¶ Huntsville Content Creators Interview
What is up everyone ? Welcome back to not a new episode . We are going to do another Take Me Back Tuesday episode . This week I have not had time to record , mostly because the last two weeks have been a little bit stressful .
I've got some house drama quote unquote drama , if you will going on and I can't really talk about it right now , but I will talk about it in full detail once . Talk about it right now , but I will talk about it in full detail once . I kind of know when I can .
I just can't just say too much and whenever I do talk about it all in detail , you'll understand why . But anyways , doing the adulting thing and working and trying to podcast can sometimes be a little bit cumbersome . I'm sure you all understand that . But this episode this week that I wanted to replay for y'all is the episode that I recorded with .
That's Kenny , here in Huntsville , alabama . She is a content creator , she's a YouTuber , she does reviews , she just does it all and she's just got a great personality and I just really enjoyed interviewing her and I think it was just very eye opening for me . In that conversation we talked a lot about mental health and things like that .
So if you haven't listened to this episode . I really hope you enjoy it . If you have listened to this episode , just give it another listen and love it even more . But without further ado , I'll go ahead and play the old episode . Here we go , guys . I'm honored to have that's Kenny on the podcast today . She is a local celebrity here in Huntsville .
Not only is she that , she is a wife , a mom , a business owner . She created Huntsville Content Creators , she's done local reviews around town and so much more . She is literally a force to be reckoned with and I'm so excited that y'all get to hear her story on today's podcast . Per usual , we go all over the place .
We talk about , obviously , the content creating she is doing , and we talk about mental health , vulnerability and everything in between . So stay tuned for this one , guys . I think you're really going to love it . So , all right .
So we have that's kenny , who is a wife , a mom , a business owner , a local reviewer and founder of huntsville , huntsville's content creators and so much more . I'm so excited , yet so nervous to have you here .
You are like a ball to be reckoned with , like I don't even know how to introduce you as well as you should be introduced , but thank you for coming on the podcast .
Thank you so much . I'm super , super excited to be here and , yeah , like I'm super excited , Joanna . Oh yeah , Did I say your name ?
right ? Well , it's Jonna , but that's okay . I answer to anything that sounds like I've never .
Actually , when you talk on Instagram , you never have to say people's names , right ? So can you cut that part ? Yeah , I can cut that , let's not say your name wrong .
No , I actually would love to leave that in , because I have a funny story about your name Perfect Okay , great , because that's why I go by Kenny , Because my first name people say wrong .
So I always try to get people's names right ?
I didn't realize Kenny was your name when I first saw your , when I first saw your handle and it said that skinny I thought it was . That's skinny , like s-k-e-n-n-y , meaning you know the details on everything you got the skinny and then I like , watched your comments underneath your name and someone said , yeah , kenny . I said , oh my god , I'm an idiot .
Her name is Kenny , not that skinny like , I also follow .
That's a really good like , so I'm rebranding . Okay , that's really smart .
Well , like I follow the skinny confidential and she does it like I got the skinny on everything .
So I just thought you were like having a play on words , like skinny with s-k-e-n-y yeah , that is , and I was like because you kind of , and then when I was looking at your stuff and I was like , okay , she's a content creator , she kind of knows a lot about a lot of things .
So she's just got the skinny on everything so and then I was like , no , you idiot , jonna . No , her name is Kenny that's her name .
She's just talking in third person no , I love it .
So I was like , okay , so that's her name and I'm an idiot , but cool , cool beans it's perfectly fine .
I just called you Joanna because I thought I was sitting here at Target .
So my uncle has called me Johanna and he's been my obviously my uncle for my entire life , and he calls me Johanna for whatever reason .
No , no , but yeah , names are hard , Words are hard . I got it now . That's hilarious .
So the so you're a content creator and a lifestyle creator . Has this something you've always done , or did you have like a full time job before you transitioned to this ?
Yes , so I've been a lifestyle creator for the last three years , Since the pandemic . I used to work in the big pharma world oh cool .
I didn't know that .
Yes , once the pandemic came , healthcare professionals' lives didn't change . And so , with that being said , even though we still had to go to work , I didn't really see as much . I still wanted to be able to give back . So I was like , okay , let's see how we can do that . So that's where their food reviews came from , because Huntsville is super local .
The median of how much people make everybody was able to revert to local during a pandemic . We weren't really like I forget what statistic they said , but they said Huntsville , the poverty line , like , really didn't even get hit during the pandemic .
So here nor there , I'm not really good with statistics , but the big thing was is that all these small local businesses need to help ? And I was like , oh , I love eating food , let's do that . I make good . I was dabbling with making good content . I do think the best type of content creator is someone that could take of a product or food .
Right yeah .
Right , because that's hard . It's easy to like do something in front of people . So I did that for years . Last December I had my son , jordan oh , congrats , thank you . And I was already in the position , with working in pharmacy , that it was just playing a toll , and so I was like , well , it doesn't really make sense to keep working .
I want to be present in my kids life . So let's just , my husband really pushed me , he had been saying , to stop working in life , fulfill my dream for a very long time .
That's awesome and very supportive .
Yeah , he's very , very supportive , but didn't listen .
So once I had my kid .
I was like you know well , daycare is just too expensive and I don't want to put my whole check or half of it to daycare . So stop working and started doing it full time . And so now I do small business content full time .
That's amazing , and so that's also a beautiful story that your son and your husband kind of pushed you into doing what your dream was . So , as you were working full time in Big Pharma , were you doing that on the side , like content creating , or was it just for your own personal social media ?
Yes , so I didn't start getting into small business content creation until this year . Okay , that was really a pivot because being more , I was more . After I did the food reviews , I was more influencer side . So that means you sell your face right . You have to look good , selling your face Like nobody .
I wish someone would disagree , but you just always have to , like you know , have your makeup done , have your hair done .
See , I do disagree though , Because the influencers I follow , but this is just I know it's far in between , but like I like realistic what I can actually achieve in my influencer , so that I totally agree with that .
I love this because I don't think I get a chance to say this perspective a lot . I am far in between , so I'm either really dressed up or I look like death same girl , yeah so that person like the , the realistic people that are on um , like on doing , influence it and stuff like that . That's still a lot of work for me .
Because they like they , more than likely their face is frozen right , you know they have a great skincare routine . Um so if I't wear , if I'm not dressed up and I'm not wearing makeup , I don't feel like myself .
Right .
Okay , um , and so I just didn't . You know like I'm I'm everybody knows that I'm super down to earth , cause I do a lot of mental health posts under my uh pictures but I was just like I can't keep up . I can't keep up with my kids . So I was like , let me take what I love .
I didn't want to allow this year to be just sitting at home , so let me take what I love with this , which is content , and help other people .
I love that and so can you explain for those listening that may not know what the difference between an influencer and a content creator is , Because some kind of intermingle . The same like you can be a content creator for yourself . Can you kind of explain that for the ?
listeners . Yeah , so an influencer is someone that reps a brand or brings awareness to something , so they are influencing you in something . So if you see them using the best Amazon product and you want to go buy that Amazon product , that is them influencing . But the concept of them influencing you is content creation .
