You may have noticed I haven’t been doing much food blogging recently.

In February of 2017 I had a miscarriage that rocked my world, but I also saw beauty come from loss.  This event challenged me to think more about the trajectory of my life and business.  For months, I felt stuck in business, lacking the inspiration, drive and passion I once had.  I continued to create recipes but felt really stuck in the status quo.  My heart wanted so much more—more meaning, more impact and to build a business that would outlast my 20s.

So, I took a leap, followed my heart and in October of 2017, I rebranded to Flourish.  In the midst of this rebrand, I was extremely pregnancy sick with our sweet Remington and most days unable to get out of bed or open my eyes, but it was beautiful to see a brand come to life that was inspired by loss.  Trusting in God’s bigger plan is always beautiful.

Why I left food blogging

Gosh, I LOVE food…I love cooking just for the sake of cooking.  I love using my hands, my taste and my heart to create something that nourishes the body and heart.  I love the creativity associated with cooking and dreaming up recipes.  

But eventually for me, it simply became exhausting…

Food blogging was becoming an all-consuming negative.

Dinnertime became more about getting the perfectly styled photo and then asking my sweet husband, who is thankfully SO supportive of me, to eat cold food.  Dinnertime because more about Instagram than connecting over food.  Grocery shopping became a chore and to-do list rather than a chance to source food that would nourish our bodies.

The pressure to make perfect looking food with perfect garnishes and colors and textures just became too much for me.  I was encouraging people to make healthy meals and sit down and connect with their loved ones over food but wasn’t doing that for myself.

I knew if I wanted to continue having a positive relationship with food, I had to make a change.

Wanting to Serve You the Best

I truly had a desire to do more with my business, to encourage you to do live your best self.  And while I loved creating recipes, I felt like I wasn’t using my knowledge and talents to the best of my abilities.

In my heart, I know our health is so much more than just what we eat—yes, what we put in our bodies is important, but what we put ON our bodies, what stress we allow to dictate our days, what negativity we allow to control us, all are important aspects of our health!  <— and that was something I was passionate about educating others about.

Once I removed the stress of creating recipes from my life, I opened up so much time to focus on what truly mattered to me, to my family, to my business and to outlining where I wanted my business to grow in a decade from now.  

Encouraging YOU towards conscious living became my mission and one that lights my heart on fire. 

The personal conversations, interaction and impact I have had with you all over this past year has blown me away and I truly am so thankful for each of you!

In the past year, despite not being able to work for most of it due to extreme morning sickness, I was able to launch the Flourish Shop, create so many resources for you and reached the top of the comp plan with Beautycounter, a brand and opportunity that has been far more of a blessing than I ever expected  (+ leading a team of over 200 incredible women)!!

Financial Opportunities

Food blogging is expensive…because the cost of ingredients is expensive! Now, when you start working with alternative ingredients and flours the cost jumps even more.  I remember the days of cookbook writing when on the 5th attempt of a recipe ending in the trash, I thought…”Oh can’t even think about how much money worth of coconut flour and eggs just went to waste.”

Beyond that, unless you are at the top of the industry, which as a small time food blogger I for sure was not, it is really difficult to actually make money off a food blog.  The industry is so saturated and you either have to accept sponsored posts or run MANY ads on your website—both things I wasn’t really comfortable doing.

1. Why I am skeptical of sponsored posts—Sponsored posts can be great when your message truly aligns with the sponsoring company, but often that just isn’t the case.  My integrity is VERY important to me and I didn’t want to sponsor a post or brand simply for the sake of money—that would not be true to myself and my convictions or be fair to my audience.  I see so many bloggers sponsoring things and yes, I get it…we all have to make money, but often I think, oh they can’t actually be that *excited* about that product!  This is why I take my brand partnerships very seriously and you will only ever hear me talk about brands I truly love, trust and personally use daily!
2. Why I don’t run ads—I firmly believe that we have too much “clutter” in this modern world, and this is where my personal convictions get very intertwined into my business (something we talk about in this podcast episode).  When I see websites that just have a million pop-ups and ads, I instantly get so stressed…and as someone who has dealt with adrenal fatigue, stress is not what I need when I go to a website to find encouragement and education.  So yes, I “miss out” on a lot of money by not running ads, but I feel like having a clean, refreshing look for my audience is more important.

The crazy part? I have stuck to my convictions, never compromising my personal beliefs with my business goals, and this past year have tippled my income and for the first year in 5 years of business have created an extremely profitable + sustainable income…all while doing more of what aligns with my heart.  The crazier part? I work way LESS hours now than ever before.

I always have said I will be true to what is going on in my life and heart and right now, I feel like my business aligns with my heart.  Will that change? Of course! Having a daughter now has caused me to prioritize more than ever before! I will continue sharing what is on my heart and what is going on in my life!

When I started my business, my one goal was to impact people.  I vividly remember telling my husband in our tiny apartment in Hawaii that if I changed one life it would be all worth it, and thankfully I have seen that goal come true countless times.

YOU all truly make all that I do worth it and I am so thankful for each of you and allowing me to share my journey with you!’

Oh I am just getting started…the best is yet to come!

xo, Caroline