. Catherine Newman calls it “enraging, validating, and in its own sharp way, deeply reassuring,” and Sara Petersen wrote that it “will validate you and set you free.” If you think your own ideas are mostly pretty great, but *being a mom* is kind of a scam, I think you’ll love it. The Good Mother Myth would make a great gift for all the witchy moms in your life, and if you enter your order info at this link, you’ll get a signed bookplate and an invitation to a Zoom workshop on caregiving and creativity I’m cohosting with Maggie Smith in February, so you could extend the gift into a little celebration in the new year!

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Interested in money, work, culture, life, and everything that matters? Generation X and then some, but not nostalgia. Check out my Substack, The Whatever Years. Award-winning, twice a week, free for all.

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For all witches on the northwest side of Chicago: I have been volunteering with North Branch Market, a group of women dedicated to bringing together the communities of Edgebrook, Sauganash, Wildwood, and Forest Glen through community engagement and events. In 2024, we held two festivals and nine farmers markets in Edgebrook, featuring over 60 vendors, 10 sponsors, and eight community/non-profit groups. We are looking for sponsors, vendors, and volunteers for our 2025 events. We are also collaborating with the Edgebrook Sauganash Chamber of Commerce to support local businesses and fill the storefronts in Edgebrook (*calling all coffee shops/bakeries looking to expand their footprint!). Please email hello@northbranchmarket.com if you are interested in learning more!

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It’s not easy raising boys in today’s climate! Get boy-specific support & encouragement from a mom of 4 boys-turned-decent adults. Building Boys Bulletin is a weekly Substack newsletter by Jennifer L.W. Fink, co-host of the ON BOYS parenting podcast & author of Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males. Subscriptions are currently 25% off through the end of the year.

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Need a little more humor in your life? I am a humor writer and tired mom who writes the Substack Humor Me, which features funny stuff and writing tips twice a month.

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Kristen Cox is an award-winning print graphic designer. From tiny logos to massive conference booths and everything in between, she is working her way through the whole association alphabet soup, including APIC, CCAoA, PCPC, SHRM, ZTT and more. BUT ALMOST AS IMPORTANTLY, she also makes weird shit on the side, including a new holiday sweater which says “I ho-ho-hope they don’t take our civil liberties” in case you feel like you need to stir the pot at all your festive gatherings. Clicking buttons is fun, so click away at my site (which links to the Etsy store for all the random and very giftable stuff)

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I’m an anti-diet, weight-inclusive personal stylist and I write the newsletter unflattering. I love working with witches who are sick of trying to follow stupid patriarchal fashion rules and just want to dress like their own version of themselves, not society’s or their mom’s. We can work together one-on-one to define your style, edit your closet, and learn to shop mindfully, and I’ll be your personal shopper. I also go through the same content in my group program, Making Space, which will return in January. Check out my website, mindfulcloset.com, for more info about either.

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Part editor, and part grant writing coach, I support university-based researchers (usually with a health focus) who are preparing large grant applications. My goal is to enlist the reviewer as a confident, enthusiastic advocate for your proposed aims. I have a PhD in social psychology and 15 years of experience. I’ve worked with researchers at University of Southern California, University of Zurich (Switzerland) and Baylor College of Medicine.

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My Books are My Love Language newsletter delivers unmitigated gushing about books that are too-good-to-miss, but not at the top of a bestseller list. Fiction leans heavily toward quirky, witchy narrators, complicated relationships, and intergenerational friendship. Nonfiction ranges from a perimenopause round-up to badass witches like Dr. Gladys McGarey (the “mother of holistic medicine” who ‘found her voice’ in her 90’s) and most recently, Dr. Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, the first scientists to ‘botanize’ the Grand Canyon in 1938. I’d love to see you there.

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I’m a freelance writer & editor, specializing in analytical writing and academic editing: I help people tell better stories with their data. You can find me at katelarsonwrites.com or challenging a chatbot to a limerick battle.

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I’m starting a magazine and looking for contributors - presales! - for the first issue.

Here’s the spiel.

Email me at bekah@dawn-magazine.com with pitches or encouragement.

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I’m a full-time voice actor with a broadcast-quality home studio, available for all your commercial, corporate, promo, and audio drama needs! If you work in production, marketing, or just hate all the terrible AI on your corporate trainings and need an engaging warm voice, check me out! I’ve done national spots for Chomps and MaltOMeal - other past clients include ThermoFisher Scientific, 1800Flowers, Steelcase, AT&T, and more. I can also connect writer witches with tons of fabulous audiobook narrators!

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I’m an audio journalist who created The Daily at The New York Times and was previously supervising producer of All Things Considered at NPR. I make an audio show with a witch named Rebecca. It’s called Voices in the River. We’re coming back for a new season in time for winter solstice. We’re talking to Katherine May of ‘Wintering’ fame. Rebecca sits on the line between the magical and the intellectual. She’s tapping into something powerful (and adds an older, Southern, queer voice to the world of audio ). You can hear Rebecca talk a bit more about herself in this episode of Death, Sex & Money.

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Susan Lieu, a nationally acclaimed Vietnamese-American playwright and performer, has recently published her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter (Celadon). Through her memoir, her one-woman show, and a myriad of podcast appearances, Susan talks about her experience losing her mom during a routine plastic surgery, her mother’s—and her own—fraught relationship with her body, and the revelations that came from searching for answers in her family’s past as refugees of the Vietnam War. Now, as a mother herself, Susan has wisdom to share about being a mom without ever really knowing her own.

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If you end up hiring a witch, moving some merch, or getting patronized because of this issue, please let me know! I love to hear about witches helping witches.

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End credits

Thanks for reading Evil Witches, a newsletter for people who happen to be mothers. New here? Here’s what the newsletter is all about.

If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions for future issues, you can reply directly to this email or leave them in the comments. Our Instagram, curated by Carly O., lives here, and the Evil Witches archives live here.

If you are not a paid subscriber, I hope you consider joining us! I’m going on holiday hiatus after next week but will check in a few times with the paid subscribers between now and back to school, so if you feel like getting some chatty subscriber-only threads/posts over the next few weeks, get in on it on discount!

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One witchy thing

My friends and I talked this weekend about how we combat Elf on the Shelf. One pal said her husband told their three kids that the reason why they don’t have an Elf is that he once saw the Elf coming down the street and shot him in the butt with a bb gun. The Elf ran off going “Woo woo woo woo woo!” and never came back.

This dad does not own any kind of gun, bb or otherwise, but the kids were satisfied with this story.