So they're making that video aesthetically pleasing to pull the heartstrings of you . As like . Within the last two years , ugc , which is user generated content , has become a big thing , so that's why content creator is such a big term . It wasn't two years ago right . Because now you can make content and not be the face .
You could sell it to brands , you could sell it to someone like you , or I can come help you make content . So , um , content creator I like to call myself more of that , because I'm good behind the camera , in front of the camera , and most influencers are good in front of the camera .
Right , they don't really need to have all the aesthetics , because they're the aesthetic typically .
Okay , that makes sense . So how did you even get into that from the beginning ? Like , have you always been like artistic or like very just imaginary as a child ? Like , how did you even get into ? Like ?
Because I tried , like I had like this whole nutrition coaching thing for a little bit , which I love nutrition and I love coaching , but keeping up with the content couldn't do it like I , just because I would run out of ideas .
I'd be like , well , I want to say this , but it doesn't look good and you have to have all these color schemes and all the stuff that goes along with Instagram and its algorithm and I was just like it . It's too much .
It's too much . Small business owners have to wear too many hats .
¶ Navigating Pricing as Small Business Owner
But yeah , fun fact is I went to college . I finished my four year degree in two and a half years . Oh wow yeah , graduated college right before 21 . Thought I was like doing the dang on thing because I went , took summer classes . All of that Graduated , moved to Huntsville .
And I all of that graduated , moved to Huntsville and I lived in Dallas at the time Dallas , texas , yes , so you were new to .
Huntsville also 13 years or not 13 ?
years , since 2013 . Okay , I was like wow , you just moved here and you just no , I've been here for about 10 years now um , I'm just now kind of blossoming out of my shell , but , um , I got a .
My degree is in multimedia design , and so my dream was to work for a print shop . I graduated college in 2014 . That is when the world went digital .
Okay , so I've not only did I move somewhere that was more mom and pop and doesn't have marketing , um , like not what Huntsville is now , but 10 years ago yeah um , they didn't really believe in commercials here . They didn't really believe in billboards and marketing and all that stuff . That's what I do .
So , for layman's terms , a certified graphic designer , but I have marketing background , so moved here , couldn't get a job right .
So my one of my best friends um , she's in marketing and she couldn't either , unless she said she moved to a big city .
Yeah , and so , of course , I'm doe eyed . I'm only 20 . And I'm like , oh , the world is here . I'm like I can't wait , I can't wait , I can't wait . And this was it was the first time I ever failed it . I felt like I failed at something . Because I got my degree , I moved somewhere and told that I wasn't good enough . That's not what the case was .
It's just Huntsville . They didn't really have entry-level jobs . So the beauty of it is that I've found I've started doing content , did YouTube , all of that , and then just found a way to be creative . And so now what I'm doing , which is helping small business owners , is like the dream that I wanted to do after college . Right , I think .
Moving here , I convinced myself I wanted to have that nine to five job , the 401k job , all of this . But in college I always wanted to work for myself . Yeah , I always want to be a creative and help other creatives . And now I'm doing that in a different light . I'm not necessarily designing anymore , and now I'm doing that in a different light .
I'm not necessarily designing anymore , I'm just creating and learning as I go , but I'm doing it with people that I'm passionate with , and they're typically small business owners that are women .
So how did you get your first small business ? Did someone see your Instagram post and was like I think you could really help me ? Or did you go into a shop ? Did you just take your resume around ? How did ?
you get started right . Uh , the influence and helped okay , yeah my first client . I'll say thank you , sharose , for being my first client , because hopefully you're listening . Um , I saw her in February . I'm like out and she's like , is it , are you , kenny ? And I'm like I talked to so many people online , right , and I'm like , yeah , yeah .
I was like who are you ?
I was and I'm like I talked to so many people online , right , and I'm like , yeah , yeah , I was like who are you ? I was like what's your name again , or what's your Instagram name , that's , if I ever asked you what your . Instagram name is I don't know your name .
Right .
So I said what's your Instagram name ? So , as I'm like trying to figure out who she is , we start talking and she's like you're so dope and I got a chance to like I'm super vulnerable . And I think I told her . I was like yeah , I'm transitioning from being doing more influencing and helping small business owners .
And , um , she was like , well dang , I need help . And so she gave me my first try and she I've been so thankful cause I really don't market my services . I literally just talk to people . Cause I'm an energies person , I don't really like talking with a lot of people .
2024 , that is going to look different , because if you want to make money , you have to work with people . But I've been able to work with a few clients and they've given me constructive criticism , saying , hey , you need to raise your prices or hey , you're giving more value than what you're charging all of that .
And so the last nine months , I've been just kind of working with people for like half the price of what . I would usually charge or what I could charge , and they've been giving me opportunities and so it's allowed me . Because I'm not perfect , I do think small business owners , sometimes my husband does this great .
He always tells me don't raise the price till you have to right . He says break even . Or like get what you need .
Of course I could maybe charge four figures for something , but if three figures is going to do me right now , all the mistakes I'm going to make , it's okay , you know , versus trying to go charge four figures or charge like what I see on TikTok or what I see somewhere else and knowing that I still have to grow because I'm a good content creator but a
business owner , it's hard to be a business owner it is and I'm learning that .
Not that I like I don't have technically quote-unquote a business .
Um , the podcast is just for fun , but I just recently went from like a w-2 job to a 1099 and then I had to create an LLC and all that stuff and learn your own taxes and it's a whole different world like it's literally a whole different world , and sometimes I'm like I'm ready to clock in somewhere right the um , the .
The freedom that it gives you is amazing , and so I love it .
I do too . Honestly , I do too like it's probably one of the best decisions . It was a forced decision , but it's probably one of the best decisions I've ever had made for me in my life , because I'm not a good decision maker .
But I love the fact that you just brought that up about having to maybe not charge as much as you would , because that's something I don't think is talked about often enough . Because you know your value . You know your worth , but to get your foot in the door , you can't just walk . Well , I guess you could . Can you talk about that ?
If someone is out there trying to aspire to be maybe a small business owner ? Like how to navigate that pricing , because that's , I think , the hardest thing I've listened to .
When I was trying to do my nutrition coaching , I was listening to like I don't know , it's not necessarily influencer , but I'm like Instagram , um teachings , I guess and like the price was one of the biggest things . I was like oh , like how do you know what to do ?
Like this person's over here charging this , and like I don't want to be too low , but I don't want to be too high and I'm I'm new to the game and why would someone pay me at high experience level . So how do you even navigate that world ?
well , the first tip that I would definitely say is that , if you're listening , tiktok is my Google . So , if you go on TikTok and you see someone telling you this is what I charge for X , y and Z , you should already not be charging that , because they have enough experience to even be having this conversation .
Right .
And so I think I go in and sometimes prices scare me , being a figure lancer or just a business owner in general . When I look at things , especially because I do a lot of day work , those numbers look like four figures . It's hard for me and that's kind of imposter syndrome , that kind of feeds in to give that or send that in a contract .
But the one thing that I've been trying to stay true to is that I want to . I like cultivating relationships with my customers . I don't want to work with them once , right . So , um , in the , if I were to give anybody advice and see okay , what is your main thing ? I didn't start doing this to make money .
