The Summer Passport - 12 Substack Worlds Worth Exploring š
The best part of any adventure isn't the destination... It's who you meet along the way.
Every summer deserves an adventure. This one's mine... I picked 12 Substack creators I genuinely love, turned them into Pixar characters, built each of them their own passport page, and created an interactive experience where you can explore their worlds and map your own summer adventure. No agenda, no sponsorships. Just community, curiosity, and a really fun excuse to build something.
When I look back on my childhood, Iām filled with nothing but gratitude for the things my parents did for us. Something that was really important to them was taking at least one family vacation every year (and my Dad usually took the three of us camping, sometimes with friends, sometimes just the four of us. *My Mom had zero desire to campā¦ and as a mother, I can 100% see how that week we were camping must have been bliss, lol.)
Growing up in California made it easyā¦ many of the trips were to Disneyland or Lake Tahoe (back when Disneyland didnāt cost an arm and a leg to get in and you didnāt spend most of the day standing in line. Look how empty the park looksā¦1978!š).
My parents surprised us in 1986 by renting a motorhome and telling us we were driving from Northern California to Vancouver for the World Expoā¦ a two-week adventure! (Two weeks sounds like such a luxury now, doesnāt it?)
I was 16, my brother was 17, and my sister was 13. My parents loaded up the RV, mapped out KOA campgrounds along the way, and we just... went. Two weeks on the road, the five of us crammed into this thing, sleeping at RV parks, eating on the road or at the campgrounds, swimming where there were pools, and just being together (what can I say, my parents were brave, lol).
We got to the Expo, and it rained for three straight days.
In July š (as California kids, we only brought one pair of pants each, lol).
That didnāt stop us; we walked around in these matching plastic āExpo 86ā ponchosā¦ partly embarrassed (hello, we were teenagers), but also not caring because we didnāt know anyone and the alternative was to be wet.
But the thing I remember most isnāt the Expo itself. It was the time together. One night, my mom, my brother, my sister, and I stayed up way too late, just cracking up and telling stories in the motor home while my dad slept. That and the little passports they gave usā¦ these booklets youād carry around and get stamped at every pavilion. Each one was its own world, its own culture, and its own way of seeing things.
We were teenagers. Getting passport stamps shouldnāt have been that fun. But we were doing it together, turned it into a bit of a competition, of course, and made the best of the rain.
(My mom is no longer here. Iām living with my 81-year-old father now. And I swear, every time I think about that trip, I can still hear her laughing in that RV. She was the best. š¢)
Iāve been thinking about that trip a lot lately.
A few months ago, I published a post called āTheyāre Not Just Using AI. Theyāre Bending Substack Into Something It Was Never Designed to Be,ā where I highlighted seven women doing wildly creative things with AI on this platform. I even built an interactive apothecary where you could explore each creatorās experiment and get your own custom AI tincture from a digital cauldron. (I had way too much fun building it.)
That post was about AI creativity. About bending tools into shapes they werenāt designed for.
This one is to connect you or introduce you to more people who make Substack what it isā¦ community.
Hey, Iām Kim Doyal,
18 years building online, and Iām just getting started on the interesting part. I write about building real businesses with AIā¦ apps, agents, systems, and revenue streams that donāt require me to perform for an algorithm every day.
No hype. No ā10X your productivityā lists. Just what it actually looks like when a midlife entrepreneur decides to build in a way that works for her.
I really do love AI. I love building with it. I spend my weeks inside Claude, VS Code, and n8n, wiring things together and watching them work. Thatās my world, and Iām not leaving it.
But the thing that makes all of that matter... the thing that keeps me here on Substack specifically... is the people Iāve met along the way.
The ones who make me excited to open the app. The ones whose Notes make me think differently, whose posts I actually read all the way through, who Iāve built real relationships with through comments, DMs, and restacks. They make this platform better for me, and I think theyāll make it better for you too.
I picked 12 of themā¦ And Iām giving you a passport.
