The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 25. An Ultimate Blog Bootcamp Success Story: Brittany Glynn

Episode Date: June 7, 2022

On today’s episode of the Ultimate Blog Podcast, we had the opportunity to chat with Brittany Glynn. Brittany is one of our former students from the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp, and part of our Ultimate Blog Membership. Today we have a very real and honest conversation about blogging and motherhood. Brittany shares her journey to blogging (down to the exact moment that she knew she needed to start a blog), shares how she loves being a voice for others through the encouragement and inspiration of blogging, how she manages her time blogging and taking care of her family, and the importance of community in this space. Tune in to hear all of the key takeaways from this episode!Check out the show notes (link below) for links and resources mentioned in this episode!Thanks for listening! Connect with us on Instagram: @sparkmediaconceptsThinking about starting a blog? Check out the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp!SHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode25

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper. We're on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you're just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we're excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success, and your own story. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging

and work from home life all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. We have a very special guest that is joining us today. Brittany Glenn is one of our bootcamp alums and also one of the students that we have in our ultimate blog membership. And Brittany is just a light, truly. It has been a gift to know her for over a year now and have her part of our community. And today she is just going to show up and we're going to have a very real and honest conversation about blogging and motherhood. And we are so excited to have you, Brittany.

So welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast. Thank you so much. It is truly an honor to be here and just a great opportunity. So I'm just thrilled to be with you guys as usual and ready to kind of just chat it out. Yeah. So Brittany, why don't you take a minute and just tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and kind of where you started with blogging or even kind of your journey that has led you to this point. Okay. Yeah, we'd be happy to. So I'm Brittany, like you said, and I am a full-time stay-at-home mom. I have two kiddos, a boy and a girl, and then I'm married to my husband will be 10 years this fall. And we have two dogs and just, you know, a robust, I guess, home life. So my background is in nursing. I'm still a nurse. I don't practice

currently, but I do keep that current. That was definitely a passion for me prior to being a mom. And even after I was a mom, I continued to work for about 18 months, which was also a gift in itself. And I was in the pediatric world. That's kind of my background, but I got to have a lot of cool experiences and even kind of like dip into a little bit of management for a while and kind of do some of that. So yeah, I have been home now for goodness. I can't even believe it. I think it's been almost four years, four years this spring, actually. And my journey to motherhood has just been like so many of us, but I think it's kind of been the side that we always don't talk about. It's been a bit unexpected, definitely kind of started out, you know, differently than I ever anticipated. And I'm starting to kind of put the pieces back

together and understand that there is purpose in all that. And I'm getting to do some really cool things right now, including, you know, being a voice with my blog and stuff to kind of shine light into motherhood and provide encouragement and inspire because it is ultimately, you know, the coolest job we get, we get called to do this. So. Absolutely. So after you left your nursing career and then stayed home about how far into that, did you start to ask yourself, you know, I wonder if blogging is something that I could do or wanted to do. When did blogging kind of enter your radar? That's such a funny question because, and this is going to sound so funny, but like every time like it kind of like rains and I'm like sitting at a desk with a lamp, like

I always go back to the point when I used to like drive to work each day and I'd be like, it might be so cool to have like something I could do from home, you know? And obviously that wasn't reality then, but I'm starting to think like, gosh, were those little like pokes of like, you know, foreshadowing that this is something that I would love to do. So I will say, you know, I was drawn to blogs. I probably didn't even honestly know what blogs were until about 2015. And I kind of dove into them just out of desperation, searching the internet hashtags for anybody who could feel what I was feeling at that time. I had lost, you know, a couple of pregnancies and I just really

felt like there was not a world out there that understood me. So I go to work all day, do that thing, and then come home at night and use social media and blogs actually to kind of find my voice. And honestly, it would just kind of help me breathe each day because I could finally connect with people that understood. And that was the first time my wheels kind of started turning because I then followed these people for that specific reason of, you know, motherhood and everything. But then I started to kind of realize like, Hey, I kind of like how, what they're sharing or like how they're styling

their homes or something. Cause you actually do kind of come like form, like, you know, a relationship, I guess. And so that was a really big moment. realized too. In kind of 2015, I was like, this is really cool. And, but I still remember the exact moment. It was January of 2018. And it had been burning in me, like that something about a blog. And I had just gotten off the treadmill in my basement and I opened a box and I found a yearbook that I had made. It was like a DIY yearbook from ninth grade.

