The Passion Projects And Side Hustles We’re Most Proud Of
It’s time for a little self-promotion! These are the projects, products, podcasts and more created by The Persistent contributors. We think you’ll love them!
As women, we are too often conditioned to be quiet, to stay humble and, especially, to never brag about our ambitions or what we’ve accomplished. Men, on the other hand, often lead with this information. Isn’t it about time that we gave ourselves a pat on the back and celebrated the stuff we’re proud of?
Luckily for you readers, The Persistent has a deep bench of talented women contributors who are creating, well, all kinds of things you’ll want to read, wear, listen to, and know about. So set aside some time to enjoy these books, podcasts, newsletters, magazines, and even jewelry, all created by the women who help make The Persistent what it is.
For the past eight years, I've been co-hosting a podcast about infertility called Big Fat Negative (BFN) with fellow Persistent contributor Gabriella Griffith. It’s about all things related to infertility, IVF and trying to conceive. Over the years, it's gone from the two of us moaning about our own experiences of infertility to a more journalistic endeavor featuring interviews with experts, scientific breakthroughs, and experiences and advice from other women going through infertility themselves. BFN is launching its next season in April, so if you know someone going through infertility, do them a favor and share the link!
— Emma Haslett, managing editor
My memoir “The View From Down Here” is a raw but joyful account of how ableism and sexism have shaped my life as a disabled woman. In it I explore what it’s like to navigate the worlds of education, work, dating, friendship, and learning to accept my body in a world that wants to tell disabled people they are broken and in need of fixing. It's a call for feminism to recognize the needs of disabled women. — Lucy Webster, contributing writer
The name of my Substack, The Wrong Globe, comes from an old Russian Jewish joke, where a man named Moishe is looking for a place to emigrate. Spinning a globe, he finds that every country is plagued by antisemitism, and, at last, he cries, “I need another globe!” I chose the name because to me, it reflects what I write about: language, culture, identity, and the experience of feeling like you've ended up in the wrong place. With everything going on in the world, it can sometimes seem as if we're all stuck here on the wrong planet, no? So we might as well stay curious about it all.
— Tanya Mozias, contributing writer
I've written seven books in all, but my three favorites are “Shutterbabe,” “The Red Book,” and “LadyParts.” “Shutterbabe” is my memoir of my years in the late ’80s and early ’90s as a war photographer. “The Red Book” is a novel about four friends at a 20th college reunion that takes place over the course of one weekend – but it’s really about the compromises and transformations we make in middle age. “Ladyparts” is a divorce memoir and a take down of our broken healthcare system, along with sexism, ageism, and misogyny at work. My substack of the same name, grew out of that book. Last year, it won the Webby Award for the best independent newsletter. — Deborah Copaken, contributing writer
Earlier this month, Richard Addy and I released our fifth report in the Missing Perspectives of Women in the News series: “The Missing Voices of Women in the 2026 Grammys.” It uncovered the extraordinary drop in women nominees and winners — and their growing marginalization — at this year’s awards. My analysis of the findings was published by The Conversation and republished by a range of news providers including Yahoo News and DT Next.
— Luba Kassova, contributing writer
By day, I manage Instagram for The Persistent. But by night? I'm deep in my box of secondhand beads, making jewelry and other accessories. I sell my work and do beading events in person in Portland, Oregon. I also make custom pieces for people across the U.S., all while saving bits of plastic from the landfill.
— Han Goldstein, social media manager
I’m a true animal lover, and my book, “Unconditional, Stories of Women and the Animals They Love,” came out this month. It’s a collection of interviews with women about their companion animals that I wrote and illustrated. Grab a copy if you're interested in exploring the complexities, beauty, and tenderness of human and animal companionship.
— Cat Willett, illustrator
At my company, Onward Publishing, we usually work on print and web projects for clients. But we all decided that for once, we wanted to make our own thing, so we created Passions, a magazine that showcases what we love. I was the editorial director on the project and it was so amazing to stretch my creative muscles.
— Denise Schipani, contributing writer
It's Women's History Month and my book, “Give Her Credit” is all about female financial empowerment and the true story of a group of remarkable women who started the Women's Bank in 1978 in Denver. They refused to play by the rules, and changed history in the process.
— Grace L. Williams, contributing writer
Do you have a side hustle that you're proud of? Send your recommendations to hello@thepersistent.com. We’ll be back with more recommendations next Friday!
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