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Upod Academy helps freelancers close the gap between where they are and where they want to go.



Our Mission

The secret to being a writer is writing, but thriving as a freelancer requires something more. You need great ideas. Solid contacts are essential. A little chutzpah doesn't hurt. Good timing, enterprise, resilience, business savvy--all that matters. At Upod Academy, we look at "the whole freelancer" to see what's working and what's holding you back. Though we all take different approaches, certain consistent themes serve as guides:

  • We freelance for a living not because it’s a job but because it’s the best life imaginable.

  • We turn away from gigs that demean, diminish and demand too much for too little.

  • We pitch so smart and with so much passion and finesse, it is impossible to turn us down.

  • We tell stories only we can tell.

  • We don't compare or blame.

  • We believe in asking for 100 percent of what we want from 100 percent of the people in our life, 100 percent of the time (hat tip to author David Richo).

  • We believe great things come from quiet stretches of writing time but that even greater things come from collaborating with smart people.

  • We have faith that Everything is Going to Be Okay, and if it is not okay, we have enough agency to shift and re-direct and conquer the world in interesting new ways.

  • We endeavor to be like water.

  • We take giant steps.

  • We raise a glass to freedom.

  • We never say no to chocolate made by our inhouse chocolatier.

  • We Under Promise and Over Deliver.

The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something.
— Rule No. 7 from "10 Rules for Teachers and Students," popularized by John Cage

What happens at Upod academy?

  • Weekend workshops

  • Live webinars

  • Q&As with our illustrious VIP guests

  • Special classes on travel writing, food writing, memoir, branded content, longform journalism and more.