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Get To Know Leslie - Ep 3
67 Plays4 months ago
In this episode, Lauren turns the mic around and interviews Leslie so you can get to know the other half of The Influencer Sisterhood. 🎙️✨
We dive into how Leslie got started on her fashion influencer journey, what inspired her to launch a brand-new Instagram account from zero followers, and what it’s really been like growing that account from the ground up. She shares the good, the hard, and the behind-the-scenes realities of putting yourself out there online — especially in midlife.
We also chat about her personal fashion style, lessons learned along the way (including a few past fashion faux pas 😬), and wrap things up with a fun round of rapid-fire questions so you can get to know Leslie beyond the grid.
To close out the episode, it’s time for our Sister Shoutout, where we share two accounts we’re currently loving:
💛 @thisblondesshoppingbag
💛 @affordable_amy
Whether you’re an aspiring influencer, a content creator figuring it out as you go, or just love honest conversations about style, growth, and showing up online — this episode is for you.
🎧 Tune in and meet Leslie.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Influencer Sisterhood Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Hey, I'm Leslie. Hi, I'm Lauren. And we're the Influencer Sisterhood. Your weekly coffee date for real, unfiltered conversations about life as a midlife influencer.
00:00:17
Speaker
No gatekeeping, no fluff. We're two women at different stages of the journey, sharing the wins, the struggles, and everything in between. This is safe space where all influencers belong.
00:00:29
Speaker
So grab your drink, get comfy, welcome to the sisterhood. Let's dive in to this week's episode.
Meet Leslie: Midlife Influencer Journey
00:00:40
Speaker
Welcome back to the Influencer Sisterhood Podcast. Today's episode is all about getting to know my co-host, Leslie. You hear her every week, but today i get to flip the mic and ask her all the questions so you can hear her journey, her wins, her struggles, and all the fun behind the scenes stuff that you might not know. So let's dive in. Leslie. Hi, Leslie.
00:01:03
Speaker
Hey, I'm excited. It's good for me to be the one getting interviewed instead of asking questions. Tables are turned. Okay, so let's just start from the beginning.
00:01:15
Speaker
How did you first get started sharing on social media? Well, I first got started sharing on social media because I have two other businesses and had to use social media to market those. So in my other job, i am a photographer for high school senior girls that has a social media account.
00:01:36
Speaker
And i am a teacher and coach to other photographers, helping them build their own senior photography business. So that has a social media account. So that those two were my first like, you know, I know how to use social media because of that. But as far as the fashion account, um I mean, I've always loved fashion. Like, honest to God, I love to shop and I love fashion. And i mentioned to a group of photographers a while
00:02:10
Speaker
ago, like years ago, i was in a Marco Polo group with three other photographers. And we're always talking about what our clients wear and like how to educate your clients on what looks good on camera and things of that sort. And I said, you know, i really wish there was more influencers our age because I see a bunch of younger than me influencers, at least at the time, um,
00:02:33
Speaker
there really should be a way to kind of incorporate both what I do as a photographer and fashion into, um you know, into the same account. So I so first started kind of adding in fashion with what seniors should wear to their photo shoots um and then slowly kind of started adding my own things in there. um Funny enough story, one of the other photographers said,
00:02:58
Speaker
from that conversation started um almost immediately when I said, there really should be a way to do it. And she has blown up, so good for her. But that idea arrived out of a Marco Polo that I was sharing my own thoughts of what I wanted to do, but it took me a little bit longer to actually fight the bullet and do it. So Anyway, it really just comes from ah the creative side of me. I do love social media. i love shopping. I love fashion. I love helping women feel good. um you know i love helping my own clients feel good in what they wear, or especially in a photo shoot. So that's kind of how it started.
Monetizing Fashion Influence: Challenges and Joys
00:03:33
Speaker
Was there a moment when you thought, hey, this could actually be more than just posting fashion for fun? I'm not sure I've gotten to that moment yet. Yeah.
00:03:43
Speaker
You had to. I'm teasing. um You know, I definitely can see the potential. um Have I made any money off of it? No. um But I think that would be a ah great indicator that, you know, if I ever start like actually being able to supplement my income from photography, but and that might be a big indicator that this is going somewhere. For now, it is fun. um I mean, I definitely love meeting the people online and, um you know, I've certainly had people reach out and ask me to help them with styling this or styling that, which is super fun for me. i actually had somebody yesterday um who happens to be a photographer, a friend of mine in Texas say that her and her daughter are going to visit Auburn and they wanted me to help them get ready for a game. So that those kinds of things mean that, you people are paying attention and need my help. So that's always nice.
00:04:40
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. i mean, i think you are much farther along than you give yourself credit for. I will say that. You're much more of a fashion content creator than you give yourself credit for. i just, that's, I stand firm with that. um So, but with that, like, what has been one of the biggest changes in your life now that you're starting to influence in the fashion space?
Balancing Careers and Content Creation
00:05:09
Speaker
I just have more to do. yeah lot to do that's what's changed I now have to still go out and photograph seniors I still teach senior photographers and now I also have to make fashion content um so I have to make time in my day i mean luckily I'm an empty nester so I am definitely filling the time um I can't imagine just
00:05:33
Speaker
not like I would, I would miss, I think I'd miss my kids more. Not that I don't miss them, but like, I think um not filling my time with all of these things that I do um would have me a little bit more like sad that I'm, you know, without my kids or whatever. um So I think that's changed. i mean, you know, it's certainly given me more to fill my day. um You know, busy as ever. you know, people joke and say that I'm the Energizer Bunny because I literally wake up at seven and hit the ground running and then go to sleep at nine and like hit the bed just so that's changed. I mean, not that I wasn't always the Energizer Bunny, but just like now I have even more I have to do during the day because I also have to find time to film and find time to shop and find cute things and all the things. So that's definitely changed.
00:06:23
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. i think I might know. i don't know. don't know if I know the answer with this. So I'm going to ask it anyway. So what would you say is maybe your favorite part of being an
Handling Trolls and Negative Comments
00:06:34
Speaker
influencer?
00:06:34
Speaker
I mean, I think this is probably what everybody says, but like the new community, because i have a photography community and, you know, meet all kinds of people online, also in person, because I do retreats and stuff. um And that's a great community. And this has now opened up a whole nother community um of people. I think it's always great to surround yourself with people that have similar interest in you. And while I'm friends with photographers, they're not necessarily all interested in fashion. so to have another community that's very interested in you know, in the same thing that that side of me is very interested in, I think is, is super cool. um So I really do love that part, but I mean, you know, selfishly, I love to shop. up So that's always fun.
