With so many amazing campaigns that are by women, for women emerging this year I wanted to celebrate the women that are within my own community and feature some amazing bloggers here on She Smiles! Connecting with other bloggers and showing support is something I’m really passionate about! I also love helping aspiring bloggers find their way in this sometimes overwhelming blogging world.
I think it’s so critical that we continue to support one another and build each other up. I also think it’s important that we give one another the opportunity to share our unique points of view. So I wanted to create a campaign that was centered around inclusivity and empowerment.
I created the #MoreThanEnough campaign to remind other women that we are all more than enough and all have voices that are meant to be heard.
The #MoreThanEnough campaign is all about celebrating other women within your community and reminding them that despite all of the negative messaging we receive from the media about not being good enough, we all deserve to be recognized and appreciated! Women empowering women has an incredibly powerful impact on our society so if you believe that as women we are #MoreThanEnough you’re going to love this project.
I’m celebrating four of my fellow blogger babes by featuring them on my blog this week and learning about their best career advice, their tips for aspiring bloggers and of course all about their personal style!
To kick off the week I’m starting with my friend Toyin Alli, a University Lecturer who has a passion for styling and academics! I know you’ll love her as much as I do! Check out my interview with her below:
#1: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog
I got my PhD in math almost two years ago and I now have my dream job as a Lecturer in a University Math Department. I have a passion for helping others, I think that’s why I love teaching. Part of my job as a Lecturer is to mentor graduate students. And I noticed that the skills and support that grad students actually needed weren’t being provided in grad school. And last fall, I decided that I wanted to help graduates students beyond my own school.
I started The Academic Society to help grad students with time management and organization to help them feel less stressed and less overwhelmed in grad school as well as in life!
I’m also launching a new business next month that is really a passion project for me. I want to help professional millennials curate a fabulous wardrobe that they love by analyzing the style of their favorite fashion/style bloggers and influencers. Within that business, I plan to blog about style, body positivity, and intentional living.
#2: How long have you been blogging and what inspired you to get started?
I started blogging while I was in grad school 4 years ago. I was inspired to get started when I stumbled upon Pinterest articles about blogging and thought that it would be the perfect outlet for my creativity while I was in grad school.
#3: Was there anything that ever held you back from blogging or made you apprehensive?
Fear played a big part in holding me back from blogging. I was always so nervous that my blog would be successful and people would find out about me. So crazy right! But now, I think I’ve workout those mindset issues and I’m ready to give it my all!
#4: Do you blog full time or on the side? If on the side, what’s your profession?
I blog on the side. I’m a university Lecturer and I only work 9-10 months a year and my hope is that my blogging will support me traveling in the summers.
#5: What’s your best general career advice?
My best career advice is to find the thing you do better than anyone else and be known for it.
#6: What do you think makes someone a #girlboss?
I think a #girlboss is someone who owns who she is and doesn’t let adversity hold her back. She is a leader and has a tribe of women cheering her on. A girl boss is someone who has figured out what she loves and what she is amazing at and does it!
#7: What are your favorite ways to make yourself feel confident?
I feel so confident when I have put together a full outfit that I love. Not just one or two pieces that work for me. When I love my full outfit from head to toe, I feel unstoppable.
#8: What advice would you give someone who is struggling to find their personal style?
First, I would ask that person to close their eyes and think about their dream life. What do they want life to look like for them if they had no obstacles in their way? And once that person is envisioning their dream life, I would ask them what they are wearing. And that’s where they could start.
#9: What is your go-to power outfit?
My go-to power outfit is a pair of flattering skinny jeans, a flowy top stylishly tucked into my jeans, my burgundy leather jacket, and my black booties! It’s my favorite look!
#10: How do you feel women could do a better job supporting one another?
I think women could better support one another when they actively reach out to one another. I always want to support my friends. So when women seek each other out and get to know each other, they will feel compelled to support each other rather than seeing each other as competition. More than one woman can succeed in every field!
#11: Do you ever experience social media envy? If so, how do you overcome it?
I definitely do! Especially with blogging success. I would love to be successful as a blogger and sometimes it can hurt to see someone start at the same time as me and fly past me to the next level. When I feel that way, I try to turn it around and think about my goals and intentions and how they may be different from that person that I was envious of. I am on my own path and I will reach my destination in my own time.
#12: What advice would you give to an aspiring blogger?
The biggest advice I would give to an aspiring blogger is to not give up. I’ve had a couple other blogs in the past that I gave up on. And I can’t help but wonder how successful those blogs would have become if I never gave them up.
My next piece of advice is that it gets easier. Everything that used to feel so hard and overwhelming comes easily to me now. The more I keep blogging the more I learn.
My last piece of advice is to always be learning. My favorite way to learn about blogging is through podcasts. I always get so much inspiration and ideas from podcasts that I implement in my blog and business.
To keep up with Toyin you can find her on Instagram (@stylebytoyin) and check out her styling website and blog (www.stylebytoyin.com) when it launches on Feb. 28th!
She’s also hosting an awesome launch giveaway to celebrate! You can enter to win a free styling session with her here!
If you’re interested in learning more about the content she creates for grad students then you should definitely be following www.theacademicsociety.com!
I can’t wait to share our next featured blogger tomorrow!
Xoxo,
She
