Why We People Please

The Writers’ Co-op

This week on the show, we’re talking about yet another issue we may all run into: being people pleasers. In some ways, people-pleasing feels inherent to being a freelancer. After all, we get hired by our clients, and then we help clients with their projects. Or even if we’re pitching journalism stories, we’re still creating a story for someone else. We’re in the business of keeping our clients happy by creating good products.

But being a people-pleaser can also harm our businesses. It can make us afraid of pushing back, negotiating, or appearing difficult – but that means we don’t get what we need. After all, it’s likely many others are saying yes to whatever their clients need. So if we don’t, we wonder: won’t I get discarded?

In this episode, Jenni and Wudan dive deep into why we tend to people-please as freelancers, the harm it can cause our freelance businesses, and ways to unlearn this habit. We mention two resources that are available to Patreon All Access members (which you can become at any time via patreon.com/twcpod): a worksheet on defining your boundaries, and a tipsheet about how to enforce them with clients! You can also buy those a la carte here: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources

How have you unlearned being a people pleaser as it relates to your business? We would love to hear from you: [e-mail]