00:07:22
Speaker
Well, it gives you an excuse for sure. Absolutely. Not that you need one, but. Exactly. Okay. So if that's your favorite part, what would be your maybe least favorite part or the hardest part? if if you know I mean, i kind of think I might know. but Well, if you asked me a week and a half ago, i would have said a different answer. But considering the fact that I got a lot of trolls on a post within the last three days, I would say that's the least favorite part, like people being mean. There are so many people that are nice, but
00:07:54
Speaker
God, those mean people will cut you down. Like they just are so awful. um And, you know, it hasn't happened to me a lot, but when it has happened, it just sucks.
00:08:08
Speaker
Oh my God, it sucks. So that's the least favorite part. Yeah. And I think, i mean, that makes perfect sense. And I think those of us in the space do know that. And it like, you just... You don't expect it to cut as deep as it does sometimes. And you're like, whoa, where'd this come from? I wasn't expected to be sidelined, you know, it and put it in a loop.
00:08:28
Speaker
Oh my gosh. I mean, that's what's so funny is I do post very similar to the one that has gotten the comments. Every week I get on there almost every week and say, what should wear to game day?
00:08:41
Speaker
Right. So it never occurred to me that what should I wear to a cocktail party would warrant such hateful comments. So when I was filming it, I was just like, yeah, OK, y'all help me figure out what to wear. And oh, my God. Oh, my God. It's just the the part where they.
00:08:58
Speaker
like question my motherhood because of a dress I chose to wear, like that is just uncalled for. i mean, they don't know me from Adam. So, and frankly, if I wanted to show up with my boobs and my ass hanging out, like I could do it. Like I, I am allowed to do that. I would never but I am allowed to do it. I mean, who's stopping me?
00:09:21
Speaker
Right. It was something about, i think what triggered people, not that it should, was that you didn't say, what should I wear at to our cocktail party? It's what should I wear to a parent's cocktail party at the university? And they're in the same fraternity. So like it put it into this category for you. You got put into this category of moms of boys in college.
00:09:42
Speaker
Boom. That's that triggered these people into what they believed that should mean. And so, know, cause it wasn't just a, what should I wear to a cocktail party? Even though it basically was that it was those other couple of words that I think brought out crazy town.
00:10:01
Speaker
Yeah, it was nuts. They're crazy. And I mean, the thing is, is like I say, if I were like showing up to a parent's cocktail in a string bikini, sure. Sure. Make comments all you want to, even though you shouldn't, but you you know you'd have ah at least a little more reason to make a comment. This was a very tasteful, little off the shoulder, but I didn't realize shoulders weren't allowed, dress. And it was almost to my knees. It was not. And I'm short.
00:10:28
Speaker
Like... Anyway, I can go off on a tangent. I know. When people would say you need to wear something shorter, I was like, I mean, you shouldn't wear something that short. And I'm thinking, she's short. Like, I get it when people say that to me because I'm tall. But like, what?
00:10:43
Speaker
i mean, this this this dress was not even an inch above my knee. Right. Oh, no. I know i mean, it was a it it was appropriate. It was absolutely appropriate for the the occasion. It was you. It was beautiful.
00:10:56
Speaker
these were just crazy people, you know? And, and, yeah and so, I mean, i you know, i think, um, it's, it's a, it's definitely a part of the business and that kind of was part of, um, I think people know that that exists,
00:11:11
Speaker
But until it actually happens to you, it's like next level, you know, um and especially when they get personal with parenting, like they take it to a whole other level. But
Avoiding Comparisons and Embracing Authenticity
00:11:21
Speaker
so yeah i would say that, like, you know, how do you handle negativity when it pops up? But like. Let me give it a little bit of a different spin, like comparison, because I know that that's definitely a part of this, right? Like when we're in this space, right, what is, what is, it can be difficult to not compare ourselves, especially if our journey hasn't gone the way we thought it would or the way it did for other people we know. And you've mentioned you have, um,
00:11:51
Speaker
friends from before in your life who have made the switch um from the photography world into the fashion influencing world seemingly seamlessly. um So how do you handle that? How do you handle the comparison? Oh, my gosh. Well, I mean, luckily, I came into this with the photography industry as my first, you know, first chance into or first you know bit into social media and photographers compare themselves all the time.
00:12:21
Speaker
You know, I wish my work looked like hers or, um you know, she seems to get more clients than me. um So I kind of had a little bit of knowledge going into it that, number one you're never comparing apples to apples because what you see is not the full story.
00:12:38
Speaker
So I think that helps just because, again, I've been through this before. What a photo, you know, when a photographer online looks like she's booking a thousand clients, truth be told, she's probably giving away 500 free sessions. Like, honest to God, like it just is what it is, right? So, you know, I try to remind myself that I don't know the full story. So the highlight reel I see is not the struggles. Maybe they got negative comments and deleted them. Maybe they had a post that just didn't go the way they wanted to and deleted it. And I never saw it.
00:13:14
Speaker
So you you definitely have to I mean, A, you shouldn't compare yourself, but we're also human and we do it. So we know that's a thing, right? But B, if you catch yourself comparing yourself to someone else, remind yourself that you don't know the whole story.
00:13:30
Speaker
You are only seeing the good. Very rarely are you seeing, you know, the the crying when they got a negative comment or, you know, the wishing they had made more money with a brand deal or, Um, or, you know, putting a reel out there that got two views instead of the one that got, know, a thousand views or whatever, like you just don't see that. So, um, and I mean, you know, logically we all know that no one can be us, right? Like we know that, right. Um, but I do think you have to remind yourself because you can very easily, um start comparing yourself and you just have to really talk yourself ah through it and just say, I'm I'm not her. I'm you know good for her, but I'm not her and I don't need to be her or do what she's doing.
00:14:19
Speaker
Right. That's that's true. and i But I do think a lot of people maybe know that or have heard about trolls or comparisons, comparing ourselves. But outside of that, like what is something that you think now that you have gotten into it and been into it, that people don't realize about this industry.
Behind the Scenes of Fashion Influencing
00:14:41
Speaker
That's not talking about it. Oh gosh, sheer amount of stuff. i mean, you said this, I think maybe. Oh my God, I had no idea. I really had no idea. ah Well, first of all, I actually had no idea how much actual work it is.
00:14:54
Speaker
Like it looks fun and you know you're already interested in fashion. You already like shopping like I do. Then it's like, oh, well, I'll just share this that and the other. But there's a lot more work into it because- First of all, you have to have stuff to share. It has to be linkable. OK, and not everything I like is linkable. So there I'm already at a little bit of a I got to you know create more work for myself because I got find something that I like to share that is linkable. um So the work part of it where it looks like just fun, I'm showing a cute outfit. There is, you know, it's time consuming. There's the editing.
00:15:34
Speaker
um there's the purchasing, there's the making sure that you've got everything planned out. So you always stay ahead of you know, making sure you have something to share, right? So i I think I know i did not realize how much work and by work, I'm not saying that negatively. I'm just saying with anything, if you want to do it well, there's more work involved than what it looks like when it's just the final product. Again, it's just not the full story, right? So yeah, I guess the the amount of work that it is and just the sheer volume of stuff you have to have in order to make it work. Well, absolutely. So that kind of piggybacks a little bit on, you know, what do you wish you had known when you first, before you actually got started? um Would that be it? Or is there anything else you think you wish you had known? think that for sure. But also when I first started, i didn't realize that it was... allowed. I don't know if it is allowed or done that so many influencers return stuff.
