From Downward Spiral to Grant-Funded Projects: How I Rebuilt Momentum Through Applying

Proof that motion attracts funding.

In Q1 of this year, I watched income streams I thought were stable just…hmmm …disappear.

Coaching inquiries slowed down.

Brand deals, a major part of my revenue as a travel podcaster, went quiet.

The payments I was used to seeing hit my account weren’t coming in. And I remember sitting there thinking, what am I doing wrong?

Why does everything feel so broken?

Is it the economy? Do my offers suck?

Will my business survive?

Should I go back to corporate?

What should I do next?

Then one day, I made a decision that changed everything:

If I’m going to tell creators to apply for grants, I need to be in the arena too.

No more “when I have time.”
No more “I’ll apply next round.”
No more waiting for perfect circumstances.

With grants, money is on the table right now. I need to apply and go get it.

So I committed to something simple but powerful: apply consistently for grants every month.

Not perfectly.
Not fearlessly.
Just — consistently.

And that decision flipped a switch.

Read Next » How I Started Consistently Applying For Grants Again

Each application I submitted pulled me out of that downward spiral and back in the driver’s seat.

Applying made me a better communicator. It helped me articulate my vision with more confidence. And it reminded me why I do this work in the first place.

Fast forward nine months later, the same week I was hosting a virtual summit, juggling tech issues, and planning my grandmother’s surprise 84th birthday, I won two grants back-to-back.

Overnight I went from a 4x grant-funded creator to 6x.

One award will help us build a custom Grants For Creators platform. The other will allow me to deepen my connection with my travel community.

If You’re in That Season…

If you’re in a place where everything feels slow, where your confidence is quieter than usual, I want you to know this:

Momentum doesn’t return because you wait around for it. It returns because you put one foot in front of the other, even when it feels impossible or pointless.

Maybe your version of movement is submitting a grant to support your creative work.

Maybe it’s hitting publish on that video pitch after 55 tries (legit, this is me).

Perhaps it’s joining us in the Hit Submit Challenge (we start today, Monday October 13th) so you get guidance, feedback, and actually submit a grant application in one week.

Or maybe it’s going to that networking event instead of staying home.

For me, it was applying way more than I ever had in the past, and not giving up.

Whatever you choose, don’t let that feeling of discouragement win over you.

If you needed a sign that it’s time to get back in the arena, let this be it. Your ideas and projects deserves a chance to be funded too.

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