Welcome, Wander woman!
Adventures in journalism from an 80s latchkey kid turned solo travel fangirl. Your weekly hit of optimism and grit.
Hiya 🤗
I'm Nika — writer, wrangler, work in progress. Proud mama of Julieta, in her first year at uni so a free bird for now. Ready for more solo adventures — time to live out of my suitcase for a bit.
I’ve been writing online since 1999, self-employed since 2005, and publishing on Substack for six years.
My mission: Helping women travel solo—radical self-care and the most transformative thing you can do.
Travel inspires empathy—tiny steps towards world peace.
Just listening to Anna Calvi’s new EP, “Is this all there is?,” inspired by motherhood. First of a trilogy, which “explores identity as a metamorphosis, shaped and reshaped through the experience of falling in love.”
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. Feeling really restless and trying to figure out how I can wander, work AND keep a home base as Julieta still needs her room. Travelling is when I feel most alive and free.
I don’t have all the answers, but having fun figuring it out here!
Bold Types — A love letter to travel, adventure and being your own bestie.
For wander women building their thing — empty nest free bird, divorce, health stuff, career change, digital nomad…
A home you can be part of, fly off from, and come back to.
It starts with us listening to each other’s stories. Join me?
Nika xo
Club Bold ✨
Free for everyone - weekly postcards from St Leonards and on the road.
☕️ Hastings Writers’ Café - coworking & aperitivo. Vitamin sea :)
Paid subs also get voice notes, biz trainings, async book club and virtual coworking. Join now.
However you help me - THANK YOU. Supporting my sisters through WOW - Women of the World.
Special thanks to long-time founding member: Nige Cook, currently working on his first book about quantum physics. Go Nige!
Why Bold Types?
Bold Types started in 2020 as a letter from freelance land during Covid, and that still matters to me…
Because the world is chaotic. Journalism is a struggling industry, and freelance rates have been stagnant for YEARS.
We’re seeing a massive shift in how media gets made and who controls it. No more gatekeepers—the audience decides. The rise of creator businesses, the Substack Motel, platform promiscuity…
It's fast, messy, a bit Wild West, and also the most exciting and trusted space in journalism right now. People are paying for it. I'm here for all of it.
It’s not ‘Solo Vs Org’ though, it’s what we build between the two.
In a nutshell, I love a good story.
I believe in the power of writing to connect people and create a more compassionate world.
For the scenic, more rugged route (my 30-year career) pour a glass and go here 🍷
Gold star for reading this far! 🤩
If any of this resonates with you, let’s have a chat about ways to work together.
I’m a freelance writer & journo (travel, culture, wellness) → Work with me.
Host, Hastings Writers’ Cafe. NUJ LDN Freelance social media editor.
Wall of Love
I was impressed with how much you connected to people and the place when you were here. You’ve got a gift for it. Not everybody is comfortable striking up conversations with strangers. — Marianne Lehnis, Founder, The Green Techpreneur
A really helpful newsletter for the intersection of writing, the digital world and entrepreneurship, which can be a lonely place for many of us. — Ann-Marie McQueen, Founder, Hotflash Inc.
Nika Talbot is a hidden gem on Substack—writing about the business of writing, and writing and AI—in a way that no one else is. — Sarah Fay, Founder, Substack Writers at Work.
Made in St Leonards magic ✨