And we had to kind of highlight our year and write about it. And I opened it up and this letter fell out and it was from my ninth grade English teacher. I loved her to death. I know she liked me and she wrote on there, you know, the nicest things, but in literally big letters, it was like never stopped writing. And I just remember in that moment, like I'm getting goosebumps right now talking about it. I just got goosebumps and I'm going to start crying. Yeah. Because I just, that night I ran up to my husband and I said, I'm doing this. I'm going to start a blog. And he was just like, okay, go for it. You know? And, and he had been hearing little murmurs from me, but I was like, I'm doing it. And that's fun at

all. So that was by February of 2020, I was figuring out how to do this. I was so silly. I thought I could literally learn coding and HTML and all that and build my site from literally numbers and letters. And when I realized, no, that's not going to work, I jumped over to Etsy. I thought I was being really smart. And I found templates. And I was like, yes, I know how this is going to look.

and I found templates and I was like, yes, like I know how this is going to look. And then me being me also unafraid or afraid to invest in myself. I found one on clearance that was like $5 and it was broken. So I thought, oh yes, this is my opportunity. It's the framework is there, but if it's broken, that means I could learn how to fix it. And then technically I built my own site. So my poor husband, I really just wish you guys could probably see his face while I'm explaining all this, because he supported me through it all. He worked after hours, his own job, trying to figure out how to get things to fit and pull in because it wasn't going to work. It was a broken website, but long story short, by March, 2020, I wanted to launch. Of course, the world stopped there for a little bit.

by March, 2020, I wanted to launch, of course, the world stopped there for a little bit. And that kind of took out a little bit of my energy, just trying to figure out, is this really what I'm supposed to be doing right now when the world is so upside down? And then again, I got a little bit smarter and realized, heck yes, the world needs this now. They need your voice. They need simple wellness and, you know, easy concepts and moms need, moms need it. And personally, I needed it too. We talk about wellness and I needed something at that time to kind of keep me going. And I tell you what, the dream of it kept me going every day. I love that. That's amazing. You've talked a lot about how you felt this calling or you felt this connection with other people who were blogging.

So when you finally made that decision to start blogging, did you have a goal or a motivation in mind for what you wanted to gain from it? Did you know that there was people out there making money from their blogs or were you just thinking this is going to be a great space for me and I can help other people? I really think starting out and even, you know, right now too, it's, it's just that there's a space available out there and you can kind of make it what you want. I honestly was a little naive to what blogging even was.

Again, I go back to, oh, I followed them for certain reasons. And oh, I was going to pick out this cute template because I wanted it to look cute and nice. And all those things are wonderful. But there's a whole different side to blogging that you guys have obviously helped introduce me to. And I think I'm just drawn to just kind of the professionalism of it and being able to do what I want with it. But yeah, I did follow some people and many of them actually are probably part

of your community. I remember actually, that's probably how I found out about your bootcamp. It was either through Wellness for the Win or Daughters World or something. But I got to see these people that were not only doing something that they love using maybe what their passions or their degrees were, but also just creating these communities and inspiring and just offering, you know, words of encouragement. So was it to necessarily make money? I don't know, not in the beginning, because I chose to stay home and give up kind of that job for my kids. And so I guess I didn't view it quite as like, I'm going into make money again. We kind of just decided like it was more of like a hobby and a side thing. But again, obviously you get down into it and I see other little glimmers of stuff. So I'm excited to dive

into that. One thing I like about what you just essentially said there is that the biggest reason that you wanted to start this was to help others and to give what you're passionate about a voice and to share your story the way that other people had shared theirs and offered you encouragement along the way. And a lot of times I think that we need that reminder as bloggers, that that is our true purpose at the end of the day is to share with others, whether it's something that we've been through, whether it's something that we've been through, whether it's a solution that we've created to help someone, whether it's just a voice of reason or of encouragement. I think it's a beautiful space in 2022 that we can log into

