How to Write for a Living
How to Write for a Living
408: She drew cartoons through medical school - now she has over 90,000 Substack subscribers (with Laurie Marbas)
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408: She drew cartoons through medical school - now she has over 90,000 Substack subscribers (with Laurie Marbas)

Habits, healing, and what most doctors still get wrong.

🚨 ENDS TODAY! 25% off annual subscriptions plus entry to Catalyst Club. Don’t miss this chance if you’re ready to take the next step.


Season 4, episode 8 is here!

Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA started her Substack on January 6th, 2025. She had three kids in medical school, served in the Air Force, built and sold a telemedicine company, and spent 25 years as a physician before any of that.

This conversation went everywhere, and it was brilliant.

What we covered:

  • How Laurie got through medical school with three small children by drawing cartoons, and why she still remembers everything she drew 25 years later.

  • What lifestyle medicine actually means in practice, and why Laurie thinks putting it at the centre of medical education would change everything.

  • The story of a patient who reversed type 2 diabetes by walking to the end of her driveway, and what it taught Laurie about where real change actually begins.

  • Why the biggest psychological mistake people make when trying to improve their health has nothing to do with willpower.

  • The one question Laurie thinks every Substack writer needs to answer before they write a single word.

  • How she grew a Facebook page from 9,000 to 83,000 followers in a matter of months and what that did for her Substack subscriber count.

  • What she thinks is coming next, including three literary agents who have already come knocking.

You can find Laurie and the The Habit Healers on Substack.


What’s next?

I’m ready and waiting to support you in the next stages of your creator journey. Here’s a reminder of how I can help:

🤝 Work with me: I offer two ways to work together: Catalyst Club (my private community with regular group sessions, collaboration opportunities and 1-on-1 calls) and 1-on-1 coaching partnerships (12-month intensive support to develop your writing business). Both are designed for creators ready to build something real. Find out more and see which fits where you are.

📺 YouTube: Head to my YouTube channel for hundreds of unfiltered conversations on creativity, strategy, and building a life that doesn’t require permission. Watch and subscribe here.


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