Created by Madeline Reardon, The Inner Letter is a monthly printed letter designed to help women slow down, reconnect and return to themselves amidst the busyness of everyday life. Each edition is thoughtfully curated with soulful musings, art, creativity, meditations, poetry, manifestations, opportunities for deep reflection, ancient stories, travel and inspirational women – all designed to invite more presence, clarity and joy into your month. Created as a quiet moment to yourself, The Inner Letter arrives in your mailbox as something tangible to hold, read slowly and return to whenever you need grounding. It’s less about self-improvement and more about creating space to notice yourself again. Here, Madeline talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about what inspired her to create her business, the challenges she has overcome along the way, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I was postpartum and just realised that I was struggling with anxiety and depression. After multiple years of therapy and self-reflection, I thought it was time to seek help through medication. It was like a cloud lifted, and I could see clearly for the first time in my life. I then decided to pour my heart into creating an offering that helped other women through life!
The Inner Letter is a culmination of all of the things that I’ve had in my ‘toolbox’ for years as I’ve navigated my way through life – art, story, meditations, self-reflection, travel inspiration and inspirational women.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I started by creating the ‘letters’ (A5 booklets), and the content was just flowing, so I continued! Once I found a way to format it so it was received nicely, I also began to create the ‘extras’ – travel and manifestation cards and artworks.
I was doing all of the printing and cutting at home until I wanted a higher-quality product for my clients. This is when I started outsourcing the extras – artworks, travel and manifestation cards.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The biggest breakthrough was just starting, and then continuing to build on the momentum that was stirring within me.
I worked early in the mornings, late at night and during my daughter’s naps to get it going.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
This is a tricky one, and it was important for me to have something that I felt fulfilled me just as much as it fulfilled others; otherwise, I knew it wouldn’t be sustainable. So in truth, sitting down to write about art, story, self-reflection, etc., brings me joy. However, it’s been tricky meeting monthly deadlines. A lot of the time, my daughter is with me while I’m cutting, making or writing for The Inner Letter.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
I have found social media so difficult to navigate. I find it is already completely saturated with so much content, but then, at the same time, it’s where I get my clients from. It takes a tremendous amount of time to create reels and posts for social media, and I found myself feeling like I was just adding to the ‘noise’, which is the opposite of The Inner Letter‘s intention and ethos.
Unfortunately, you have to post daily to change the algorithm and attract more followers – something I’m not willing to do just for the sake of it. So, whilst I boost some occasional posts, I have pulled back on posting without deep intention.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are that I feel like I’m offering my wisdom to the world, and I love creating the content for it.
The cons are that it’s really hard to sell a product that provides a feeling, so it’s more a feeling I’m wanting to give to women – a feeling of peace in their months. This has been difficult to portray; however, once people receive their ‘inner letters’, they enjoy them!
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I’m hoping to continue building my client base at The Inner Letter. I have also created ‘The Inner Journal’, which provides women with ongoing reflection opportunities.
Moreover, I’ve created a ‘Return to Self’ deck that women can engage in daily to reconnect with themselves in an intuitive way.
Visit theinnerletter.com to find out more, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
