Hi I’m Danica. I’m the kind of person who believes we can grow something meaningful from the seeds of what used to be.
If you’re new here, it may not be immediately evident that Postapocalyptic People was born from loss.
I was deep in loss. Stunned by life. There I was, balled up in my own little hidey-hole of grief and burnout in the aftermath of a time of deep, substantial, cumulative loss…
I owned a cute little bookstore in a coastal village… what a dream.
It closed.
I was part of a vibrant, affirming, contemplative church community for ten years and even served on the leadership team there. It closed too—just a month before the bookstore did. In that season, six of my very best friends moved away. Six. Not only did I lose my dream business and my actual livelihood, but the community I loved was just gone. Poof!
Just prior to all of this, two decades of family life evaporated when both kids suddenly moved away for school at the same time. The empty nest hollowed me out, just two quick years after I endured a surprisingly brutal divorce from the kids’ dad. Wife and mom was so much of my identity. Gone.
Successive waves of failure and loss happened over just a couple of years, all with the pandemic raging on in the background. Climate change. Humanitarian horror. Geopolitical choas.
The bookstore was the last of my little worlds to come to an end. The final blow. I was feeling doomy, to say the least.
With the bookstore and the church closed, I had nowhere to go, so I just quietly climbed into my private cave of a rental apartment and sat there alone in the quiet. It felt like a little pocket of the universe where I was safe to just be. I turned off the news, canceled everything, ignored everyone online and my neighbours in the elevator as much as possible too. I boxed up everything I thought my life meant and stuck it in the basement storage room.
I took time for silence and healing and for myself. To just exist and not serve, not hustle, not prove, not earn. I took time for books and movies, for staring out the window at the clouds, for thinking, for shrooms and hiking, for lots and lots of tea. I took the time for asking God a million variations of WHY. I mysteriously started to learn how to self-care, which was, frankly, new to me.
It was a hard year, but it was good. I needed to do that, but then God reminded me that to be alive is a continual process of renewal, and for me, that meant I needed to keep creating. So I started writing again, and the place I am most accustomed to writing is the internet. (Remember how fun the internet used to be when it was new?) So, here I am.
That was my little apocalypse.
You may have been through your own.
Maybe you’re going through it now.
Maybe you're questioning patterns that once felt certain. Maybe you're navigating a major life transition—career change, relationship evolution, faith that's shifting in ways that surprise you. Maybe you, like me, are wondering how to make your creative talents work for you sustainably without selling your soul to a billionaire.
If you're the kind of person who wants to create a hopeful future in a constantly changing world that will never again be what it was before, you're in exactly the right place. You’re what I’ve come to think of as a Postapocalyptic Person.
If you've endured any event that felt like the end of the world and are finding the vitality to ask "what now?" then you know what I'm talking about.
If you're currently existing amidst your own catastrophically destructive disaster—interior or exterior, personal or communal—and still somehow look toward the future with hope, then, keep going. You’ll come through the other side, then you’ll definitely get it.
The bad thing happened. You sat in the dust for a minute. Now you're wondering: what can I build from here?
That's exactly the question I will explore Thursdays, right in your inbox.
I mean, the topics change all the time, but that’s the vibe.
What PP Is
This newsletter is a hopeful space. Take a breath. Settle in.
Weekly letters about creative entrepreneurship, personal evolution, and authentic living. Think field notes from someone figuring it out as she goes—honest conversations about creativity and money, faith that evolves, the messy reality of building a meaningful life, and the power of persevering toward good ends even when everything feels uncertain.
You'll find practical wisdom for navigating transitions, permission to reinvent your life even after major setbacks, and hope that authentic, creative work can actually pay the bills.
Why I Write This
What I have discovered is that even as everything falls apart, we can still create something beautiful and meaningful. In fact, our ability to do so is often what matters most.
I'm an MFA graduate, former bookstore owner, and current creative entrepreneur who's figuring out how to make writing and creativity sustainable. I'm also a writing coach who helps other people bring their stories to life, because I believe deeply in the power of human creativity in all its forms.
Most importantly: I'm someone a few steps ahead of you on this journey who remembers exactly what it feels like to be where you are now.
My Letters Are For You If
You're navigating your own creative or life transitions
You want honest conversations about money and creativity (no prosperity gospel, no starving artist myths) (I’m not a guru!)
You're interested in faith that evolves thoughtfully
You believe creativity and authenticity matter, especially when the world feels uncertain
You want practical wisdom mixed with meaning—not just inspiration, but real guidance
Ready To Read Along?
Subscribe below and you'll get my (almost) weekly Thursday letters in your inbox. Most content is free, because my goal is to serve you wherever you are in your journey.
Want even more? In addition to my deepest gratitude, paid subscribers ($5/month) get quarterly behind-the-scenes updates where I share the honest realities of building a creative career—business decisions, financial transparency, what's working, what's not.
Whether you stay for years or just a few weeks, I'm honoured to be part of your journey toward building something meaningful from whatever remains.
I believe creation can outpace destruction.
Love can outshine hate. Life can transform death.
This newsletter is one place I’m doing that.
See you Thursday,
xoxo Danica
Ready to subscribe? The button is right below. Your inbox space is precious, and I promise not to waste it.