Some of them write about AI. Some of them write about work, leadership, and the messy reality of being human in a corporate world. One of them writes about the art of handwritten notes. Another one just recently launched his Substack and is documenting every line of code he writes as he builds.
They donāt share a niche. They share something betterā¦ theyāre all doing their thing on their own terms, and theyāre all worth your time.
Think of each one as a pavilion at the Expo. A different world, a different way of seeing things. Your passport gets stamped at each stop (bonus: you donāt have to wear a plastic poncho, lol).
Ready?
*Make sure to click through to the Summer Passport experience at the endā¦ You can create your own summer map, complete with a custom prompt.
**Alsoā¦ I had WAY too much fun turning them all into Pixar characters like mine. š
Here they are, in no particular orderā¦
World #1: Unbothered by AI
Chad Thiele Ā· chadthiele.substack.com
You know that friend who explains something complicated and somehow makes you feel smarter instead of dumber? Thatās Chad Thiele .
Unbothered by AI is exactly what it sounds like. Chad isnāt trying to scare you into action or sell you on the next shiny tool. Heās writing for people who want to get fluent with AI in a way that actually feels good. Not panicked. Not performative. Just... practical and human.
Heās early in his Substack run, and I love spotlighting creators at this stage because you get to watch someone find their voice in real time. Thereās something really fun about being there from the beginning.
World #2: WorkmanShit
Neela š¶ļø Ā· workmanshit.substack.com
I need you to just go read one of Neelaās posts. Any of them. Youāll understand immediately.
WorkmanShit is about the messy intersection of work and life and identity and all the stuff we pretend weāve figured out. Neela brings 27 years of corporate experience and over a decade in tech, but what makes her writing hit is the personal honesty underneath it. She grew up in Trinidad, built her career in New York, and now lives in Los Angeles, writing with the kind of clarity that only comes from having lived a lot of life and being willing to tell the truth about it.
She questions everything weāve been told about leadership, productivity, and what āsuccessā is supposed to look like. And she does it with humor and a spiciness that is 100% earned. (The š¶ļø in her name is not decorative.)
If youāre tired of polished thought leadership that says nothing... Neela š¶ļø is your antidote.
I donāt know when, but I will be connecting with this fabulous human being in person at some point since weāre in the same state.
World #3: Second Act Strategist
Tracy Friedlander Ā· secondactstrategist.substack.com
Tracy Friedlander played the horn professionally for 20 years. Let that sink in. Then she walked away, started creating content at 42, burned it all down at 48, and showed up on Substack at 51 with zero subscribers and nothing to lose.
Sheās now known as the āNotes Queenā and has grown to over 1,200 subscribers by doing something radicalā¦ being herself. No AI-generated posts, no growth hacks. Just sharp thinking, superheroine-themed visuals, and a willingness to tell you exactly whatās working (and whatās BS).
The Second Act Strategist is for experts and career pivoters who are building something new on Substack. Tracy teaches from experience, and she pulls zero punches. Sheās also one of the most engaged community members Iāve ever seen on this platform. If she shows up in your comments, pay attentionā¦ sheās going to say something worth reading.
She lives in Mexico with her husband (a professional violinist), and honestly, the whole story feels like a movie Iād actually want to watch.
World #4: Backstage Pass
Mack Collier Ā· mackcollier.substack.com
If youāre on Substack and you donāt know Mack Collier yet, fix that today.
Backstage Pass is where 20+ years of Fortune 500 engagement strategy meets the scrappy reality of building a newsletter from scratch. Mack worked with Adobe, Dell, Club Med, and a bunch of other companies on customer engagement, and now he applies those same principles to helping creators grow on Substack.
But hereās what makes Mack different from every other āgrowthā creator out thereā¦ he actually does the work. He engages with small accounts. He highlights his paid subscribers in a āBehind the Curtainā series. He shares his own numbers every single month, the good and the bad. And he genuinely believes that engaging with someone who has 100 subscribers is more valuable than chasing someone with 10,000.
Iāve watched him build this community from the inside, and the people in his orbit are some of the most engaged, thoughtful creators on the platform. Thatās not an accident.
