Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabel Straka.
Hi Isabel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been a reader and someone with a large imagination. My mom reminds me that as a toddler, I would recite Sleeping Beauty back to her. For me, reading has always been as natural and essential as breathing.
In my teenage years, I struggled with being a chameleon — shaping myself into the person I thought I was supposed to be. In college, all of that caught up with me, and I realized that I truly didn’t know who I was anymore. Through therapy, I began focusing on the things that I truly love in life, the things that make me who I am.
This led me to creating The Sunday Reads. Born out of an irresistible urge and need to express myself, it started as a blog.
Later, it developed into an Instagram account, and I didn’t follow a single person in my real life. Eventually, they started to find me anyway. As my close friends found my account, I learned that the right people loved this part of me simply because it was me. They’ve fully embraced this additional side of me.
Over the last two or so years, The Sunday Reads has become more than a hobby. It’s an essential and meaningful part of my life. Now, it lives on Instagram and Substack. I like to think of my Instagram as the window where you get a glimpse and Substack as the living room where we sit down for meaningful conversation. While I of course talk about books, I also write a lot about navigating my life and my twenties, creativity, vulnerability, and growth.
More than anything, The Sunday Reads has made me feel seen and loved for who I truly am. Through my personal friends and family all the way to the friends I’ve made across the world, I’ve finally learned that who I am is more than enough.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, of course not! We all have these dreams of going “viral” or growing into something huge out of nowhere or seemingly without much effort. Running these accounts in addition to adult life has proven to me that good things take time. It’s proven that this is a labor of love more than anything. In two years, I haven’t accumulated a truly massive following, and that’s completely okay. Numbers aren’t worth much if you take into account all the ways I’ve grown into myself as a human.
Also, balancing life and The Sunday Reads has been really tough sometimes. I write two articles a week and post three to four times a week. This is in addition to a full time job and all the other life responsibilities. Being able to keep up with this schedule is hard work, and truthfully I’ve been running out of time to actually read.
Balance is something I am still working on, and I am sure it will be a lifelong endeavor.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Sunday Reads is a space for readers and creatives. More than anything, I want to give people a space to feel welcomed for who they are and to share a love for reading. On Substack, I run it as a newsletter which publishes two articles a week. My Instagram has about three to four posts a week as well.
I would say I am known for my romance, fiction, and fantasy book recommendations and reviews as well as photo dumps and life reflections. I want to spread a love of reading and share my life lessons as I navigate my twenties and beyond. If I can help one person feel seen or less alone, I’ve left the world a better place.
I am most proud of my personal progress. This began as a form of rejection therapy for me, and it’s evolved into proof that I am enough as I am. I’ve grown my own little business where I get to spend time reflecting with myself every week and talk about something that has always brought me joy — books. Furthermore, it’s proven that I am capable of anything. I’ve started dabbling in novel writing the last few years, and I hope to become a published author one day!
In a word flooded with social media and comparison, I do my best to show that life isn’t like what we see online. Everyone struggles. I am open and honest about all the troubling parts of my life and the rather rough journey through my twenties. This honesty sets me apart.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
A follow or subscribe on my Substack and Instagram would be a great way to connect! I like having a small platform because I genuinely read and respond to everyone who leaves me a note, comment, or message. It sometimes might not feel like it, but I am a girl behind this screen and I do think of you all as my friends. If you like to read or write, want to follow along with my life reflections and essays, or just like seeing pretty pictures, I would love to be your friend. While I have a paid tier to my Substack, you can subscribe for free and still get my weekly article!
For any collaborations or specific questions, feel free to reach out to me at thesundayreads@gmail.com.
Platforms:
Substack: thesundayreads.substack.com
Instagram: @thesundayreads
Pricing:
- $5/month paid tier on Substack for an additional weekly and monthly article
Contact Info:
- Website: thesundayreads.substack.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thesundayreads
- Other: https://linktr.ee/isabelstraka
