Hi there 👋 I am so glad you made it…

And look, to be honest, I probably have no idea how you got here given that there is a high probability I’ve tried making my bed three times today and it’s still not done. Alas, I am glad you are here. Allow me to dazzle you with a bit more information about this whole shebang…

This is the Barely Holding It Together community.

This is a newsletter for every woman who’s balancing too much, too often, with a ‘laugh so you don’t cry’ mentality.

I’m Sarah Downes.

I’m a mum, a marketer by profession, a journalist by training, passionate traveller and a writer by heart. The truth is, I am not that special. I don’t have a wildly impressive bio to share with you. At the time of writing this I have no community to call on to start this whole Substack endeavour strong.

I’m just a woman who is barely holding it together and trying to make sense of it all.

Chances are that you made it here because you feel equally dumbfounded by the absolute cluster that is parenthood, womanhood and trying to keep your entire livelihood afloat while dabbling in the occasional round of psychological warfare with your tiny overlord/s. Maybe you also reheated your coffee three times today and still didn’t drink it.

What I can promise you here is solidarity.

The reason I started this Substack was because I was so utterly tired of being fed the picture of ‘perfect parenthood’ in my social media algorithms. Try as I might, I could only find a rare few creators who were being honest about the true face of parenting, going back to work and trying to… you know, put yourself first (Ha! Who has time for that?!).

As it happens I also have a lot of opinions and thoughts on *pretty much* everything. Why not share them here too? Don’t you also wake up in the middle of the night and then render yourself into a vortex of intrusive thoughts? Or maybe that is just me…

Don’t worry, it isn’t all doom and gloom. I actually like to have a lot of fun. If you’re all as mad as I am, you might even get a few laughs out of this content.

What I can promise you is this, I provide real and unfiltered thoughts about the parenting juggle, returning and trying to stay afloat professionally, perspectives on gender culture, and a raw look into the person I am and the things that I have done, and continue to do in order to work out how to get through each week unscathed.

Here is what you’ll get from me

This is not a how-to space about being a better parent. Let me just say, I’m not going out and harvesting the oats my kids eat. This is the messy, hilarious middle where:

• The laundry basket has been clean, folded but not put away for five days.

• You tell your kids the sky is blue but they swear it is red.

• Your brain forgets how to spell “surprise”.

• You show up to work and no-one knows you’ve been awake in the feeding chair since 2.15am.

• And you’re still somehow doing it all.

Each week, you’ll get a slice of life, a burst of laughter, or a moment that makes you feel seen, whether it’s a rambling personal essay, a list of deeply relatable Google searches, a dinner diary, or a love letter to other “just barely” mums.

Who This Is For

• Parents who love their kids but are tired of feeling guilty serving them dinosaur nuggets.

• People who feel like a hot coffee and a quiet 11 minutes would improve their mood for the entire day.

• Anyone who’s tired of curated perfection and wants something honest, raw and wholehearted.

The Fine Print

Posts go out on the weekends, don’t ask me what day though. When it happens, it happens!

Some are free, others are for paid subscribers.

There’s also a Founding Member option for those who want to help me keep this caffeine-fueled circus running.

Ready to feel less alone and laugh at the chaos together?

👇 Hit subscribe.

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Join the crew

Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Participate in the comments section, or support this work with a subscription.

And don’t forget to join the community by following me on Instagram: @barely_holdingittogether ✨