the internet now. And whatever you're going through, you are likely able to find someone who is or has gone through a similar shared experience and you feel less alone. I think that that's a really beautiful thing about blogging. I don't know if you felt this way, but I know that I did. So I became a mom in 2011. And shortly after having my first, about the first year in, I just totally dove into motherhood. And I can remember feeling like I'm going to lose myself in this because I, it was all about Grant and it was all about him all the time. And very little was about me. And I could, I could slowly feel myself kind of getting myself on the back burner essentially. And so I can remember thinking, I just want something for myself. And it took me a while to kind of figure out what that thing was,

but I found it with blogging as well. So do you feel like blogging kind of does help you with that, I guess that need or that purpose? So it's not just, yes, you're a stay-at-home mom and you get to be there for all the things, but then you also get to have something for Brittany too. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, blogging definitely helps with that. And there's just so much opportunity and potential with it that I think, you know, that is what has drawn me in and kept me in. And I, you know, I definitely can resonate with what you're saying. Like, you know, we all lose ourselves in some form of passion because we all change and things are so much different with motherhood. But, you know, I definitely can resonate with what you're saying. Like, you know, we all lose ourselves in some form or fashion because we all change and things are so much different with motherhood. But, you know, I also want to kind of encourage in the sense that like, because of the new experiences and because of the new kind of time we have and everything,

we do kind of have some flexibility there where we can kind of carve out new pieces or even like find more of ourselves through this journey. I think, you know, society is so good at saying you're going to lose yourself and you need to, you know, kind of go find yourself and you're going to be tired and you're going to be, you know, a hot mess and you're going to drink cold coffee and this is just how it is. And yes, that can be the dailiness of motherhood because that happens. The coffee will cool and days are messy, but we are not defined by those definitions. And I think that's where we kind of run into a problem and kind of don't really live to our full potential. And that's kind of where I like to talk wellness and like why wellness is so important in motherhood, because that gives us the chance to

like elevate, you know, the calling. And we all know, so those things are going to exist and days are going to be hard, but that is part of it. And the beauty. And, you know, I have, I can say, honestly, I have found myself and better parts of myself through motherhood. And this blog is just kind of an extension of that because I get to now kind of share with others, use my passions, my perspectives. I get to be a voice, you know, on this platform that others can, you know, tap into and, and read. So, you know, yeah. And the, like we've talked about the opportunities are endless and it can definitely be catered into the lifestyle I want now for, for my family. But I know that as, as that changes, it sounds like, and I'm seeing the blog journey can also evolve and pivot and adapt too. And that's huge. That's what we need as moms. We need to be flexible. We need to adapt. We need to pivot. We

need to do all those things in our daily life. So they're very much in line with each other. Yeah. You brought up something that I've never thought about ever, but like how motherhood has made us stronger. I think that we can all, you know, all three of us sitting here talking can say for sure motherhood has made us stronger in a number of ways, but I like how you said it kind of prepares you for other things. Cause it totally does. You know, the strong as a mother thing is totally true. You know, you're so strong. And I think it does kind of set us up for when we decide to do something new or, you new or tackle blogging or something like that. You're like, well, I can totally do this because I've done all these other things and my kids are proof of that. I've gotten through every single hard day that I've had with them and come out on

the other side. And so I can do this hard thing too. Absolutely. Thanks for just shining a light on that because that, I don't know, I found that to be really powerful for me. Awesome. Yeah, I think it's true. I mean, it's what we're here for. This is our job right now. And really it's, you know, it is about us, but it's about them and they need to have that example of strength and try new things and wisdom. And I love that my kids can see me have this and blog and learn and jump on a call and create community and maybe sometimes get a little frustrated at stuff because it can be frustrating. But when you get to the other side and you remember your why and your purpose and just that you're doing something you love, that is what's setting us up, you know,

