Why slowing down isn’t weakness, it’s rebellion.

We live in a world that worships speed. Everywhere you look, someone is launching faster, publishing faster, producing faster — and celebrating “more” as the ultimate metric of success. If AI can crank out miles of copy or help you publish 10 books in a single year, the pressure to keep up is intense.

But what if slowing down isn’t failure?
What if it’s actually your secret power?

In this solo episode, I unpack my conversation with book coach and ghostwriter Candice L. Davis, who has spent her career helping writers create work they’re genuinely proud of. Our conversation left me thinking deeply about craft — not just for writers, but for anyone building something meaningful.

Because slowing down isn’t laziness.
It isn’t hesitation.
It isn’t lack of talent.

Slowing down is craft.
And craft is care.

Episode Highlights

• [00:00] Everyone’s rushing — and why it’s not helping
• [02:38] The “Stephen King cabin fantasy” (and why it’s a myth)
• [08:41] How AI has changed the pressure around quality vs. quantity
• [11:56] Why some creators refuse to contribute to shallow work
• [18:21] A-plus vs. C-minus work: choosing where depth matters
• [24:41] Craft as love: what intention communicates
• [28:31] You don’t have to “arrive” to join community
• [35:31] Messy drafts, messy beginnings, and creating in public
• [42:34] Final takeaway: your pace and process might be your superpower

The Rebellion of Slowing Down

When Candice and I recorded her episode, one thing she said hit me right in the chest:

“Slowing down doesn’t make you lazy. It’s an aspect of craft.”

And she’s right.

While the world celebrates speed, she’s quietly championing depth — helping writers unlearn the belief that value comes from how fast they can produce. For so many people, the moment they seek out a book coach is the moment panic sets in. They think they’re behind, that they’ve “wasted time,” that they’ll never catch up.

But that sense of rushing?
It’s not coming from passion — it’s coming from fear.

We’ve created a culture that equates slowness with failure and speed with success. And in a time where AI can generate a full manuscript in seconds, many people feel pressure to abandon their own voice for the sake of efficiency.

But here’s the truth:

Craft requires time. Care requires intention. Depth cannot be automated.

Choosing the long road is choosing meaning.

“Think of taking the long road as your own quiet rebellion.” -Tonya Kubo Share on X

You Don’t Have to Arrive to Belong

One of my favorite moments from the transcript is when I described a literary agency that uses the term “pre-published authors.”

Not “aspiring.”
Not “wannabe.”
Not “not yet enough.”

Pre-published.

Because identity isn’t earned at the finish line — it’s claimed at the starting line.

Too many people believe they must reach some arbitrary definition of “ready” before they can join community. They think they have to be perfect or polished before they can belong.

But you don’t have to hide your messy beginnings.

You don’t have to wait to be chosen.

You can show up before everything is tidy, finished, or flawless — and in many ways, that’s when community can help you most.

“You don’t have to wait until you arrive to own the identity of whatever it is you’re working on.” -Tonya Kubo Share on X

The Importance of Messy Drafts

Candice loves when clients bring her messy drafts because she can save them so much time by shaping the work before it calcifies. In fact, she’d rather see a rough chapter than a “finished” one that needs to be torn apart and rebuilt.

“You can go deep and be building in community and be building in public. There's nothing wrong with that.” -Tonya Kubo Share on X

The same is true in any craft.

Your messy middle isn’t proof of inadequacy.
It’s evidence that you’re doing the work.

Your willingness to create in public, iterate, and let people into your process is what makes the work stronger — and it’s how your community feels connected to you.

You don’t need perfection to make progress.
You need presence.

Choose Depth Over Distraction

We live in an era where shortcuts are everywhere. AI can answer questions. Courses can give blueprints. Automation can accelerate output.

But none of that replaces the depth you bring to your craft.

“Your pace and your process could be your superpower.” -Tonya Kubo Share on X

Depth requires slowness.
Slowness requires intention.
Intention requires care.

And your people want your care.
They’ll wait for it.

Because when someone feels like your work was made for them — not mass-produced for anyone — they stay. They invest. They connect. They belong.

And that’s our whole mission here.

Three Questions I’m Sitting With

1. Where am I rushing out of fear instead of slowing down out of care?
2. What would happen if I let myself take the long road?
3. How can I bring more intention to the way I serve, speak, and create?

Craft isn’t perfectionism.
It’s love in motion.
It’s your quiet rebellion against a world obsessed with speed.

And it’s how your freaks will know your work was meant for them.

Because the truth is simple:

Your pace and process might be your superpower — the very thing that sets you apart.

Meet Your Host

Tonya Kubo is a community strategist, marketing consultant, and rebel with a cause: helping people find the place where they truly belong. For nearly two decades, she’s built online spaces that feel less like comment sections and more like chosen family. She’s the fixer you call when your Facebook group has gone straight-up Lord of the Flies and the bouncer at the door of internet nonsense. As the host of Find Your Freaks, Tonya brings together unconventional thinkers and bridge-builders who know “normal” was never the point.

Episode Transcript

Get the full transcript from Episode 13.

Resources & Mentions

• Episode 12: Writing for Belonging, Not Algorithms with Candice L. Davis
• Nothing But the Words — Candice’s podcast
• CandiceLDavis.com

Support the Show

If Find Your Freaks matters to you, help us keep it ad-free by buying us a coffee (or two!). Every dollar goes to production so more weirdos can find their people. You can purchase Find Your Freaks merchandise online through Abilities and Attitudes.

Let’s Stay Freaky

• Facebook Group
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Podcast Hub

What’s Next

Tonya sits down with Rachel Alexandria — former psychotherapist turned Soul Medic — whose life’s work is helping high performers clean up their “secret messes”: the overwhelm, anxiety, perfectionism, and people-pleasing they hide under resume-ready polish.