A confession:

Recently, I’ve been terrible at following my own advice.

I’ve been wanting to write about topics I’m not an expert in.

I love talking about business and writing, but I’m fascinated by clear thinking. Especially ideas around fear, freedom, and self-awareness. These are my focus day-to-day. But when I try to write about them, fear kicks in.

“Who the hell am I to talk about this?” I worry. I compare myself to people who seem to have it figured out. Then I wrestle with Claude for hours searching for the reassurance I can only give myself.

Inevitably, my curiosity ends up drowned by my overthinking. Which is a shame, because I know I have value to add.

When I speak with people who don’t feel qualified to talk about a topic, I give the same advice:

You don’t write because you’re an expert. You write to become one.

Waiting for results to write is like waiting to join the NBA before you start shooting hoops. Writing is a journey, and your story is why people pay attention. People are less interested in what the view is like at the top of the peak and more interested in how you got there.

The key is to tell the story as you grow—even if you’re new to a niche.

I know this because when I started writing, the only expertise I had was teeth. And I sure as shit didn’t want to write about pulpitis for the next decade.

So let me break down the 3 evolutions of a writer and how you take on new topics.

Start as an Explorer

The first mistake is pretending to be something you’re not.

The Internet is full of fakers. But posts are pointless without proof. Instead of hiding your lack of experience, you embrace it. You are an Explorer—sharing what you learn as you dive deep into your curiosity.

Curation is still a service. You might spend 100 hours learning about something that you compress into 10 minutes.

The benefit of this approach is that you win from day one. Because when you write about what you learn, you learn 10x faster. But you also tap into the Authority-By-Association technique: using other people’s reputation to springboard your own.

Consider yours truly.

When I started writing 5 years ago, you had no reason to read my advice. Nobody cares about a dentist who didn’t like his job—go play more golf. But I was fascinated by pursuing your own path, which led me to writing. I shared everything I learned along the way. People began to pay attention as a result.

The key to nailing this approach is simple:

Become a sponge for high-quality content.

You will not stand out if you read a couple of common books and write a brain-dead listicle. You must go deeper than the crowd and find fascinating ideas and stories. The best way is to be fascinated yourself. How you feel seeps through into the page. As you share, you’ll naturally begin to implement the advice.

Which leads us to the second evolution.

Shift to an Experimenter

If you want to build a reputation, you must be unique, useful, and undeniable.

This is hard when you only curate other people’s ideas (or have no results of your own).

The key is to become the proof of work you need. You are your best differentiator—so take action and document the results. This is real-time storytelling, and everyone loves a good story.

An experimenter is in the arena. Their content is exciting because they are actually doing something. You are showing instead of telling—which is pretty rare these days.

This leads me to an important point.

The purpose of sharing your story is to build trust. And this only happens through transparency. Many people mistake building in public for bragging in public. But perfection does not lead to connection. Rough edges do. Your struggles, pains, doubts, and fears are what people resonate with most.

The benefit of this approach is that you don’t need to persuade people that you are worth reading. You prove yourself in public.

For example, I’ve sent a monthly business report for 2 years now. While some editions share good news, most of it is admitting that I have been wrong. These emails are by far the most popular thing I send. And the best part? I’m writing them for myself. I’m just inviting you along for the ride.

Now, when you begin experimenting in public, few people will care.

But get good, and they will pay attention.

And this is where the potential for your business unlocks.

Push toward the Expert

An expert has two things: wisdom and proof.

Wisdom is ideas won through experience. It cannot be hacked, it must be earned. And proof is evidence that these ideas are worth following. It’s not enough to just get results for yourself. You must prove that you can help the world, too.

This is why every writer needs to work closely with their audience. If you haven’t tested your ideas, you don’t really have ideas. You have a list of ingredients that worked for you.

You need to get into the kitchen and help other people cook.

This means taking payment—which can be terrifying when you start. You might wonder why on earth someone would pay for your help. But if you follow the first two steps, you will have people who want your help. You just need to be brave enough to put yourself out there.

I struggled with this bravery when I quit dentistry.

So I started helping for free.

Once I had confidence, I took on my first paid high-ticket client. It was $500 for 10 hours of calls and unlimited asynchronous support. I could’ve made more flipping burgers. But I didn’t care. Because someone had put their trust in me. And that meant the world.

This gave me the confidence and evidence to help other people.

And has led to where I am now.

I guess I’m considered an expert in the ‘writing online’ space these days. Although I struggle to say that because I consider myself a perpetual student. Over 3,000 people have picked up my products, and I’ve worked closely with almost 100 clients.

And that’s just because I found something I love to do, and shared the journey as I learned.

Which leads me to the final point (and what I’m doing now).

The constant push to evolve

You must appreciate that writing online is a journey. Your niche is not a one-time decision. It is an evolution. Your curiosity will lead you somewhere unique and exciting if you let it.

And so if there is a topic you would love to write about, give yourself permission.

Because your mind is sending you signals for where you might serve people more.

Begin by sharing what you learn. Pay attention to what catches your attention and follow the thread. Then build a bias for action. Run public experiments and share the story. You’ll attract an audience of like-minded people.

The next step is to serve them. Have the courage to launch an offer. The reward for this risk is authority. And the more you serve, the stronger your reputation becomes.

The key throughout is patience.

You cannot hack trust. You cannot rush mastery. You cannot skip ahead to the top of a mountain. You must embrace the climb.

And the climb is difficult because it is so uncertain. There will always be the voice telling you that you aren’t good enough, or that you should stick to what you know. But life is short, and you can do whatever the hell you want. Focus on doing good work and let the path unfold.

That’s where I’m at now.

It’s 5 years since I started writing.

I love teaching the skill because there’s a beautiful ripple effect. If I help you make an impact with your ideas, you go on to help many people more.

But I have also been reflecting on my personal life. And this year, I’ve been sharing more of this. While they have been scarier posts to write, they have also been my most popular.

Some include:

• ​9 lessons from a brain tumour and a broken neck​
• ​A heroic dose of magic mushrooms​
• ​My experience with somatic therapy​
• ​The fear of going after your dream​
• ​How I stopped comparing myself​

Instead of freaking out that I have no niche and there is no throughline, I am (trying) to have faith in the process. And I’m beginning to see a new direction emerging. The same big ideas keep creeping up.

I’m not sure where this will head, but I’m on the train and doing it anyway. Once I’ve finished my book Magnetic Writing, I’ll pause and think: what’s next? There will be signals to follow. And then we’ll see if I have the guts to go deeper.

I hope this helps you as you navigate your brand.

Reach out if you have any questions—I reply to everyone, and I’d love to know I’m not alone in this beautiful journey.

Have a merry Christmas,

Kieran

P.S.

If you missed it:

In January, I will be running a special cohort for entrepreneurial writers who want to take their writing seriously in 2026. You’ll see how to share quality ideas with your audiences to read.

There will be a limited number of spots available. You can join 270+ on the waitlist by clicking here.​