my family up for success. So I really, truly love your perspective. And you said something that really struck me and that society has conditioned us to believe that we need something to be able to escape from motherhood or escape from our lives versus like taking that life experience and embracing it and creating something around that, which is what you've done with your blog. You're like, here's where I'm at in my life. And I'm going to be grateful and thankful for that. And it's going to be messy sometimes. But I'm going to use those experiences to then create and connect with others so since you're kind of in that phase where you have the little ones at home and you're embracing this

how do you create that space and time for yourself to work on your blog and you know I think the other question would be some of us end up feeling like frustrated or whatever if we don't get the time that we want or we think we should be spending more time, how do you overcome those challenges? Yeah, I think just, you know, how I kind of approach everything kind of in life, I guess. And this was the key part that I really had to like wrap my mind around and this fall with the blog, because I was treating it so differently than the rest of my life. But if you've been over to my blog, or you kind of know, it's kind of about a brief and balanced and, you know, adding in the small, simple things and just showing up imperfectly, you know, but still like showing up and doing it

because it is all those small things that add up to create that whole. And that's, you know, such as with motherhood or, you know, wellness or everything. So once I could, I treat again, I treated this blog thing like some foreign object for so long. And once I could, I treat, again, I treated this block thing like some foreign object for so long. And once I could get my mind wrapped around that, it was really easy to schedule in because I will make the time and you do have to just like, I kind of know each day when I'm going to try to get a pocket of exercise in, or when I'm going to kind of do some laundry. The beauty about being a stay at home mom is nothing has to be concrete.

Nothing's ever going to be concrete. The children schedule are unpredictable, but we have that beauty of, you know, again, just kind of being flexible. So I'll put it down in my goal that, or in my planner that I'm going to sit down and, you know, do that. And I know sometimes that's going to happen and sometimes it's not, but even I'm doing a challenge kind of like the last couple of weeks, just even 15 minutes a day of writing that just, you know, logging on and doing that really has made me get a little bit further

because that it's not like on for, you know, one day for two hours, which I would love to do, but then off for three days. So I think it's just that keeping that mindset and like, what are my intentions? I'm going to treat this, you know, the best that I can with realistic expectations. I'm going to enjoy it. That's first and foremost, because I kind of got down the road, like last fall, I was just kind of frustrated. It's like, if this is frustrating, it's no longer serving me. So what can I do to kind of change that mindset? And it was just, you know, sometimes it's sitting down and working on something and it's different than what I planned on, but that's what's kind of on my mind right now. But, you know, I think to answer your question is just to make time for it and know that

it's part of a priority because it brings me joy and it actually is a form of self-care for me. And it really helps with my overall wellness because I'm being stimulated, you know, like intellectually and emotionally and all these things that we talk about in that wellness component. And so when I can, you know, go back to that and just my why and my purpose, I just find the little pockets and it is, you know, what it is right now. And I do try to make it a priority, but you know, motherhood and my daily tasks are still my number one. I think it is important to know your why and know why you want to do this. I think that's a really important piece of blogging or anything that you're doing, quite honestly, that's taking you away.

So I'm a stay-at-home mom too, like you. And so if it's going to take me away from my kids, because it was something that we decided, I was going to stay home with our kids. So if it's something that I'm going to do, that's going to take me away from that, then there has to be, I don't know if this is the right word, but a reason attached to it. What's pulling me away from my, honestly, my first love, which is my kids. And that's what I want to do first. And so I think that's important to look at the why and to know that. And I think I would encourage anybody who's considering starting a blog to really ask yourself that question. What is it? Because this isn't... Creating a blog and then creating content is, I think, a blast. I love the community that we've built with Spark. I love the people that

we are connected to. And I love having my blog. I love connecting to my readers. But there are hard days, just like there is with any other role that we have in our life. So knowing why am I doing this? Like what impact am I making on my life and other people's lives and reminding yourself of that? I think that's super important to kind of keep always on your shoulder, you know, right there in the back of your mind knowing, okay, so this day is hard, but this is why I'm doing it. And this is why it brings me joy. And so I would just encourage anybody who's kind of either thinking about blogging, or if you have a new blog, write it down, write down your why and remind yourself of that on those tough days when you kind of want to throw in the towel, because we can't, we can't do that.

