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Welcome to the last Follow Friday (at least for a little while) round-up of bloggers I think everybody should be following!
Today’s post is a little different because I am featuring 3 bloggers, 2 of them who are men! I am so excited about this post and I want to thank every single blogger who has taken the time to share their stories with every one of us! This was such a fun series and I will definitely be doing more of these in the future.
Now let’s go ahead and meet this week’s featured bloggers!
The first blogger I am featuring today is Jo from My Anxious Life.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! I’m Jo. I live in Nottingham, home of Robin Hood, England where I’m currently a stay at home Mum to two sons, 4 and 2, and Nagger-in-Chief to my husband of 8 years. I’m a melting pot of interests and passions from film and photography, to art and history, to literature and food and drink. Just don’t mention sport.
What do you blog about?
I blog with honesty and humour about my life, with a focus on mental health, drawn from my personal experience particularly of anxiety and depression. It’s not all doom and gloom though – the blog is also about exploring self-care, self-improvement and wellness in the ultimate pursuit of happiness.
Why did you start your blog?
As a family, we had an extremely difficult year last year and it changed something inside me. I found the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and start taking risks. I always wanted to write, and I also wanted to help others in the same boat as me – there are a lot of us! So My Anxious Life was born.
What did you hope to achieve when you first started blogging?
When I first started blogging, I wasn’t really aiming for much more than personal catharsis. But the response I had in a very short space of time made me realise that I was doing something special and important. Then all sorts of ambitions began to arise – the task now is to realise them!
Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
I absolutely love Anita at Brazen Mummy Writes. When I started blogging, she was the first to reach out and offer kindness and support – and she hasn’t stopped. She writes both touchingly and hilariously about motherhood, but also about her journey to publishing her very first novel. She’s one smart, talented lady. https://brazenmummywrites.co.uk/
I also want to mention Ami at UnderCover Superhero. She talks about living with Transverse Myelitis, Ataxia and several other health conditions with such strength, humour and positivity; championing disability superheroes and raising awareness of not just her own conditions, but many others in her “The reality of…” guest post series. Quite frankly, she’s an inspiration.
What’s your favorite thing about blogging?
I’ve always loved writing and blogging provides a wonderful outlet for my creativity. It’s also helped me to experiment, explore new experiences and meet so many new friends. I love that blogging has really opened up my world.
What’s a blogging tool you can’t live without?
At the moment, it’s Twitter! I must confess that, not being a seasoned blogger, I’m yet to get to grips with some of the serious professional tools, but regardless of that, I’ve found Twitter to be a great resource. It’s home to a friendly and supportive community that shares tips and tricks, gives feedback and bounce ideas around – not to mention send happy gifs when you’re having a bad day!
What’s a piece of advice you would give someone who is struggling with their blog?
Persevere. I didn’t realise when I started how complex blogging was – I just wanted to write. Everything you need to master can seem overwhelming and it’s easy to get writer’s block on the creative side when all you’re thinking about is cracking SEO and analytics. Focus on what you’re good at, reach out to the many folks who are happy to help for the stuff you’re not so good at and keep going!
What has been your biggest blogging achievement?
Honestly, I know it sounds cheesy, but I think it’s the change in mindset that blogging has helped me to achieve. It’s given me confidence, pride, a voice. In ‘real terms’ achievement, this mindset change led me to pitch – and be accepted – for a piece in a lovely magazine for Mums, that will be published next year.
Aside from blogging, how else do you spend your time?
As a Mum to two young children, I spend a huge majority of my time cuddling, wiping body parts and attempting to eat grown-up snacks in secret. But outside of my Mummy time, I like to watch films (and bore my husband with my very insightful reviews), walk in the forest and cook, eat and eat some more.
Where do you hope to see your blog in 5 years?
I see it as the go-to hub for people who are struggling – a place for comfort, support and hope. A place for those who have advice to share and happiness to spread. A community for everyone through the ups and downs of modern life.
Follow Jo on her blog here and her Twitter here!
Next up, I am going to be introducing you to Ryan who is the blogger behind NOAKES-ISMS!
Tell us a little about yourself.
Born in Essex, lived in Yorkshire and now in Manchester. (Well, Bury). Occasional pop star, selfie taker, LFC supporter, future winner of Masterchef and massive on TripAdvisor.
What do you blog about?
Everything. Honestly, that’s my tagline but it’s true. I wanted to start NOAKES-ISMS for all the little random stuff I think about. There’s nothing I conform to, there isn’t really one category. I mainly write about talking points and my view on these, or, day-to-day life and my observations.
Why did you start your blog?
It’s in my Bio but it’s true, I started it as a platform for my random thoughts. I was walking home one night and I randomly thought of about two or three things, got in, signed-up to WordPress and twenty minutes later here it was.
What did you hope to achieve when you first started blogging?
This sounds really odd, but nothing. I wanted to break the mould for the blogging community and didn’t want to be like everyone else. I did it for me. All I wanted to achieve was to create something that some people might read, my friends or folk on Twitter but a place to keep my brain active and my creative writing to have a home.
Who are some of your favourite bloggers?
You, of course.
