Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
Meet Morgan Bridger, author of the Substack, Basic Goodness
(We recorded an audio track for those who prefer to listen or who just want to hear what our voices sound like.)
Hello, friends! Welcome back to Words over Swords. I’m all about building community, so today, in lieu of publishing an essay, we’re going to do something a little different. I’d like to use my space in your inbox this week to introduce you to another creator in Substack’s virtual sandbox.
One of the things I love most about Substack is the ability to connect authentically and develop relationships with the many creators who have staked out space in this corner of the internet. In my short time on this platform, I have encountered so many people trying to do so much good—it’s truly inspiring. And sometimes, you read an author’s work, and it just clicks. That’s how it felt when I read Morgan’s work. Right message, right time.
Morgan was one of the first creators I “met” on Substack. Her writing was engaging, her topic relevant to my work, and from the moment I started reading, I got a sense of her, well, Basic Goodness. I sensed in her a kindred spirit I wanted to support and hear more from. So, I subscribed.
Morgan and I launched our Substacks within a few days of each other, so we’ve been experiencing many of the same things at the same time—our first posts, first feedback, first subscribers, etc. We’re also both dealing with the struggle to grow and develop our readership amidst the library of other worthy publications on Substack, both established and new.
Here's the thing. I really like what Morgan is doing, and I think more people need to know about it. So, if you, dear reader, like what I’m doing at Words over Swords, I think you may be interested in Morgan’s work, too.
Morgan sums it up nicely: I’m writing about extending kindness outward to others to improve our outer world; she’s writing about extending kindness inward to ourselves to improve our inner world. The two messages complement each other nicely.
So Morgan, how about we start with why you began writing on Substack?
Thanks, Jeff. One reason is that I came to understand it’s an amazing way to reach people, to spark real conversations, and even to build online community. I mainly wanted to reach more people who are craving the kind of wisdom and ongoing connection that I wish I’d had access to much earlier in my life. As a therapist, a wellness coach, and a mother, I’m witnessing firsthand how the world we live in is causing people to feel incredibly disconnected. I’m writing for the people who feel out of sync, disconnected from the true Self and from an enduring trust in our belonging and our worthiness. So often, we feel like we have to hustle through our lives, even as we see it corroding our physical health and our emotional wellbeing. I started writing here because it’s a place where we can empower and inspire each other to break the unhealthy cycles.
I love that this is a place where people can share knowledge, wisdom, ideas, questions, tools, art, beauty, inspiration... It’s limitless, and without all the things I hate about social media. It feels positive and supportive, and (mostly) energizing rather than draining. We’re exploring what real wellness means, growing the collective wisdom, and elevating consciousness. I’ve learned so much already, from other writers and from the readers who are engaging with my work.
I could not agree more! So, how would you describe your work?
My publication is called Basic Goodness, after the Buddhist concept of the innate wholeness and light that we all have within us. I offer insights and knowledge from work with clients and from my own healing journey - Especially the things I wish I’d known a lot earlier, during times when I was dealing with depression, anxiety, chronic illness, anorexia, and over-the-top stress. During all that time, I felt pretty alone. I was trying so hard to figure everything out, by learning everything out there about my ailments and all the self-help tools I thought might “fix” me. But there were two key pieces missing, and those are the most important things I aim to share: 1) The self-compassion that’s required for real healing and growth, and 2) The sense of connection with kindred souls who could understand and offer some solace and/or inspiration.
Like so many others, my work was born during all the years when I was deeply suffering. And while such painful challenges can often feel like our biggest barrier to feeling at ease in life, they can also be the pathway to our greatest joy – if we have the right support, at the right time. Then we can move with intention towards the place where we get to own our story and love the parts of us who survived it all.
My work is about finding your true home within your true Self - finding that source of unshakeable wisdom, of calm and ease, trust and inspiration. I love when I hear this basic goodness referred to as your inner sanctuary. We all have it within us.
I’ve been studying mindfulness and meditation for 25 years, and my training as a therapist was at a Buddhist university where contemplative practice, presence, and self-awareness were the foundation of everything. But for much of that time, I hadn’t fully comprehended how important the self-compassion piece is! So a lot of the “tools” didn’t work, which led to the somewhat logical conclusion that I must just be too broken, too unique in my defectiveness. And I love when I can help people avoid that particular trap.
So, for now I’ve been writing a lot about self-compassion – what it really is, why it’s a crucial foundation for real healing (physical and mental/emotional), and different areas of life where it can make all the difference, like with insomnia, talking to your inner critic, handling chronic illness.
