Why I’m Hitting Pause on The Modern Editor Podcast

Oct 14

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Friends, this is the last episode of The Modern Editor Podcast…for now, or maybe forever? I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m hitting an indefinite pause on the podcast. I wanted to take some time to explain what led to this decision, why I need this break, and what’s coming up next.

Well, hello there, friends. This is it. If you listened to my last episode, you already know what's up. But if you didn't, for now, this is the last episode of The Modern Editor Podcast. I am officially taking a break, and today I'm going to share why and what's coming next.
Because I think some of the things that happened to me to indicate that I needed to take a break could sound familiar to you, and maybe you need to make a decision in your own business about pivoting or pausing or doing something else. So that's why I'm sharing this behind-the-scenes look with you today. So let's get right into it.
Welcome to The Modern Editor Podcast, where we talk about all things editing and what it's like to run an editorial business in today's world. I'm your host, Tara Whitaker. Let's get to it.
First of all, when I—I won't jump ahead. When I decided to pause, I wanted to look back and see what I've actually done and how long I've been doing it. This is the 87th episode of the podcast, which is kind of bananas, and my first episode launched on July 24th, 2022. And there were some breaks sprinkled in there due to burnout, but basically I've been podcasting for just over four years at the time of this recording.
And I have learned so much in those four years. How to structure an episode, how to not make my audio sound like garbage while recording. Fun fact, though, this is the second time I'm recording this episode because I finished recording the first time and realized that my mic was on mute. So clearly I didn't learn my lesson after 87 episodes, but I've learned a lot otherwise.
I've also learned that consistency and showing up is really one of the big “secrets” behind a lot of successful things. It's showing up and continuing to show up even if it's really hard.
So I did my first 29 episodes essentially on my own. I found the music. I recorded the intros and outros. I recorded the podcast. I edited it, edited it, all together. Everything. I did have help with the blog posts and transcripts, so special shout-out to Amy Hamilton for helping with those. But it was all on my own, and it was a lot.
So then starting at episode 30 through now episode 87, so that's 57 episodes, I had the massive, massive help of Haylee and her team at Gaffin Creative with everything from production and blog posts and graphics and ideas and podcast SEO and you name it, we've done it.
And there is absolutely no way I would have made it this far without their support. I would have guaranteed quit a long time ago. There's a lot that goes into podcasting. And you can do it, you know, very bare bones. I don't have, like, a super elaborate production. I mean, when I record, I have a Blue Yeti mic and Zoom. That's all I use.
I'm sure Haylee has very fancy equipment. I do not, but it still takes a lot of work. And I just wanna say a huge, huge thanks to Haylee and her amazing team through the years because you are why I've made it to 87 episodes.
So let's talk about my decision to pause for now. I think, or I guess I should say I know, I needed to make a decision probably a few months ago, maybe, like, beginning of summer-ish.
But true to yours truly, I was like, "I'm just gonna push through. I'm just gonna get over it, or I'm just gonna keep doing it 'cause I don't wanna make a hard decision." I don't like making decisions. I'm terrified of making the wrong one. So I just kept thinking I'll just push through. Dear listener, not a good idea.
It didn't work. But here's the thing. I really enjoy podcasting. I like coming up with ideas. I like outlining my scripts, which is bananas because I don't... Well, historically, I haven't liked to write. We'll talk about that later. I like talking about things that matter to me and to you all in the industry.
So it's not like I wanted to pause because I hated it. In a way, that was even harder, it made the decision harder because if I hated it, I would just be like, "Well, efff this. I'm just gonna stop. I don't like doing it." I do like doing it. But it's been a very humbling experience and a big realization, honestly, really all of 2026, that I am not 23 anymore.
I can't just push through. I have limits. I can't bunker down in my house for a week at a time and not communicate with the outside world and just bust out an edit or something, bust out anything. I have a family and kids, and I volunteer, and I can't do that anymore, so I have limited time to do things, anything.
And recognizing that kinda hurts. You know, I wanna be invincible. I want to have the energy I had at 23. I do not. And so there comes a time when you have to sit down and be like, "Okay, what am I doing? What can I do?" And that is humbling.
So how did I figure out that it was time to pause? A few things happened, and this is what I particularly wanted to share with you because if any of these sound familiar, it might be an indication that maybe you need to take a pause on something or pivot or adjust or do something differently.
We all have different brains, of course, so this might not resonate. But if it helps one person, then I wanna share it. So the first thing that happened was recording podcast episodes kept getting pushed down on my to-do list. They're always on my to-do list because I do two episodes a month, and with like, you know, the production timeline and giving Haylee the recording, and then she produces the blog post and the transcript, and going back and forth and all that, like, you've, you've gotta have some lead time, right?
