The Other Side of Doing What You Love

On Monday, I’m going to be doing something I really wish I didn’t have to do. I will be cleaning out my email subscriber list.

Now, that might not sound like a very big deal, but for me, it is. You see, there are currently more than 31,500 of you receiving my EatPlant-Based newsletters, and I am incredibly grateful for every single person who has signed up to be part of this little community we’ve built together. But there’s a side of running a website that most people never see. It’s the business side.

When I started EatPlant-Based, I simply wanted to share what I’d learned about the incredible benefits of eating a ​whole food, plant-based diet​. I had experienced such ​dramatic improvements in my own health​ that I couldn’t imagine keeping that information to myself.

What began as a passion for helping others eventually grew into my full-time job, and I feel incredibly blessed to spend my days doing something I love.

But here’s something I’ve learned along the way. Just because you love what you do doesn’t mean every part of doing it is easy.

There are website hosting fees, technical expenses, software subscriptions, recipe development, photography, and countless other costs that come with keeping everything running.

One of my larger expenses is actually this newsletter! My email service charges based on the number of subscribers, and we’re approaching the next pricing tier, which would push my annual bill to more than $3,000. That’s about $500 more than I’m already paying.

So, on Monday, I’ll be making the difficult decision to remove several thousand subscribers who haven’t opened an email in the past 90 days. And while I know it’s a practical business decision, there’s a little part of me that hates doing it.

Because behind every email address is a real person. Someone who may have tried one of my recipes, found encouragement in a Morning Brew story, or started making changes to improve their health.

As I’ve been thinking about this, I’ve been reminded of something that reaches far beyond running a website. Sometimes the things we love most come with responsibilities and challenges nobody else sees.

We often look at someone else’s life and see the beautiful parts. The successful business, the happy family, the thriving ministry, or the beautiful garden, but we don’t always see the sacrifices, difficult decisions, and work happening behind the scenes.

We see the flowers, but not the hours spent pulling weeds. And sometimes, even the things we love require a little pruning.

Jesus used the picture of a vine and its branches in John 15:2, reminding us that even fruitful branches are pruned so they can bear more fruit.

Of course, cleaning up an email list isn’t quite the same thing! But the principle has been on my mind. Growth isn’t always about getting bigger. Sometimes it’s about taking care of what we’ve already been given. I want EatPlant-Based to continue growing, but more than that, I want it to continue making a difference in people’s lives.

And that brings me to something else I’ve been thinking about. We don’t always realize how much our small actions mean to someone else.

When you click through from my newsletter to a recipe on my website, those visits help provide the income that allows me to continue doing this work. When you share a recipe with a friend or forward a newsletter to someone who needs encouragement, you’re helping me reach someone I might never have reached on my own, and I appreciate that more than you know.

But this isn’t just about my website. Think about the people in your own life who are quietly pouring their hearts into something. A small business owner, a teacher, a caregiver, or a church volunteer. Sometimes the smallest gestures of support can mean the world to them. A kind word. A little encouragement. A recommendation to a friend. A simple thank-you.

Hebrews 10:24 reminds us to “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”

So, as I sit down on Monday to do some housekeeping with my email list, I’m choosing to focus on gratitude rather than disappointment.

Gratitude for how far this journey has come, for the people who have walked alongside me, and for the opportunity to keep doing work that I love, even when some parts of it are difficult. Because the most meaningful work isn’t always the easiest work, and sometimes the smallest acts of kindness make the biggest difference.

Thank you for being one of those people who makes a difference in my life. Thank you for being here, for reading these stories, for trying my recipes, and for sharing this journey with me. You may never know how much those little things mean, but I certainly do. ❤️

October 18, 2026 Morning Brew