I need the money , but I'm not hurting for it .
It was your passion , more so .
And so I wanted to be able to be able to say no . Like if people ask me about social media management . People know how I really feel about that . There's I would like , if I ever did it , maybe two or three clients . I don't really care for social media management like that , but that's the biggest moneymaker in what I do .
So what is that difference , though , cause I thought content creation would be , so , would you ?
so you just create the content , but then they post on their own social media . Is that the difference ? So it could look a few different ways . So some social media managers and I've had to talk about this with other clients because when they talk to me they're like oh well , why doesn't my social media manager know how to do this ?
Social media managers are good at analytics , understanding the backend things . They understand like , okay , this is where your growth is going to go . They understand all of the things to help you scale right . Creating content may not be a part of that . Some of them know how to do that , but the most you may see is like infographics .
I like to come in , say , if you're a bartender , I can come in . We can create 10 reels cinematic looking reels and then you can either use those and give them to your social media manager so they can use them yourself , or we can talk me and you about how you can implement it . Now .
If you want me to do it for you , then we could do that as well , but a lot of the business owners that I work with it's they're already creating a budget just for content . So , most of them don't even have a budget or haven't thought about having a budget for social media management . So I answer what they need , you know .
That's . I didn't even think about that in one of my questions , but that is a very good point .
¶ Navigating Self-Image on Social Media
Like I didn't realize that that was two totally separate things because , like , even with me just having a podcast , I can look at my analytics and I'll look at them and I'm like , okay , I don't know what this means , but because I'm obviously not trying to make it grow or anything like that , I just do it truly for fun and I enjoy talking to different people
and interviewing them to figure out what's going on in their lives and how they came about , because I do think people are very interesting , absolutely like , and I love the fact that you like kind of um curving off the path here , but I love that you talk about mental health and like kind of put your own little personal thing in there as well , and I think
that in itself makes people who are doing either content creation , social media , influencing . If you're being real and authentic to yourself , I truly gravitate towards those people . So when I was , when you said earlier about you don't want to show up looking a mess I love that .
Yeah , like I like everyone knows that my hair half the time , like you caught me on a good day because it was hair washing day , but like half the time it ain't washed . I look crazy and like when I was dating people I'd be like you're like . When I show up looking like presentable , they're like , oh wow , you look really nice .
And I'm like , yeah , this is just like the icing , if you can accept me when I don't look good , then you get the prize when I look great , yeah and I mean that's definitely um , hearing you say I'm really good at hearing what other people are saying and , like redigesting what I've said , I think that I really like aesthetic looking content .
When I first started I was doing it for small bit , like I was helping to just put out food content , right . So I was like , okay , it has transitioned into I am my brand and I like to look a certain way . Right , and so I think I put more pressure on myself because I definitely I tell this all the time I see some of my friends .
They don't have makeup . Their dark circles are deeper than the Niagara Falls and they do great . I watch it all the time but they feel most confident like that .
I do not know I get what you're saying Because we all are on our own worst critics at the end of the day , like we all have our own vices and things . So I get what you're saying .
It's just as the content creator that just it was surprising because I would be like wow , like you to me are very confident yeah , in what you do and like everything that you say . I'm like very engaged and watching in it , so I wouldn't even think twice if you showed up .
I think you look great the way you look right now I wouldn't think anything different , like if you did show up looking different , I would just be like , oh , her content's good . Yeah , I'm here now . I will say that .
I will say that I personally don't care what other people think . I care so much about what I think that it sometimes stops me from doing things right um , and so that that's one thing like that , that , and that's another thing like I think , because I have a degree like there are some content creators that do it , because it's an outlet , right .
Right , I feel like creating things is like in me and so , um , sometimes I just am not wanting to be that creative , or sometimes I'm super sensitive about certain things where most creators probably aren't they're like I don't know if it's that serious , but you know like an artist , like how they say artists are sensitive about their ish type , like that .
Yeah , you know , because if I wasn't creating content , I would be creating something else yes um and so , but that is the one thing I do try to still talk about or like show up , but sometimes I'm just like my goodness .
And I think I love it when people show up just saying that , like , I don't feel like myself today , because then it's like thank God , someone said it , because I don't like the way I look today , so , thank , I'm on social media and I feel the same exact way . I love that . I love when people show up doing that .
I've tried to do it , like when I like I've tried to get on there and post a picture and be like you know , guys , I'm not really in a good mood today , but I'm going to post this and I'm just going to talk about it .
I haven't been in my stories lately , but I used to try really hard to do that because I grav , we all crave interaction on social media . That's what we're out there seeking .
I had to get rid of all of the things that I was um following that created negativity in me , and then just started following like real people yeah , and so that is the one thing that I like .
Every three months , I purge my Instagram . Yep , um , just because , if , if it don't it's toxic ?
yeah , it's very and .
I , me and my husband , have a different opinion on social media . Social media is my life right . I cannot allow it to be toxic .
Yeah .
So I don't listen to mass , I don't . I don't follow news um news outlets . I don't follow gossip outlets . I don't follow outlets about people talking about people .
Like , as soon as I and I'm a big podcast person as soon as I see a podcast , like if their whole spiel is talking about a certain topic , I just can't job with it that's just weird because I'm in that place , right .
Right , that's what I have to tell my husband all the time , and I think sometimes you just kind of have to take a break because , like , if you see , say if you were sitting here or if you taught me and you were like talking about hot topics Right , I'm working to possibly be a hot topic .
Yeah .
You know I would hate for somebody to tear me apart .
Right .
Or hate for somebody to Now , of course , that's not something that I can avoid or stop from happening , but I don't allow myself to look at it . I don't like that content , like that is just . I just don't get it .
I like that um perspective though . Um , that's a good tip for people out there who may be following those accounts , or because it . It's weird because social media does bring some type of feeling to you , no matter what you say .
Like me , and a friend had an argument about that she I was constantly going through like body dysmorphia , a little bit like um negative about my body , and I was like you know what , I'm gonna purge my Instagram . I'm gonna stop following all these inflit fit influencers , if you will , because I'm tired of idolizing that .
And then my friend kept sending me like reels and sending me posts about like shaming your body and stuff , and I was like hey , can you just stop ?
because I don't know if you know how the algorithm works , but when you send it to me and I click on it , it takes over my explore page it does , and I was like and I'm really trying my best to not and she finally got it because she to her it wasn't negative , to me it was . We all have the difference of opinions so I love that .
I love that and I think that you have to if you are in a creative space at any , or if you're allowing yourself to retain social media , and if you consider yourself content creator , which I would consider you because you have a podcast you know , I think a content creator is someone that sells most of , or they sell themselves or whatever service they're doing
on socials .
¶ Dealing With Imposter Syndrome
Okay , you know it doesn't have to look a certain way , but when you become a content creator , you open yourself up to so much that is true , you just have you gotta guard it like . That's one thing me and my husband talk about all the time .
He can watch gossip podcasts , he can watch this , he can watch that , but he will never see what it will feel like to be on in the hot seat right because he doesn't aim to be there yeah , and so like .