And you never want to quit on a bad day, quit on a good day, but don't quit on a bad day. It's a lot harder to quit on a bad day. Quit on a good day, but don't quit on a bad day. It's a lot harder to quit on a bad day or a good day. Have you ever wanted to start a blog but had no idea where to begin? Or maybe you have a blog that you'd like to update and want some help to make it the best it can be. We know that there are many people out there who have big dreams for their own blog that never happen because they simply feel stuck. The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp is an eight-week course designed to help you create a solid blogging foundation by teaching you how to treat

your blog as a business, find your audience, design a website that is optimized for SEO, all while providing support via online coaching calls each week of the course. There is a private Slack channel for students as well, so questions will never go unanswered. The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp will give you the tools and support to create a blog that has the potential to turn into a profitable business. We are committed to helping each and every student feel empowered and confident with the foundational principles of blogging and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into it. If you don't want to blog alone, we can help. We keep each round small in order to provide each student the attention and support we believe you deserve during this process.

Since space is limited, get on the waitlist today so we can help you with your blog. The link to join the waitlist is in our show notes or go to sparkmediaconcepts.com and click on the ultimate blog bootcamp. You said something that really struck me just a little ways back about always wanting to learn and always wanting to grow and things like that. And I think that that is such a good example that we're setting for our children too, is that, you know, to be better people, we're going to constantly want to go out and find new avenues to learn things. We want to connect with more people. So I love that you're kind of doing this alongside raising your children and letting them see

the process of what it takes to, you know, learn something new, to feel the frustration, to figure out the answers. I think it just benefits them so much as well too. So you were trying to figure out this whole blogging thing on your own. You bought this theme. You were going to learn coding. I've been in the same situation. I've wanted to learn coding myself, but I had to get realistic with how much time I had and go a different route. So what was the, what was the thing that helped you change your mind and decide that you wanted to invest in yourself and get a little help with this whole blogging journey? Yeah, I think, you know, initially I was just very

drawn to the idea of having some form of like mentorship because that's kind of like the, I guess, atmosphere environment. You can say I've grown a lot in through nursing. You know, you were always mentored by others. And, you know, that's just, I think, where a lot of the great learning happens. But I was always stuck on not wanting to invest in myself. I felt that if I spent money and it did not go well or someone laughed at me, then it would be, you know, a harder failure. But so I guess I thought like, okay, well, if they laugh or like I fail, but I didn't really spend that much, then it would be okay. But you know, so that worried, I guess about other

others or just fear of where it will go. But I know I mentioned it, you know, to my husband so often. And I would tell him about like, Hey, I saw something about this bootcamp. And I initially was drawn to you guys, like literally from the beginning, which I was also just another thing I needed to act on. And I just told him, I really want to do this. And I just know I'm supposed to do this. And, you know, he's been very supportive. That was kind of like that turning point of knowing that I needed some help. And I actually was like so excited because again, I spoke of always being in opportunities and like, even with motherhood, you know, we surround ourselves in communities of people who are kind of walking similar lives, but you always want to kind of be around people that know more

because they can offer that perspective and provide that little comfort that they've walked this road for you. And so I think, you know, with blogging and deciding that, okay, I can still do this on my own and I still get to learn a ton. But if I have that community and those people there that have walked this road, then it's just also going to make it more realistic, but more fun and more kind of in tune with what I was just kind of used to of learning from others and relying on their perspectives. I love being part of a community. So that's one of my biggest, I don't know, blessings with it, I think, is that blogging can feel kind of lonely because you're at home with your computer. And so if you don't have any connections, it can feel lonely. And that's been something

that's been so important to Jennifer and I to create within Spark Media is to have a community where people can come and ask questions and we can sit together and talk about the things that we need to talk about. In the membership last month, I felt like we all kind of had a heart to heart and we just got some things off of our chest that needed to be there and any fears and all of that, because I think that you can feel a lot of things when you're blogging too. And so I don't know if you want to speak to that at all. So you ended up joining our bootcamp actually in January of 2021. And do you want to just speak about that a little bit? Because I think that kind of that story and that journey can be really inspiring