Sounds like something A LOT of people can relate to. What are you hoping to achieve through your work on Substack?
I want to empower people to create more ease and joy in their lives, not by rising above their limitations or their wounds, but by coming home to their true selves. By learning how to access the place of stillness and calm within. My main intention in writing is to increase the amount of self-compassion in our world, because of how convinced I am that acceptance and kindness towards oneself is a crucial foundation before lasting healing can really happen. I know that deep self-compassion often requires unlearning a lifetime of seeing ourselves as unworthy and alone. But when we do unlearn all that, we can better navigate life’s challenges without wanting to escape our pain in unhealthy ways.
Some of our pain is due to things we’ve experienced, and a lot of it is due to the ways that modern life disconnects us from our own strength and wisdom, and from each other. I want people to believe that no matter what we’ve been through, we still possess a core of unbreakable wholeness. Sometimes we just need to trust that it’s there and learn the ways that work best for each one of us to access it.
I’ll keep offering simple, practical tools to help us embrace who we are and tune into our innate goodness. I plan to start offering regular meditations and guided visualizations soon, as well as expanding into different topics such as nutrition for mental health, nervous system calming, stress management, and resilience. (But guess what – self-compassion is integral to all of those things, too 😊)
I hope readers can feel that a lot of what I share is coming from lived experience and that “I’ve been there.” Sometimes I’m still there – because that’s the nature of being human. But there’s always hope and comfort to be found when we can meet our pain with compassion and gentleness.
I mentioned in my interview with you that I didn’t have a regular writing practice before coming to Substack. What has the writing process been like for you?
It’s truly been a sort of devotional practice. I’m learning from the writing process itself - the creative and intellectual work of it, and the emotional ups and downs that seem inevitable, at least in the beginning. It’s been providing plenty of lessons in offering without attachment, sharing with an open heart, and the willingness to be vulnerable and visible. I try my best to approach the whole experience with Beginner’s Mind, staying humble and curious, while still gently pushing myself to not hold back for fear of something being potentially “unpopular.”
That makes a lot of sense. Just curious, what drew you to my work at Words Over Swords?
I think you write with tremendous integrity and intelligence about the hatred and divisiveness plaguing our country these days, but with a message that’s always about the hope to be found in choosing to “lead with love” instead of adding more hate. And you do it without ever getting preachy – I feel your authenticity and humility in every word, and your sense of humor shines through.
You were one of the first people offering appreciation and encouragement when I started Basic Goodness. I love how our two publications harmonize with each other. Your writing is about spreading kindness out in the world, while my focus has been on the internal kindness that we have to cultivate in order to become a more loving presence for others. And the more we meet the world with love, from a whole and authentic place, the more peace we find within ourselves. Which in turn, keeps us showing up with love. A beautiful positive feedback loop.
Totally. I feel that harmony, too! Want to share a fun fact about yourself before we wrap up?
Sure! I’m absolutely awed by raptors, birds of prey. (I adore all birds, and there are birdfeeders and fountains outside my office windows that provide endless joy while I’m working!) I fully intend to find a way someday to hang out with falcons or hawks.
I hope you get the chance to do that! Lastly, can you tell us three of your posts that you like best so far, the ones you would recommend people read?
Small Acts, Beautiful Shifts: Simple Self-Compassion for When You Need it Most – my main takeaways from an amazing podcast on self-compassion, and some of my simple real-life examples of how to put each concept into practice. It’s a great starting place for anyone newer to the idea of self-compassion and why I focus on it so much. Also helps dispel some of the myths that might make self-compassion an unpalatable concept.
Is Curiosity a Superpower – a quick read that’s fun and uplifting, I think!
Chocolate and My Inner Critic – about how I no longer feel driven by intense chocolate cravings since learning how to work with my inner critic voices. This can apply to many of the things we feel we need sometimes to take the edge off when things get hard. Building self-compassion and befriending the inner critics can be life-changing.
Fantastic! Chocolate and My Inner Critic is one of my favorites, too.
Thanks for sharing about yourself, Morgan! It’s been great spending some time with you and I hope my readers will be intrigued enough to check out your work. It’s called Basic Goodness by Morgan Bridger. Have a read! Thanks everyone!
This Week’s Moment of Unconditional Love
It’s a double dose of love this week, as Morgan has shared pictures of her two little loves, Boba and Jedi. What is it about creators and their cats? We just adore them, the little chaos goblins.
Your favorite furry friends can be featured in the Moment of Unconditional Love, too. Just email photos to jeffreyafeldman2015@outlook.com. I’ll work them into the weekly mix, and just maybe, share a little something special about you, too.
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