Shea Leigh Mills

And I don't even know if you know what an influencer is, but it's basically it's like an influencer slash blogger, slash slash fact, fashion blogger poster on Instagram. I'm not even technical with it. I don't know what it is, but basically, people look to you for a resource of things. It can be all sorts of things. But what this group that I have gotten to be a part of

is it's blogging, it's fashion, it's style, it's products. But their hearts are so great and these girls, they're such incredible females and they're so all about empowering each other, working together, collaborating, and they're gonna share all of their secrets on how they do what they do, how they grow their Instagram, how they make money, how you get started tips. It's gonna be amazing. My first guest is Shelley Males. She's so freaking cute. She's twenty years old.

She's a bright, bubbly, blonde, beautiful bombshell. But her heart is even more beautiful than she looks on the outside, which is hard to believe. She talks about some real stuff, you guys, like, she really gets in to some struggle she was went through in high school and how she has found positivity, what faith is to her, what an important role it plays in her life, how she does her blogging, how she does her post on Instagram. She is the most precious, most adorable person on the face

of the earth. I'm so excited she's kicking up my Influencer series, So you guys, get excited and welcome Shyley Mills. You're my first interview on my Influencer Serious. So honored. I feel so honored because you're so baited. I've been watching your I guess listening and watching your podcast. I was a nanny, and I would seriously watch them while I was folding the kids laundering topic, and now you're in my apartment. I'm being me like I'm the lucky

one it forced to be wrecking with. And you're so freaking young. Okay, so like what are you? Twenty year? Oh my gosh, and you already have over a hundred thousand followers. You never would've imagined ever that this would happen. You are a fashion guru. You have all these people who love your style like you are some people's style inspiration. That's so weird a thing because I were like leggings

and sweatpants in my house. What you're seeing me in right now, This is not like surprising to anybody if they know me. But you have closets and closets full of clothes that never see the light of day. What do you do with all those clothes? I shoot them so people can see them, and then they sit in my closet. I know I need to sell them honestly or give them away. At this point, I need to just like have people come in my house and made my space and just go or have like a fashion

show charity charity. Actually, all the influencers that are these fashion bloggers who have all these clothes. Y'all should do a fashion show and just have your clothes auction and then sell them right after. That would be so genius. Yeah. I love that. We need to talk to the girls that honestly, which is kind of exciting. Okay, so we I feel like I'm the lucky one because I'm like

the odd man out. I am not I am not a really a fashion blogger, but somehow you always look so cute every event we go to your like the badasset, like just the leather jacket, cool earrings, like we talked to her Scott, but you always look so good. I don't know how I fell into this group though, because all of y'all are these fashion icon influencers. But it has been the most fun thing I've been a part of because there's a group of like how many are

the twelve? I mean we throw new girls in there, like, oh there was how at that spin cycle thing. Yeah, we're kind of sweating gross right now. Shelly is such a good sport. She's the cutest person on earth. A fashion icon obviously, but I was like, we went to this spin class for Liz bachelorette like spin party, and I was like, are you cool if we interview afterwards, and it was like, yeah, sure, that's how natural. She is a little rough, But talk to me about that

spin class. That was so fun. It will kick your ass for the full time. It's at Verticity Cycling. Yes, it's in not Green Hills, it's in East Nashville. Yes. My heart was busting through my chest the whole time. You were killing it. I could see you through the mirror and I was like, what the heck. She obviously does this every single day, Like twice today. I was like, okay, no, I got put in the front row because Kim the owner thought I could do it because I've done it

like twice before. I'm like, no, I'm not. I'm not a pro at all. They've ever done it. They were killing it, and they're twins and they were doing it right at the same time. Everything. I was like, they are like the same person, They're so in sync. They got it though. But this little influencer group has been the most fun thing, and we do all these events together. Like you said, new people are coming in all the time and everyone's so welcoming, like no one is like, oh,

I don't want them here. I don't want them there. Like everyone's like, come on in, what do you need? We got you like right off the bat, they're like sisters. So talk to me about what it actually means to be an influencer, because that is such an interesting thing that's just popped up since social media's existed, and you're so different that you're like on the forefront of it. So when did you become an influencer and how does

that even happen? What does that mean to you? Well, I became I guess I didn't even realize I was becoming a blogger. Whenever I became a blogger, blog I do what do you like to blog about? It just depends. It's daily Shilly dot com And so how do you spell it? D A I L Y s H E A L e I g h cute daily dot com. I can't even handle it. I was like, okay, Like I didn't intend on it. I didn't follow any bloggers.

I didn't know anything about the world. Didn't even know it was like its own separate that old were you I was eighteen, it was you become You've had a hundred thousand followers happened in two years. Yeah, a little less than two years, I had four thousand followers on Instagram. I just like in high school, I was friends with people from different towns, and like naturally had kind of just a bigger follower from moving away, going and being a part of different things, doing new things, that kind

of stuff. And then I was always I moved to Nashville after graduation. Nashville, and you're from Illinois, from dount Illinois, very very small town in southern Illinois called Carterville. Carterville loved it. I mean, we all love our hometown. Right after you leave, you love it more. Now you have to be gone to appreciate it absolutely. So I still go back. I was actually there yesterday with my parents. It's nice to go back, but I'm so glad. It

was such a blessing to move here. So I actually had never even been to Aashville when I decided to move here Nashville. I was going to originally move to Texas, and then I was like, you know, that's not where I'm meant to be, And how did you know where? How did you know You're not meant to be in Texas? You just I prayed honestly, I know how cliche that can sound. By was like God, where it was March? So I graduated in May. It was March, first spring break,

and I was like, God, where do you want me? Um? I have no idea, Like put me on a path because I have no idea what to do. And I literally woke up one morning and I went up to my mom and I was like, I'm moved to Nashville. How did you get that feeling? Did it just come to you? I don't know if it was a thing I saw, something I heard. I just was naturally like Nashville because it just came to my mind. Like I

can't explain it. It's the most bizarre like I've I've always been a Christian, always trusted in God, but this was a different kind of thing, Like you started a whole new relationship religiously. What did it open up for? What? How? Okay, because this is also a spiritual podcast, So what did that do for you? Spiritually? It made me turn to God for every little question, every idea, any thing I needed. It was a complete reliance on God at that point.