So there's always something going on with the podcast, which means I need to keep on top of it. And I wasn't. It kept getting pushed down. It kept being not the priority, and that's usually a pretty good indicator something needs to change. But of course, stubborn me was like, "No, I'm just busy right now," or, "It's just a busy season. I'll just keep going." Joke's on you, Tara.
Second thing was I have a lot to talk about. None of that has changed. I have a massive list of ideas of things to talk about, but when it came down to actually sitting down and outlining an episode or recording it, I'd get stuck. I would have a great idea, I'd be super amped about a topic, and then I would sit down and be like, "Mm, do I care? Does anybody else care? Does anybody wanna listen to me talk about this? Do I know anything?"
You know, the awesome spiral our brains do, which again would make me push recording down my to-do list because I would get stuck. You see where this is going. Then fast-forward, let's say I actually do record it and I, you know, do what I'm supposed to do and I get the podcast episode out there, I found myself not wanting to promote it as much, like promoting when a new episode came out.
And at first, 'cause I like to come up with excuses or different, you know, ideas of what's actually going on when it's not the case at all, I was like, "Well, I don't... You know, I have this love-hate relationship with social media. Maybe it's because I just don't wanna be posting there." But then it happened when I was doing my newsletter too.
And if you're on my newsletter, you'll know this. If you're not, head to TaraWhitaker.com to join. I only send it every other week, so no spam. But I have different sections, you know, where I talk about certain topics, and the podcast is of course one of them. So I would be fine writing the rest of the newsletter, and then when I came to the podcast, I was just like, "Ugh."
I had the graphic. I had the words. It was literally just tweaking a few things, and it would just... Something kept dinging. Probably not even dinging. It was probably like a bullhorn in my face that I just kept ignoring. But I was like, "Okay, those are pretty big signals for me. Something needs to change. I need to take a break.”
And when I actually did take the time to think about it, I knew I had to make a tough decision, but I had to remind myself that it didn't have to be a forever decision. It's a just-for-now decision. And like I mentioned before, I have a very hard time making decisions. I'm terrified of making the right one. I have artwork in my office that says, "It's okay to trust yourself."
Like, the Enneagram 6 is strong when it comes to decision-making. So I made it. I was fine with it. I, you know, worked through it, but then the fear started creeping in. “Well, now what if I lose clients or potential clients, potential FEC members, people wanting to buy my contract template? What if everyone forgets about me and my business dies and I can't pay my bills and I can't make enough money? And am I being a quitter?” Which that's a whole other topic we could talk about, about childhood things creeping up when you run a business.
“Will I have to rely solely on social media to market?” Which of course I don't, but, you know, your brain spirals, right? And none of those were helpful thoughts. So I had to, again, take another step back, pause, put on my CEO hat, and figure out what I am actually capable of doing. And I've talked about this before on the podcast with doing a time audit. That is a very helpful tool to visually see what we do in a day and what we can do in a day.
I still overestimate what I can do in a day. So for example, I am producing so much content and have been producing so much content on a monthly basis. I plan every month inside the Freelance Editors Club. I don't give that to someone else. That's all me. I figure out what we're gonna talk about during the workshop.
I pick a book club pick. I host the weekly discussion. I host the live discussion. I figure out the Q&A topic we're gonna talk about. I figure out a self-care workshop, and I usually present both of those workshops, so I have to create at least one presentation on a topic and, you know, put in the time and effort for that, plus figure out what I'm doing for the self-care portion, which can vary.
That’s not always like, a presentation, but sometimes it can be. Then I'm doing the podcast and doing all of the content that that entails. Then I'm doing social media. Then I'm doing a newsletter, and I'm doing presentations for other organizations. Seeing it all, I'm like, "Well, no wonder, Tara. Your brain needs space. It needs a break."
And I know that because that's when I get good ideas, but it's also then when I have the time to execute them. I have a huge list of ideas. That's not the problem. It's executing them and actually being able to take action on them. Like, sure, having ideas is great, but what good is a big old list of ideas if you're not able to ever do any of them?
So that was how I figured out I needed to pause for now. And I'm not putting any pressure on myself that I'm coming back at a certain time, or ever. I truly have no idea if I'll come back in this format. All the previous episodes, by the way, are gonna stay live. They'll be on, you know, the podcast player you use. They'll be on my website. Those aren't going anywhere.
And who knows? Maybe if something pops up and I'm like, "Ugh, I gotta talk about this. I've got to share my thoughts," maybe I'll do some one-off podcasts. I don't know. But I don't wanna put any expectations out there, so don't expect anything, but perhaps you can be pleasantly surprised if something does pop up on your podcast player.