But, I guess if you wanted a few other names I’d say (twitter handle) @SH_creativemess, @aneuroticwriter, @thestoryofash6, @MissLauraFell and @laurakatelucas
What’s your favourite thing about blogging?
The people and the support. I mean, of course, I like writing but it’s the people around you that get together and really support/share.
What’s a blogging tool you can’t live without?
I’d have to say WordPress as this is everything. I don’t do what the other bloggers do, I don’t have photo editing apps or any other apps, to be honest.
What’s a piece of advice you would give someone who is struggling with their blog?
Not to worry. I don’t think blogging (unless it’s your business) should be stressful. I don’t think it should make you worry about numbers or stats or engagement. I’d say, just enjoy it.
What has been your biggest blogging achievement?
I haven’t got one.
I honestly haven’t. I have done nothing of interest. Sorry.
Aside from blogging, how else do you spend your time?
Working full time, looking after my puppy Tilly and spending time with my finance. I know that sounds like a dating profile, well, not if you have a fiance, ha, but it’s true. I mean I do have time with friends etc. but don’t really have any other hobbies.
Where do you hope to see your blog in 5 years?
Still here.
Follow Ryan’s blog here and his twitter here!
Last but not least, I am going to introduce you to Stephen from YuleTimes!
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Stephen, I’m 27 and I am the writer behind the YuleTimes blog. I am a first-time parent to Austin who is now 2 years old. My current profession is a nursery practitioner, looking after a large group of screaming children. I must be mad. I am looking for a career change before I end up with a full head of grey hair.
What do you blog about?
I mainly blog about my parenting journey. There are so many different topics to talk about when it comes to parenting. A lot of them quite controversial. I have also written a few posts about relationships, where I pretend I actually know what I’m doing when it comes to dating.
Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog back in 2017, after a very tough period in my life. I used my blog to express the different emotions that I was feeling. I had just lost my dad to cancer, my partner was pregnant and I was in between different jobs. Life was overwhelming and my little blog was somewhere to vent and release my feelings. After my son was born, I just continued to write when I had the time.
What did you hope to achieve when you first started blogging?
My first ambition was just to share my stories. I never expected anyone to actually read my posts. They were very popular to begin with, as it was exciting for my friends and family. The novelty has somewhat died down over the last few years but I continue to enjoy my blog, so I’ll keep going for as long as I can.
Who are some of your favorite bloggers?
There are so many amazing bloggers out there. It would take forever to name them all. Here’s the links to some of my close blogging buddies.https://em-andme.com/ – Laurahttp://www.justanothermanicmummy.co.uk/ – Taylorhttp://thesweetpeax.blogspot.com/ – Lornahttps://jennyinneverland.com/ – Jennyhttps://bringinguptheberneys.wordpress.com/ – Becky
What’s your favourite thing about blogging?
My favourite thing about blogging is easily that amount of friends that I’ve made from the blogging community. I have spoken to so many amazing people who have kept up to date with my blog, and are always so supportive. The parenting community is also a highlight for me. Parents really need to stick together, especially on social media.
What’s a blogging tool you can’t live without?
I have started using YOAST to enhance my SEO and it has been of the best tools I’ve used. I’m now able to write blog posts that are easier to read, and more appealing to Google.
What’s a piece of advice you would give someone who is struggling with their blog?
My advice would be to take a break! Sometimes the words just aren’t flowing and the ideas have dried out. Take some time away from your blog to collect your ideas, and then jump back in when the time is right. Also, if writing your blog isn’t fun anymore, then it’s not worth doing.
What has been your biggest blogging achievement?
I must admit that I haven’t had much success with my blog, mainly because of the lack of dedication I’ve given due to a lack of time. However, my biggest achievement would have to be the amount of time that I have kept my blog up. I never expected to still be writing all these years later.
Aside from blogging, how else do you spend your time?
Parenting and work take up pretty much all of my time. I enjoy catching up on social media and the odd bit of gaming. However, sleep is never far away from my mind when it comes to free time!
Where do you hope to see your blog in 5 years?
I hope to see my blog still going. There are always going to be new challenges when it comes to raising a child, so I’m hoping the ideas don’t ever dry out. I would love to see my blog become successful but with my current lifestyle, it doesn’t seem achievable right now.
Follow Stephen on his blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!
loverosiee says
YESSS I am absolutely loving this series from you! I wish more bloggers devoted posts like this!
Rosie
loverosiee.co.uk
Jenny in Neverland says
I love Stephen’s blog and I’ve read My Anxious Life before too! I’ll definitely be checking out the other one – thank you for these recommendations! x
Hannah Read says
I love Jo’s blog! Really interesting to come across a male parenting blogger, too – the niche is saturated with women so this is very refreshing. Will take a look!
Mariam says
I think so too! When I first checked his blog out I was very pleasantly surprised! It’s definitely worth checking out. 😊
Bethany Jane says
I love that you’ve included some male bloggers, as I think they can quite often be overlooked! It’s also so refreshing to see three people who love blogging for the community it builds and the actual platform it gives you, rather than worrying about numbers or opportunities. I’ve fallen out of love with blogging recently but attitudes like this have reminded me of the best parts of it, and have me ready to dive back in! So thank you for sharing.