Answer you. I wish I knew. I wish you would tell me that because it's like literally, I was like, God, where am I supposed to be? And he said Nashville and I was like okay. When upstairs said Mama moving to Nashville and she got her first thing she said was you've never been there, and I was like, I know, but that's where God wants me. So she's like, all right, springbreak,

we'll go and visit. And I had an old youth pastor of mind and I was like, coming to visit, checked it out one neighborhood and I was like, this is where I'm meant to be. So when you say he answered you. I always wonder when people say God talks to me, like what, because like is he speaking words to you or is he like giving you feelings? Or is he showing you like a neon flashing signs? Well, I always I remember pastors and people being like, you know, God told me this. I was like, okay, how do

you hear? Always like I don't understand that. How does that even happen? And then I can't even explain. It's just like like just in your brain he's talking like you just have like it's almost like he it's I don't even know how to explain. It's almost like I feel like everyone probably has a a friend occurrence whenever it happens, like either they see something in a dream or like something that mine was just your kid. Something

just told me, like a feeling. It was almost just like you know how, like you're thinking throughout it's almost like okay, almost like a grocery list. You're like, okay, I need bread and eggs and milk and okay, and then you just think, okay, where should I go? Houston, stay home, Nashville, Wait, Nashville. It was almost like one of those and it just clicked. It was just sadi. You can't quite explain it, like when you leave someone and you're like, how do you have a connection almost

or something. It was just like one of those things that somehow randomly crossed my mind. But it was never a maybe. It was like it was yeah. It was never a maybe Nashville. It was like here's my list. Wait, boom, okay, I that's it. There was after that. There was no doubt. The first time it came to my mind never went away. And when you got here, was it totally exactly what you thought it would be? Okay, not at all? What happened when you got here. I moved here with just

by myself, and I don't know our mattress. I knew no. When you're eighteen, I was. I had just turned eighteen. I was like eighteen and two months and just a little baby. And my I mean, I was the first kid to like leave and fly the nest and or fly the coope and just go. How many siblings do you have? I have two brothers, Grant and Brock, and they're older. Grant is older and Brought is younger. We're eighteen twenty and two. So when you got here, was

it nerve racking? Oh? Yeah? I mean I came here in the summer, and at first I was out by the pool, like yeah, I'm out by the pool in Nashville, Like look at me. I'm eighteen. I'm doing the thing. And I was like, wait, bills, wait, hold on this, I have to buy food. I have to do this, Like it's fun to grocery shop with your mom. Whenever you're in charge of everything. Oh my gosh, it was like adulting real quick, heart. Next you became an adult

literally one thing after another. It was like, wait, I didn't realize it was just right after everything started kind of it was like two weeks of fun because I moved here in June, so see Mayfest and that's always fun. And hey, this is I love Nashville. Let's go partying and dance and do this in a concert. Yeah. And then it was like, oh, wait, I need a job. And then before I knew it, I had four jobs. I was um working at a smoothie bar, at Gold's gym. Um,

I what else was there? It's been a while. I became a nanny. I started doing extra work on like CMT shows and different stuff like that, like in Nashville, and um, there was something else did I do? I mean you name it? I was doing. Yeah, I mean just here and there are anything? Oh Francesco's the little store here in Hendersonville. And I was like, I've seed a job. And I was like, okay, I gotta get as many. I was going to school full time. It was crazy, are you still in school? I'm done with

school kind of kind of done. That's an effi, effi kind of thing. But I really need school to be a fashion star. Well. I was going to school for communications for radio and TV, and then I was actually being an extra on a TV show one day and they were like, you kind of look like our main girl. Do you want to be her body double? Like her stand in kind of a thing? And I was like, yeah, sure,

that seems fun working on TV. Yeah, And then that kind of just went into a new thing and then I met people from that that led me to the next. And then people were like, wait, what are you doing in Nashville? You're on this TV thing? But then you're at a smoothie bar and then like what are you doing? So I quite a bunch of my jobs. Became a full time nanny after the show wrapped, and did that for a while, and then people were like, wait, what do you do now? I always got what do you do?

What do you do? Especially when you don't have a definite you don't want to say that you don't. I mean back then I was like that question. Oh I did too. That's why my first bog post was called so what do you do? Yes, it was called so what do you do? And Daly that you started, that's my first post is called so what do you do?

And it was just like a list of kind of what I'm telling you now and just all the different things I did from smoothie bars to clothing to I mean anything, and I did that and then I was like, yeah, I guess I just need a website. Started that started that up, took some pictures of things already had and clothes and stuff I've just closed I had, like me in the mirror. Those were my posts, like just little things. Then hey can you take a picture of me real quick?

And like I've right before, I would leave work in my outfit and I would like go on there and just ride about it, and people like where should get eat whenever I'm in Nashville, and I was like, um, I don't know. I need to go and explore. So I went out and I started exploring and writing about it, and then writing about it, took pictures of my food put it on there too, and then a restaurant was like, hey, we want you to come eat for free, and I was like free food, Oh my god, I have four jobs.

I'd love free food, like yes, And then it was like, we want to send you a T shirt to put on your Blox shirtet T shirt. Yes, I would love a free T shirt. Oh my gosh, yes, of course. Here's a full post on it. And then they like bracelets. Yes, and we'll pay you to ride about it. I'm making money from this now, yeah, I'd love to. And then we'll pay you this much and we'll do this and come here and and I was like whoa, whoa. Okay.

Then it was more Nashville bloggers following me, seeing a world of it, and then outside of bloggers, and then the big time bloggers with millions of followers and would follow you to and gosh, I wish no, but like I would find them off of that and I would be like, wait, I've seen this girl on Pinterest. Oh she has a website and oh my gosh, wait that's her and it connects here, and just it became a

whole separate world. It changed everything and the way the blog is set up and how it's not just some website. It's like a career. You really made it, studied it, and you you figured out how to make this a career so that your career was divinely inspired obviously because God just told you to come to and then he pretty much anointed your steps. I mean yeah. It literally was like every little job fell into someone I met.