for others who take a leap of faith to do something and then they might start to have some doubts or kind of get in their head a little bit. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Like I said, I kind of had this bootcamp on my radar just right after I had started my blog site. So I remember it was July. I kind of like took your first webinar and then I kind of just talked myself out of it again and, you know, true Brit fashion. And then I, but I kept talking about it and my husband was just kind of like, go, you know, go do it again. I, but I kept talking about it and my husband was just kind of like, go, you know, go do it again. So, and I get, and there were still things in me and the blogging journey for me, it also is just like very personal and I'm a person of faith.

So I also can speak to other things that were happening at the time. And I just, this thing, this crazy thing of a blog just kept being reconfirmed in so many different things. So I got on your webinar in that January and immediately signed up and I was just like, this is what I'm going to do. And I had made that decision. So I was like, you know, so relieved, but then, you know, I kind of paused for a minute, which is kind of ironic after that long, but I kind of just took a break from everything. I was kind of working. I had kind of got into skincare, which I had loved. And that was kind of a form of something I was chasing, but I kind of felt like that

wasn't necessarily what I was all supposed to be doing. And then I don't know, I just kind of paused and I kind of just sat silent. I went through the bootcamp. I tried to do what I could. I got stuck on some things because I just, again, I don't know, I overthink things. And so I didn't have my blog where I wanted it to be. And it just kind of felt overwhelming. So I kind of just, you know, I never took off with it. And I just sat silent in my life for a little bit and just try to decide,

is this what I'm supposed to do? Is this like you said, Amy, earlier, like if this is going to be something that takes time away from my family, how is this going to serve us? And, you know, kind of went through that whole process. So then I decided like, oh my gosh, I'm supposed to be doing this. I just waste all this time. I went through this bootcamp. I know I'm supposed to be doing this. I actually connected with a girl from your bootcamp who at that point too, was getting her stuff up and going and we were kind of like forming support, which was awesome. And I kind of felt like I had, I'd lost my opportunity in some ways there because I had of felt like I had, I lost my opportunity in some ways there because I had finally done what I wanted to do, but I didn't do it to

completion. I had stopped, I stalled. And then, you know, I wanted to start back up. And so again, here came like an email a little bit later from you guys being like, we have this opportunity, you know, you want to take this again, we've made some changes and improvements. We just would love to have you. And I was like, this is my sign. This could not be even more obvious that I have to do this. So I signed up. It took off. I knew more what I wanted. And I felt silly in the sense that I took so long, but I know that I was supposed to do that just to realign my priorities, know that my heart was in this for the right reason, and ultimately just do something I think I'm supposed to be doing right now. You just gave an explanation of why

blogging is not linear. It is not an uphill climb. Like it, I mean, it goes up and down and up and down and up and down. And I think that that is totally normal to have those thoughts. And back then I'm sure that you were like, oh my gosh, I'm frustrating myself. But really, I think it was just priming you for life as a blogger because it requires so much pivoting and it requires that, okay, what's being asked of me now? And I think that there are things that are laid on our heart that sometimes we don't know if we're ready for, but either, you know, somebody else does, or we get that urge from God saying, no, you are like, I know you are, but like, you have to believe that you are. And so it just takes us a while.

Sometimes I think for, for us to catch up, but I think when you, when you look back now, just you telling this story is so intriguing to me because you can see the way that it was supposed to happen, happened, and that you just had to gain that. You just had to strengthen that muscle a little bit and that it didn't happen immediately. And that's perfectly okay. And there's no right or wrong way. I think that that is something that is really important for bloggers old and new to understand is that no two journeys are the same. And you really do have to like put your blinders on and just stay focused on your journey and what it's supposed to be for you, what it's supposed to be for your readers, what it's supposed to be for your community and show up and serve in a way that is good for your soul and good for your life,

