Successful Substack Writers Embrace Vulnerability Like It's The New Normal. You Should Too.

This accidental manager turned Substacker shares his secrets to building a thriving online community by being open and authentic.

Feb 11, 2025

Tired of the corporate grind and yearning for a creative outlet?

Meet

, an "accidental manager" turned passionate Substack writer who defied burnout not once, but twice, to pursue his love for sharing stories and connecting with readers. He traded in boardroom battles for the open road of self-expression, embracing vulnerability and taking risks to build a thriving community around his unique voice.

From conquering his fear of judgment to boldly reinventing his niche,

Vijaya Vardhan🍊

embodies the courage to create, the resilience to overcome challenges, and the generosity to uplift others along the way.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background

I’m an accidental manager. I also got burnt out twice in my career. I struggled in the weeds for years as a middle manager before I got an opportunity to get into senior management. It was a long and painful journey. At one point, I wanted to quit and become an individual contributor. But something in me kept pushing me. The passion to make an impact, the drive to create more leaders who are not mediocre (like I was when I started). But exponential. I started my Substack journey in Jan 2024 on whim. Here I am one year later with 175+ subscribers and a niche that I love writing and talking about.

Outside of work, I am a husband to my beautiful wife of 16 years and a father to a 14 year old son. I love jogging, driving long distances and fishing. If I didn’t have to work for a living, I’d be working as an “ice road trucker” hauling coal and other supplies in my semi on the frozen lakes of Canada. Sorry, I simply love to drive big vehicles. I’ll be finding time to get my heavy vehicle driver’s licence before I turn 50.

Q: Beyond the act of hitting "publish," what's the most courageous thing you've done as a writer on Substack?

When I was having less than 50 subscribers, I’ve reached out to other Substackers (having more than 500 subscribers) to write a collaboration article. On my 3rd day on Substack, I posted a selfie post simply because I saw another newbie like me posted it. In November 2024, after 9 months on Substack I changed my substack and niche on a whim. I’d glad I listened to that voice. In each of these situations, I could have just stopped or told myself sob stories. But I pushed on.

Q: Many people dream of writing but fear judgment or failure. What advice would you give to those who are hesitant to share their voice on Substack?

Like I said earlier, I started my newsletter on a whim. No grand plans about growing my audience or monetizing my newsletter. It took me 10 months to get from 0 to 100 subscribers. It took me 3 months to get to 195. I know it will take me less than 3 to get to 300. Growth compounds. So, show up everyday. Engage with others. Be generous. Celebrate others’ content and share their work. You will be surprised that folks with 2x or even 3x your subscriber size would be happy to recommend your newsletter!

Q: In your opinion, what's the most courageous thing a reader can do after engaging with your work?

I’d say, sending me a DM. I’ve had 2-3 people do that so far and I’m thankful to them. Because, that’s how you uncover what problems they are facing. What solutions they are looking for. If nothing at all, you can simply exchange personal information and promise to meet next time. Relationships are built one conversation at a time.

Q: Vulnerability is often a key component of courage. How do you balance being vulnerable with maintaining healthy boundaries as a writer in such a public space?

I don’t venture into “dark” areas. Let me explain what I mean. Topics like sexuality, astrology, explicit fiction and the likes are taboo for me. I have nothing against those that endorse and share them. But they are simply not my cup of tea. I steer clear of them to keep my feed “clean” and my conversations “civil”

Q: Courage often involves taking risks. What's the biggest risk you've taken in sharing your writing or building your Substack community?

Thank you for asking. The biggest risk I’ve taken so far is to start a 30 Day Consciousness Redesign Challenge. Again, I did it on a whim. Started on Jan 2. We are 12 days through in the sprint. Only 2 subscribers commented on my subscriber chats till now. And only 1 person is excited about the whole thing. I’m not worried if I will be a success. I’m glad this experiment is teaching me a ton of things about subscriber engagement. Who knows? If more people are interested, I might build my first product! Or even better - if no one is interested, I won’t be dong this again :-)

Q: What advice would you give to someone who feels stuck or unfulfilled but is hesitant to take the leap and reinvent themselves?

Just Do It. You never know what doors open for you. When you put yourself out in front of 1000’s of people, you are dramatically increasing your surface area. The odds of a future subscriber finding you is suddenly increased by 10x or even 100x. So, put yourself out there.

Q: If you could go back and tell your pre-Substack self one thing about the journey ahead, what would it be?

The first few months to one year will be the hardest. Tell yourself that you’re practicing. It’s going to be hard. Everyone started at 0. If you move from 0 to 3 or to 5 subscribers, celebrate it. Do one small thing that takes you in the direction you want to go. In a couple of years, you’ll be surprised how far you’ve come.

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