VICKI PSARIAS www.honestmum.com I was a TV Director and Filmmaker on maternity leave when I set up my blog, Honest Mum. At the time I felt pretty lost and alone as I was struggling from a traumatic birth. I never expected blogging to become my new career but as technology grew and I realised I was earning more from my blog than my day-job, and in a flexible way that worked around my family, I pivoted to full-time blogging. I’ve not looked back since! My blog was an emotional lifeline for me back in 2010: it gave me purpose and a creative space to call my own, and later, a new career that was brimming with life-changing opportunities. I love how democratic and empowering blogging and vlogging is. I think everyone’s blog differs from each other as it’s the voice that’s unique. No blog is the same. I have created a magazine style format with personal pieces but also interviews, guest posts from other creatives and I cover various genres from food to fashion and the arts. It’s certainy a juggle, but I own my schedule which helps and whilst it’s a full time job, it works around my kids. I love that I feel stimulated every single day and no day is ever the same. The downsides have been a relatively small amount of trolling and I had to deal with libel a few months back but I’m such a positive person, I get right back up again and fearlessly keep putting my art out into the world. I can’t wait to share my book Mumboss with others (it’s out on May 3rd), hopefully inspiring many budding mumbosses out there. TOP TIP Write consistently, work hard at overcoming self-doubt by surrounding yourself with positive people who want the best for you and lift you up but most of all always think of your reader and how you can help others. Let those results keep your confidence up.
DONNA WISHART www.whattheredheadsaid.com I started blogging in 2012 when we started weaning our first child. We did baby led weaning and at the time there wasn’t much information around about it so I thought it might be interesting to write about and helpful for other new parents to read. At the time I was on maternity leave from my job as a Bank Manager and when I went back to work, blogging and banking ran side by side for me until the end of 2016 when I gave up my job at the bank to blog full time. My blog has grown so much from when it started that it’s now about busy family life. It follows our adventures, days out and travels as well as insights into the more ordinary moments of our lives too. I hope that it inspires other families to go on a day out or see the adventure in the everyday moments too. Now that the blog is my job and both children are at school I find juggling everything so much easier than when one child was at nursery or when I had a day job too. Plus, up until six months ago my husband worked shifts too! I still have to be really strict with time though and be super organised to make everything work. Before I started my blog we didn’t have the money to go on big days out or travel around the UK. The blog has opened up so many opportunities for us as a family and the children have already seen so much of the country, stayed in so many hotels and been to so many places. Being able to share this life with my family is amazing and a definite perk of the job.
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BLOG An insight into the secrets and lives of ten of the internet’s most successful parenting bloggers 30
Mums Magazine Spring 2018
www.mums-magazine.co.uk