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SPEAKER 2
Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's spotlight session with our winner from our January Notes Challenge. Her name is Marilee, and she's a multi-passionate educator and an author and a former owner of an award-winning business. And she's now on Substack. And I'm so excited to hear her story. So let's welcome. Hi, Marilee. Hi.
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SPEAKER 1
Hi, Anette. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me here today and having that note challenge. That was a lot of fun and I was very happy to win. Yeah, me too. Me too.
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SPEAKER 2
I'm so excited. And let's start. Maybe can you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you and your background?

Spotlight Session: A fiction that teaches business? Sure! (with Marylee Pangman)

It's unbelievable, but this session got me seriously considering starting reading fiction again. And I'm a non-fiction person.

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spotlight session with Marylee Pangman- fiction that teaches business

Welcome to another amazing spotlight session!

It’s the place where I share the extraordinary stories of ordinary people (like you and me).

Today I’m talking to

who is our winner from January Notes Challenge and who is an author and who loves to explore the beauty of reinvention, personal growth, and the joy of finding our people.

She had a thriving business growing plants in the desert, but decided to let it go and start writing. That’s how his Substack - Women, Fiction and Life’s Threads was born - a place where she explores the intersection between fiction and non-fiction.

I find her approach unique and particularly inspiring.

You have to watch this spotlight session till the end: you’ll see how Marylee made me (a non-fiction lover) seriously consider starting to read fiction! Unbelievable!

Watch the video to hear her story and learn more about:

  • How fiction can not only entertain and inspire, but also educate and solve problems (yes, really! like non-fiction)

  • What’s in it for you in a highly relatable fiction story (Marylee reads a section!)

  • How she teaches business through fiction (and not only)

You’ll also learn about her Substack journey particularly:

  • What’s the key to growing on Substack and how the Notes30 Challenge helped

  • How she approaches the boring stuff on Substack (like settings and all)

  • What’s a community-led content on Substack

Marylee also shares some great productivity and efficiency techniques and some inspiring books.

Subscribe to Marylee’s Substack here:

Subscribe to Marylee

And remember to post your questions to Marylee in the comments :)

Wanna have your own Spotlight Session?

You can take the place under the spotlight in one of the next sessions and talk about your personal story and your Substack!

All you need to do is:

Every month I choose two winners - one for the Notes and one for the Writing Challenge.

If you’re still a free subscriber, become a member and get your spotlight session with me!

I see you inside!

Yana

P.S. Watch all previous spotlight sessions here.

Recommend Unplugged by Yana G.Y.!

Your one-stop shop to grow your Substack in 2025: get access to all the proven strategies, tactics, tools, and challenges.

Recommend

👉 And if you haven’t already, join the Unplugged community and Kickstart your Substack growth:

Discussion about this video

Marylee, I so enjoyed your story, and it’s funny that when I read that chapter after you had written it, I was sobbing because it touched my heart and soul and I related so much to Val and what she was going through and when you read it again here I was sobbing again.

I told you before, and I think it bears repeating that your style of writing really puts a person in the story. There’s someone in that story that I think every single person can relate to in one way, or another and finding about your other publication, I can’t remember the name of it right now that you mentioned, and that paid subscribers get BOTH- That’s a win-win!

I’ve always understood that in reading stories like you write, which is fiction or always lessons and honestly it’s the most comfortable way to deal with a lot of life’s “uncomfortables”. Personally, I learn better that way than in step one step two step three step four I learn more and retain more and then can apply it when learning that way.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and I’m so glad I got to learn more about you. I consider you a friend and I think you’re fantastic writer and everybody should join.

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Thanks Yana!! Having this spotlight session with you was FUN! Inspiring you to consider turning to fiction (as a reader) again, got me thinking. Maybe that’s the transformation I’m meant to inspire!

You said it. “It’s like a vacation.”

We get so into learning about growing our businesses. We have to give ourselves permission to do anything else.

If taking a break to read or listen to fiction means you have a moment of respite, but are either inspired or learn just one thing about business, then why not?!

Thank you Yana. You and your Stack are One of a Kind!!

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Yes, maybe that's your "call" :) It is really like a vacation to my mind. I think you should double down on that, maybe you're onto something great :)

Thank you too, Marylee, this was so much fun! It was an amazing session!

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