welcome !

𖥸 start here 𖥸

Jun 07, 2024

Hello & welcome, I’m Layla

I’m a writer living on the east coast of Ireland, with my three kids and my husband, a rock ‘n roll musician turned breath worker.

Here’s a short video by way of introduction, plus more info below in words …

✨ Top 20 Substack Rising Bestseller ✨

Let me begin by telling you a little about why I created beauty & bone.

First up, I wanted to write about how it feels to live on this beautiful, tattered planet right now.

I wanted to explore both the small day to day beauties of life and the tough, gnarly challenges and hurdles we face as part of being human.

“I love your written offerings- the one thing I consistently read alongside only one or two other writers.”

I write from a real, raw, lived place and share words on both big topics like HRT or parenting a teenager or having a hysterectomy or losing a loved one, as well on the small glimmers life is made up of.

"Your writing makes me find my inner wilderness again. "

I also created beauty & bone as a challenge to myself.

Starting this Substack was a way of asking -
Can I really call myself a writer? Am I good enough? Do I belong?

I got to age 40 + and, despite ALWAYS reading and ALWAYS dreaming of becoming a writer, I’d never managed to find a way in to my own creative practice. Seven years ago I was forced to lie in bed in hospital for three months while carrying my third child. It was during this period that I finally began to write in a way that felt like I was coming home. I knew I could never again be without this daily practice in my life.

What I’ve found on this platform is a welcoming, supportive community that has been transformative for me as a writer and that is also something I want to foster for others here at beauty & bone.

"I absolutely love your energy, Layla, and feel such congruence in our work, words and worlds.

How this space feels :

𓇸 In many ways, I’ve created a space emulating what has been invaluable for me in my own (ever evolving) creative practice.

𓇸 A community where you can feel supported and inspired as you work towards your own creative dreams, be that writing a book (like me!), writing in your journal (like me!) or just carving out some space to let your mind wander (also me).

𓇸 A community where you feel understood and seen as you make and create in the gaps and between spaces of your busy life.

Would you like to join a growing community of heart-led, creative women writing and making in the gaps of our busy lives?

What I offer :

𓇸 As a free subscriber you will receive a weekly written Field Note which lands in your inbox every Friday morning. This is where beauty & bone began and these posts are always written with honesty and heart.

As a paid subscriber, for €75/£65/$ 85 a year or €9/£8/$ 11 a month you receive :

𓇸 Access to my early morning Sitting in the Dark writing sessions
𓇸 A monthly live ideas salon I call Mulch Meetings
𓇸 A truly inspiring group of cheerleaders and fellow creatives walking the same path as you
𓇸 Access to my seasonal Element Sessions exploring the energetics of each of the five seasons in the Chinese calendar (I’m also a 5 Element Acupuncturist), including some really juicy podcast conversations
𓇸 Bite-sized writing courses ( * launching Autumn 2025!)
𓇸 Private (even more) personal posts I write for my membership community
𓇸 Access to full archive

𖥸 I know lists like this can seem like a lot ! - but my intention with everything I share is for it to be spacious. You have enough time.

All upcoming events are listed in the Membership Hub, pinned to my homepage.

Here’s what some more readers have said about my work ::

I adore your writing and perspectives on all things creative, mid life, motherhood and womanhood

Layla’s writing is raw, vulnerable, and inviting. It feels familiar to roam in the landscape her words conjure up and the more I read, the more at home I feel with myself.

A little more about me ::

I’m fuelled by hot cups of coffee, mucky walks and early mornings to myself.

I live in rural Co. Wicklow, Ireland with my three children & my husband (an ex-rock n’roll musician, turned composer and breath worker). I live on land I fall in love with more each day, edged by a stream and held by ancient oaks and jaunty hazel.

I also work as a Five Element Acupuncturist – you can find out more here and have worked with mothers as a matrescence guide and post partum doula. In a previous life I ran an arts PR agency, working on the likes of the Dublin Fringe Festival, Wexford Festival Opera and the Dublin Theatre Festival.

I love to hear from readers - so do pop into my DM’s or comment below or hit reply to this email to say hi, tell me about yourself, ask me any questions you may have.

le grá,

Layla x

* I take 4-8 paid weeks off writing the publication each year.
** I offer two free paid memberships a year. If you feel you would benefit from membership but cannot afford to join, get in touch and tell me why you’re drawn to this community. No proof of eligibility required.