00:16:37
Speaker
Oh, yeah. like I just didn't know. I thought everybody was just buying all this stuff and sharing it. um And nobody really told me when I asked some questions in DMs. Oh, yeah, you can return stuff or you can go to a try on in a store where you don't actually have to buy it or you can make a collage. So you don't actually have to buy it. Like, I just didn't know that that piece of it existed. I mean, I quickly learned because my gosh, you're running out money real quick, but I didn't know that. So I would say, yeah, I would say, um and also just, you know, not knowing, um i still don't quite know how brand deals work. I mean, I've had a few here and there, but like, That's a huge piece of it that I myself have not done enough of to learn. So that's a piece I still don't know. Yeah.
00:17:25
Speaker
So sort of like, i mean, I guess this kind of, I was going to ask another question, but since you brought up about brand collabs, do you have a dream collab, dream brand collab? Like you would just be like, oh my God, that's the best thing. ah That's like my life is made.
00:17:40
Speaker
Is there one? Okay. Yeah, there is. But I don't know that this particular place gives brand deals because it's not a brand. It's an online store. um So ShopBop, I would do anything for. I've cut my left arm off. I mean, like literally, i would I would do anything for them. But I don't think they give brand deals. So I wonder if it needs to be more of like a brand that ShopBop sells. mean, Hunter Bell, if you're listening, I will...
00:18:09
Speaker
highly recommend your stuff. ah So Hunter Bell be awesome. um I mean, I love Rag and Bone. i mean, gosh, there's so many, so many. But Hunter Bell comes to mind. I mean, I'd be happy with anthropology. Frankly, I'd be happy with anything just because I haven't gotten anything. So I'm sad.
00:18:27
Speaker
Well, you have gotten a few things. It's just not, it's not those. And, um, but you know, ShopBop, it wouldn't surprise me. So if you are listening, ShopBop, I would think that they might have some collaborations where they would want to, um promote the fact that they are a shopping platform, a shopping app. I mean, absolutely.
00:18:49
Speaker
Yeah. So I mean, I think that yeah that's, that would be, had that would make me happy. I'd love to go to an event. Like, yeah, that'd be fantastic too. Yeah. Like, come on, on we'll get have a pop up somewhere in South Carolina for ShopBop.
00:19:03
Speaker
So when I went to New York back in December, I was walking just down the streets and, you know, ShopBop is online. So, but there was a window for ShopBop. And I went, I like literally s stopped in my tracks and I was like, oh my God, I have to go in. And then I realized there was just a display window. it wasn't an actual window of a ShopBop store, but anyway.
00:19:26
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yep. dad Yeah. um That's funny. um Okay. So... I'm going to back up just a little bit. And, you know, you talked about what you wish you had known before um and the amount of work and and that, you know, it's okay to return that kind of stuff. But what would you say if you had to just come up with one thing, maybe to share with somebody who's just starting out or thinking about starting out, if they're listening, what would be something that you would say, this would be absolutely, I would want you to know this? Okay. Well, there's so many things I think people would need to know. i think, so I'm kind of telling myself this back in the day, like I wish i had listened to, you probably told me this and I didn't listen, but the whole, like, you don't have to chase the viral thing. Like the more you try to go viral, the more you're not going to go viral. And for someone that's impatient like me, I wanted the big thing to happen instead of the slow, steady growth. Right. Um,
00:20:29
Speaker
So I would say, number one don't go into it thinking I've got to go viral in order to make it. Go into it thinking I want to share things. i have fun sharing them and be consistent with that. Yeah.
00:20:47
Speaker
Because i used to fight the system. I mean, you know what I Lawrence told me a million times, just post, just post, just post. But that's not really what you want to hear. um But when I did just start posting and stop trying to go viral, if you will, i think that helped me. um i also think being organized from the get go is probably a really good thing, which I'm not always organized, but I think that would be a really good thing. um And I also think what Lauren said in her interview, if you're treating it like a business, if that's what you want it to be. Like if you're just having fun with it, that's fine. It's totally fine to just have fun with it.
The Power of a Supportive Community
00:21:22
Speaker
But if you do eventually want to turn it into a business or even have an inkling of that, I think that's a good thing to just set up from the start so you don't have to play catch up when it does become a business. Yeah, absolutely. Without a doubt. um But I think, you know, it's funny because...
00:21:39
Speaker
you really only had me, which brings me to my next question, but I'm going to wait on it for a second. But really, you had me saying these things that you did not want to hear and and you just absolutely did not want to hear them. And I don't know at what point, i mean, I could probably look back, but it was like, I don't know at what point you finally were like, okay, I give in. I'm just going because i don't know. i mean, I think you probably, did you have a moment where you were like, I'm going to just give in or did it just, did you find yourself all of a sudden doing it because what you were doing wasn't working, but you then thought back and were like,
00:22:14
Speaker
Oh, I'm doing what she said i was supposed to be doing. You know, I don't know that there was a conscious moment. No. But I think after a while of trying to buck the system, that is the only way to do it. Eventually you either quit or you give in and do what it is somebody told you to do. Right. i mean, obviously it was a shortcut. I think that's what I just kept thinking. I wish there was some formula to follow. And that was the thing that I had to finally get over. There is no formula to follow other than but stuff out there and keep putting stuff out there.
00:22:50
Speaker
But I kept looking for, you know, X plus Y plus z equals whatever. And that just didn't exist. And I mean, you know eventually I just had to come to the relation, the realization that that does not exist. You just have to post. um And when I let that go a little bit, i did, I did find posting, to be honest, a little easier because I wasn't trying to fit this mold of what a post was supposed to be. Yeah, I think it's,
00:23:18
Speaker
Absolutely. When we go into this, you are so correct that there is this desire that it be simplified because this job is hard, but it's not complicated necessarily. It's not complex. It's very simple, right? But it feels like it shouldn't be simple because...
00:23:39
Speaker
If it's simple, then it should be easy. And that's not the same thing. um And, you know, you you definitely have have spoken to that. And I don't want to, I'm going to go to a question, but then I want to go back in a minute um because I want to ask you something else.
00:23:53
Speaker
um But, you know, we had each other, but... we have since begun to build a community, right? I mean, more of a community and the influencer sisterhood community. um it's a It's a little sisterhood now, right? But I mean, it's beginning to grow. It's more than just two.
