We recently connected with Jillian Sanders and have shared our conversation below.
Jillian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the go-to person for advice — on love, career, and all the messy, beautiful intersections in between. I’ve always been fascinated by why we do what we do when it comes to connection — why we stay, why we leave, why we repeat the same patterns even when we know better. That curiosity is what drives my work. Writing became the place I turned to in order to make sense of it all — to untangle the chaos, reflect on the mess, and learn from my own missteps.
What started as private journaling slowly grew into a body of essays — some raw, some funny, all honest — that began to resonate with others. I realized that by sharing my own stories, I was helping other people feel less alone in theirs. That’s the heart of my mission: to explore the complexities of connection and identity in a way that feels authentic, vulnerable, and real. If even one person reads a piece and thinks, “I thought I was the only one,” then I’ve done what I came here to do.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I never set out with a grand plan — I just started writing to make sense of everything I was feeling. Eventually, I got brave enough to submit one of my essays, and to my surprise, The Huffington Post picked it up. Not long after, an editor from a major publishing house reached out and said she’d love to see more of my work. That was the moment something shifted and I thought, “Maybe this thing I’ve been doing in private actually matters to people?”
So I kept going. The next two essays I published were picked up by The Today Show, and I began reaching out to literary agents in New York — figuring if I was going to give this a real shot, I needed support. I ended up signing with an agency that believed in my voice and helped me shape my writing into a proposal for a book of essays.
Since then, I’ve continued publishing essays — including one in Oprah Daily, which felt like a milestone I never imagined reaching when I first started writing in the quiet corners of my life. Now, I’m in the thick of fine-tuning my book proposal, making sure it has the strongest possible chance of landing with the right editor and team — people who truly understand my voice and the heart behind these stories. My goal isn’t just to publish a book — it’s to build something honest and lasting with readers, and to offer the kind of stories that make someone feel a little more understood, a little less alone.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, one of the most rewarding parts of being a writer is the moment when the writing finally starts to flow. It’s always hard to sit down and get started — the blank page can feel impossibly intimidating. But once I’m in it, once the wheels start turning and an essay begins to take shape, I learn so much — not just about what I’m writing, but about myself. There’s a specific kind of peace that comes in those quiet early morning hours or late nights, when the world is still and it’s just me and my thoughts, trying to figure something out on the page. It’s not always about finishing the piece — it’s about showing up, doing the work, and finding clarity in the process. That part — the messy middle — is where the magic happens.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A big lesson I had to unlearn is that things don’t have to happen quickly to be worthwhile. Especially with creative projects, there’s this pressure to move fast, to produce constantly, to keep up — and I definitely fell into that mindset early on. But writing has taught me over and over again that good work takes time. Essays need space to breathe. Ideas need room to unfold. And I’ve had to learn to be okay with that slower pace — to trust that just because something isn’t happening overnight doesn’t mean it’s not happening at all. I thought I’d finish my book proposal in a few months. It’s taken years — and honestly, I’m still refining it. But I know now that I’d rather take my time and make it something I’m truly proud of than rush to meet some imaginary deadline.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jilliansanderswrites.com
- Instagram: @jilliansanderswrites
Image Credits
Jillian Sanders