So his social media can be on private , but yours needs to be on public so .
I see what you're saying there like he may never , ever experience that negativity or that criticism that you may experience because you're trying to put yourself out there and doing this as your job and so I like and luckily he's not like this at all but if I see any family members or anybody like sharing bad things or like gossipy things , I'm like imagine what
that person feels like . Come on like they're really people and people make money off of talking about people yeah , that's crazy .
That's that is crazy . But speaking of criticism , have you had to run into any like crazy criticism that you were just like , wow , that you know hurt or anything like that , being that you are becoming this fiery thing in Huntsville right now ?
I don't think .
I don't necessarily think , um , I will say I have a great community , um , but I do think that the form of criticism that I've seen this year is losing friends , um , just seeing that we just don't align , and I think that hurts because it's just like , okay , no matter how much you try to be , especially if you're a creator , no matter how much you try to be
realistic , you're still going to put a certain facade on . Instagram , you still can't show your whole thing .
You can't show that you're crying behind the camera , you can't show all of this , and I've had to learn to safeguard the people that allow to be around me , because sometimes they think I'm the person that's on Instagram , you know , and so , and I'm like so much more than that , and so this year has been more of , I think , seeing me move through situations like
that . Um , I've given myself more constructive criticism because I'm like okay , well , if , if they don't understand who you are , what are you portraying on Instagram , right ? What are you doing , you know ?
right but I to be honest with you , like when I have things like I have a few friends like , especially with me starting a freelance and be more doing content creation for business owners and freelance , and as far as a social media manager , I have a few other friends that do that and it's been really nice because , since some of those things require me to do
things that I haven't done in years , like make flyers or graphics , I beat myself up so much because I never got a job in it .
Yeah .
And so I'm like , well , this person thinks I'm good , like my client thinks that I'm good enough , but I'm like I don't know about that . So luckily criticism hasn't really been that too much of a thing besides constructive , yeah , like Kenny , come on now .
Like , luckily the few clients that I have they tell me to get myself together all the time that I just don't believe the powerhouse that I am .
Well , like you mentioned it earlier , but that is the definition of imposter syndrome . So can you kind of explain that to people who are listening that maybe don't create content , or maybe they are experiencing it and they just don't know what they're experiencing or feeling ?
Yes , and then , of course , correct me , because I think when you're going through something , it's hard to express it , um , but I can give you how I can talk about how I feel , not the definition of imposter syndrome . Um , before we sat here or before we started this podcast , you said I am so excited to be in your um like , have you here ? Right ?
I immediately heard why you know . And so I think that sometimes , um , being a content creator , if you are a content creator out there and you see views and you , like you have a lot of views , um , or you make content good , um , you can equate that type of popularity with your self-worth . So I don't necessarily do that .
But then you can also go backwards where people are saying , yo , you're actually good at what you do , and you just don't believe it , or you don't think that you look a certain way , or you don't think , like , diversity is a big thing . We live in the South . There's not that many black creators in Huntsville , yep , right .
And so I've had the pleasure of a lot of my colleagues which are other content creators . We all work together . I've had a pleasure of working with them and no matter if we have different skin tones , different sizes , for whatever reason . Sometimes I'm just like , well , I don't fit the mold . You know , that's not nothing they're saying .
Right , it's just internal with you .
Yeah , and so I think sometimes imposter syndrome is the little girl that you didn't heal , that trauma , you know . And it just kind of comes out because , like I said , criticism I don't have that many people telling me or not supporting me . It's mean .
No , I hear you 1000% . Because when I first started the podcast , like I was just using it as an outlet , because at the time I was working in the ER and I just I felt like I just talk a lot , I could talk to a brick wall . And then I started the podcast initially to be a verbal diary .
I wanted to do it solo and I wanted to just talk like I what if I was just writing in my diary ? And then I went to get on the mic and I was like I can't do this , like I just can't , I'm not good enough , I can't do this , like who would listen to me ? Who would listen to this ? So then it turned in . I was fortunate enough to .
I have a lot of friends in Huntsville that own small businesses . So I was like , let me interview you , let . So I was like let me interview you , let me just interview you . And so I actually was really good at interviewing . Well then I was like it just wasn't sitting with me . I was like I still want to do solo stuff .
So then I was like you know , I'm just going to intermingle . Whenever I can do a solo and I have something going on in my life , I'm going to , I'm just going to talk about it . If someone wants to listen to my drama , let them .
But people would still be like when we got through with the interview they would be like you're really good at this and I'd be like no , it's just fun , it's just me and you talking , we're just girls , we're just hanging out . So I get , I 1000% can relate in that way .
So it and it comes from , I think , cause I'm working with an energy healer right now and it just comes from like , like you said , I'm having to heal that inner child where I was constantly told as a child , like stop doing that .
No one's going to like that , those kind of things , yeah , and I think my inner child is um . I always say when I make it big I'll think I have five people , that I will always think Um . I've always had support as a kid , but my parents were hyper successful , like very , very successful , and sometimes it's intimidating .
Yeah .
And so I think that what imposter syndrome really is saying to me , or like when I'm like going down my imposter syndrome spiral , is that it could be better , always it could be better , and that is a level of toxicity . To where that , if you don't get out of that , um , I do use .
I'm not the most spiritual person , but I do understand that there is a higher being , and so where I am right now is prayer , and so I just have to pray and I have to express to my friends this is how my mind works . I feel like if you have imposter syndrome , you cannot do life alone right because if you , you'll never get anywhere .
You know , I hope that in 2024 that I can , a lot of the stuff that I fight and a lot of stuff that I struggle with I won't have to as much with the support of others , not saying that I don't need them but I want to be able to transition and need them in different ways , you know . So it's funny that you say that and I't need them .
But I want to be able to transition and need them in different ways , you know so it's funny that you say that and I know like and I'm glad we're talking about this because I know you're big on mental health , I'm really big on mental health .
So because , I mentioned , I work with an energy healer and she's like a life coach and so she's always kind of on me because I'm always like that . Or even my aunt , my aunt's number one phrase she says to me all the time is stop borrowing trouble . Because I'm constantly thinking about something that could happen or like . I'm like , but what if ?
What if nobody listens to the podcast ? What if I have one listener ? And she's like okay , but but you're , you're constantly what a thing , what a thing , what a thing . She said you're just sitting there stressing yourself over nothing , you're borrowing trouble .
And I was like so every time I see my wheel cycle and it's taken years I will literally hear my aunt go , you're just borrowing trouble . And I was just stopping my tracks and go , stop borrowing trouble . And then my energy healers kind of the same thing . She goes it is what it is .
You're in this moment , right now , and you're never going to get it back . So you have to constantly just look at yourself and go why am I waiting for that ? Like you said make . Why am I waiting for that ? Like you said , make it big . Why am I waiting for that ? One moment , you are where you are right now .
And it's good enough . And it's good enough and enjoy it , yes , cause I think that that is the thing , that in the moment , it's not necessarily that I need to make it bigger . I don't feel like what I'm doing is good enough you know , but I am , I'm very thankful , I'm very thankful that um .
God has been sending people in because I've had . The past month has been like , ah , like my goodness .