but is also adding value to others. Because I think when we show up authentically in that way, and not just authentically for us, but authentically for our communities, us, but authentically for our communities, we connect more. And blogging is about connection, truly. I mean, I think where else in life do we get to be surrounded by a group of people who have similar thoughts and beliefs and can champion for one another? That's what I love about creating a community. Because you're niched down too like motherhood and wellness. Jennifer's niched down to like slow cooking. I'm niched down to wellness with a focus on gluten-free. So like a lot of people in my community have a reason that they're gluten-free. A lot of people in your community are busy moms trying to find wellness in that space. And so I think that when we can connect with those people, it helps to remind us why we're

doing what we're doing, making that those 15 minutes that you have away, you know, from your family or your kids or whatever to focus on this. It makes it worthwhile because when you sit down, you're like, I'm going to help people. And blogging is so much about helping people. So, yeah, it feels very much like, you know, when I was a nurse at the bedside in the sense that I was always, you know, being like their champion and breaking down the information and trying to get them out the door with what to the best of their abilities. And we all had, you know, different have different abilities and perspectives and barriers and everything. And so you really have to break down the information to where they can understand it and, you know, try to empower them to do that. And I just I see that in blogging. I can sit down on my computer. I'm going to break down this information. It's a recipe, but it's still

important and people still, you know, need to understand. And, and that's the cool part. And so I really feel like this is, you know, kind of that same thing again of using education. And that's what I love most about it, I think. So it's kind of like no matter what your goal is with your blog, whether it's just to share information or whether it's to make money, whether it's to have some kind of fulfillment, ultimately at the end of the day, one of the most important things is making this connection with the people that you're talking to. And do you get much feedback? Do you look to social media? Do you look to like

blog comments? Do people email you? Like, how do you know, or get inspired in terms of like, what kind of content to create? Or, you know, is it just people in your real life that you're basing this off of? Yeah, I think real life is probably like the number one. And I mean, you know, and I have to be honest, I'm, you know, just starting out kind of in that first six months, almost seven of actually doing this kind of the way I dreamed of and kind of doing the way I feel like you guys kind of taught us to set us up for success and reach the most people we can. But so I don't have like a ton of engagement, but that's okay. And I think my, you know, I plan my content and stuff just kind of around, you know, it started out more like kind of what I wanted to do because this did start out more of my priorities

for more like a hobby on the side. I want, you know, this to, you know, be really fun to do and all that. And then I can kind of sense that evolving a little bit because while that is important, will always be a priority for me. I also want to, like I just said, kind of create it more of like where it can be that education piece where I can help those people when they're like looking for that information. I know I have the ability to break down the information and hopefully encourage and inspire. So much like the nursing side of it, I can, you know, produce the content that they can really

use. So it's so fun. There's so many different opportunities. And again, I'm just like starting to understand that not every content creator just makes up the stuff they're writing about. And you kind of just go and look and see what's going on in like the life of like friends or some of the comments. Definitely. I'll give the example of, I know when I had made a recipe, there was some discussion about like silicone bakeware and I love silicone bakeware.

Like I would not be in the kitchen without it. And so people had questions and I was receiving a lot of DMs would not be in the kitchen without it. And so people had questions and I was receiving a lot of DMS just based off of that and my recommendation. So I was like, I'm going to make a post. Here's kind of like this, you know, the tips and tricks of using silicone and why I swear every mom has to have it. So that was, you know, a lot of fun too. And kind of get feedback off that. So. Yeah, I think that's really how it snowballs. You know, you, you get one question or you get multiple questions and then you realize what people want to know about. So at first, you might just be throwing out some different ideas. But then as that starts to come together, whether

it's people that you know in real life or people that comment on your blog or people that send you a message, you start to pull together what their questions are and you can put it together in a way that relates so that you can share more and more content that's valuable. I know one of the things that a lot of new bloggers are concerned about is like, am I going to run out of things to write about? And I think it's hard to explain that, no, that's probably not going to happen. You're going to keep coming up with ideas because of all of this and how it all works together. So do you still feel like you're inspired and able to come up with ideas? And do you ever fear that that's going to dry up someday? No, I mean, in some ways, I almost wish I like would kind of get to that point. My brain is just always like

