Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Lauren.
Kelsey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was 18 and waiting tables in Royal Oak Michigan when I got scouted to be a model. I moved to NYC a month later. The fashion industry never seemed attainable to me, but all it took was one person to look at me in different eyes. I was thrown into the fashion industry as soon as I touched down at Laguardia airport and it took some getting used to. Sure I read cosmopolitan, but I never thought I’d be in one.
As time went on, and my success continued to build, I started to travel. I traveled to London, Paris, and Mexico all because of my job. I fell in love with the street style and fashion itself in all of these places. After years of modeling, I moved up to Boston to raise a family with my boyfriend Garrett (of the band G.love and Special Sauce). I continued to model but was feeling that I was meant to do more. I started to think about our non-stop traveling busy lives, my love for fashion and health and fitness.
And although I still loved all of the same things I did when I lived in NYC, my focus was sharper and more devoted. I starting to create content and build a virtual community of people like myself. I now am a blogger of lifestyle, fashion, travel, motherhood, health and fitness. And as time progresses, I am starting to educate myself more of the above topics so I can continue to write and reach people. It’s my dream job, it just took me a while (and the birth of my son) to figure out how to be a pioneer for exactly the things I’m interested in.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I did not become a blogger overnight. After I had my son, life changed. I am home alone with Lewis quite often, due to Garrett’s tour schedule. I wasn’t sure how to keep my identity as Kelsey, the model from NYC, but also be the best mom I could be. I struggled with what I wanted to do next. I’ve always loved writing, and we already shared our lives with the public, so blogging came to me as an “aha” moment.
There are so many successful women blogging, why not me? Even after I had the idea, I had a lot of self-doubts. What if I don’t know what to write about? Should I be embarrassed how honest I am? Is this a huge commitment? Is it going to take time away from my family? Are people going to like me? It seems silly, but all of those things started to run through my head as I would try to sleep at night.
Not to mention the financial part. I had to figure out how to buy a laptop, design a website, buy a domain name, figure outfits that people haven’t already seen. I took a leap of faith in myself, which I don’t do very often, but I highly recommend to anyone who has a dream.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sweetwilled – what should we know?
Sweetwilled is a blog. It’s also a community. It is for mothers, who don’t want to feel like they are going through the tries of motherhood alone. It’s for the 16-year-old fashionista. It’s for the girl working a 9-5 who wants to be a healthier version of herself. it’s for people seeking ideas. It’s for the family who might not get to travel but enjoys hearing stories. It’s for anyone.
I think what sets sweetwilled apart, is the pure honesty I put into my writing. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything or censor out the hard times. I also didn’t come from a well-off family in upstate New York. I built myself to this point and I hope that’s inspiring to people. I have a voice, and story that I hope people can relate to.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family and friends. My sister Lyndsey, who always comments on the newest blog post. She also edits my writing and encourages me every step of the way. . . Anyone who reads my blog, especially those from the beginning. Ash song and Taylor Greely are a huge help with creating content.
Ash is a really talented photographer and continues to take photos of my ideas, even though she is way overqualified. Taylor is a stylist and has helped me figure out how to create my own style in a way appealing to others. And my son and boyfriend of course for being HUGE motivators and inspiring me for this project. I could write a book just of professions of love for those two.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sweetwilled.com
- Phone: 6165664010
- Email: sweetwilledblog@gmail.com
- Instagram: @sweetwilled
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetwilled/
Image Credit:
Ash Soong
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