But he keeps sending people to me and telling me hey , don't dig yourself in that hole you know , because sometimes being creative it takes a lot .
Your mind never stops , that's what I was going to say . So , like , there's a couple of questions that I could come out of that , the first one being your mind never stops . So how do you navigate that ? Like , are you constantly , if you're out with your friends , out with your husband , if you say something like man , I can make that into content .
Like , oh , I can make that into content . Like , is that how your wheels are always turning ? Like you just can't turn it off .
Typically , typically right now . Typically , that is how it is . I think that when I allow , like when I'm not really doing well with imposter syndrome , I don't want to make content of anything .
Okay .
And so , like right now , like I was telling my husband , today is Halloween .
Yeah .
Right , Hopefully I can say that . Yeah , okay , yeah , today is Halloween . There's so many great ideas that I like thought of today , but I was like not even thinking about it , you know .
And so , um , ideally , in , like when I'm feeling the greatest and like everything is going good , everything like the idea of coming here , like telling this story , showing who you are , and sometimes doing that without even saying words .
So absolutely yeah , everywhere I go , Now do you ever get like I know you just mentioned it like when you are in that imposter syndrome a little bit more . Do you ever get what's quote unquote writer's blog ?
But for content creators like , do you just go days where you're like man , nothing is coming to me , like how , why can't I get inspiration from somewhere ?
So that's why I use my voice every time . If you see any of my videos and I'm talking , I don't know like I'm putting something together and just telling you how I feel right then and there . Okay , and so like a lot , and the beauty of that is is that because , being a content creator , there are certain things that I want to maintain .
Like I want to post this amount of time . I try not to allow , like whatever I'm going through , clout that amount of time . Um , I try not to allow , like whatever I'm going through , clout that .
And so if I can't go make something that looks amazing , um , or like something that's super aesthetically pleasing , I'll talk about modge , polish some clips together and just talk about how I'm doing . Or , like , do a day in the life , and so when writer or like , if you call it , content creators block , when that happens , I just stay super true to me .
If you see anything super authentic , I'm probably not doing the best . Okay , you know what I'm saying . Like I'm just I'm not planning , I'm not doing all the other things that make it look a little bit more commercial .
Right Now talking about like kind of going backwards a little bit , how you worked a little bit before when you had a full-time job and was doing content creation . Let's talk about the behind the scenes of content creation that people don't even realize and I didn't realize it either .
I most people think probably , and if you don't , good for you , but it goes through your mind going , man , I just , I just wish I could be an influencer or a content creator , because they just make so much money and it's not hard . Yeah bless it .
So if you think that and you want to just start it , I say start it and give yourself 30 days and see how you feel , right ? Yeah , you know , you either have to like
¶ Content Creation
. So for me , I was working , had a nine to five . I was working . I was doing compounding pharmacy at this time , so I was working in the lab . Um , I will leave work and then come home , and a lot of the things that I were doing were um more reviews .
So I transitioned from food to um the millennial of Huntsville , but the Brown girl version you know , so like really looking at North Huntsville of Huntsville but the brown girl version , you know so like really looking at North Huntsville , looking at the parts that my friends weren't necessarily going to , okay , so I always had content , okay , um , that was the one
thing that was really nice . So like , even though I was working a nine to five , I could always find some way to still post .
So , to have balance and to be able to make sure that I wasn't , you know , working too much on Sundays , I would just batch everything , I would put it in my scheduler , create whatever storyline needs to be , and then it will automatically post while I was at work or however that is .
And then , if I needed to actually film anything like for YouTube , I would just do that at night .
Wow .
I have a whole studio at home .
So what would be your biggest tip or hack for someone who is currently working a nine to five , wants to get into content creating but they truly don't have the time . Like in there or not have the time but like are limited on the time .
Like what would your biggest tip and hack be for them ? Batch shoot and batch create on the time . Like , what would your biggest tip and hack be for them ? Batch shoot and batch create , so batch shooting . If you type that phrase into tiktok , you will see a whole lot of youtube google .
That is the phrase of meaning that you're creating a lot of content , um at one time , so podcasters can do this , um video or youtubers can do this not really food reviewers , but um things that it takes you to get in front of a camera so you create all this content within a small amount of time .
So I would take two hours and press record and see how many videos I could create on this list . Then , after I did that , the part of bat shooting is implementing .
That's the one big thing that I talk about in Huntsville Content Creators all the time is that if you do not implement what you created , then you're you're bogged down with so much content that you get overwhelmed .
And so most new people that are starting content they don't ever feel that overwhelmed feeling because they feel like they don't have a lot of content . But if you do the bat shooting , like I said , you'll have a lot of content . But you have to , you know , put that into place . So I would film just enough . I used to start I would film five videos .
Right , five videos have to edit five videos . By the time I got to the third video of editing , I didn't get to the last two . Two months will pass and I'm like dang , that content just sat there . So I started becoming more realistic . That content just sat there . So I started becoming more realistic .
So if you're out there and you only have two hours of a day , try to see if you can create enough content for a week .
Okay .
If that's not video content , see if you could put some infographics in . See if you could put some photos in , create your I mean use your captions and then by implementing that means putting it into a scheduling gap .
Okay , and now Instagram actually has a scheduling app , so that's , that's pretty .
makes it so much right use Instagram to its best benefit . And then , if you're on Instagram , if you use Instagram like I don't really use the Instagram features , but if you use them , instagram pushes you more it pushes you , like , to the top of the algorithm .
That's what I thought . I follow this girl , um , she used to be my personal trainer . She's's like a business coach and she kind of talks about that as well . Like you , at least have to try it for a couple of weeks , because if you don't , then Instagram will actually put you at the bottom of the list and people won't see your content . Is that true ?
So I don't believe in all of that . It may be true I don't think people are saying it and it's not true but I think that when you become , when you start doing content full time , you have to give and take . How ?
much information you allow to come in .
When you're doing it part time , you're making your own schedule . You know , you could focus more on . That's why you see a lot of part timers do it very well , cause they're only focusing on , like , okay , the quality over quantity , for whatever reason .
As a full-time content creator , sometimes you think , because I have all this time , I need to post , post , post , post , post . But when you're doing part-time and you have another job and you have other things , you're only posting what you thought about .
Right .
You know you put in the time , so it's a quality piece of content . Sometimes I've seen myself when I'm being full I mean , since I've been full time since January , I'll go look back and I'm like , why did I post that ? Because I was trying to post five days a week . That don't even make sense , you know .
And so I definitely think that making sure whatever story that you're telling stays true to you , you know , because eventually , if you do listen to , like , say , if you go listen to all those rules that people say which I do think some of them work I think if you're just starting off , go check them out .
Don't spend too much time checking them out , because you'll hear people say different things , but find what works for you . You know , I don't really go on a schedule like I don't post when my people are the most on there . I post when I can because I'm I sell me .
I don't sell a product . I love hearing you say that , though , for real , because when I was doing it , I did feel that pressure of well you know how much and this was before like the scheduling apps and things like that . I was just like how am I supposed to post this ? I'm at work . Oh , I forgot to post it . I missed my window .