Everywhere that I worked, I've met someone that has led me to where I'm at now, whether it's like my boyfriend was at the Smoothie bar and now that time at him two years later together, but like it's just so funny how different things worked out. And I now work. I used to work for francesco Is and now they send me stuff and I posted for them, so it's kind of like different, you know, working, it's still work, but it's so much bigger than I ever anticipated. So

how did your followers jump so fast? You've been on Instagram for two years and you have a hundred fowers? How did that happen? Is that also a god thing? That is such? And with Instagram here's the thing they people can say you buy and you buy likes and this and that, but you can followers because that's the whole world. I actually talked to a few of our Nashville bloggers, which I'm sure that they'll get into that too, but I was like, how can one girl can really

tell who buys? And I'm like it's like a magic power, and I mean she just knows. I'm like, okay, teach me how because I don't know. I am almost like Dane. This girl grew so fast and I'm like, that's not real. I guess, so you can like buy followers, I guess for pennies is what someone was saying. It's so cheap, but it hurts you in the long run because companies know,

how do they know because they have the thing. They have some sort of website that you can check because I'm like, oh my gosh, they know someone's not some one who's a real company is gonna check, and they're not gonna want hire you advertising to fake people, So you don't want to go to a bunch of spam accounts. But people thought maybe you were I was buying, or

you were doing that or that. And I actually, whenever I first started blogging, a company called Pink Lily saw me and I modeled for them full time too, so that helps a lot with everything. And then they'll do a contest or post a video of me doing something stupid because Laura knows I do during shootes. We have a whole blooper account. But I just people see that and they see my account like a more not serious side of things, but see it as a blogger. But

then they see that I'm real. It's not going to be you know me and five thousand dollar pairs of shoes and you know, fifteen thousand dollar bags and stuff. You know, it's this is from on sale before Bucks. So like that you're going to get for me, you know. So it just kind of I think being realistic, being genuine, being goofy, that is what really made people be like, I'm gonna follow her. So that's I mean, I've put on my store before, how did you on my account?

And they're like Pinterest, pink lily, my friend told me. So it's just all over the board, and Nashville is spooming so fast. They're constantly looking at different things restaurants, hotels, airbnb's shopping, all sorts of stuff in Nashville. So hashtags make it, makes it grow. I mean, it's just it's is important. Like I haven't done hashtags and so long, and I guess I need to just to get like a new group in but like hashtag Nashville blogger, hashtag Nashville.

My friends make fun of me for it, but I mean it was working. I was growing. I was like, dang, it was cool. So do you think being specific about your brand? Do you have like when people look at your feet, is there a brand you're trying to promote. Is that a big part of growing your followers? I

am all over the place with that. Like one day I'll post more like like a leather jacket type of style or a fun little dress or flirty this or boho that kind of stuff, and then I'll be in a juicy suit the next Like I literally wore a juice intore sweatsuit the other day and that got more likes than half of my photos that I actually try hard on really, but oh yeah, just some people like

a selfie more than like a real photo. If I go out and get my photos made and pay a photographer made, and like pay a photographer for it, all, I won't get as many life as if I post a photo of me and Kipper, me and my boyfriend, or I post in one of me and the mirror with yes, kitten is my little cat. He's not here right now. But I mean, just real life stuff does way better because they know that it's you. It's what you would actually be doing. It's not you posing in

a certain outfits what you actually were that day. It's real life. So do you think it's good to have a mix though, like to have a professional photo. So actually people might not even know this. Those pictures on your feet sometimes they're taking it by a real photographer and they're not that day. If you see me plan out there, people tell me this all the time. I actually have an app on my phone I can show you, show us so I have. Let's see before my phone dies.

Is it called what's it called? I have? There's two different apps. This one I'm going to show you is called Planoli and then what it's called You and U M so photos that I took back an Orange beach a couple of weeks ago, back when I was there. See how they're all lined up so you so I haven't posted those plan so I can. I just started doing that all of your photos in advance. None of these are posted. No, some of them are those who are not um. But that way I can kind of see.

Like I was sitting down here and I was sitting there, so I didn't want to buy each other. But so you plan out, do you want like the color schemes to match. I'm not big on color scheme. Like I knew I had some red and pink coming up for Valentine's Day. I'm not crazy over all of my stuff. My friend is some of my friends are like they

have to have this color. And like there's some bloggers that you look at their page and you see every little detail matches and everything's the same, and their house matches every outfit and they just plan it way too much. You're not going to get that from me because I don't have time. I don't have the skill for that. But I mean, you can just kind of make it bright.

So you make sure you plan your pictures ahead of time. Um, I did that just for some ads I had coming up from companies and all that talk to me about collaborate rations, like how do you collaborate to people reach out to you that I get that question all the time. So what they'll do is people will kind of say like, hey, you know, you really fit our brand. We'd love to collaborate.

And if you have a media kit, which is like a list of your prices and how you kind of do your business side, if it's like almost like your application of how they could pay you or how they could share your stuff, and you send that to them if they need it, and then they say, you know, here's our budget, here's your budget, let's talk. Let's figure it out and we'll send you some clothes, or we'll send you this and just talk about on your blog and you wear their stuff if it works. I'm going

to be honest. If stuff works, that it'll work, and I'll round about it. There's been times I get stuff in the man I'm like, this is nothing like the picture. This isn't what was right. I can write about it, but it's not going to be good, and they're like, no, that's fine. It's very important for you to be on whole shelf. And they're full of clothes that I haven't written about because I said to the company, this isn't good. I'm not going to share it. I'm not gonna tell

people to go buy it. So it's not gonna blog about it unless you love it. Yeah, there's been things before, like there's one thing that I did would write about a long time ago, and I had and I used it twice and I was like, love this. I've had it forever and I was like, I hated that. So I told the company I'll use it for give me two months and then if I like it, I will share it. So there's been times that I'm like because whenever you're first starting up, it's so easy to grab

everything that comes your way. It's like prayde candy. You just want to whenever you're like whenever your kid you want, you're like, oh my gosh, I And then you're adult and you're like, I just want that's rules, like you just want certain things or you know exactly. So you get less almost less greedy because at first it's like, yeah, I want all of this and I want paid for it, and then you're kind of like whoa wa, whoa. I've got to slowdown because you end up getting too much material.

