Blog Post One

Photo by: Dan Quinones. Catalina Island, 2019

The time has come, my friends — a BLOG!

I could cry and shout from the rooftops. However, I’ve learned that shouting from the rooftops isn’t necessarily at the top of the to-do list.

Let me take you back to the year 2015. I was a business student at Sonoma State University. I was probably supposed to be working on accounting or history homework, but instead, I was deep in the web — admiring all the bakers who blog. I was doodling names for my blog, creating Google Docs and Sheets with a business plan, recipe ideas, and lists of topics I’d write about.

But “reality” always pulled me back to school (which I loved) and the familiar voice that said:
You need to get a job with benefits. A 401K. PTO.
So it stayed on the back burner.

Fast forward to 2016–2017. I graduated in Spring 2016 — what an accomplishment that was! I landed an amazing job at a stunning new winery in Healdsburg and had a 10-year plan in place (which I did stick to… more on that later).

This was during the big wave of influencers and perfectly curated pictures. My friends and I would go to cute places, take photos of our drinks, outfits, and each other. At the time, those photos rarely made it beyond a quick Instagram story — let alone a permanent post or blog. Most of them stayed tucked away in my phone.

Lately, I’ve looked back at those photos, and they bring back the sweetest memories — from the outfit I thought was so cute to remembering how I thought about lighting, framing, and the space around me. I kick myself now, because I’ve wanted to do this for so long. And I can’t help but think about where I’d be now if I had started then.

But I like to believe everything happens for a reason, and this timeline has unfolded just as it should.

Now let’s jump to 2019–2020. More cute photos, still sitting in my phone.
Then came 2023 — and I wanted it.
I had just returned to work after maternity leave, to a job I thought I would never leave because I loved it. But things change after having a baby.

I wanted to do what the other girls online were doing.
I wanted to be an influencer.
But I was afraid.

Afraid of what people would think.
Afraid of giving up a steady paycheck, 401K, PTO, and all the comforts.
So I stayed on the consumer side of the screen, admiring from afar.

Winter of 2023, I quit that job to be a stay-at-home mom and wife to my serial entrepreneur of a husband. I decided that if I was going to work, it was going to be for us.

I took over my husband’s business Instagram, enrolled in a marketing class from industry expert Audra Tavelli (shout out to her!), and a few months later, I gave him back the reins and said:

IT’S TIME. I’M DOING THE DAMN THING. I’M GOING TO BE AN INFLUENCER.

I wasn’t going to let another year pass by wondering what if.
This was October 2024, and that was nine months ago.

I really dove in. I announced to the world that I was doing it (and told everyone to follow me on TikTok — LOL). I’m a millennial, and that TikTok world is... a whole different world. I just can’t. So that didn’t happen — but I stayed fairly consistent on Instagram.

I applied to Amazon, ShopMy, and LTK, and I got in (!!). I took all the courses they offered. I joined Good Influence(r) and devoured everything there. I studied other accounts like I was back in school.

Naturally, I go in and out of creative ruts. I get bursts of energy, and I’m learning to ride the waves, balance it out, and give myself grace.

There’s so much more to this story — from personal experiences and health recoveries to business breakups and more. But for now, I figured it was time to get the juice flowing and put pen to paper (so to speak).

So here’s to my first blog post.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for being here.
I’m an open book and look forward to my next rant.
Sharing my story in hopes it gives you, or someone like you, the courage to finally do that thing you’ve been dreaming about.

I’ve started and ended a handful of things in the past decade. But I’m proud of myself for still trying.

“Do something, even if it’s wrong.” – Stan Edgar, my dad