Now I'm just gonna have to wait till tomorrow , and it became a lot of pressure .
Yeah and it was very stressful yeah , now I do have . I will say um another thing if you're being a content creator , know that you can talk to other content creators . I have a friend um Jess and Caitlin . They both they do everything to the t . They post when their audience is there . They do this , they do that .
Their goals are different than mine right you know what I'm saying . They're typically they're selling something that I'm not selling , you know , or whatever . Their storyline is different than me .
But when I'm ready to , like if I have most of the time , like a few times out of the year , I'll post for 90 days straight , but it's because I have something big coming okay , and so that's the reason why I say use , listen to those .
Instagram tips are great , but if you're just to get on there , especially if you're a full-time content creator or like a first-time content creator , ain't nobody about to pay you now . You're right , make it comfortable for you .
Yeah , because imagine , if you go , do all this , you're trying to post five times a week , ain't nobody listening already , you know , do it to where you're comfortable , and so once you get comfortable and you really find like , oh , I like this , people are really genuinely liking what I'm posting , then it'll form into something more organic .
It goes all the way back to authenticity . Like , if you're authentic to yourself , then I truly think that it will always fall into place . Yeah , yeah .
¶ Creating Huntsville Content Creators Community
Now let's let's talk about Huntsville , content creators and how that came to life and how you developed that into Huntsville . What was the thought process behind ?
that . So 22 years ago , me and my I have two friends that I had told them I was like you know , it would be nice to go batshoot downtown . Because at that time I was like you know , it'd be nice to like go bat shoot downtown . Like , because at that time I was , um , doing more influencer things . So what I wore made sense .
So I was doing a lot of fashion posts and I was like I need to go make all these fashion posts at one time because the one fun thing is is that all these fashion influencers you're watching they're not actually going anywhere . They're posting , like , making all that content in one day . You know , they're just going to different places .
So , the bat shooter , we will you go downtown ? I was like , man , wouldn't it be nice if we had other people ? So at that time there was another Facebook group that had just started , um , that I saw have a lot of success and I was like let's see if there's any other content creators .
And since I had kind kind of dealt with some dark feelings after not getting a job , I was like I need to feel creative , I need to feel like I'm not living in an engineer's world . So we started that two years ago we had about 20 people come into a few of the events .
We would just meet up for coffee , talk about content or go make take pictures together . Once I went full time in January , it shifted completely , um , and so this year we've grown the Instagram to a thousand , the Facebook to 400 . Um , I will say , all those numbers sound great , but we have about 20 to 30% of people come out every event that we have .
Since July , we've had like four to five events a month , um , but the main thing of that , um , and it is the reason why we started as community , I always felt like I didn't really belong in Huntsville because it wasn't really creative .
And then I saw like the younger people come , coming , and I'll be 30 next year , so not very old yeah , you're very young .
But I saw like people coming in from college and like , with these marketing degrees , with these graphics degrees and going to like the camp , going to Stove House and getting these jobs , and I was like Huntsville's ready yeah , you know Huntsville's ready to see creativity and they're appreciative of it and so I was like , okay , cool .
So this year we've taken the idea of fostering community between people and just expanded on it . So next year we're hoping to like still be able to bring more resources and to still foster that community . Because my big thing is is that , um , the amount of work that I've gotten in Huntsville ?
I wouldn't have gotten that if I didn't know other people okay , you know , and so I , you know , I just think that that's the whole big thing about Huntsville content creators and we , just , we just keep growing so how do you , do you have to be like specially invited into this group , or is it like ?
so I will say this so 2024 , we're like transitioning um . This was a philanthropic thought , like it was , like I love community , I want people . We grew so fast this year that it's had to turn into a business . So I am restructuring , trying to make sure that we're still able to attend to the masses .
But stay true to us my big thing is not really trying to make a buck off of anybody but , still support what we're doing , um , and so right now , say if you saw Huntsville , content creators that we only have one more event for this year . But if the event goes live on Facebook , um , it goes live on Instagram .
And if you align , I always like keep saying if you feel like you're a creator , because my worst fear is someone ever coming and judging anybody in the right .
Yes , um , and so if you align or if you find us that's why we don't do a lot of marketing , that's why I don't talk about it a lot , because it's only for certain people um , next year we're going to focus on that a little bit more .
But , um , if you saw a flyer and you read the event bright details and you're like , hey , I want to do it , that's that's kind of how you've kind of came into the community , and so that's really been , and I'm perfectly fine with saying this , because I try not to ever make it seem like I'm this person that has all these ideas .
I'm , I'm figuring it out , literally .
Yeah , as I go . Well , I mean , like you said , it's developing into this business , where it used to just be for community , but now it's becoming a business . Yes , and so you do have to be a little bit more like selective and figuring it out , because it's not . You're just , you're not going to know everything when you first start it .
Yes , like I mean , and so this year it's um this year I've seen how many connections have been made with the creators and small business owners in town , and so that's why next year ? Because I think sometimes when people hear business they think money . Yeah , it's structure Right .
That's what it is .
I want people to be able , I want to be able to answer that question that you just asked . Yeah , how do you join ? How do you do this , how do you do that ? But the goal for next year is to be able to propel the small business owners in town by using creators .
Oh , that's awesome . I love that idea .
So I'm just going to fill the gap in . You know , I don't mind going to open up the door , and so we're hoping to work with more small business owners . We've been doing restaurants and gyms this year , but to be able to bring a level of marketing that you would see for a soft opening in the middle of the year at any time .
So that's the hope , but at the same time , for the creatives to still feel like they have a home , to still feel like they , you know , are seen , and then for them to like further their talents .
Now at the events , like when it's just the creators , like I've seen some of your Instagram posts for that . Is that more of a time to like , feed off of each other and get ideas ? Or let's say , I'm new to the group and I come up to you and I'm like hey , kenny , I just started this podcast .
Like can you help me figure out , like , how to get it out to the masses ? Is it just to kind of bounce ideas off , like for new people , to like someone who's more experienced , like you ?
Yeah , so , depending on the event . Um , now I will say , because I am such a people person , I'm thankful that we've been able to stay intimate , meaning under 50 people per event . Um , because if you were to come , you wouldn't have to come to me .
I would come straight to you , because I know that you're new you know and so try to kind of get more information .
The one thing about creatives is that a lot of them are not extroverts , so it takes a lot of them to even come to the event and so , um , sometimes they don't necessarily come with me with questions , but the opportunity is always there .
We always try to leave room for , uh , questions and answers and then , if I know that you're a podcast person , or if I didn't you're a podcast person , or if I didn't really get a chance to talk to you , I would like connect you with another podcast person , because there's a chance you may not have met that person , depending on if you're talking .
But next year , one event that we loved , that we did this year , that we hadn't did in about two months , is a collaborative workday , which is where we can kind of talk about content strategy and work on some things like maybe edit , do those things . We're going to be bringing that back oh , that's awesome because editing is hard .
It is , but sometimes it's nice to be able to do it like not on your couch or get your kids screaming you know , so um first of all , these reels .
I can't figure them out , you can't .
