Next up on my blogger feature is Courtney from Fry Sauce and Grits. The cute name of her blog originally caught my eye as I was browsing through the Altitude Summit Facebook group a few months ago, and I had the privilege of meeting and getting to know this beautiful woman while I was at the conference. She is a woman of many talents and she and her sisters share anything from how to find the best bra (she is a professional bra fitter), to delicious recipes and decor ideas.
Why did you start your blog?
Back in 2012, I just had my first baby and quit my full time job to be a stay at home mom. I loved being home with my little darling but soon the “honeymoon” of it was over and I realized I wasn’t feeling 100% fulfilled just being a mom. I needed something creative to do. I wanted to keep learning and keep my skills sharp even though I wasn’t working. My two sisters Caitlin and Melanie and I are very close and it was hard not living close to each other. We thought it would be fun to start a blog as a way to stay in touch and to share our passions with others. We created Fry Sauce & Grits in 2013 as a way to share our passions and to inspire others. The name Fry Sauce & Grits means we live in two very different places (Utah and Alabama) and stay connected to each other by blogging. Our mission at Fry Sauce & Grits is to inspire others to live a more creative and beautiful life by teaching, featuring, and discussing things that are important to us: beauty, fashion, bras, diy, interior design, creating, womanhood, food, and what we’re obsessing over at that moment. Our blog is a reflection of how different the three of us are and how our passions are also very eclectic. I love educating women on how bras should and shouldn’t fit (I’m a certified bra fit specialist), spaces I’m remodeling in my home, healthy and delicious recipes, beauty and fashion, and things that inspire me.
What keeps you motivated?
Before I had my daughter I worked in the medical marketing/PR field for several years. I was grateful I had a great job but was tired of not feeling passionate about what I was doing. I was spending most of my time at a job and career I didn’t love. The thought of putting my daughter in daycare to work at a job I didn’t like made me physically sick. I promised myself when I made the hard decision at the time to quit my job to stay home that I would never work at a job or spend time on stuff that didn’t make me happy, inspire me, motivate me, or I didn’t feel passionate about. This is what motivates me and keeps me going.
I love blogging and it brings me a lot of happiness, but it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done other than being a wife and mother. It’s a lot of hard work and you have to put yourself out there. I’ve realized for me blogging and the success of my blog doesn’t define me or who I am as a person. I’ve had many moments where I’ve put my blog before my family and that learned the hard way that having imbalance in your life doesn’t work. Sometimes I’m on the ball and I have four posts up in a week, some weeks are busy and I don’t post at all. My family comes first before anything else, so I’ve had to realize for me to truly inspire others, to be happy and feel sane I sometimes have to take breaks, access my priorities, and ask myself, “why am I doing this?” and “does this make me happy?” Having this foundation has helped me to really stay focus and motivated when times get tough.
What is your favorite quote, and why?
That is a hard one because I feel like there’s so many. But here’s one that I really try to remind myself daily. “Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.” Like I said, I struggled for a long time to find balance between blogging, starting my bra fitting business, cook healthy meals for my family, have a clean house, and do my daily duties as a wife and mother. For a time I was neglecting the most important things in my life because I wanted to grow my blog and business. I find that when I put me and my family’s needs first and then my blog and business, things work out better and I’m less stressed. It’s extremely hard to grow anything when there’s contention in the home.
What is one piece of advice you wish you could give to your past self back when you started your blog?
I have several pieces of advice:
-Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers and other people’s successes, this will destroy you and make you feel crappy. I know this from personal experience.
-Realize that not everyone is going to love your blog, your posts, and some might have something negative to say. Don’t care what others think.
-Be yourself, do what you love, and what you’re good at.
-Remember you’re not defined by the success of my blog. You have so much to give and so many other things that are more important that define who you are as a person.
-Because nice matters.
-Karma is real in the blogging world. What goes around comes around.
-Be generous with your time, money, and words.
Thank you for the valuable advice, Courtney!
Such a great interview! I can't wait to check out this blog!
Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com