World #5: Whatās Working Right Now
Rebecca Spitzer Ā· rspitzer.substack.com
Whatās Working Right Now landed on Substack just a few months ago, and Rebecca Spitzer is already writing the kind of stuff that makes you pause and think about how youāre actually living your life.
Her focus is the intersection of motherhood, creativity, and workā¦ but the real through-line is expansion. How do you stay open and growing when everything around you is pushing you to narrow down, specialize, pick a lane? Rebecca is sharing her journey, how sheās building here, and bits & pieces of her life that make it easy to connect with her.
I was introduced to Rebecca via Dinah from Code Like A Girl , who simply shared something Rebecca had written with me via DM; then I responded to a gardening note Rebecca shared, and here we are.
World #6: Dose of Wonder
Caitlin McColl Ā· caitlinmccoll.substack.com
In a world thatās constantly telling you to optimize, hack, and polish yourself into some ideal version... Caitlin McColl šØš¦ just quietly said no.
Dose of Wonder is grounded psychology meets hand-spun wonder (her words, and theyāre perfect). She writes from Canada with over a thousand subscribers, and her newsletter is the kind of place where youāre allowed to not have it all figured out. Not in a āletās wallowā wayā¦ in a āletās actually look at whatās realā way.
If youāre someone who reads a lot of strategy and business content (hi, welcome to my world), Caitlinās writing is the perfect counterbalance. She reminds you that the point of building things is to live a life worth building them for.
I was instantly drawn to her publication because of the name, and of course, stayed because of the writing. Caitlin and I will finally connect āin personā (Zoom) in July, and Iām really looking forward to it!
World #7: Code Like a Girl
Dinah Ā· codelikeagirl.substack.com
This one is as much a community as itās a newsletter.
Code Like a Girl publishes three stories a week from over 60 women contributors, all writing about their experiences in tech. Not the sanitized conference-panel version. The real version... the one where you talk about what it actually feels like to be the only woman in the room, or what it took to get to the table in the first place.
Dinah built this as a space where women in tech can be seen and heard, and the diversity of voices is what makes it work. Youāre not getting one perspectiveā¦ youāre getting dozens, which makes it even better.
I remember reading Code Like a Girl on Medium before it moved to Substack, and I never would have thought of contributing because I wasnāt a coder (Iāve since contributed). Code Like a Girl is SO much more. Itās about women in tech, the challenges, the inequity, and the need to change that.
World #8: The Heartspoken Note
Elizabeth Cottrell Ā· heartspoken.substack.com
I know what youāre thinking. A newsletter about handwritten notes? In a passport full of AI creators and Substack strategists?
Thatās exactly why Elizabeth H. Cottrell belongs here.
The Heartspoken Note is about the art, history, and heart of putting pen to paper. Elizabeth writes weekly about why handwritten notes still matterā¦ the connection they create, the history behind them, the simple act of slowing down enough to tell someone they matter with ink and paper.
In a passport full of builders and strategists and creators pushing the edge of whatās next, Elizabeth is the reminder of whatās always worked. Some things donāt need to be disrupted. They just need someone to keep showing up for them.
World #9: The Flow
Shannon Bindler Ā· shannonbindler.substack.com
Shannon Bindlerās newsletter is called The Flow, and thatās exactly what her writing feels likeā¦ a natural current you can follow into whateverās next.
Sheās been on Substack for about a year, and what stands out about Shannon isnāt flashy growth tactics or hot takes. Itās the genuine warmth and thoughtfulness in how she engages with this community. Sheās the kind of creator other creators love, and that shows up in how people talk about her.
Shannon addresses real issues about AI, the world weāre all experiencing as the tech moves faster and the rules are changing, and the human experience, all rolled into one great publication.
I also recently discovered that Shannon is also in Northern California, so sheās on my list to actually meet āIRLā too.
World #10: Legacy Living
Vicki Peel Ā· vickipeel.substack.com
Legacy Living is the destination on this passport that might surprise you, and it might also be the one you didnāt know you needed.
