It's the end of 2025, so Rachel and Lynne take a reflective look back at the year, delving into both the good times and bad.

We are both big believers in a little self-reflection, so it makes sense to look back at what was certainly a tumultuous year in the world of freelancing. We share tips and lessons learned, new tools we've explored, and our biggest professional and personal achievements, using prompts from YearCompass.

We talk about:

• The risks we took and decisions we made during the year
• Lynne's year of 'yes'
• Rachel's personal writing retreat
• Lessons we have learned from our guests this year
• Our favourite episodes of 2025
• AI and the changes that it has brought to freelance writers
• How we have both made freelancing work for us
• We also wanted to say thanks to our sponsor Rounded, plus The Content Byte team - Claire Chow, Heidi Walkinsaw and our audio editor Joshua Broadbent.

Visit The Content Byte website for a transcription of this episode: https://thecontentbyte.com/episodes/

Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com

Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au

Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au

Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au ), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details.

Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week, Rachel and Lynne are chatting with Maria Izvestkina, a multidisciplinary creative leader from Canva. They discuss the importance of protecting creative energy, the impact of AI on design, trend spotting, and how to live a creative life.

Maria shares insights on:

• The evolving role of AI in creative work
• How to harness social media for creative expression
• Effective use of Canva features and templates
• Developing a playful and experimental mindset to fuel creativity
• Practical tools and strategies for freelancers

Maria also talks about her Substack project Playin and offers valuable advice for organising work in Canva.

Connect with Maria on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-izvestkina/

Visit The Content Byte website for a transcription of this episode: https://thecontentbyte.com/episodes/

Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com

Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au

Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au

Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details.

Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co

This week, Rachel and Lynne dive into the art of books and book reviewing with guest Nicole Abadee, a book reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend.

Nicole discusses her transition from barrister to reviewer, the surprising way she scored the reviewing gig, and the influence of social media on book marketing.

She also offers valuable tips for authors seeking reviews and shares her methods for selecting standout books. There's so much gold here, as Nicole talks about:

• The challenges of making a living in the book publishing industry
• The essential skills for reviewers
• The ups and downs of writers festivals
• Why self-published books won't get reviewed
• The evolving landscape of arts coverage
• Why authors need to build a social media presence
• How she manages to read hundreds of books a year
• And why she still loves a highlighter

Connect with Nicole via her website: https://www.nicoleabadee.com.au/

Visit The Content Byte website for a transcription of this episode: https://thecontentbyte.com/episodes/

Find Lynne www.lynnetestoni.com

Find Rachel www.rachelsmith.com.au

Rachel's List www.rachelslist.com.au

Thanks (as always) to our sponsors Rounded (www.rounded.com.au), an easy invoicing and accounting solution that helps freelancers run their businesses with confidence. Looking to take advantage of the discount for Rachel's List Gold Members? Email us at: hello@rachelslist.com.au for the details.

Episode edited by Marker Creative Co www.markercreative.co