swirling around and I, I'm just like, oh, I want to write about that. And oh no, I'm going to do that. And I do think there is value to kind of slowing down a little bit and being more intentional about it. And that will probably be part of my game plan going forward. But I also kind of had to take some of the stress off of, I know I've talked to you guys before about like niching down and feeling like maybe I'm kind of all over the place because I do want to talk about it all, but I think it all comes back to what I am talking about. And you guys have encouraged me to kind of like always, you know, realize that and kind of tie it back together. But I don't know, you know, I think this first year to maybe, I don't know, two years,

just kind of running out of the gate, having fun, using this time, especially because my time is limited to write about different things, you know, and how it relates back to well and how it will help you find joy and stuff. Because I have this opportunity right now and I can kind of see what does well or what is, you know, serving people well. And so I kind of had to take that like stress off of thinking like, you know, when you get on social media, it's like, what is your niche? Or like, who are you serving?

And all these things and reels and all this stuff. But like on my blog, I'm just going to right now kind of just do what I think is helpful and what is fun and see what does well. I'm gaining experience. So it's all, you know, I think time well used and I'm excited to kind of see what does come out of this because I've also seen that through working with other people in the community is people do, can do all different things. It's inspiring. And maybe they didn't always know that they were going to start a business of baking. There were other things that come out of this. So I think it's just buckling up, doing this, enjoying it, and taking some of the stress out of it and just enjoying that and let the journey do the walking too. I think that's funny because if you'd have asked in like 2016, if I was going to help people start

websites, I would have been like, what? Like, I know nothing about that, but it was a dream planted in Jennifer's heart to do this, that then us together, we're able to like make that a reality. So you never know what connections are lying just ahead of you and what it can bring in your life. I think it's added so much joy to my life. Take the money out of it. Take all of that out of it. When you really look at what blogging has given you, I think there's so much to be thankful for. The people, the connections, the community, I love that piece of it. It's my favorite part of it is just connecting. And I think, you know, always having our hands open and willing and waiting for the next thing that we're supposed to show up for and being open to being like, well, I didn't think I was

going to do that, but maybe that's a fun opportunity, you know? And I think that's what keeps it exciting and fun as well. Absolutely. I've often been like, is this really what I'm doing? Like, am I supposed to be like a blogger? Like, I mean, that's awesome because I've seen the potential and the, you know, power and just, you know, the influence they can have in such a great way. But sometimes I've always been like, there's like, what is the skill set building? What is this, you know, like what is going to come out of this?

And I think that's where I've just kind of, I sit right now and I'm excited to see, because is it really because I'm going to be a blogger or there's going to be another door that opens? Or again, I went into nursing thinking I'm only going to nurse so I can work one year in the ICU. And then I'm going back to school and I'm doing this. And I never had that opportunity because too many doors opened. Too many people touched my life. Too many people told me to do something. And I tried something and I ended up going in and I had no desire at that time to go back to school because there were just so many options with what was in front of me. So I think blogging is going to be a lot like that. And yeah, I'm excited just to write it out and see what comes out of it.

Well, thanks for letting us be part of your story and for staying connected to us. We love having you in the membership, in the community, and constantly connecting with you and seeing where you're at and allowing us into your journey. It's been a blessing to know you and to be part of it. So thank you. Thank you very much. Wow. Thank you. Yeah.

Okay. People are going to want to connect with you. So if you will tell them, Brittany, where they can find you and how they can connect with you. Yeah, sure. Thank you. My blog is brief and balanced.com. So you can go over there, find me there. And then I am on Instagram also at brief and balanced. So you can connect with me there and yeah, I'd love to have you and answer any questions or hopefully inspire people along the way. Thank you so much, Brittany. Thank you. Thanks so much for tuning in today. If you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us, please find us on Instagram at spark media concepts. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration. You can sign up by finding the

link in the show notes. For those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog, join the waitlist for the ultimate blog bootcamp. The link to join the waitlist is also in the show notes. Go out and make today a great day.