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Hi, i am alice draper

I am on a mission to turn progressive and disruptive women coaches into leading voices of authority.

My job is to identify the core stories behind why you are running your business. I — alongside my small but fierce team — will craft these into irresistible pitches.

Do you want to live in a world that is more equitable? A world where you can take time off work for an IVF appointment without worrying about whether this will jeopardize your career advancement? Or a world where Black employees aren’t handed unpromotable tasks and accused of playing “the race card” when they speak up?

Me too.

While you go out and create this world, we will get your stories into the world.

Why me?

When I was 15, my well-meaning friend told me I’d probably never find a partner. “You often make things political. No one wants to date someone like that,” she said.

When I was 16, my math teacher told me I would struggle to find a job one day. “You are too opinionated. You need to stop asking questions,” she said.

When I was 18, my friend uninvited me from a social event. “You can be too serious at times. It’s the wrong crowd for that,” she explained.

Most of these statements came with well-meaning intentions.

If I could just “correct” myself, things would be better for me.

I internalized the idea that I was “too [insert meaningless adjective about why some people can’t handle me]”.

For a while, I tried to conform. I wanted to be liked. I wanted to be easygoing and accepting of the status quo. I wanted to be someone who could just chug a drink, talk about rugby, and ignore the sexist comments being thrown around.

But I wasn’t that person.

When I was in journalism school, I met my best friend.

“That’s Alice,” she once said to a group of high school students touring campus. “She is the most talented journalist on campus. Our Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, recently retweeted her Daily Maverick article about the #FeesMustFall protests. And next week she is flying to Cape Town to do an internship at Fairlady.”

These students looked at me in awe. They started asking me questions about studying journalism.

“Me?! They wanted to know about awkward, introverted me?!” I remember thinking.

I will never forget how I felt that day. Embarrassed and uncomfortable. But also, for the first time I can remember, I felt truly seen.

After politics lectures, I met up with my best friend for extensive, critical discussions about the state of the world, social change, and our dreams.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I was “too” anything.

My best friend gave me the green light to be my full, vulnerable, and authentic self.

I became louder. I became more opinionated. I started writing deeply personal essays for HelloGiggles, Refinery29, HuffPost, and The Tempest.

And something amazing happened… I thrived.

I overcame (most) of my social anxiety.

I built a business.

I attracted a rich network of friends, mentors, wonderful clients, and mentees who never describe me as “too much”.

I even found a partner (lol) who loves the very things I was warned about: my “strong opinions” and “always talking about serious topics”.

This is how I learned about the power of leaning into vulnerability and authenticity.

This is also why I make it my mission to help others do this too.

As a PR strategist, my proudest accomplishment is helping clients step into their fullest and most authentic versions of themselves.

When disruptive women dare to speak up and tell their stories — remarkable things happen.

Since I launched Hustling Writers in 2020, we have helped a small handful of retainer clients (most of whom are still with us) share pivotal stories, boost book publicity, raise their rates, grow their platforms and credibility, and most importantly, transform their clients’ and audiences’ lives.

As a freelance journalist, I have written for Business Insider, VICE, Refinery29, HuffPost, and countless other regional, national, and international publications.

Are you ready to amplify the disruptive work you were born to do?