And also something I was going to say is that half the things that you see posted aren't that day. So like you go out and I'll go shoot like five or six outfit with outfits with a friend and then we shoot it and you save, you save it because I want to sit at home like this and watch friends watch the office. You bank your photos and then then you plan them out. So how many how many outfits changes do you take in one photo session

that and how long will that last you for? Like, so I went to Orange Beach with one of my friends names torn Lee. She's a great blogger. Um she

has a blog beautiful and she's really sweet. We went to Orange Beach and I think we took a total like forty something outfits and we just bikini's, bathing suits, cover up, spring breakout, it's nice dresses, beachi dresses, Valentine's Day Day ideas, pajamas, everything, And we just shot for four days straight, I mean, and then travel outfits at the airport after we left the airport before, Like I mean, but that's the thing though. Our vacation wasn't a vacation anymore.

The past few oh yeah, the past few vacations, I say, I've been on I haven't gotten to sit down. We had to sit down dinners during that. The rest of the time we had oreos and gold fish and sausage biscuits, And I mean, it's it does change. You're making your time count. It changes your So how how long will those photos last you? A couple of weeks? Forty photos will last you? A couple last you a couple of weeks. It just depends how often you post, how much you post,

how spread out. I try not to post more. I try to do five photos a week, So whether it's like a day in between or four or five photos depending on just because I don't want Some bloggers post two or three times a day and I don't want to annoy my followers. If they want to see something, they'll go back and look at my page or they'll ask me for it. And whenever they ask, I'm like, yeah, here's this, or here's that or here's you actually talk

to your Oh yeah. I try to respond to every single person, but it does get overwhelming, so I don't always I'm not always able to, but there's a ninety percent chance that if your message comes through my inbox, it's probably gonna get answered. That's amazing. I try to respond to everybody, And finally I did have to set a limit to myself where I was. I mean, I'd be sitting here watching TV and I would see someone random from Switzerland message me and be like, hey, I

love the sweater. Where did you get it? And I would past TV, go to my computer, download where I was from, link it, go through message her back, can send it. Toure like, hey girl, here you go. But I was doing that so often. Oh yeah. I mean, you don't stop your constant, You wake up, you check what you have to do, you answer messages, your apply back to people, you link outfits, you go plan a shoot, you redo your website, you update. I mean it is

non stop seven. You're planning your next shoot as soon as your next one is done. I mean, it's just I saw a blogger that did a full post on it and she said, you are a stylist. You're a writer, you're an editor. Um, you're a publisher. You I mean, you're a photographer at times, you're a planner, you are every single thing you do your own financial side of things. You have fifteen million jobs packed into one of being a blogger. And it's like bloggers aren't really taken seriously

because it's like, oh, you dressed up. Yeah, people are like, oh, you dress up and take pictures. Yeah, that's hard, but it is. It's a full time job. I work more now than I did when I had those four jobs, and which is school full time? What is the number of followers where you start getting paid to post for companies? Whenever I did it, someone told me, um, what nobor do you have to hit? Well, someone told me start

charging at ten thousand. But there's girls out there that aren't so much influencers as a lot of people say they call Instagram models, where it's like, if it wasn't Instagram, you probably wouldn't be doing what you're doing. But that they say, if Instagram cuts off, they're going to need a job where if you're a blogger, you have to have a blog. And as soon as Instagram station Instagram takes five ten years to completely be gone, do you think it's gonna go away? I mean, my piece things

went away. I mean it's constant. So whether it's you know, gone in five years or ten years or you never know when it's gonna disappear, it is going to eventually either die down or not be needed as much. But a company will always need influencers, whether it's on their blog or YouTube or whatever is out there next, they

will always need that. So I'm gonna have on Instagram goes away, there's gonna be something new, Oh my gosh, something So you think ten thousand, okay, so like, but I've seen girls that have like two thousand that will post for like hats or bikinis and they'll get paid a little bit here and there. But in order to make like I mean, there's something that makes six figures that is insane to me, how do you make six figures? You have something to tell me? That is it? Like

engagement level two? Is that a lot of bloggers that started years ago. I'm not saying. The thing is, I don't know all this stuff because I didn't expect ever be in this world. So I found out that you can make money from this, and I was like, whoa, that's crazy. So I mean, it just changes on kind of who you are when you started, what your engagement

level is. That's why they say don't buy followers. That is and I know if you ask any of the bloggers in this series, what do you suggest the most, they will all say, do not buy and be real, real and be a real person. Like if you go on every day with full hair and makeup done, always put together, they're gonna be like, Okay, they might look up to you, but they're not going to relate to you. They wan don't know that you're real too exactly. We're sweat,

I'm sorry something, You're fine, You're fine. I'm probably just just as worse, if not worse. So okay, okay, ballpark it. If you are at ten thousand followers and you are a full time blogger, fashion styleus, what would you charge for a post? Like? What is the what's what's I think? I think whenever I hit ten thousand, I started charging like fifty dollars for an Instagram picture and like a hundred or maybe seventy five for a full blog post. So and I would do those just every now and then.

I wasn't posting as much back then, and I also didn't have as much um, I guess, almost traffic from companies, you know, because it was easy for you know, small up, small startup companies to reach out with the oh, we don't have a budget. But it's like if I had fifty thoyd, oh here's our budget. It just depends. They companies play with you a little bit, you know, So do they want how will the company do they? Okay, does the company want to know that? They want to

know that you're actually gonna drive sales. Yes, that's why the fake followers they can see they'll be like, no, we don't want that, because is we don't want to give her stuff and have her, you know, share it with her. Followers say ten thousand, well, three thousand of them are real, So seven thousand of those aren't going to come to us, we only actually are promoting to three thousand people. So it's just it's a waste for them, it's a waste for you. There's just no reason to

do it. But companies, if they see your real and your numbers are good and you have comments and lines and questions on your post, there would be like, Okay, we want questions about our face mask or our protein shake or our clothing. We want that. We want that engagement. We want, say to answer questions about her experience because that's real. So if someone says to me, hey, do you really like that protein shake, We'll have two bags

