Thank you
, , , , , and many others for tuning into my live video with special surprise guest, !I went live to share something deeply personal — my daughter’s recent stay in the pediatric ICU and how it’s affecting the way I think about paywalls, generosity and accessibility in my work. During those seven days, not one doctor or nurse asked for a credit card before helping her. They just focused on saving her life. It poked at a bigger question I’ve been asking myself for several months now: why do we gatekeep information and resources online? Why do we create digital paywalls that block people from what they might really need? (Yes, these are rhetorical questions, but I’m asking them because anyways.)
This livestream was my way of unpacking those thoughts and sharing why I decided to remove the paywall from my "Start Here" guide until March 4.
Themes We Explored:
1. Care Without a Paywall Made Me Question My Own
Sitting in the ICU, I realized no one was asking how I’d pay for my daughter’s care — they just focused on helping her breathe again. It hit me hard. If life-saving services can be given without question (even if the bill shows up later!), why do I feel the need to block resources behind paywalls in my work?
2. I Took Down Part Of My Paywall — Here’s Why
I’ve always believed in the importance of paywalls to sustain my work, but after this experience, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was holding back help from people who might really need it. So, I took down the paywall on my "Start Here" guide. It’s an experiment — to see what happens when I choose to give people access to resources without requiring proof of “readiness.”
3. The Value We Assign to Paywalled Content Feels… Off
One thing I keep circling back to is how paywalls sometimes create a false sense of value. Just because something’s behind a gate doesn’t mean it’s more useful. And even when you get the resource, there’s often still so much work left to do. It made me wonder: are we overcomplicating things and setting up a false sense of value and investment. with these boundaries?
4. Balancing Generosity and Making a Living Is Messy
I’m in the thick of grappling with how to be generous while still making a living — especially now, knowing the hospital bills are coming. There’s no clear answer, but I’m sitting with this question: Would we need paywalls if we were all operating from mutual respect and trust?
5. Paywalls Are Often Arbitrary — So Why Do We Keep Them?
This experience also made me think about how arbitrary digital paywalls can be. Removing one costs me nothing — it’s literally a click. So why do we cling to them? Is it about perceived value? Scarcity? I don’t have the answers, but I’m questioning it all right now.
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