00:24:12
Speaker
um How do you think having a community or has it made a difference in your journey? Oh my gosh. I would say it definitely makes a difference. And I don't even care if it has anything to do with, no matter what you're doing, like this, photography, whatever,
00:24:28
Speaker
Having people that you can either vent to ask questions to, um you know just having somebody that you know you can go to um that understands what you're doing. Because, you know, it's not like your husband understands what you're doing unless he's also an influencer. It's not like your sister understands what you're doing unless she's also an influencer. I mean, know what I'm saying? um You know, your best friend, if they're not an influencer, they don't fully understand So it is so nice to know that you've got people that you can go to or just people that are, you know, following along. Like, you know i mean? Like even that makes a difference because I know when I first started and I had zero of followers, I'm like, it felt so stupid in my mind to show zero followers an outfit. Like it just was so weird. Like, you know what I mean? Like who cares? Like nobody's following me. But you've got to start so people follow you and so you can you know help people and all that and share with people. um So you have to build your own community of of friends and followers. Right. I don't really love the word follower. I think friends is better. I wish Facebook, the yeah friending someone on Facebook was really on Instagram because it's just weird. But anyway, it's still the technical term is followers. So I think you have to build your community there.
00:25:50
Speaker
like through people that you interact with. But then I think it's also important to build a community of people that are doing something similar to you. um So and a community of influencers. I think whether you realize it consciously or not, or whether you've been ever asked that community a question or whatever, just knowing you've got people makes a huge difference because it can get very lonely.
00:26:14
Speaker
Absolutely. And I know that's why we started this together. Yeah. But i I think one thing we did not talk about that I think would be, we would be remiss if we did not talk about this. um So I'm going to add it in right here is, you know, your journey was a little different. I mean, you talk about starting at zero with zero followers. And many of us say I had no followers. I started off at zero. And that's actually not true because you had a personal page that you turn into a business page or professional page and you might have only had 900 followers or whatever friends 500 200 whatever
00:26:54
Speaker
whatever you than it. And a different business, but you had a few, right? But let's talk about the fact that you actually were going one direction and made the decision to pivot. That was a, we went back and forth with whether or not this was the right decision. I know you and I talked a long time about it. So will you share with everybody kind of what that, what happened and that caused you to make a decision and why did you make it and the experience there? Yeah.
00:27:24
Speaker
Right. Well, OK, so like I said at the beginning, I have other Instagram accounts because I'm marketing a photography business, marketing a coach to photographer business. um So when I first started to add in fashion stuff, I did it on my personal photography business Instagram, which already had seven thousand something followers. OK, so but they weren't necessarily the right followers, but I had over seven thousand.
00:27:52
Speaker
They were mostly high school seniors who, of course, don't care what I'm wearing. But still, some of their parents followed, you know, that kind of thing. um And I built that for years, right? I started sharing fashion stuff at the end of a senior season. So when you take a high school seniors photos in my area, it's basically from August to May.
00:28:16
Speaker
And then nobody really gets their photos taken May to August because it's too hot, it's summertime, whatever, right? So i said, well, I'm going to start posting fashion stuff in the summer where I'm not doing senior stuff anyway.
00:28:31
Speaker
You know, that kind of thing. And then if it if it grows, then I know I'm going in the right direction and can do this. Right. So I did. i started posting there. and what I noticed by August is the number inquiries was getting for high school senior photo sessions were like k nip like none.
00:28:51
Speaker
And I'm thinking, oh, you know now it's August. I need to start booking senior clients. What am I going to do? And so I started kind of analyzing why I wasn't getting the inquiries because, I mean, I've been a photographer years and it's never a problem to get inquiries. And I looked at my Instagram and I thought, well, probably because they don't know that I'm still photographing seniors because all I've done was post fashion stuff. So I had to look at that from a business standpoint.
00:29:17
Speaker
Do I risk my photography business that is making money on something that is not making money? Or do I just start a new account so that nobody's confused? And, you know, if this new account goes somewhere, great. If it doesn't, no big deal. I just could not ruin the chances of making money as a photographer because I still needed that as a business, as an income, you know, whatever. I mean, I i can't just quit photography, right? I don't ever really recommend to other photographers to to create separate Instagram accounts because it is a lot to have to keep up with. And it's almost impossible to do it well with multiple accounts. But there are certain instances like this that I think you kind of have to have a separate account. So Again, I just weighed the pros and cons and I knew I needed to get booked for seniors. So I couldn't, I could no longer use my senior photography account, which meant I had to start a new account and that meant zero followers. he says It did. And, and that is a tough pill to swallow. Yeah. You mentioned earlier, just a few minutes ago, you mentioned that you had been building that photography, social media presence, for years and you had about 7,000 and some change followers and felt understandably, you know rightfully so, proud of that. And yet, how many followers do you have in a year on your Leslie Kerrigan style page, your new page you started one year ago? How many do you have now?
00:31:00
Speaker
One year ago, I started with zero and I now have as many as i had on my photography page. So I'm now at 7,201. one I think the last time I checked. Yes. And, and which is amazing.
00:31:16
Speaker
Yet. it it I know you and I know it's like, it's, it feels not good enough. It's like, well, I mean, god it's only, only have this many in a year. And it's like, wait a minute, you can very easily tell yourself what an amazing feat that is to grow over several years to grow that other business. Right. And then yet in one year, which is amazing, you have created what you created, which
00:31:47
Speaker
is where you were after multiple years. But yeah something about the mental shift is like, wait a minute, why do I see this differently? you right Yeah, you can literally spin it either way. You can spin it like it is an incredible thing. And it is. Or, you know, the negative side of me is like, well, but so-and-so had $20,000 after a year. But then that's the comparison thing. And you cannot go down that rabbit hole or you will go crazy.
00:32:15
Speaker
Yeah, you will absolutely go crazy. So... Okay. i mean, i I think it's amazing what you have accomplished. I also know other people in this industry who have also said, oh my gosh, I wasn't even close to that in the year. you know like that That really is not just a given that you would get 7,000 followers in a year. It's not. And so if somebody out there is listening and they've been doing this two or three years and they are at 1000 or 2000, what would
Engagement vs. Follower Count: What's More Valuable?
00:32:49
Speaker
you say to them? Because
00:32:51
Speaker
I know what you say to yourself, but I know you wouldn't say that to them. Oh, no, never. Aren't you always harder on yourself than other people? course. Yes. my God. I would never say what I say to myself to other people. To somebody else, I would say, you know, keep going. I mean, don't know. I mean, yes, followers matter when you're trying to, you know, when you're trying to make affiliate link commissions, right? The more followers you have, the more people could potentially buy the thing that you're linking, right? So from a money standpoint, more followers in more of a percentage of your followers are buying something and you're getting a percentage of that. However, if you love what you're doing and you know you have engaged followers at 1,500 followers and they're buying stuff,
00:33:44
Speaker
then you're you're doing just as good as the 10,000 follower person that maybe isn't selling anything at all, like, or doesn't have a relationship with her followers or her community. So the numbers do matter in some regards, but then they don't matter in other regards, I guess what I'm trying to say. Or the numbers don't define...
