Professional burnout is real.
Sarah Glinski experienced that firsthand in 2022 in her full-time role as a clinical dietitian. After stepping back and examining her options, she decided to turn her part-time gig as a freelance health and nutrition writer into her full-time focus.
Read on to discover how Sarah used her experience and expertise to pivot professionally and build a growing freelance writing business.
When did you start freelancing?
I started freelance writing as a side gig when I first started working as a registered dietitian (RD) in 2018. Between 2018 and 2022, I had two or three consistent clients, but I never considered pursuing it full-time. It wasn’t until I experienced burnout from working as a clinical dietitian in 2022 that I considered making freelance writing my full-time job.
While I freelance full-time now, I work far fewer hours than I did at my clinical job. My workload shifts depending on what projects I’ve got going, but I typically work between 20-25 hours per week.
Why did you choose to pursue freelance work?
I’ve always loved to write, and I found myself enjoying my writing projects far more than my clinical job. However, I wasn’t sure how to turn my writing side gig into full-time.
When I experienced extreme burnout at my clinical job in 2022, I was forced to take a month off work. It became clear to me during that month that I couldn’t return to clinical work. I quit my full-time job and dove headfirst into the world of freelance writing.
While I started pursuing freelance work out of necessity, I now freelance because it provides me with much more flexibility than working a 9-to-5 job. I now set my own hours and choose which projects I take on, which has led to much greater satisfaction with the work I do.
What are your niches – and how did you choose them?
I write in the area of healthcare, with a specific interest in nutrition. Since I’m an RD, focusing on healthcare-related content was a natural transition from my clinical work.
Who are the clients you work with?
They’re a variety. Some of my clients are private practice dietitians who want to maintain an online presence through blogging but don’t have the time to do it themselves. And some of my clients are larger healthcare companies such as Nourish (a telehealth dietitian company that aims to make dietitians accessible to more people) and CopilotIQ (a company specializing in remote health monitoring for seniors).
I also write for larger health outlets such as Forbes Health, Well+Good, Livestrong and Everyday Health.
What types of projects do you work on?
The majority of my projects are consumer-facing articles about different health topics. I also write blog posts and website copy for nutrition-focused businesses.
Where do you freelance from?
My home office in Langley, British Columbia in Canada.
Tell us about two tools you rely on to run your business.
The two tools that really keep my business afloat are Trello and LinkedIn. I use both of them daily!
Trello enables me to track each phase of the projects I’m working on and helps me consistently meet deadlines and track invoices. It’s like my freelancing cheat sheet.
LinkedIn has been invaluable for helping me connect with potential clients and other freelance writers. A year ago, I had zero LinkedIn presence and struggled to find clients. Now that I’m more consistent with posting and engaging, I’ve found lots of opportunities and connected with some amazing peers who are also freelance writers.
Name one thing that’s surprised you about freelancing.
How quickly your business can grow if you put in the work. While the first six months of my full-time freelance journey were slow and involved a lot of cold pitching, I’ve reached a comfortable place where I have enough work without having to do a ton of outreach. I definitely didn’t expect this to happen so quickly, and I’m sure that in the future, I will likely need to jump back into cold pitching. For now, I’m happy with where my business is.
Now that I’m more consistent with posting and engaging, I’ve found lots of opportunities and connected with some amazing peers who are also freelance writers.
Made any big mistakes during your freelance journey?
Not charging my worth! When I first started freelancing, I took on a lot of low-paying work just to get started. While I think that was necessary to build my portfolio, if I were to do it all over again, I would raise my rates much sooner in my freelance journey.
What are you proudest of with your business?
I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to build a business that supports my lifestyle and mental health. While I think hustle is important (especially when you’re first starting out), my dream was never to be hustling all the time. I crave a certain amount of ease in my life, and I’m so proud that I’ve built a business that allows me that freedom.
There’s lots of advice out there for freelancers. What advice do you agree with?
Charge your worth. I get that raising your rates can be really scary, especially when you’re first starting out and the imposter syndrome is loud. But your skills are worth paying for, and you deserve to be compensated for the years of learning you’ve put into your craft.
What common advice do you disagree with?
I don’t believe that a successful business can be built on cold pitching alone. While it’s definitely a good way to get started, I think it’s just as important to build your online presence and reputation so that your ideal clients can find you.
What areas of opportunities do you see for current or future freelancers?
Everyone is talking about AI. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for freelancers to leverage it to make their jobs easier. While I don’t think AI will ever replace writers, I see the value in using AI to generate ideas and break through writer’s block.
Any words of wisdom to leave with us?
Believe in yourself! If you put in the work, you can succeed as a freelancer.
Want to connect with Sarah? Find her online at sarahglinski.com, connect on LinkedIn and follow her on Instagram.