Hey Reader,
YT reminded me that yesterday marks five years since I uploaded my very first YouTube video. Me and my Stories in HK the past 5 years
Can you believe that it’s been half a decade? I can’t — not because it feels long, but because I had no idea I’d keep going for this long. I also had no idea how much life can change in five years.
I didn’t know it then, but that moment quietly shifted the trajectory of my life.
Back in September 2020, I was having lunch with a friend (shout out to him — he reads this newsletter!) at a French restaurant in Hong Kong.
He looked at me and said,
“Forget about the others. You should be a YouTuber.”
“…what??”
At the time, I didn’t believe him.
But I tried anyway.
I posted a few videos, disappeared for a few months, and came back again in April 2021 — this time with a promise to myself:
No matter where I am, no matter what’s happening in my life, I’ll upload one video a week.
And I did.
Through two layoffs, a visa process, a new business, two continents, new cities, new friendships, moments of clarity, and moments where everything felt like it was falling apart.
YouTube didn’t just teach me how to create —
it taught me how to show up, how to trust myself,
and how to build a life I actually want to live.
If you’ve been here since the beginning: thank you.
If you joined along the way: thank you.
If you’re reading this now: thank you.
Happy five years to this unexpected creative journey.
I can’t wait to film the next chapter.
And speaking of creative chapters… I uploaded a new video today that feels very close to my heart:
Most videos about AI feel technical. This one doesn’t.
It’s a soft, simple day-in-my-life using ChatGPT as my Life Companion —not to be more productive, but to stay grounded, clear, and human.
In the video, I walk through the three gentle check-ins I do every day:
🌅 Morning grounding
☀️ Midday clarity (including my favorite voice-mode moment while cooking)
🌙 Evening reflection
These tiny rituals have helped me:
• manage stress
• clear mental clutter
• reset my focus
• reconnect with myself
• move through the day with intention
If you want something calm and cosy to watch today, here it is:
PS:
A few people have asked me over the years how I got started on YouTube.
One answer is: I simply pressed upload.
The other answer is: taking Ali Abdaal’s PTYA course gave me the structure, confidence, and clarity I didn’t even know I needed at the time.
I bought the course two years ago — and honestly, I wish I had done it sooner.
The lessons get updated with new conversations and insights, but what surprised me most was the community: creators, productivity geeks, and entrepreneurs who are genuinely building their lives with intention. I’ve met many friends through PTYA, and it’s one of the few online spaces that actually feels alive.
So — since they’re running a Black Friday offer right now, it felt like the right moment to mention it. If “start YouTube” is quietly sitting on your 2026 list, this might be a gentle nudge from the universe.
🗒️ What the offer includes:
• Lifetime access to the full PTYA course
• 12 months’ access to the private PTYA community
👉 Normal Price: $995
👉 Black Friday Price: $675 (save $320)
📅 Offer Ends: 3rd December at 11:59 PM PST
(4th December at 7:59am GMT)
Here’s my affiliate link if you want to explore it — absolutely no pressure, only if it supports the chapter you’re stepping into next:
👉 Part-Time YouTuber Academy Black Friday Sale
It's a sunny quiet productive and lazy Sunday afternoon here in Lisbon : )
Best,
Lydia