of it up on my fridge. So like, I mean, I love it, I've ordered more, I've gotten more, and I actually see results when I use it. Boom, I can share with an actual testimony with people. So it makes it better if you That's why you also have to love the product, because if you get questions about it, like hey, how long does it bag last? Oh crap, I didn't really use it. I don't know you know

what I mean. And that's what you're talking about being greeting in the beginning and the beginning you take everything, but then once you get more like once you get more stable on who you are once you realize this is a job. Start being selective, right, honest about it. Absolutely okay, So say when you hit fifteen thousand followers, how much would you charge for a post or twenty? I don't remember what I did. I know I didn't do mine, right. I know some people had. There's a

website that you put it in. You put in like some different numbers, and it tells you what you should be like an average. I didn't do that. I was just honestly like waiting it and I and still to this day, I was Someone's like, oh my gosh, you

had a hundred. You need you know, you need to up this price and you need to make up a new contract to send out and you need And I was like, I'm still fine with my whole number, Like I'm still paying the bills, Like I went up a little bit whenever I hit it, but people like you need to double and I was like, I went up

literally a hundred dollars, Like I didn't do much. I just enough to have a little extra to treat myself in situations and to be able to say the companies, hey, I do have to be more specific That also makes them respect to you, because then they're like, Okay, she's not just going for anybody, and she does take this seriously. Okay, so well, a company send you a product and then also pay you on top of it. Yes, break out, this is the best job in the world. But it's

like you love it. Oh my gosh. It's the best kind of work, though, and I enjoy it if I didn't like it. I know so many bloggers that say, I don't love it, but it pays the bills, and I don't love it when you're getting awesome clothes. I mean, I don't know, but they say, I don't even like

doing it anymore. It's a pain in my butt. It is too many hours out of your day to not enjoy it if you don't like it, Like, you can sit right here, watch TV write all your post like, yeah, it is the work to go out and do stuff, but you can edit five or six post here in a couple of hours, just but the thing is time maintenance.

Me and Hunter snicker. We're actually talking about how you can, oh my Hunter, Prima, but we were talking about how her husband, her then fiance now husband, and my boyfriend. We were saying like they have to tell us to go to bed. It's three am, it's time to go to bed. Stop. I mean it's so breathing and sleeping this. Oh yeah. I would be like going through dinner and we have a new role with my hunter that time dating. Um he is like shape, get off of your stuff,

Like get off of there. So we do no phones anymore at dinner and stuff. But I mean everything you do revolves around answering questions too, not a fan, but like a follower, or answering an email to a company because they need that quick and you know you have to be someone that understands that. So it's tough. It is. It's like family time changed for me. Whenever I would go home for Christmas, I was like, because just about

all of the what are these things called halls? Like you do like a blog hall where you like talk about all your Christmas stuff you talk about I were just like a Christmas morning. I literally did like a scan of the room of me and my brother's getting our stuff, and people were like, where did you get that? Where is this? I'm like, oh my gosh. Then you have to break it out because no posting your life. You are now you are a source people who link

into you and love you and follow you. You are now their go to for Also, stuff you become there go to. I posted a photo of me doing a sumo squat in the middle of Target yesterday with my best friend, and I had five will message me within like ten minutes saying where's that sweatshirt from? And I didn't even check my phone because I didn't even think anything of it, you know, It's just me being goofy with a friend. And then I put my phone away and I was like, whoa wait, why does it keep beeping?

And it was I torn up T shirt and I was like, people want to know everything. People never invested in you, So how many real posts you do have? Like say, you and your boyfriend hanging out first? That's kind of thing I don't really keep track of. It's kind of a as I have it kind of thing. So if I go out tomorrow and shoot three outfits, I can mix in those, you know, not as real life type of things with the rest of my stuff. So you like so lenient on myself on That's great?

I'm not some bloggers are like some people in general, like okay, I want this, then this and then that and then I have to have that, and was like this little feels good. I like, I do like to line up on those apps that should you. It helps out tremendously with being able to tell businesses like this goes. You know, I can have that done on Monday for you, or I can have this done it mean, it is fun to just do it as you wan, because it's

still your social media. It's still you know, my friends are like, yeah, my friends and families still want to see when I'm up to. They don't want to see a business thing. And I understand that. I've had some of my friends, I love you, but I can't follow you anymore because it's all it doesn't feel like you. I'll see you on Facebook and I'm like, I understand completely.

You know. It has change that kind of stuff. And whenever I first started my Instagram in high school, it was oh my gosh, girls not in the meyor picks like like that kind of stuff. And now I can't just go on and post like I have to be. I mean, I'm yeah and I'm not. I'm about to be twenty one. I can't go out post what other twenty one year old are putting on their stuff because I can, you know, hurt my career by posting a

stupid drunken photo for myself. You know. I mean, I'm about to be one and go have these fun years. It can't end up anywhere if I go do something stupid, So I have to be careful, okay, And so like, you're not gonna if you're having a fun friends girls, we can You're probably not going to post a picture of that. You might do like an instant story about that. Talk to you about the inst stories versus the post. So like, I'll still do pictures with my girlfriends and

like that kind of stuff. And I was like, go and do different things. I'm just and I know it sounds kind of almost bitchy, but you have to be selective. And sometimes it's like okay, like we'll all go out and everyone's editing their stuff. I'm like, I'm part of my story because that still reaches you know, thousands of people. I get about thirty two thousand views on stories. So it's just people. I mean, people still watch that. Some

people watch that. There's a whole thing on there now where people are saying, do you see my post on my timeline or do you just see my stories? And people are saying stories because people don't want to scroll through and see a lot of ads and sponsored stuff, so they look at your real life stuff on your story and that's you talking, that's you sharing. It's more real,

real stuff. Yeah, And last night I was in a face mask talking on my story and that was real and people were like, wait, what face mask do you use? And it still gets people interested in what you're doing wearing sharing that kind of stuff. But it's it's you. It's not someone else typing for me. It's not someone else saying, hey do this, you know, I mean, this is the big girl. I'm not even a pro this. Once you get to like Sarabelle and all them, you're

gonna be oh. Once you get to like Liz and Meg, you're gonna have more than I have to come back and watch all these Because Sarabell's post today and she like has like a new instat filter and she changes it. I'm like, I do you know what? Like she's like new filter, I'm like, wait, hold on, how often are supposed to change your filters? That's why I'm like, okay, like priesthetic as killer Killer and I'm like I were

yellow and then blue and then green. So people really get invested in your style though, So that's where they like link up with you. Like you and Sara Belle have a totally different style, but we're like we talk every single day. Yeah, we're like she sometimes goes from being my snapchat best friend like on it all with other people, but we talk every day. And the thing is, though, our snaps are like these, like the ugly ones that are like close up double chin's just gross, ugly, weird stuff.

