What's Happening This Week
Monday, May 11, 2026
Hello everyone!
Here’s what’s happening in Mastermind For Food Writers this week!
Creating a Values Led Brand
Join Liza and Rebecca on Tuesday, May 12 for a Substack LIVE conversation about what it means to build a values-led brand as a food writer. This will be a relaxed discussion about what it looks like to create a brand that feels personal, clear, and sustainable. We’ll also share why this kind of clarity can make it easier to make decisions, communicate your work, and build a business that feels more aligned with the things that are most important to you.
Mastermind for Food Writers: North America & Europe
Meeting topic: Creative Recipe Writing: How to write recipes with voice, humor and style, taught by Rebecca Blackwell, Betty Williams, and Kelsey Erin Shipman.
—> Mastermind meetings are FREE to join but do require advanced registration.
Wednesday, May 13: 11am, New York (Eastern Standard Time)
Meeting hosted by Rebecca Blackwell
Follow this link to register for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tlpa6hKtQs-tvIp__dQsSA
After you register for the meeting, you will receive an email that will allow you to add the meeting to your calendar in your time zone.
Coming up in the Food Writers Business Lab
FREE Class: Creating a Values Led Brand for Food Writers
Join us on Friday, May 15, 1pm Eastern Standard Time
What if building your brand didn’t start with strategy, but with clarity about who you are and what matters most to you?
In this free introductory class, food writers will explore how core values can shape not only what they create, but how they show up, make decisions, connect with readers, and build a business that feels sustainable over time. Instead of treating branding as something external or performative, this class offers a more personal starting point: understanding the qualities, beliefs, and strengths that are already guiding your work, whether you’ve named them yet or not.
Together, we’ll look at how values influence your voice, your messaging, your boundaries, and the kinds of opportunities you choose to pursue. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of why this clarity matters if you want your writing and business to feel more aligned, intentional, and distinctly your own.
SEO: How To Build a Bridge From Your Work To Your Readers
Last week I had a blast diving into some of the most important concepts of SEO in this live workshop. We talked about how to think about SEO as a layered approach and how to create an SEO strategy that works for you!
Participants received a 28 page workbook and clear, step-by-step instructions for how to build their own personal SEO strategy - a strategy that is practical and connects directly to their business goals and their bottom line.
If you weren’t able to join us for the live workshop, the recording is now available to purchase at half price the LIVE workshop! You’ll receive the entire two-hour class + the full 28-page workbook!
In case you missed it…
Notes From May 6 Meeting
An intimate conversation about bread, taking small, donkey steps, towards our Substack goals, about how to show up on Notes, and about the confusing space that Substack editing/setting area can be.
Around the Table
Welcome to the first essay for the Food Readers Book Club here on Mastermind for Food Writers. In this post, we, Linda Naylor and Liza Debevec, give you a little background on the book we’ll be reading in our upcoming first meeting and share some of our personal reflections on it.
An Introduction to SEO for Food Writers
For a long time, SEO was presented as a rigid set of rules, formulas, and tricks for pleasing Google. For food writers especially, it felt like you had to game the system to succeed, muting your unique voice and personality and pumping out cookie-cutter content that mimicked every other recipe site on the web. I’ve never been interested in playing that game and I’ve talked to hundreds of food writers who share my aversion. That understanding of SEO was always incomplete, and now it is even less useful than it used to be, thankgod.
Links and Resources
If you’d like to volunteer to teach a mini-masterclass at an upcoming Mastermind Meeting, please sign up here!
If you’re not listed in the Directory, leave a comment on the Directory with your name and publication and I’ll get you added!
Community Resources: A revolving list of resources from food writers for food writers
Collaboration Network: Find other substack food writers to collaborate with
The Mastermind for Food Writers chat is a great place to connect with other food writers on Substack.
About your meeting hosts
Rebecca Blackwell is a writer, recipe developer and food photographer who publishes two recipe websites and a Substack newsletter. Her and her husband are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. Rebecca write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure.
Liza Debevec is a social anthropologist, African studies specialist, and career/life coach. She writes two Substack publications that bring together her love of stories, food, languages, and personal growth. Originally from Slovenia, Liza now lives in Lisbon, Portugal, after many years in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and other corners of the world. Her work is inspired by the ways people connect through meals, words, and meaningful conversations.
So many good resources!