No , I can like trend , do the transitions and stuff , but I can't figure out like I mean , when I say transitions , like basic transitions , when I see people doing like fashion posts and I think you posted one where you were changing outfits or something , or like how they're jumping into something and they're in their pajamas and then they jump into their clothes
I'm like that's just too much for me .
Yeah yeah , I mean I , I will say that that's hard , the fashion , the fashion girls , they , they get it um , but that's the one beautiful thing . So there's a lot of people that don't really make good content or like they're just starting um , that you would probably say their content is kind of cringeworthy , right , like they're starting off right .
I used to be there .
I know . That's why I can say it my well , my first podcast . If you go back and listen , you're just like Jonna stop interrupting people . Stop interrupting people .
Yeah so it's like okay , but imagine , like how much you would grow if you had people around you that , like you , can learn from right like nobody critiques anybody , like nobody goes up and say girl , I saw that video you did . It looked horrible now you will say , if you get a little bit closer to me , I have a friend . The other day I asked her .
I was like why are you filming this video like this ? But it's because I see her all the time and . I'm like you need to hear this . Come on , um , but it's just like we're just trying to make sure we have a safe place to let people know that you can quit your nine to five if you take content creation seriously .
Right and I think that in that , like going back to a statement I made earlier , I think that's the hardest thing for someone like because , like I said , I used to look at influencers , like if I followed someone who was on a reality TV show and I'd be like well , you only got that because you're on a reality TV show or like your plot .
You have a platform now . So now of course you're an influencer and now you make all this money and it's not hard . But then , when you think about the actual content creators who start from the ground up and don't have a platform , that is who I have started like following or idolizing , because I'm like that shit is hard yeah , I will say this .
I will say this because I have a few fashion friends . Um , they have like over 10,000 followers . Um , I try to advocate for all creators so much , but beautiful creators in particular , because they already get the like .
When you put yourself in the influencer thing , like more of what I was talking about earlier , you're already putting yourself in a bubble to be judged right you know , because you only look a certain way , um , you only show a certain thing .
If you're always showing fashion , fashion , fashion , your consumer or the audience will only think that you're a pretty person . So it does pay off .
If you go into your starbies like I have a friend , tasha she does great , she's gorgeous , right , she'll get into her , go on her stories full-blown , uh , breakout on her face and she's like you see , I don't always look like this , you see that .
But you will see , if you go look at her profile or look at a lot of other people's profiles , um , you'll immediately be like how did she do that ? Oh , her husband does this , or she has that , she has that . Actually , she's been doing it for 10 years , you
¶ Embracing Creativity Through Community
know . And so I think that you're never going to be able to escape , I think , as a creator , escape that type of judgment no matter what you do , no matter what story is being told , and so that's why I think the beautiful thing about if you're going to be a creator , have a friend .
Yeah .
Even if it's not a community , if you don't live in Huntsville . If you don't live in Huntsville , if you live in Huntsville , come hang out with us , but if you don't live in Huntsville , have somebody else that gets it yeah because not having somebody like I love my husband to death , but he doesn't get it . Well , I mean .
I , 1000% can relate because , like working in the ER , being a nurse , things like that , like when you try to go tell your friends like oh my god , I just saw this person's ankle be blown off , they're like , can we not ?
yeah , literally I need someone to listen to this , and vice versa . My husband tells me about all his engineer stuff . I'm like did it work after you did all that ? I don't know what you're talking about but you try to act entertained , right ?
no , I , I can 1000 relate in that sense because , like in health care , like we just have , we we talk about that at work . We're just like people outside of this , just don't get it .
Yeah and imagine and I think that that's another thing that like going into trying to do a lot of mental health things or like talk about mental health on my profile was because when I was working in big pharma , there's so much that health care providers go through that you don't even know , right , you know , and then it's just like how you were saying , like
just even simple , as is there anybody you could talk in your family that gets what you do on a daily basis .
Right .
That sucks . You know what I'm saying , and so like my thing is right now is I know what that used to feel like and I know what it did to me Like it made me not really want to feel creative .
It made me not really want to like feel it didn't make me feel seen , and so my major goal , if I do anything , is to try to make people know that you don't have to feel like that .
I love everything about you .
Like I don't like I obviously know you from social media , but like meeting you now , like it's just it's way more authentic , because now I can kind of get the background and I just I'd love everything that you're doing and especially speaking about content , because I just think it's beautiful and I think that you're inspiring so many people just in general ,
especially in this town , because when I posted my Q and a box like people reached out saying that they wanted to thank you first and foremost for the real you made about leaning into your gift , it was very powerful and well said .
Other people had said that they loved the one you talked about about your voice , how you said you didn't like your voice , because I think when we tell somebody that , like I told you before the podcast came on , I loved that reel also because I too have always been very loud and vocal and people have always been like God , you're so loud , you're so loud .
And then when I created the podcast , I got so many DMs saying I really like your voice , like I could just listen to it and go to sleep , and I'm like never have I heard that a day in my life .
It's pretty soothing when I close my eyes .
You do have a good voice . I'm pretty screechy and loud , but thank you .
It's a good nurse voice . Honestly , I feel like you're probably jabbing jabbing things up people's body parts that they didn't want , but your voice did it .
I'm dead , yeah .
So one more question I have for you about content creation is if you had to look back on everything from when you very first started to where you are now , what are some of your biggest mistakes or like things that you , knowing what you know , now going back saying you should have done different , or would you have changed anything at all , saying no , it led
you to where you are ?
um , I definitely think it led me to where I was , um , but I think vulnerability , like I've always just been vulnerable , so I think that God has just put people in my life to like get me to 2023 . But if I were to go back , I would definitely do a lot of things different .
I would stop playing around .
Um , I think , if you want to make content and if you , if you looking , if you can look in the mirror and say I want to make money from content , do it . Okay . So just start , do it . Just do it literally
¶ Developing Structure for Content Creation
start . Find a plan like how you say you want to go get your bachelor's degree , what do you do ? You just have people help you do that , though you have a , you know , a liaison . You have somebody that helps you pick out your classes . The same thing with content literally make a plan .
Go , look at youtube videos , figure out how to be successful , but then understand that it takes time . You know , I think that like 2020 was like the pinnacle of people like get rich quick type thing with the content , and it was just like , well , if I'm not doing this , if I'm not doing this , or should I be doing this ?
Or I'm seeing my friends food videos and I'm like what camera do they have ? And then when you look , when you go meet these people , they're like , oh , I didn't even know it was that good , or my husband took that , or you know what I'm saying .
And so I think that if I would have looked back , if I could go back , I would have a little bit more structure and take what I'm saying as serious . I think because I didn't necessarily know that I used to not really talk about being a content creator , for I used to say , oh , I just do reviews . I just do food reviews .
You know to like my colleagues and stuff , but no , say it that it's a thing .
So that's funny that you say that , because when you said I was a content creator earlier , I was like no , I'm not . And then like , the more we're talking , I'm like I've been . I have experienced everything that you're talking about , starting the podcast till now , and then the growth and so I was like OK , so I am a content creator .
I think we're so used to like . We're so used to like cookie cutter things like . This world is very unfamiliar to us . It's been here since the last decade , really .
