It’s wild to think it’s been just over five years since I started this newsletter.
When I first pressed published on Substack, The Greater Freedom had just come out, and I was in that strange, tender liminal space of sharing something so personal with the world while quietly wondering what would come next. I knew I wanted to keep the conversation going - not just mine, but ours. I wanted to create a space online where we could think and feel and unpick things together. A space that wasn’t tied to algorithms or aesthetics, but to truth.
I remember writing the very first instalment during the first days of lockdown. Everything felt uncertain. We were suddenly all inside - physically, emotionally - and I think I was craving a place that felt like a kind of home. For my thoughts. For my voice. For the community that was starting to form around the work.
What began as a quiet attempt to say the things I couldn’t say elsewhere has become the steadiest container I’ve had - both for my thoughts, and for myself. A place I could return to, no matter how loud or uncertain the rest of life felt. A place I slowly re-found my voice.
I’ve always written. But speaking? Sharing in real time, in my own voice, without editing or polishing or performance - that’s been much harder. And also, it turns out, deeply healing.
I first started recording voice notes for myself as a way to loosen my throat chakra. I’d been journaling for years, doing The Artist’s Way and morning pages, but I realised I’d never really let myself speak. At the time, I was also deep in writing my new novel, and I began using these walks and voice notes as a way to process ideas, untangle thoughts, and talk myself through the work.
At some point, I started thinking - maybe there’s something worth sharing here. Not because it’s polished or finished or perfect, but because it’s not. Because it shows the behind-the-scenes of becoming. And because I think we all need more spaces where it’s okay to be mid-process.
This is the first in a new monthly series of reflective voice notes that I’ll be sharing with paid subscribers. They’ll be off-the-cuff, soft, slightly breathless (as I’ll be walking when I record them haha) - like a voice note from a friend figuring things out aloud.
Musings on creativity, healing, womanhood, identity, self-trust. All the stuff that doesn’t always make it into neat captions or finished chapters. The things I’m still in the middle of.
In this one, I talk about voice - what it means to find it, use it, and trust it. I speak about the grief of growth, the masks we wear, and the fear of actually becoming the version of ourselves we’ve worked so hard to be. I also share a bell hooks quote that’s been living with me, and reflect on what it means to stop aspiring - and start being.
I hope this meets you wherever you are on your own becoming. And if you feel pulled to walk alongside me a little deeper, I’d love to have you. Moving forwards, these voice notes - and the softer, in-progress things I don’t always share elsewhere - will live in the paid space. It’s a space I’m building intentionally. To go deeper. To get freer. To grow with the people who are walking a similar path.
To mark the launch, I’ve added a little discount for anyone who upgrades this month - just a soft thank you if you’ve been meaning to.
I’ll be sharing one of these each month, alongside deeper reflections, process notes, and things I don’t always share elsewhere. If you’d like to walk with me a little more closely, you’ll find the link below 💛
🎧 How to Listen
You can listen to Voice Notes from the Path directly in the Substack app - or soon, through your favourite podcast player using a private RSS link.
As this is the very first episode, it’s currently only available here on Substack. From the next one onwards, you’ll be able to add the series to your preferred podcast app and listen there too.
Thanks for being here at the beginning.
✍🏽 A Journaling Prompt:
One question I’ve been sitting with, that this voice note touches on, is:
What are you afraid you’ll have to lose in order to become yourself?
Sometimes growth feels less like a celebration and more like a grief. This prompt is an invitation to be honest about what’s hard to let go of - identities, relationships, ways of being - that may have protected you, even if they no longer serve you.
There’s no pressure to share your response, but if you feel called, you can leave a comment below or press reply to respond privately. This space is for you, too.
With love,
Alya xo
About Me:
I’m Alya Mooro, a writer and the bestselling author of The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes. My work explores identity, self-discovery, and what it means to live in alignment - with ourselves and with each other.
The Greater Conversation is where I share the softer, more reflective side of that work. It's become a space to think aloud, ask questions, and grow alongside a thoughtful community. I’m so grateful you’re here.
If you’d like to support this space and receive more - like monthly voicenotes, behind-the-scenes reflections, and other exclusive content - you can become a paid subscriber. You can also support by tapping the heart, leaving a comment, or sending this to a friend who might need it.
Thank you for being part of this. You can also find me on Instagram.
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