00:34:05
Speaker
Like that's not the defining thing, right? So number of followers don't doesn't always just mean you are successful or you're not successful because somebody could have 300,000 followers, but they're not selling anything. Who knows? i don't know. But again, it goes back to the apples to apples. You cannot compare yourself. So i would say, look at the number of followers you have and determine if those followers are actually engaging with you, commenting, commenting, buying? Do you, you know, do you have a community of however many that is versus just looking at, i only have this many followers. I mean, trust me, I look at that all the time and I'm like, Oh my God, i only have so many followers and so-and-so has more. But
00:34:50
Speaker
I still have a lot of followers and that's amazing. So you have to look at that part. You always have to at the good and the bad, I guess, right? Yeah, absolutely. Because with everything, there is good and bad. Everything.
00:35:02
Speaker
So, you know, I think you are probably not the only person out there who has had a foray into... being successful in social media with a different type of business. So, you know, i think you could speak to someone who has had a presence on social media, but it was a for a different purpose, maybe selling a service or selling a product in a different sort of way.
00:35:31
Speaker
How would you say this business is different in that, or so you know, than than your other businesses and why, you know, and Or how could you encourage someone else? Because I know it is different.
00:35:45
Speaker
Like this is a different type of sale. You mentioned affiliate linking and that followers, the way you make your money on social media is very, very different as an affiliate, which I think is important to maybe explain to people as well as an influencer, how we make our money, because it's very different than what you were doing and what you still do on a daily basis with your other accounts. Yeah. um I mean, you know, that's another thing I'm not sure I realized. I mean, I knew that the percentages weren't huge huge by any stretch of the imagination, but um it's also surprising how little it is.
00:36:24
Speaker
So when it comes to affiliate marketing and ah like influencing, you make money through a percent of a commission off of anyone that makes a purchase. You can also make money via a brand deal. But when you're an influencer, you don't necessarily have one specific product that you are marketing, right? Whereas photography or even coaching to photographers, that is a very specific, I know I need to market photo sessions. I know I need to market coaching or mentoring sessions, right? Or I created a product that helps photographers learn how to be senior photographers. So it's almost like it's, you are marketing yourself in a way, but you're marketing marketing a thing, service coming from yourself versus just yourself. Like as an influencer, you're sort of just marketing yourself, which is a weird thing to me. Like, i don't know, it's almost like a little more removed. When you're marketing a photography service or a coaching service or something else, even though you're the one that's creating it, it's still something else. So it's one more removed from you, which feels a little less like, look at me. And influencing very much feels like, look at me. And it is an odd thing. i think people think, honest to God, I think people think influencers
00:37:51
Speaker
as a whole are like, love to be like, look at me, look at me. But most of us aren't. I mean, but it's just the nature of the beast, right? But I do think outside looking in, it very much looks like, oh, she thinks she's blah, blah, blah, right? So I do think it's just easier in your mind to market something that's a little more removed from you than you Because while you may be wearing something different every day, like you're still marketing you and your style and your things you love, right? So it's a little more closely related. And honestly, it's just easier to have one thing to have to market over and over again than like,
00:38:27
Speaker
this outfit today and this outfit tomorrow. and that upfi I mean, you know what I mean? Like, so there's a lot more like things that you have to do in the influencing world versus, i mean, I strictly have to market.
00:38:39
Speaker
You need senior photos. It's a pretty easy thing to market because you're only a senior once in your life. So it's kind of easy. Yeah. And I also think that if you, um you can judge or evaluate yourself and your success, you as say a senior photographer is, do I have, how many bookings do I have?
00:38:59
Speaker
Boom. How much of the book after the booking, how much of the package of photos do they purchase? If, if I'm going to coach somebody, how many coaching programs, how many people's, you know, butts are in the seat of my coaching program, and whatever that looks like. It's the, the measure of success is pretty cut and dry.
00:39:19
Speaker
And I yeah think that's very different about, know, the influencing world, because the metrics are not cut and dry. So how do you measure your, how would you measure success? What do you think is a measure of success for influencing?
00:39:37
Speaker
I mean, know that's a tough question that I'm throwing at you, but I'm curious. ah You know, no I know. will say I know that I would not measure my success by the amount of money I've made. Because let me just tell you guys, if you get into this thinking you're going to make a ton of money, um you might not. Okay. Because I have made, this is a laughable figure, but we're all about transparency here. i have made in one year, this same amount as I make from photo shoot.
00:40:09
Speaker
One. And I do 60 a year. Right. Definitely not a lucrative business at this point. Let me just say input versus output. Not necessarily.
00:40:22
Speaker
don Don't always work, right? It doesn't always eat compute the way you would think. Absolutely. But I think I appreciate you sharing that because I think it is so important. We see as consumers, right? And people who we follow, oh, you know, she's got to be killing it. She's been doing this every day. She's always posting. She's got the this, she's doing the that.
00:40:44
Speaker
And the truth of the matter is we don't know what's coming into there into their bank account. At all. I wish I did only because then it wouldn't feel like such a failure with with that aspect of it. Not a failure in general, but I'm just saying like, would be nice measure. or honest Well, yeah. And if you measure it just based on money. of Right.
00:41:07
Speaker
And that's why it's important. I think that we share that and that you share your experience with that because The way we measure ourselves as influencers has to be more than just one metric or more than just two metrics, right? It is multiple things. It's not just followers. It's not just money number of deals. It's not just...
00:41:32
Speaker
you know, residual income, not even residual, because it's not residual, affiliate income. um It's more than that. It's a, it is a um a multitude of those things. And to be all of them taken into account together. And also, you also have to like, equate like the intangible thing. Like, who was it in our group the other day that was like, if you are having fun doing that, that's worth a certain amount of, i mean, no,
00:42:01
Speaker
just because I'm having fun doing it does not equal dollars. But if you're enjoying yourself, that has to factor in too. Absolutely. I thought that was brilliant when that was said um in our, in our group from that, from the retreat we had. I think it was brilliant to hear. And I think all of us needed to hear it. I really do. And based on the way to the community aspect, if we didn't have that community, if we didn't have that sisterhood, then we wouldn't have somebody reminding us that, Hey,
00:42:31
Speaker
Aren't you having fun? Or if not, don't do it like it's OK. Right. And I think that is why. we have, and i'm i think I'm speaking for you right now, but and we've had enough conversations about this, that this podcast, why we wanted to create it is so that if you're out there and you're listening to this and you're thinking, I suck, why am I doing this? I, you know, i don't know. I mean, I put on clothes every day and I film it and that's fun. And I love to share that, but man, I'm not making any money and I'm
00:43:03
Speaker
And I'm gaining three followers and losing five. And and what am I doing? and And why am I doing this? And I should just quit. And it's like, maybe and maybe not. Maybe not. right And and if you know let's let's talk about the fact that it's more than just that. And in in your enjoyment in it needs to be more than just what am I getting out of it financially? Right.