Yeah .
And so I think we're still kind of figuring things out , and so I try to um , if I could , like , write a letter to myself three years ago would be um , just stay consistent . Literally just stay consistent .
Around this time Every year I pull up around this time Every year I work hard the first three quarters and then Q4 hits me and like , because of personal things , because of not having family in Huntsville , because of all this other stuff , I let my personal things get in the way .
And so , going back to , if you want to make content I mean money from content make it as , take it as serious as your job . If you want to do it as a hobby , don't be as sensitive there you go , and that is some wise words to live by .
Now . Is there any ? I said that was the last question , but I do have another question who are your biggest influencers in content creation that have helped you along the way ?
Yikes , okay . So let's say five , okay . Okay , I may go over five , but I'll say it really quick . So , um , okay , I may go over five , but I'll say it really quick . So , um , and the first person um , she's amazing at video . My friend Deanna . Her Instagram is D Marie love . She is um , numbers don't really show how talented she is .
Um , she probably can edit better than me , which is frustrating . Um , but she's amazing . Um , and like , just seeing her creativity is just it inspires me . Next person will be Jessica . She's a Huntsville mom . Jessica has grown in like , just seeing her . Literally every time I talk to her , she's like yeah , kenny , I just made a plan .
I just made a plan , I'm stuck to it and I'm like what , you know what I'm saying ? I've been doing this longer than you , what ? And literally . That's the difference that .
Yeah .
That is the difference . Um other friend that I would say off bat would probably be Tasha . She's Tasha Mapolitan Couture . Um , she was my first influencer friend in town . Natasha is known as the influencer of Huntsville .
Um , super gorgeous , does a lot of fashion , but she gave me the opportunity to do a campaign with bridge street like three years ago and her , and then my friend annie and it , like you , sometimes like she literally broke the mold of we can work together that's awesome saying , like everything about how she looks , everything about what her number says says she's
not that person . And so that's the reason like I can mention . I'm going to just stop at Tasha . I can mention like tons of people , but the beauty of being able to see these people behind the camera is amazing and it's just like seeing her .
Like every time I see her , I'm like I hear about all her accolades and what she's doing and I'm like , okay , it's always a kickstart for me because I'm like Kenny , what did you do the last time ? Since you've seen her , tasha's posted 30 times , she's done this , she's done that .
But the nice thing about like just seeing her and then just seeing certain people that look a certain way as far as like being more fashion-based , um , it's encouraging because all they're doing is sticking to a structure , they're posting , they're , you know , making sure to get their vision across . My thing is more mental health , her thing is fashion .
But I'm just all like those three people . I will always Jessica , deanna and I'm going to say Michelle , because that's my partner . I love her . But Tasha , like those four people , when I think of content creation , I immediately think of them , simply because I am a type of person .
If you're not around me and you're not like inspiring me to do better , I'm really not even sure what we're doing .
Oh , my God , I love that you say that , because I think the same thing . I'm definitely much older than you , but um .
You look great . I feel like let me go wash my face . I'll be 36 next week .
You look great , thank you . Um , so , like I've said that like a lot here lately , like as I get older , the more I'm like if we are not connecting on a deeper level , what are you doing in my life , literally like what ? What are you doing here ? Because I can't have these superficial , fake conversations anymore .
I just I can't do it Like I need value in my life and so I love that . You said that . I think we think a lot alike . Is there anything you can tell us that maybe to come , that you can give a sneak peek to ?
Yes , yes , yes , yes , yes , yes . So I wanted to say one thing which I was going to kind of tie up the imposter syndrome thing . I'm a firm believer that I saw something the other day and it was some scripture .
I'm not really good with like knowing the scriptures in the Bible , like I can just quote things and it's usually never what the Bible says , but this is what I think this person was saying . Um , people are placed in your life to help you get to your goals . You're not really supposed to get to them by yourself , right ?
What that hurt , what that was said to me , was I have been having been having issues with imposter syndrome lately . I don't know where it's coming from and I'm not sure if this is like the path to growth or if this is like the struggle page . But I am so thankful for the people around me , my two friends , deanna and Michelle .
If it weren't for them , we wouldn't . We just did a photo shoot for merch for Huntsville Content Creators . If it weren't for them , it wouldn't have came out . When I graduated 11 years ago , my goal was to have a t-shirt line . I said I'm a because every big designer in the city has a t-shirt line , or is the designer for a t-shirt line .
So I said I want to do this . I want to do this . 11 years later , we have t-shirts . Crewnecks . Um had a team of creatives . It was all like the entire shoot was made locally . Nobody was brought from outside nothing , and so that is supposed to be launching in two weeks . Yay , I'm super , super excited . I will have to grab me some stuff .
Yes .
And it is a few things , say Humphrey Small Content Creators , but it's for all creatives . So , like I said , a content creator is someone that makes consistent content on Instagram , socials or any type of socials .
So , um , we're trying to make shirts for people to be seen , um , and most of us just like to wear what we're wearing here , you know , so we make clothes for that . So I'm super excited for that to be launching . Um , we're getting it printed locally . We're getting it printed locally . It was designed locally , it was shot locally .
The models are local , everything is local .
That is awesome , keeping it local .
Yes , so I'm super excited . So you guys make sure to follow Huntsville Content Creators on Instagram for the merch drop .
Now , where can everyone follow ? You and Huntsville content creators on all platforms , websites , anything you got for them , pimp yourself out .
Yes , so you can follow me on Instagram . At underscore that's Kenny . So that is T-H-A-T-S . Kenny , k-e-n-n-y . I am everything for finding Huntsville reviews , but I will be transitioning into becoming a content coach and content tips . Um , that is what my love is now , so I'll be transitioning . This is the first time I'm actually ever saying this .
Really , yeah , exclusive , yes , I'm transitioning from lifestyle content .
Really so I'm gonna still sprinkle that in there . But , um , I've realized that . Um , where I am right now , I think I'm going through a season where I'm like super sensitive and if I stay here I'm not going to make content . So I need to make content to where my feelings are not in it .
Right , I can talk about content all day .
Okay , so let's just spin it and go that way . I like it so the mental health will always be there , but I've always struggled with sharing mental health , because if you go up and down with it , how do you keep presenting yourself ? I like to talk about things after I've been through it , right ?
Um , so , yeah , you can follow me on Instagram , or you can follow Huntsville content creators on Instagram as well . That is HSV content creators . Um , it's a blue logo . If you're on Facebook , if you're a , if you're a content creator in town as videographer , podcasters , anybody that makes content in any form and you're looking for community , follow us .
You can join our Facebook group . It's Huntsville , the actual word spelled out , content creators , and there's about 400 people in there .
So I'm gonna join . I didn't know I could join it , so I'm gonna join that and I will have all that linked in the show notes . I want to thank you so much for sharing your story and coming on .
I know you are so busy and time is valuable , but for you to even consider coming on this podcast is like a blessing to me , and I want to thank you so much for sharing your journey . Continue sharing that mental health , all the tips that you got for everybody , because you are blowing up girl and I can't wait to see what you do in the future .
Thank you so much All right , guys , until next time , bye , Bye , thank you .