So what's next? Shocker, I have a lot of ideas. But I've figured out what I would like to focus on, and not that I have to wait until 2027 to do this, but I probably will just 'cause I still have some things I wanna finish up this year that have been lingering for a while that I would really love to just cross off the to-do list for good.
But number one, this will come as a huge shock. I'm gonna pour myself even more into the Freelance Editors Club. I have lots of ideas on how to help members even more, especially right now with, you know, the economy is shit, and scammers abound, and general tomfoolery in the world. Like, you know if you've been a listener of this podcast, you know I love community. You know I harp on it. It's not going away, and I want to build an even stronger, more supportive community, and I'm going to have the time to do that, so I'm very pumped about that.
Kind of related, but the second thing I'm going to do is revamp my business builder workbook, which comes with FEC membership right now. It's currently 99 pages, but my hope is that I can turn it into an actual book or a workbook. I don't know what format I want yet 'cause I haven't had the brain space to be able to actually think about it in depth, but I know it's gonna take a lot of time and brain space, and I've been putting it off, shocker, because I had neither.
But I really want to dig into that. I think it's super helpful. I think it needs an update, but I also just want it to be a physical copy, which I'll talk about in a little bit more too, and an ebook of course, but I wanna make it a little more legit.
Number three, I'm not gonna be hosting this podcast, but I really wanna start talking on other people's podcasts. I wanna talk about the editing process and what it entails. I wanna do a lot of author education on what editing entails and how to, to the best of their ability, avoid getting scammed. I know that's not 100% guaranteed, but…
It's kind of funny too, that the editor is talking about how to not let editors scam them, but it's what has to be done 'cause it's bananas. But then of course more editor education. I'm sponsoring at this point two conferences next year. One of them I'm going to be talking about red flags with editors that authors can look out for. I'll be sharing more details about all of that in my newsletter, so stay tuned with that. And again, if you haven't signed up yet, head to my website.
And then with that, I'm allowing myself to explore expanding my newsletter, which is something I never, ever thought I would say in my life. I definitely do not enjoy writing fiction. I've tried it. It's not my jam. I'm very envious of you out there who can. But I've been very, very slowly coming around to not hating writing for my business as much.
I don't wanna say I love it or even that I like it, but it's growing on me, and I'd like to give myself the space to suck and to learn how to write better. I think we need people writing more and not robots. So yeah, I'm gonna give it a try. I don't know if it'll stick. I don't know if I'll enjoy it. But I at least want to give it a try, right? How am I ever going to know if I don't try it?
And then last but not least for now, I am going to create an editor swag store. I have wanted to do it for years. I made stickers. I made my first sticker almost five years ago. It was when my son was born. It was at 3am while I was pumping. TMI, but I was like, "I'm not doing anything. I might as well create some stickers." But I wanna do more. I wanna create more physical products. It kind of goes along with that pull that I've had of getting off my screens, doing something with my hands, being able to hold something.
I started a planner years ago. I did word searches back when peak COVID was happening. Like, I've done things, but I just haven't fully done things. I love word searches. I love them so much. If any of those sound good to you, 'cause of course I also need to know, like, what people are actually looking for, or if you have any ideas, let me know, because I would love to create some physical products next year.
And then who knows what else? But the important thing is I'll be trying my dangdest to protect my time and energy so I can do these things I've been wanting to do for ages but haven't yet because I made the tough decision. I'm giving myself the space. If you have to do that, I'm here cheering you on. I know it's hard.
And while it's, you know, goodbye for now here on the podcast, it's absolutely not goodbye anywhere else. I'm not going anywhere. I'll still very much be around. I still am extremely motivated to help values-driven editors create and sustain the businesses they love, just like I always have, and I hope you stick around.
I hope you hang out, whether it's via the newsletter or on social media or inside the Freelance Editors Club. But thank you so, so much for listening over the years, for tuning in, for sticking with me when I had my burnout breaks. Your listening, your kind words of support and encouragement really helped keep me going. I mean, they really truly did.
Editors are the best people in the world. Sorry, not sorry. I know I'm biased, but they are. You all are. So thank you.
And for now, keep learning, keep growing, and I will see you later.
Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. If you enjoy The Modern Editor Podcast, I would be so grateful if you left a review over on Apple Podcasts or wherever you consume podcasts. And don't forget, you can head to TaraWhitaker.com to connect with me and stay in touch. We'll chat again soon.