Leslie's Personal Style Preferences
00:43:25
Speaker
You know, I could also be back teaching school and there were wonderful things that came from being a teacher, but most people don't go into teaching for a lot of money either. So you had to have other things that were intangible to make you want to show up every day because otherwise, why would we do it? Right. And so it's understanding that, that you are not alone if you are if you struggle with that and, and that's the importance of having a place to go, people to talk to, people to learn from and to bounce ideas off of. So absolutely. For sure.
00:44:00
Speaker
Okay, so I want to change the direction just a hair um and talk a little bit about your style because you knew have a different style than I do, which is awesome and I think is great. And I think, you know, that's what's wonderful about this this world is we don't all have the same style. And if we all did, it would be really, really difficult in this industry. um Right. Right.
00:44:25
Speaker
But what is like your go-to look or outfit or product? I don't know. That just makes you feel like your best self. What would you say that is? Well, I'm always going to gravitate toward a dress. Always, always, always. i think, um...
00:44:41
Speaker
I, you know not that I don't love putting a shirt and a bottom, you know, a top and a bottom together. There's just more. you have to think about that a little bit more. A dress is a one and done. So I really like that. Plus I'm short. So a short dress, even though the the negative comments are out there, but a short dress looks good on my frame. Like it just does. Okay. I can't help it. Um, so a dress is always going to be my go-to item outside of that, a romper, because again, it's one and done. And I, again, I'm short so I can wear a romper, right? Um, I don't love to wear jeans because they don't, I'm not, I don't feel like I love jeans on other people, but like, that's not my favorite thing on me because I'm short and i always have to have them hem and blah, blah, blah. Right.
00:45:27
Speaker
Um, so my go-to item is probably always going to be a dress, um, I wear a dress anywhere and everywhere. You know, every day I could probably wear a dress. you they're They're comfy. I mean, depending on the dress, but like you can dress them up, you can dress them down, etc. As far as my style goes, i think I have an all over the place kind of style. I don't dress in a uniform. I don't, um you know, i think the idea of a capsule wardrobe sounds great, but I would get bored in about 2.2 seconds of that because it all looks the same, right? That's the point of a capsule wardrobe. So i sometimes I feel like, though, if I had a ah more...
00:46:08
Speaker
distinct, specific style that I might would have would have grown faster. Because I, you know, I mean, I i look at, um so my my really best friend from home, ah from growing up, she has a very distinct style, like a very specific, vintage inspired style. And I tell her every day, I think she would blow up a lot faster than maybe me because she would repel and attract very specific people, right? Because people that don't love vintage, they're not going follow her. hey She's got a very distinct style that some people are to absolutely love and some people are truly going to hate. Like it just is what it is, right? But in the world of social media, they always tell you, or in the world of marketing, they always tell you to attract and repel.
00:46:59
Speaker
That that is how you find your people, right? And sometimes I think my my style is just a little all over the place um to necessarily specifically attract somebody. So I don't know that I have a like a specific style, I guess. That was a long way of saying I don't really have a specific style. Well, girl, you know I like a long way around something because that to explain it because that's you're speaking my language. um Okay, so let me ask you this. we're going i want i want to know if you...
00:47:28
Speaker
I'm trying to think if I can think of something you're going to say. And I don't know that I will. Well, maybe. i don't know. Okay. What do you have to, like, it's a little bit of a different take, but what would you say is your most embarrassing moment?
00:47:44
Speaker
since you've been an influencer. I wish you would ask me what my most embarrassing um outfit in life was, because I could come up with that start me. Let's talk about that. Oh my God, so many, so many. Oh my God, I wore this wrap skirt.
00:47:56
Speaker
No, I'm taking it back to middle school. Okay, I love this outfit too, by the way. It was hideous. All right. Middle school, I had an acid watch.
00:48:08
Speaker
denim skirt with ruffles on the back. Okay. I thought it was so cute. And a yeah turquoise t-shirt from our local surf shop called Salty's.
00:48:23
Speaker
he And that turquoise ballet flats. And I thought that was the best thing ever. Okay, ever. I wore it to, be we had this event in town called Hartscapades because our town's Hartsville. And every year you'd go to Hartscapades and you'd meet up with your friends. And I'd rock that outfit that one year at Hartscapades. So that's one. I also had a wrap skirt in high school. Okay. It was like before the sets, like when I was in high school, nobody really talked about these cute sets that we all have now. Right. But this was essentially a set. It just wasn't talked about. Yeah.
00:49:00
Speaker
And it had fruit all over it. I know. Listen, listen. it And it came from the like the most expensive store in our town. So, of course, I immediately liked better because of that. um Not that I think you have to buy the most expensive thing. But in my brain, that's how I equated style. Because was like, well, it's expensive. It must be cute. Anyway, it was um a top and a skirt.
00:49:22
Speaker
The skirt was a wrap skirt and the teacher walked out of the room and I thought I'd be so cute and get up in front of the class and make jokes like it was my comedy hour.
00:49:34
Speaker
So I go up into the front of the class and I'm making jokes and I'm having fun. And then the teacher starts to come back in the room. And so I try to run back around the desk and the the wrap of the skirt got caught on the chair.
00:49:49
Speaker
But I kept going. So you can imagine. How that was. Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. Lovely. So, I mean, really, there's not much else you could do to embarrass yourself. Because you've already been embarrassed.
00:50:03
Speaker
Well, right. i also fell on my head in front of the entire school at pep rally. So you're right. you yeah now Because the entire school remembers the girl that fell on her head. Well, it's hard to forget.
00:50:15
Speaker
i mean, we're talking 500 people. Yeah. plus people Oh, my God. I don't think I've done anything that embarrassing on Instagram yet. um But I've certainly had things flop. I mean, that's for sure. Absolutely. I mean, you know, in my other world, I've certainly put things out there that nobody bought. That was kind of embarrassing, although nobody knows that but me. I mean, I mean, like I had a retreat and that didn't sell a single spot.
00:50:41
Speaker
That was kind of embarrassing, but you know, whatever. i mean, it is what it is. You can't, you can't sell something if you don't put it out there, but you don't always sell something when you put it out there. So that, but I don't know if there's anything like on Leslie Carrigan style that's embarrassing. I mean, you know, I know you have said that you didn't, there are certain things you wouldn't do because of your boys and that you wouldn't want to embarrass them by sharing or posting certain things. um You know, but I, so you don't, you know, um which I get. i mean, and so you're careful about that, which is why the negative of comments,
00:51:21
Speaker
about what you had on and were so hurtful because you're like, oh my God, I would never do anything that would embarrass my kids. And are you telling me this is embarrassing them? and you're like, this is not embarrassing them because if it were, they would have told me and I probably wouldn't have done it anyway because of that.
