What’s the first step to taking control of your work life as a freelance entrepreneur?
Tune in to the latest episode of The Talk Freelance To Me Podcast featuring award-winning journalist Wudan Yan! In this episode Wudan shares her inspiring journey from academia to an award-winning freelance career, and gives an update about her viral blog post about holding late-paying clients accountable.
Host Ashley Cisneros Mejia and Wudan also chat about navigating client demands, advocating for fair compensation, and finding work-life balance as a freelancer. Get actionable tips for setting boundaries with yourself and others. Listen now!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Techniques for setting boundaries with clients and advocating for fair compensation
- Approaches for enforcing boundaries with yourself and in your business
- Ways to think creatively about business growth and pivoting your freelance career
- Tips for achieving work-life balance as a freelance entrepreneur
Time Stamps
03:00 Wudan Yan shares her inspiring journey from academia to freelance writing
06:11 The importance of self-awareness in career changes
09:47 Wudan’s experience in fact-checking as a freelancer
14:59 How Wudan began offering freelance business coaching
18:18 Wudan talks about her viral post about late-paying clients and what happened after
22:06 Common struggles freelance writers experience
23:41 The importance of self-set boundaries
26:08 Enforcing boundaries in practice
About Wudan Yan
Wudan Yan is an award-winning narrative journalist, podcast producer, fact-checker, and entrepreneur known for her in-depth reporting and insightful storytelling. Her journalism focuses on systemic solutions to complex issues, unusual connections, and unique characters. Yan’s work has been featured in prestigious publications such as The Atlantic, The California Sunday Magazine, The Guardian, High Country News, Longreads, MIT Technology Review, National Geographic, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. One of her notable pieces, exploring the emotional toll of reporting on science and society, is included in The Open Notebook’s anthology, The Craft of Science Writing.
As a multiple grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, her work has received significant support from various institutions, including UC Berkeley’s 11th Hour Food and Farming Journalism Fellowship, the Institute of Journalism and Natural Resources, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. Her feature for Undark, “The Vice of Spice: Confronting Lead-tainted Turmeric,” earned the Best of the Northwest Science Writing Award in 2023. Additionally, her article for The Atlantic, examining the impact of the pandemic on scientific assumptions, received honorable mention in the same category in 2021.
Beyond her writing endeavors, Yan is actively involved in producing and fact-checking narrative podcasts. She also serves as the executive producer and host of The Writers’ Co-op, an anti-hustle, anti-capitalist business podcast, and membership program dedicated to supporting freelance creatives.
Yan’s journey to journalism followed an unconventional path; she initially pursued a doctoral degree in cancer biology, a transition she has discussed on platforms such as Chronicle Vitae and The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Based in Seattle with her husband and dog, she enjoys exploring the great outdoors, having through-hiked over 500 miles of Washington’s Pacific Crest Trail across two seasons.
Noteworthy Quote From This Episode
“The first boundary that you have to set is the one with yourself…You really have to believe it yourself first, before you communicate it to the world.”
Wudan Yan
Listen Now
Click the player above to listen to the episode. We’re also available on all major podcast platforms including: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Podcast Addict, and Deezer. You can also find all episodes on our Buzzsprout page.
Watch This Interview on YouTube! Subscribe here!
Find Your Best Business Niche!
We’ve released our “Niches Get Riches” Brainstorming Worksheet – and it’s absolutely free! This worksheet will help you identify the most profitable niches for your freelance writing business. Simply download and go through the prompts to explore potential niches that will quickly set you apart in the marketplace! Grab your copy here: https://pages.talkfreelancetome.com/
Let’s Get Social
Love the podcast so far? Rate and review us if you use Apple Podcasts and join in the freelance conversation on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube! You can also connect with Ashley on LinkedIn and check out our boards on Pinterest!