But we know that that's real. You know. We always said if anyone else could see our snap stories, they would be like, what the heck is Roalt these girls out has them. Probably they're all going to get shown one day. Oh it won't surprise me. Surprised me. But like her, like she doesn't ever post friend pictures or anything. It's all like her clothes and like her. I mean, she's worked hard for her brand and people want to understand that. I bet a lot of her friends are

like what the heck? And that's how any boggers. A lot of people are like why wouldn't you post this? But it's how it happens and it becomes a job, and it's like every post has a dollar value. Just freaking Okay, So where do you see yourself in five years? What is your goal of five years? I don't even picture to be here in two years. Okay, let's do two years. Since we're two years in, where do you see yourself in two years? Will be twenty two. I'll be just about ready to be twenty three. Where do

you see your career in two years? I would love to be traveling more and have it more organized. Um. I would still love to do like the broadcasting stuff. I think that would be so fun. Like I love events. I've gone to c M T stuff and I still love that. I still want to do country music stuff, but it's almost like that became that was my passion and now it's kind of like that would be fun to go into again. I forgot. I liked that you're

doing YouTube, so I just launched to YouTube. Yeah, so you can start interviews and stuff and doing stuff on your YouTube, and if you wrote big enough, you can be your own digital network. Really, I know. It's it's so crazy too, because just moving to Nashville, that was always naturally a dream like country music I've loved. Can't sing worth a lick. I wish I could, But I mean interviewing them, knowing stories behind things, not like not like so you just came out with this. How is

it more like a so, what's really going on? That kind of thing? Like you know, you know how you do just real life, nitty gritty. Would you say that this influencer fashion blogging is you're calling. I don't know if it's so much the fashion side of it. I have lately been posting more religious stuff, more encouraging stuff, more realistic to encourage people, and I honestly one of my biggest prayers every single time. I mean, I pray before my feet hit the floor. You do, what do

you pray? I thank God for every first because I thank Him before I ask for anything. There I can't really last on my as Thank Him for your life, thank Him for your blessing. Oh I the other day, I like, what would you say? So? The other day I was in the tanning bed and I turned my phone on Do Not Disturbed, took off my watch, everything, and I laid there and for the first time in so long, I thanked him from my head to my

feet for everything. I was like, thank you for my hair because people ask about my hair stuff and I know that sounds really petty, but like, thank you for my hair because you know some people don't have it. And thank you for my mind that you have programmed a certain way to think, a certain way to be creative, a certain way. Thank you for my mind has allowed me to do what I needed to do. Thank you for my eyes that I'm able to see the world

that you have created. Thank you for my mouth that I can you know, talk to people, and you know, hopefully you go back into either broadcasting or speak your word at people and tell my testimony because you hear a lot of great things about life. But there's a lot of stuff that people go through that you have no idea. I mean, it has not always been happy

and bows and butterflies in my life, absolutely not. So have you what what is your highest your lowest low that you're willing to talk about, Like, I mean, high school was very rough. It was it was, I mean, and I know everyone says, oh, I didn't like high school or somewhere like it was the best time, and I'm like, can't relate. Oh, there was just so many things that happened, and mistakes I made, and things I

got twisted up in and just bad. Everyone has bad paths, and mine was high school and that happens to a lot. But I think that all that stuff, all the hurt, all the sadness, the pain, the arguments, the bad years, all taught me stuff so early. What did you What did it teach you? Don't let a boy be bad, You don't be mistreated by a man. Don't um let people talk to you the way that like I would if a girl came up to me and spoke to me the way I was talked to in high school

by other girls, I would not let it. It would literally go in one year and out the other. Now, but before that, before it was in a it was stay in my head for years? How did you try? How did you switch that? They apologized? Why did they apologize? Later? Whenever I moved to Nashville, every single girl besides two girls from high school have apologized to me. They've done Yeah, But like I said, I made mistakes too. It's not I know I would be lying by Sairns. I was great.

I don't know what happened. I mean mistakes I did some wrong stuff. I messed up, but I definitely got the hard part of it. Like I did some bad stuff. But some girls are I mean when I say no morals it, I'm gonna get emotional. I mean, girls get mean. I mean especially those high school years. I mean, I

mean it's crazy. But after all that past and after stuff happened, it took a while, but every single girl besides two girls have either message me on Facebook or seeing me in person sense or texted me and just said I'm sorry, like I know what. And one girls and the best apology I've on as a girl said to me, after everything that we she spoke for her group, but she said, after everything, that means all these girls that we did to you, not once did you ever

seek revenge or do anything bad back to us. Because there was different groups, I'd never did anything. Two and I got a message and she said, you were never ever bad to us. They were like in response back, you never sought revenge, you never went for us, you never did anything, and you took it. But look at you now, like a girl who said, look at you now, you're showing all of us what we've done, and you're

proving all of us wrong. Do you feel like you were able to be so grateful and shine like you said, because you went through so much? Oh? Absolutely, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be able to. I mean, obviously, people can be negative on Instagram and social media. I've been so blessed. I've only had probably, out of all my posts, I've maybe had, I can count on both hands how many negative comments. I'm very very and it's like I got

it out of the way when you're in high school. Honestly, I've never thought about that, but honestly, yeah, it's almost like, I mean, because whenever I I mean, I would go into high school and I would hear people saying something and it wouldn't My whole body would be hot all day, my feet would be numb, just like did you have an ally on your side or were you alone? Um? It just honestly, this sounds so tacky, but I prayed.