00:51:36
Speaker
but People don't realize how much thought actually goes into. Yeah, because I mean, I can embarrass myself all day long, but I would die if I embarrass them and and to each his own. But like, I'm probably not going to be the person that gets dressed on camera because some friend of one of my boys would probably send that to them and go, oh, my God, your mom's naked on camera, which is not naked. I get it. Like, I get that.
00:52:00
Speaker
But that's what someone would say. So, you know, yeah, it's more about I can embarrass myself all day long. I don't care about that. i mean, listen, you fall on your head and in front of an entire high school, you're pretty immune to getting embarrassed. But you're right. i don't want to do anything that would embarrass them.
00:52:17
Speaker
Yeah. Or be inappropriate for them. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So this has been so fun, but I want to do quick rapid fire because we're coming to a close. And so I want to just real quick, fun and quick rapid fire. Okay. ah So Instagram or TikTok? God, I love both of them, to be honest. But if I'm scrolling for my own enjoyment, it's TikTok all day, every day. What type of TikTok do you like going on? What kind of rabbit hole?
00:52:47
Speaker
Oh, gosh, it changes daily. um Currently, i looked up fall porch decoration ideas the other day. So that's what mine's full of. Currently, um fashion, there's some fashion in there. are um Coffee or wine? Oh, coffee. I got sick off of wine one time and threw up all over the place. I cannot drink wine for anything.
00:53:08
Speaker
And okay, so you, I think, and I know the answer to this, but no one else does probably. What type of coffee? I mean, you are a not exactly... it Can it just be any old coffee? No, no. I don't like a Keurig.
00:53:23
Speaker
It's not strong enough. Those little tiny cups. That's like a baby cup cup of coffee. Like it's so watered down. I hate it. It is four scoops, which is way too many of Starbucks ground coffee. When they only call for, I think three. So I do four.
00:53:39
Speaker
Um, and, a little tiny bit of creamer. And I mean, little, like if I go to Starbucks, I have to get the cream on the side, because if you say a little bit of cream, they basically pour the entire thing of cream in there. are So I'm very picky about that. I am so the opposite of that. But I also think fun fact about Leslie is one of her favorite things to do wherever we are is go to a local coffee shop.
00:54:03
Speaker
Like she ain't going to go to Starbucks. Um, She's not, she's not one of those people who's going run through Starbucks. Like she's going to find the one that you have to actually get out of the car and go in. Like, I'm like, give me the, drive if it doesn't have a drive through, I'm not going.
00:54:16
Speaker
Leslie's the opposite. She has to go into the cute coffee shop, get her order. It's like, yeah, it's the experience. I love that about you though. I absolutely love that about you. you know It probably comes from the fact that as a photographer, everything's visual. And so I need it to be visually appealing coffee shop. Well, there you go.
00:54:35
Speaker
Okay. So early bird or night owl? had neither. I know. i but said neith But I do think you have more so than one, I would say. Well, I don't get up before seven unless I'm literally made to. Okay. I do not like to get up before 7am and I'm usually in bed by 10 at the late night. But see, I would say about you is you are I would say more of a morning person because it, to me, early birds are the kind who get up and hit the ground running and you can function and you're ready to go.
00:55:09
Speaker
Like i need to warm up me a little bit. I got to warm up. Yes. I get up and I'm awake. That's true. But I'm not getting up before 7am. No, that is true. Yeah, that is true. But as someone who has traveled,
00:55:22
Speaker
a good bit with Leslie's in our friendship and shared beds and shared rooms with her. When she's up, she's up. And when she's done, she's done. Period. End of story. No in between. That's it. Right.
00:55:33
Speaker
And we are very different in our morning routines. um Okay. Which is all good. Like, I love that because we can be. um Okay. Heels or sneakers? I used to love a good pair of heels and I don't care. i will always believe heels look better to the detriment of my feet. But again, as a photographer, please don't wear tennis shoes in your photo shoot because they just look like clunky little things on the, like your eye goes straight there and a heel is going to elongate.
00:56:02
Speaker
your leg and it needs to be a neutral heel, not a black heel to elongate your leg. But for comfort, I'm wearing tennis shoes. Okay. i I would agree with you because I wore both in a photo shoot that you did for me. And I wish you had told me ahead of time because i I thought I looked the cutest in one of the outfits that had the sneakers and everybody was like, oh, I love that outfit. Right. Versus the other one. But I have yet to use one of those pictures. It's crazy. Exactly.
00:56:30
Speaker
And it's crazy. You are so right when it comes to that. So if you ever come across Leslie, if you ever come to a meetup we have and you have the opportunity, the the wonderful fortune, not misfortune, but fortune, if you're fortunate enough to have Leslie, the opportunity to Leslie photograph you, one, you want to take it because she does an amazing job and she's super fast. And two, she's going to tell you and you need to wear whatever she tells you to wear. Okay. Or if she tells you change that up little bit, there's a reason.
00:56:58
Speaker
Okay, so last question. Are you a plan ahead or a wing it I think I know the answer here too. Yep, it depends on what it is If it's a vacation, planning.
00:57:11
Speaker
I have an itinerary for sure. In fact, I had a friend joe used to joke with me that if I ever purchased a beach house that you had to name, it needed to be named. No itinerary, like a play on the fact that I always have itinerary. So probably a little bit of both. But like social media wise, like I totally threw up that post I posted today. So there's no plan there. Yeah.
00:57:36
Speaker
Well, you know, and i I was going to say my idea for you was going to be a combination of both because you are the, you, you have a plan and it's usually um like if it if you need to have a plan or if a plan is going to be helpful, you're going to do it.
00:57:50
Speaker
um But, and take charge, but, but you also are like, you're not one of those people who doesn't, isn't spur the moment. Like you are queen of spur the moment too. So you're, you're definitely in both.
00:58:04
Speaker
you should probably You would probably absolutely throw those like Enneagram or the Myers-Briggs all those things like you would be like, you would skew all of them because you aren't just like you are the queen of in the middle, which I think is really cool.
Perseverance and Personal Growth
00:58:22
Speaker
um Okay, so this was so okay this was fun um and we could keep talking forever, but I know we we don't want to keep this too long. um I actually did learn a few things about you. i i did know some. And you know what I love most is that you are very unapologetically you, and but that you also are, you might say you're giving up, but you never do.
00:58:49
Speaker
You might say you hate, that you know, I'm never going to, but you do. Like yeah you will always come back around if it's, if it's really it for the betterment of the group or the betterment of you and your business and ah you're going to come around. I know in the end, like you are, and you might be like, ah, that's it. I'm not doing this ever again. And like, okay, okay. And then, and then you come around, just like you said earlier, like I know if I had just listened to you the first time. Um, but I love that about you because, because you will, because of that, it also allows me and people who are in your life to also
00:59:28
Speaker
be able to come back around. You know, i do think that that's important and seeing that you do that ah gives up people permission to do that as well in your life. So I think that's a wonderful Leslie quality.