A Look Back at the Podcast

Before we dive into the decision to pause, I wanted to look back at how far The Modern Editor Podcast has come. This is the 87th episode, which is wild. I launched the podcast on July 24, 2022, and took some breaks due to burnout, but I’ve essentially been podcasting for four years.

I’ve learned so much in the last four years, especially about the importance of consistency and showing up even when it’s hard.

I produced the first 29 episodes on my own, including recording, creating intros and outros, and editing (I did have help with the blogs and transcripts from Amy Hamilton).

For the last 57 episodes, I worked with Haylee and her team at Gaffin Creative on everything from production to SEO. There’s no way I would’ve made it this far without their support.

The Decision to Pause

I knew I needed to pause the podcast a few months ago at the beginning of summer. But in true Tara fashion, I kept pushing and put off actually making the decision.

Here’s the thing: I didn’t want to pause the podcast because I hate doing it. I like writing scripts, talking about things that matter to me, and diving into hot topics in the editing industry.

I’m pausing because I’ve realized this year that I have limits. I’m not 23 anymore, and my time and energy are finite. When I took a hard look at how I was spending my time and realized that something needed to go, a few factors made it clear that it was the podcast.

Here’s how I knew I needed to pause the podcast:

Recording episodes kept getting pushed down on my to-do list.
I had tons of episode ideas, but when I sat down to write the scripts, I’d get stuck.
Promoting the podcast started to feel harder.

Ending the podcast was a tough decision, but I reminded myself that it doesn’t have to be a forever decision. It’s simply a just-for-now decision.

What Am I Actually Capable of Doing?

Once I made the decision to pause the podcast, fear set in. What if people forgot about my business and I couldn’t pay the bills?

However, my decision was solidified when I stepped back and actually looked at everything I was doing on a monthly basis. From running my own editing business, the podcast, and the Freelance Editors Club, it’s no wonder that my brain needed a break. I had to put on my CEO hat and figure out what I was capable of working on.

What’s Next?

Now that I’ve taken a pretty big project off my plate, I have the time and brain power to execute new ideas.

The first thing I want to do is pour even more of myself into the Freelance Editors Club. I’m so excited to build an even stronger and more supportive community for editors. I’m also planning to revamp the Business Builder workbook that lives inside the FEC membership.

While I’m hitting pause on this podcast, I don’t want to leave the podcasting world entirely. My goal is to be a guest on other people’s podcasts to talk about the editing process.

I’m also excited to dive more into the education side of things. I’m sponsoring two conferences in 2027, which I’ll share more details about in my newsletter, so make sure you’re a subscriber.

Speaking of my newsletter, my next idea is to expand my newsletter and grow as a writer in that arena.

Finally, I’m going to do something I’ve wanted to do for years, which is create an editor swag store. So stay tuned for some fun physical products!

Protecting My Time and Energy Is Always a Good Decision

There are so many things I’m excited to pursue now that I’m pausing the podcast, but it’s still a tough decision. However, I know that protecting my time and energy is always the right call, and that’s what this decision is ultimately about.

This is goodbye for now to the podcast, but it’s not a goodbye from me. Trust me, I’m not going anywhere ☺️ I’m still extremely motivated to help you in your values-driven editing business.

Thank you so much for listening and sticking with me over the years. Your words of support have kept me going.