Today we’d like to introduce you to Leigh Wolfe.
Hi Leigh, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My husband Jay and I got engaged fall of my senior year at Wofford College (November 2017). Jay had already been out of school for 2 years and was working for the governor of SC. About 9 weeks after we got engaged, I found out I was pregnant with our daughter, Hollings (oops!). I was extremely scared, as I was only 21 and not anywhere ready to become a mom. Once I told Jay, however, the scared feelings very quickly turned into excitement, and I was ready to fully embrace this new roll. We moved up our wedding from June 2018 to March 2018, which was an unknown blessing in itself, because Jay’s mom ended up passing away in May 2018, and wouldn’t have been at our wedding if the pregnancy hadn’t caused us to move the date up. During this time, I began to notice that more and more people were interested in my story, so I began to work on a blog website. My goal here was to create an outlet that would help anyone in a similar situation, whether that meant being a young mother, or someone whose life might have taken an unexpected turn. Hollings was born on July 27th, 2018. In my little downtime as a new mom, I would write down little blogs just for myself here and there so I wouldn’t forget what I was going through/my feelings in those new motherhood moments. Eventually, I decided to launch my website and publish my blogs for others to read. Since then, I have had my sweet son William, and we got our beautiful pup, Penny Lane. This has been a really amazing hobby for me personally. Motherhood can feel a little mundane sometimes, and my blog gives me an outlet that’s just for me. It’s also nice to make a little money on the side as a stay-at-home mom. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’ve been able to work with some awesome companies (Madame Alexander, Cheerwine, PinkBlush Maternity, and more). I absolutely LOVE being a mom, but I also just really enjoy being able to use my free time to work towards something that’s my own.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I built the blog website completely by myself, which definitely was not easy. I am not tech savvy in the slightest, so there was a bit of a learning curve there for me personally. I also have had to deal with unwanted messages and critiques, which I knew would happen in opening up my life to the internet, and I typically don’t let bother me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My job first and foremost is being a mother to my two beautiful children. I do make a little money on the side through my blog. My blog is a lifestyle blog, so I basically cover all areas of life and motherhood. I love to give mom advice, talk about what has worked for me when it comes to raising kids, share budgeting tips and affordable fashion items, etc. I make money by using affiliate links when I share products, which basically means if you shop through my link, I get a small commission. I also work with a lot of really awesome brands for paid partnerships and collaborations. I have a set amount that I charge for a blog post, an Instagram feed post, an Instagram story post, etc. I always strictly work with companies that I love and believe in and have tried out myself personally. I turn down probably 90%-95% of partnerships, simply because it might not fit my brand or I don’t really love the product. I am most proud of getting to the point with my blog where I can monetize my creativity. I love taking pictures, coming up with content, and documenting my life, and the fact that I can make money while doing it is awesome.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
My blog has taught me the importance of writing things down. Whether you’re a writer or not, write down little moments, little victories, hard parts, good parts, funny things, whatever. You think you’ll remember everything, but you won’t. Writing is not my specialty (I was an accounting major in college), so it did not come naturally to me in the beginning, but I am so glad that I have my blogs to look back on as little diary entries.
Contact Info:
- Website: cheerstoourlives.com
- Instagram: @leighlwolfe