00:59:39
Speaker
So thank you for sharing your story with us. And um yeah, so I think last week and this week have been super fun for both of us. And then I also think knowing, like knowing you,
00:59:51
Speaker
the way I know you, i wanted this to be something that other people could get to know certain parts of you that they would maybe not know about you. And so i do think people were able to see a little bit of that. There's always going to be more. um And I will always out you if I have to. But I think, um and I, but I also think you brought out some things in me, you're much better at, at um interviewing than which is a little bit hard for me, because we were both journalism majors. um
01:00:22
Speaker
However, you're way better at it than I am. And i think, or much more natural at it, I will say. It comes naturally to you much more so than I. um But not natural as the person being asked the question. Exactly, which is the opposite for us. But I think...
01:00:38
Speaker
I think one of the coolest things about this podcast is I want people to get to know the Leslie that I know. And I think it was super fun. And I think you brought out things that I said that I don't know that I would have thought to say that people could see a side of me that they didn't, you know? So I think that's, that's kind of fun, even though that's not what this whole podcast is about, but it is about us being real and about us sharing our journeys and sharing other people's journeys. So I think it's it's great. And I'm glad we've had these two episodes.
Sister Shout Out Segment Introduction
01:01:12
Speaker
Okay, this is one of our favorite parts of the show. It's time for our sister shout out. Each week, we each share a fellow influencer who is standing out. We'll tell you what she's doing so well, why her content stands out, and why you need to hit that follow button.
01:01:29
Speaker
Because supporting each other is what the sisterhood is all about. And when one of us shines, it lights the way for the rest of us. one of our favorite parts at the end of every podcast that we call the sister shout out. And we share with each of you who are listening, someone who is in the influencer content creation space, who we think is is doing something exceptionally cool. And it doesn't have to be has so many followers or has so many whatever that maybe might be the metrics that other people might value, um but that we think is cool that deserves shout out. So who, Leslie, is your shout out this week? Oh my gosh. Well, I'm going to shout out someone with within our sisterhood.
01:02:14
Speaker
And I know our sisterhood is going to grow and we'll continue to shout out all of the amazing women.
Highlighting Positive Influencers in the Community
01:02:20
Speaker
um But this particular person is just... Well, I mean, truth be told, she knows this. She wasn't originally supposed to come, but one of the other ladies and invited her and and kind of, you know, we didn't know her before somebody else said, hey, what about this person? um And we both fell in love with her in person and um you know, and love what she's doing online. i think she has such a sweet spirit about her. Very encouraging and
01:02:49
Speaker
Who doesn't need somebody that encourages you, right? Like we all need a little encouraging in our life. um So it's Kelly Ann. What is her actual Instagram? Is it?
01:03:00
Speaker
Is it this blonde shopping bag or that blonde shopping bag? This blonde with an S shopping bag. So there's two S's. Oh, is it? Blondes as in. Okay.
01:03:12
Speaker
Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Okay. anyway Her name's Kellyanne. She shares great style, um great tips. She also is um in the mental health field.
01:03:26
Speaker
So um I'm trying to encourage her to share a little bit more of like things of that sort ah mixed in with her style because it comes so natural and she's so knowledgeable about that. And again, it's just so positive Um, so that's mine today. Kellyanne. We love you.
01:03:45
Speaker
We love you, Kellyanne. We so do. Okay. So and yes. And, and we will, like, I could easily pick any single one of the people who are on our retreat. Um, just like I could, I could pick people who have been part of creator journeys that we have in trips we've taken before. Um, you know, there's all, God, So every time I pick one person, always feel like, oh God, I didn't pick so-and-so. And don't think we're not like- We have lots of episodes. We have lots of episodes. Yes, we do. um But given the conversation that we had, could have gone in a bunch of different directions today, but given the conversation that we had, I feel it's really important to also share the account of someone and shout out someone who was on our retreat, who is was the OG friend of mine Instagram.
01:04:34
Speaker
Instagram when I first started. And I think it's important to, I was about to say her because I know the choices. So good. I'm glad you're saying her. Yes. Okay. And it is affordable. Amy, her name is Amy's a total and she is from Pittsburgh. She is a, she just retired from teaching. So we had that in common. We were both full-time teachers. Um,
01:04:56
Speaker
at the time and she had started a couple of months before I did. And so I'm going to talk about at this, as of this day that we are recording this, I am going to tell you what her follower count is because I think it's important for you to understand this about Amy. So she's affordable underscore Amy and she has 39
01:05:16
Speaker
43 followers, 3,943 followers. The people who follow her love following her because she is who she is. She shares, she's very clear about what she shares, which is affordable fashion. She styles it well.
01:05:32
Speaker
Um, she's very honest about what she buys, why she buys it and how she shows it. She has great style. She's petite. We did the fit. I mean, the very first time she and I showed something on two different heights that Leslie and I do. Um, we did that one time and, um, many people,
01:05:53
Speaker
may quit because they would feel like I haven't achieved success in this space. And the fact is she has achieved success and is very successful at this. But if you look at just follower count, you could easily say, ah, you know, she hasn't. But the truth of the matter is she has. And she is such an amazing encourager. She is so easy to be with. It was so cool to get to be with her in real life. um
01:06:24
Speaker
because we were original friends. And it's neat for me because I've seen her from the beginning and she's seen me from the beginning and can speak to each other's um authenticity. And also i think,
01:06:39
Speaker
that she is someone who shows up every single day, rain or shine, good or bad, no matter how she's feeling, she shows up every day and is consistent. And I think is such a great follow for women in midlife. If you're looking for home inspiration, if you're looking for style inspiration, if you're looking for beauty inspiration, all of it in an affordable budget friendly way,
01:07:07
Speaker
She's your girl. So affordable, Amy. We love you, Amy, so much. And um just, yeah, like she's just, she's great. So that's mine. And we'll include both of these in our show notes so you can go follow. um Definitely give both of them a follow. You'll love it.
01:07:23
Speaker
Absolutely. So with that being said, we're going to end for today, but I, I, we are so grateful you are here. Please like, follow, subscribe, whatever you need to do, um, to follow us, give us a rating if that helps. I don't know. I've never done a podcast until now, but, um, share this with another.
01:07:43
Speaker
They can give us a review. That would help actually. Absolutely. Give us a review. would be fantastic. um Follow our Influencer Sisterhood podcast account, which is also tagged here. Follow each of us. We would love to have you. Our DMs are always open. We are really trying to build that other account, the Influencer Sisterhood account, so that it can be a resource we're always open to ideas of how this can be of help to you. So if you have any ideas, please let us know. We are, our doors are slash DMs are always open. And so with that, thank you for being here and we will see y'all next time.
01:08:21
Speaker
Bye y'all. Bye.