I prayed so hard. There were so many, I mean, And the thing is I was friends with teachers too, so like I had a counselor that I was friends with just because my mom was a teacher at the Cross Street School. But I mean, I would go to them and talk and I would just be like, I don't get it. There were so many girls also and guys too that can be mean that. I'm just like, I've never said anything bad to them. I don't get it. What is happening? And they said it's going to pass,

and I'm like, no, it's not. There's anything else. I mean, if you if I would have been sitting, I wish I knew then, or I wish I could like see myself in high school. I go back and look through and I just walk one day like I have one day in particular, I would just go back to and it was the worst day ever, and I would just go back to it and just watch myself. I wish I could just stand in front of myself and be like, this is not like in two years, you're gonna be

in Nashville. You're gonna be having the time of your life. If you're going to have the best I almost cried whenever we were in the cycle clast day and she was always whenever she was like, it's hard to find whenever the girl was saying it's hard to find a group of girls that's going to lift you up and not secretly want to tear you down, you up on your best days when you celebrating, and then lift you

in even higher on your bad days. I was like, I wish that I knew then what my life would be like now, because I would have said to myself, this girl, put your head up. Like I remember, I would always send the back of costumes because like you can ask any of my teachers in high school, I would always stay on the first day, I have to send the back. If you make a seating chart, please put me in the back because I get anxiety. I always feel like girls are going to pull my hair.

I feel like someone's going to throw something at me or put something on me. I can't sit in the back. And I was, I mean, I was, I have this in the back. I can't sit in the front. And a teacher said, I have to do it alphabetically for this, but you'll be in the middle, so like it'll want. I mean, every teacher worked with besides one but she was crazy. But I mean I had a tough high. Yeah.

And if you actually the girl that did this whenever um, I was younger, A girl scooted her chair back through my ponytail or through my hair between the seats, screwed it up and was like, Shane, hurry, and I like sat up real quick. We're friends now. We talk all the tech like to rip your hair, yeah, to pull your hair. We're friends now. So we're fine now. But I mean just stuff and that, and then it was.

That was in like sixth grade, and then in high school we were friends later and um later we were sitting there and I kept pointing my hair under the front and I always sat in the back, and she goes, do you sit in the back because of what happened whenever we were a little And I was like yes. I was like, oh my god, I traumatized you. But I mean just little stuff that sticks with you. You want to think of that. It totally imprints you. Oh my god, such a a fragile age, you know. Do

you think everything is the end of the world? Everything is in the world. What would you want to tell young girls? It's there's just so many things like like, honestly, keep your head up. Let it go in one year and out the other. And I say, I see my friends that are still in high school, my um younger cousins, and just different girls that reach out to me about like, hey,

this has happened. And girls that went to my high school that I didn't go to school with, but they know that I went there, and they say, hey, I'm you know, I've been through this. I know you know this person you know, and I just want to say them it's going to end. It will like I promise you it's going to be okay. And I heard that whenever I was in school from everyone, It's gonna be okay. Like my mom would say, you know it's gonna end. You're gonna go off and do something. You're not gonna

stick around. My mom always knew. My mom and dad always knew you're gonna go You're gonna go off and you're gonna fly. Yeah. They always were like, we're not scared of where you're gonna end up. They always know I was gonna do something, they just didn't know what or where. I didn't know either, But I when if I was fourteen, I thought I was gonna be a desk at cheer leader forever. That was my dreams. That was what I wanted to be when I grew up. Anytime anyone asked you, I'm gonna be a desk at

cheer leader. Would you shock me not anymore a professional famous blogger. Oh gosh, I mean, it's just crazy to think about. I don't want to ask you a few questions for you. Wrap up. I could talk to you in my gosh, we'll talk after this finished this. What does the world need now? Encouragement and God? This world needs Jesus. This world I was talking about that you're asking about my prayer and stuff. A prayer, I thank God, and I just I pray that he fixes what this

world is becoming. It is so scary to the point where you don't want to bring you know, kids into it, and you don't want to do all this stuff. I mean, it is just it's terrifying. So this world needs Jesus. I believe that people are good, Brian No. I believe that if you sat down with the meanest person in the world, there's something good in every single person. People being people turn me experience. I could have easily become bitter and mean and become it. You know, those girls

were mean to me. I'm going to be mean to these girls, and I'm going to show other people like I'm gonna be strong by being a rude person. But why did you not do that because I knew how it felt. I knew that if I was mean to someone, Like if I see a person that I'm like at the grocery store and I just happened to give a look to I'm like, I'll like smile at him later,

because I don't want to. I don't want anyone to ever feel the slightest bit of hatred or bitterness or any sort of ill feeling because you never know what a person is going through at all. You never have any idea what kind of morning they've had before class. You don't know what they went through between class periods. Yeah, you don't know if they're getting abused at home. You don't know if a girl is getting mean text messages in class threatening her not to leave the classroom because

that's happened. That is the worst. And be in a classroom and say between next periods, don't go to your locker worlse I mean to get those kinds of messages. You never know what people are going through, and people are scared to speak up and say something. It's but I think that deep down all those mean girls now they're I mean, they're good. I just think something happens. Maybe they're insecure, they're scared, or everyone's like they're just jealous. And I was like, that's easy to hear, but I

don't think. I don't think whenever people are like they're just jealous and everyone always says that, but it's there's more to it than an envious side of people. I totally agree with you, and also thank you. And also I was trying to think of what else I had something else to say. I just keep interrupting you because I just want to know everything. Oh I forgot, but okay, compassion is mm hmm, that's hard. Compassion is. My first thought was love. Just be a loving towards people, whether

they're whenever they're down, whenever they're happy. Hannah Niece is a great example of that. She is one of the most compassionate people. You can say anything to her. She won't be judgmental. She's encouraging, she's loving, she's there for you, She's I mean, I think she's like the epitome of a compassionate person. I love that, just like you are too. Though the more I get to know, I just love you and love you even more. I love you and more. I'm like Damn, you are the sweet person in the

whole world. A lot of the same as you, Like I had so many insecurities growing up, and like I didn't have the same situation too, but I was so insecure that I never want anyone to feel that way. I want everyone and makes me cry. I want everyone to feel good about themselves. Like I don't want it to be a competition. I want to all to work together. That's what I love about our grip that we're in.

