# Holly Whitaker

> Holly Whitaker is an American author, independent writer, and founder and former CEO of Tempest, acquired by Monument in 2022. Her career grew from early blogging into a venture-backed company, the publication The Temper, and the New York Times bestselling Quit Like a Woman. She now publishes Recovering and runs Baby Steps, an online coworking offering.

- **Role:** Independent author and writer; creator of Baby Steps; founder and former CEO of Tempest
- **Organizations:** Tempest (formerly Hip Sobriety; acquired by Monument in 2022), The Temper, Recovering, Baby Steps
- **From:** Fresno, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Accounting degree (self-described in interview; level unspecified)
- **Known for:** Author of the New York Times bestselling Quit Like a Woman., Founded Tempest, which announced a $10 million Series A in 2019., Included in Inc.’s 2019 Female Founders 100.

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Began writing the anonymous blog Little Miss Surrendered in May, according to her 2023 interview with Sarah Levy.
- **2014** — Published a personal Facebook post in February that she recalls attracting about 3,000 readers; began the venture later known as Tempest under the Hip Sobriety name.
- **2018** — Cofounded The Temper with Emily Kate Pope.
- **2019** — Hip Sobriety rebranded as Tempest; Tempest announced a $10 million Series A on October 10, bringing announced total funding to $14.3 million.
- **2019** — Named to Inc.’s Female Founders 100; Quit Like a Woman was first published on December 31.
- **2021** — Ruth Sun succeeded her as CEO in February; the announcement moved Whitaker to chief creative officer. Whitaker began her independent newsletter that year.
- **2022** — Monument acquired Tempest; the transaction was announced in May.
- **2026** — Continues publishing Recovering and announced a quarterly Baby Steps coworking membership in September.

## Achievements

- Author of the New York Times bestselling Quit Like a Woman.
- Founded Tempest, which announced a $10 million Series A in 2019.
- Included in Inc.’s 2019 Female Founders 100.
- Cofounded The Temper with Emily Kate Pope in 2018.
- Former cohost of HOME with Laura McKowen; the podcast received a 2017 Webby Honorable Mention, according to her speakers bureau biography.
- Reports approximately 600,000 worldwide copies of Quit Like a Woman sold on her newsletter About page; this is an author-reported figure.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — September 17 newsletter announced a quarterly Baby Steps coworking membership with capped enrollment, morning and afternoon sessions, and a next session scheduled for October 6; session completion is not independently confirmed.
- **2026-09** — Published Seven things right now on September 8, including reflections on external presentation and her pollinator gardens.
- **2025-12** — Published an updated version of her essay series on being lost and in transition, recounting her departure from Tempest.

## Links

- Website: https://www.hollywhitaker.com/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HollyWhitaker
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holly/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/holly-whitaker
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25