Christin Lewis is an Entrepreneur/Influencer that runs a lifestyle blog out of Orlando FL. She is a mom of three girls- two of them being identical twins. Christin is a former Special Needs educator and has taken that servant role into the community where she provides real talk and raw topics to serve her following. In a world full of constant pressure and unattainable standards, Christin sets out to be real on her blog and embody a welcoming nature to build a sense of community for all.
Tell us a little more about you and what it is that your blog provides:
I taught students with autism for 7 years and was in education for over 10 years. After having three daughters, I stepped back from teaching to be home with them. I then started to notice people commenting on my social media platforms- things like “You make this look so easy”, “You are the perfect mom” – the list goes on. It started to rub me the wrong way because I just wanted to SCREAM that Instagram is a highlight reel and it was in fact not the truth. It put a flame under me because deep down I was struggling with postpartum, anxiety and depression, hormone imbalance, and was drowning trying to find myself again. Instagram was hiding the real and I couldn’t let that continue. I created the blog from my experience and wanted to bring people along with me on my journey in order to not feel alone.
How did you get started creating your brand and business?
Starting a blog to spill all that was going on in my life, was the first step in my journey to heal and serve outside of the classroom. I never meant for it to be a career or income stream. I knew that if I was going through these things, I couldn’t be the only one. The sense of loneliness in not talking about these topics, made it worse.
As soon as the blog launched, a sense of freedom and confidence rose within in me and I knew this was where I needed to be to serve others. After an overwhelming response from followers, I knew I in fact was not alone and my raw and candid approach to the blog gave women a sense of relief that they were not going through these things by themselves.
The blog provides women with empowerment topics and a free space to be their best selves. I have partnered with a wide variety of over 20+ leading brands that have the same mission to provide that space for people to be their authentic selves. My brand serves and when I collaborate with a product or company, it will 100% be something I love, use in my daily life, and believe it will serve my following.
Almost two years later and the blog has grown to produce collaborations that I feel will serve my following the same way my raw words and writing will serve them. Collaborations range from mom needs, clean beauty, lifestyle, and fashion. The collective idea behind my brand is to serve and bring a positive light to all in every partnership and word that I produce.
Tell us about the initiative the blog takes and how it works?
My brand works in a variety of ways, my servant heart will easily take a text from a struggling mom that needs to vent after reading one of my published blog posts. There are a lot of connections made under the radar that fill my bucket because I am essentially holding the hands of my followers in the good and bad times. I aim to be a hype girl for all in every piece of content produced. If a post provides an issue I am struggling with, I make sure I easily follow it with my plan on improvement and how I can turn it around.
What do you want people to know after reading this article?
First, I want to thank CEO Medium for highlighting my voice in my blog. I want people to gain from this interview the empowerment of living out a dream or passion- it is never late to start something. You cannot dwell on the opinions of others, have imposter syndrome and think, “who am I to do this”. Following your heart, comes with following your dreams and where you are meant to give, serve, and provide to others. Living authentically is the most freeing thing and it is never too late to do that.
Explain some of the challenges you were faced with while building your blog and brand creation. Do you still run into these challenges?
As much as I want to empower and encourage others to not worry about the opinion of others, it is a daily struggle for me. I am an introvert. I have never been the most confident person in the world- but something was burning in me to share the truth. This blog has helped my confidence to be my most authentic self in more ways than I could have ever imagined. When you are putting your heart and soul out for all to see, it comes with a lot of good, but there are also negative comments, opinions, and people who do not want to see you succeed. Some truly struggle to watch you change, grow and build something they may not understand. They would much rather you stay in your bubble then see you grow or change. It is a daily struggle to stay focused and in my lane. I keep my eye on the prize and if I get one positive response from a woman that connected with my writing, it was 100% worth any negative opinion received. There were points of time where I let this get to me and almost make me walk away. What kept me going was telling myself “What advice would I give my daughter.” I would tell her to be the light, to shine above any of the dark comments because they have nothing to do with you. You can’t control what others say or do, but you can control how you react. Be the light!
How does your blog get funded through the services you offer?
The blog is funded through collaborations and partnerships. All affiliate links that I provide within the blog or social media platforms are commission-based and paid collaborations to run on certain rates that are negotiated based on deliverables contracted.
What is your future vision for your brand? What is your dream for your community you have built?
My future vision of this brand is to be a positive impact on a BIG community. I want more raw and real than could ever be imagined. I also have a crazy passion to put all of my posts into a book. I would love to encompass my journey into a “tell-all” and help other women that may need a boost. I would also love to create a book for my daughters to look back on. It’s the real and raw of life and I want them to feel my process, my imperfection as a woman and mom, and the way that it turns into a beautiful perfectly imperfect journey.
What advice would you give to someone who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it for the first time?
Like I said before, it is never too late. There is no right time and when the time feels right, don’t let it feel bigger than you. It is not bigger than you. You can do whatever you put your mind to, your effort into, and your consistent love. When people see your heart, it resonates and that is the purest form of effort you can give to others. Create with your heart and you can never go wrong and you will never regret trying. The only person holding you back is you. Don’t get in your own way.
Get in touch with Christin Lewis on
Email Address : christinlewisblog@gmail.com
Website: www.wineglassesandwipinasses.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/christin.lewis