With a blog named GrrFeisty, you can expect a little bit of sass from Roxy, the brains behind this top lifestyle blog! Her feistiness is just one reason we love her. Roxy’s attention to detail, candor, storytelling talent and her love of her family are a few others – and that’s why she’s our Spotlight Blogger this March! Take a look at our Q&A with Roxy for her thoughts on influencer marketing, social media and more.
Tell us why you blog.
I blog because I am obsessed with documenting, from the day-to-day stuff to important events. Since becoming a mother, I am even more obsessed with keeping track of my (now) 16-month-old daughter’s life. I love sharing our adventures with readers, as well as recommending great products and making a business from that sharing at times.
What content do you feel your readers find most valuable?
My motherhood-related posts have been the most popular. A lot of my readers can relate to my posts, and share their own struggles and successes with me. I’ve received a lot of great advice, but a lot of mom-shaming has occurred as well. Surprisingly, both situations have made me a stronger person.
Where do you see the most engagement with your content?
The most engagement seems to come when discussing challenges I’ve faced as a new mom. Some women are dealing with similar situations, while others have overcome these and share their thoughts and ideas. My parenting struggles are often shared within life updates, which I think people like because it isn’t all mom-related. I talk about books I’ve read, what I am working on (these days, that’s usually homework for grad school!), what I’m wearing, etc. I used to do a lot more fashion posts, so it’s fun to throw those in, as well. I’ve had to rediscover my style in this new body. 🙂
What’s the #1 question you’re asked by your readers, and what’s your answer?
Usually readers will ask me how I find the time to do anything. I’m a new mom, I started working full-time again (after being away for almost three years) in a new position in education with a new age group, and I go to grad school and blog, too. I mean, sometimes I wonder how I find the time, too! “Late nights” is my answer. I want to be around for Lila Sophia (my daughter) as much as possible, which means that I can’t do much after work until she goes to sleep.
What’s your favorite question you’re asked by your brands, and what’s your answer?
My favorite question is something along the lines of: “Will you work with us again?” I love repeat work with brands that I believe in – it’s extremely flattering! Building those relationships is really important.
2018 is the year of: _________
Rediscovering myself. There have been so many life changes within the last two years. Pregnancy, motherhood, natural disasters putting us out of our home (hello, Harvey), graduate school, career changes – I could keep going. My health has taken a toll and I feel like 2018 needs to snap me back into reality. I’ve slowly been replacing my pre-baby wardrobe, and now it’s time to work on my health: what goes in my body versus what goes on my body. I love that I can share my concerns to my readers and receive wonderful support and advice.
What are brands doing right when working with bloggers?
Paying them. I know it sounds blunt, but blogging is so much work! I feel like some readers think of bloggers as doing things for the product, or the paycheck, but when the brand and blogger are a good match, we will easily spend 4-5 hours taking photographs on multiple days, editing the photographs, creating the content, editing the content, and then creating and editing the social media content, and more. When a brand recognizes the work, it’s really a sigh of relief. Hold onto that relationship.
Favorite program you’ve done with The Motherhood?
My favorite program was the collaboration with Christian Brothers Automotive. It was something different for me, but I was definitely interested in learning about taking care of my car. It’s relatively new, and I am usually not the only passenger anymore. 🙂 The collaboration was a unique experience for me and I was able to add just the right touches to make it work for me and my readership. It’s okay to try something new when you are interested in learning!
Who is your mentor?
My friend Maria (Little Tree) in New Jersey, who is about to be a mom! We are constantly texting each other about blogging, campaigns, and now motherhood. Her friendship has been extra special because we met online and then finally connected at a blogger conference. Since then we’ve only built up our friendship. Hopefully we can have a baby play date soon!
How do you organize your day?
I am constantly scanning through my planner and jotting down notes and making schedules. All of my blogger and school deadlines are coded with stickers! If I have a particularly hectic few days, I will write out an hourly plan for that particular day (or days). I also email myself multiple to-do lists throughout the day and jot down quick notes on my hand. Ha!
My priority is my daughter, so I make sure and wake up early enough to have meaningful time before we go our separate ways. (I’m an elementary school librarian by day.) After work, I have more family time (with sprinkles of social media) until the little lady’s bedtime, then comes homework, blogging, and hopefully, some reading.
You can follow along on Roxy’s adventures on Instagram or Facebook!
More about The Motherhood’s Spotlight Blogger Series
Each month, our internal team convenes and discusses our latest programs, stellar partnerships and top influencers. It’s not about numbers, but rather, the quality, authentic content they’re delivering consistently. It’s about reliability, professionalism and partnership. We discuss our nominations for the month and ultimately decide on just one blogger to feature. Take a look at our other featured influencers here.
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