Vicki Peel, Ed.D. has three years of consistent Substack publishing behind her. Her COPE framework (Clear, Organize, Preserve, and Empower) is designed for women over 50 who are in that season of figuring out what stays and what goes... in their homes, their careers, their lives.
Sheās not flashy about it. She just keeps showing up, writing thoughtfully, and building something that serves her people. And sheās always been a supporter of what Iām doing, which tells you a lot about who she is as a person. She lifts other creators up without expecting anything in return.
World #11: Finnāsights
Finn Tropy Ā· finntropy.substack.com
Finn Tropy is an engineer. And you can tell.
Finnāsights is what happens when someone with 40+ years of solving complex problems turns that brain toward helping writers grow on Substack. He pulled data from 2.3 million posts by over 13,000 authors to figure out what actually works here. Then he started building tools to make it easier for the rest of us... StackContacts (an AI-powered CRM for creators), a Notes scheduling extension, data dashboards, and analytics exporters. The man has over 900 Gumroad customers and a newsletter with over a thousand subscribers.
But hereās what I love about Finn... he builds in public, shares his numbers, admits when something doesnāt work, and genuinely wants other writers to succeed. Iāve had a call with him (I needed a little help with one of his use tools). They changed how I think about my own subscriber data, and I never thought Iād say that about a spreadsheet. (I mean, Iām the person who gets excited about building apps, not analyzing data. Finn made me care about the data.)
Heās the kind of creator who makes the whole ecosystem better just by being in it.
World #12: Digital Craft Workshop
Daniel Rusnok Ā· danielrusnok.substack.com
I donāt remember which article I found of Daniel (Dig. Craft Workshop)ās that made me subscribe, but his series on how he ātaught his articles to make reelsā HOOKED me (the power of a good headline!) - Iām a little obsessed with implementing what heās doing; more on that in another post.
Digital Craft Workshop is his fairly new Substack where heās documenting the entire process of building Drippery, a SaaS product, as a solo developer. He writes about the real stuff... Next.js, auth, infrastructure, and how heās using AI as a one-person team to build what used to require a whole crew.
He launched recently, and heās already showing up, writing about what heās building, sharing what heās learning. This is what ābuild in publicā actually looks like when someone means it.
If youāre building something yourself (or thinking about it), Danielās newsletter is the kind of real-time documentation that makes you feel less alone in the process. Follow along now so you can say you were there from the beginning.
Your Passport Is Stamped
Twelve worlds. š
Twelve creators doing their own thing in their own way.
Some write about AI. Some write about what it means to be human in a world obsessed with productivity. One writes about handwritten notes. Another one is building an entire SaaS in public with a subscriber count you could count on your fingers.
And thatās the whole point.
The best stuff Iāve discovered on Substack hasnāt come from staying in my lane. Itās come from wandering into someone elseās world and finding something I didnāt know I was looking for. A perspective I hadnāt considered, a voice that made me think differently, or a person who became a friend before I even realized it.
Thatās what the passport is for.
Not a reading listā¦ An adventure.
So go explore! Click through and subscribe to the ones that grab you. Leave a comment and tell them Kim sent you.
Map your own summer adventure!!!
Hereās a sneak peek:
Head over to the interactive passport page to stamp each destination and create your own custom exploration map.
You can click each passport to read my travel notes, then get your own map for a summer adventure!
And of course, Iāll be sharing how I did this in an upcoming post (SPARK Lab members will get the templates, prompts, in-depth instructionsā¦ all of it š.)
Iām thinking of taking a page from AI Meets Girlboss (her incredible Substack Runway) where she continues to add creators to the line-upā¦ only mine will be adding creator passports!
Whoās someone on Substack that you think more people should know about? Iād love to hear... reply and tell me.
*Iād especially love newer creators who could use a little shout-out!
This is by far my favorite of your creations and I got a few new people to follow and engage with. You're on fire with all the fun things that are coming from your sparks.
Love this, Kim! What an amazing group of people from all over Substack. Just a heart-warming group who also show how we can be so different and connected too.