I don't know how I got selected to be in, but in the same way, I'm not even a blogger really somehow here, but it's because it's because you're a good person. And all those girls, if you needed anything at any time from any of them, they will text you back with a response, either if it's you know, you need help with a campaign company or you want help with how to post had a bad day. You know, if you've had a bad day, any of those girls

will talk to you. Amazing. Yeah, it's it's a different kind of connection and friendship than I've really experienced before. Light is and happiness, I mean, I think also a sense of humor. You have to be if you're so like see yourself time. You have to be light and happy and just positive about things. I just whenever you say that, I just automatically thought of like a happy, go lucky you're happy when you see them, whenever you

see them through the door. You're not like, You're not like that cherry not in your car, You're not like, you're just very Oh she's here, Oh my gosh. What's she been up to? What's going on? Just a light, happy person? Darkness is that she not stomach You can whenever you see something, I mean a bad time, you've been through, something that reminds you of, you know, something not so great in your life, that kind of thing.

Just negative people that the passive aggressive, passive aggressiveness is there. You don't want that. That is such a dark thing to have in your life. If you do not want that. The point of life is God. I mean, we're all going to go somewhere. Why did God put us through this earth? Because this earth is beautiful but brutal, Oh my gosh, because the sin in the world is huge. But God's love and grace and mercy and world and

life and happiness is so much greater. Why do you think He may justus come here, Like, why don't we just stay in Heaven to begin with? I wish why does he want us to go through all this? I wish I knew. I mean, the more I can spread the thing I've been. What I was telling you earlier is whenever I've been praying lately is God give me a path and my my My next goal is everywhere I go, Like I went to Chicago last week, I went to Orange Beach on my heart everywhere I've been.

I'm about to go to Miami this week, but like everywhere I've been, it's been on my heart, share the word with someone. God, show me a person, whether it's a hobble on the street, a clerk at the store, a girl that is passing me something, show me at least one person everywhere I go that because he's taken me there. It's if it wasn't If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in Miami with a pink lily shoot. If I wasn't, you know, given the opportunity, opportunity with Rachel,

I wouldn't have been in Chicago. I wouldn't have done all these things. So show me someone that I can either pray for spread his word for do something, because he's taking you there, He's taking me there. That's my next school is everywhere I get so in tune to be so long, but you're not so like religious like beating at fire and Britain kind of where it's still

come out here and there. But like, the thing that drives me crazy about religion is people get so locked up in the words that they forget that love is the main point exactly. You could be the I mean a lot. I saw a quote one time that said, some of the most hypocritical, most judgmental people I've ever met are sitting on the front row and some of the nicest, most um, what's the word uplifting encouraging people? Are the ones covered in tattoo? Is that are hey?

I mean hey, seriously, But like the ones that are going out and having fun and stuff and enjoying life. But they're not going to be judgment your every move. You're every step Like this the school shooting that came out, the first thing that people said were was it's the guns, it's this, it's democrats pub against all this stuff. It is love. If that kid had love, he would not have done that. If he had a better life. I mean, obviously things happen and to everybody, and you can't just

make that an excuse. But this world needs love and Jesus and encouragement and happiness because and I mean, I'm not going to sit here and say that I haven't you know, done some mean things or done darker things and like that kind of stuff. When when you know better, do better. Oh I like that. It's her famous quote. Once you know better, you do better. You've always like

you've learned that. Oh my gosh. Yes, like my brothers, I was so mean to them and whenever I live only exactly, but like I mean, I there's times where I'll be like, oh my there. I have those friends that call them like did you see her this? Did you see that? Did you see And that's a person

like that's that's one thing. But if I would have been like when you talk to your friends, though, you're talking in confidence and you're not doing it to spread negative towards that person, right, I wouldn't go common that on someone's picture like wow did you edit this? Or wow you don't look like that in person? But I would you know, say to a friend, um, that's not right like that kind of but it's also your industry, so you do need to So it's easy to be judge.

It's in our nature, it's part of sin, it's naturally in the world. But I mean, I'm not going to sit here and say I'm perfect, because I'm not. But it's the easiest thing to do is if someone looks sad or looks down or is needing help. My friend tesks me about needing home in her marriage. I didn't say, oh, girl, just you know, think of the good times, love him. Do that. I told her Bible scripture because that is

so much more powerful to some people. Some people don't need that, but that with worldly advice mixed in, is the best kind of encouragement you can give someone. I love that, Okay, someone to wrap up because so inspirational, probably really twenty years old. I love how you've listened to God. I love how you follow your heart. I love how you trust to me. Trusting and taking the leap of faith is so huge, and you have to trust that there's a bigger force at work. You have

to trust that you Well, this is not me. I'm not that I'm not that strong to do all this. Leave your light. I like to leave a wrap up all my interviews with leave your lights. So just leave your inspiration. How you want to inspire the world, what you want people to know? Like what you just the message you want to stand out there. I mean, I know this whole thing is inspirational, but leave my light how you want people like if it is a if you are just saying a Shelley, this is you, This

is what your legacy is. This is what you want people to remember about you. What do you want them to have taken away from your life? Laugh? Have fun? Don't we so tense all the time? Be real? Um, whenever it's time to cry, cry as hard as you want to all the time. I cried my eyes out the other night at Confessions of a Shopoholic. Not because it's sad, but I needed a good cry. You know. Whenever you want to laugh, just have those people. If

something is toxic, get rid of it. That is just I have never I mean, I've never been quicker now to Okay, this makes me uncomfortable, this makes me unhappy. I have to get it out on follow delete whatever. I've never been happier than I am in this phase of my life because I am surrounded by people I want to be surrounded by. I have people that I want to talk to. I have people in my life that I want here, that want to be here. I don't force anything. What's happening is happening. It's not me

doing it, it's God. But I'm so happy where I'm at right now, Like this is a life I would have never dreamed of. And I'm so excited to see what's going on next because I wish he would just tell me and give me Like, but then I know what, you gotta live it. I need something to look forward to. But it's it's a very good life because I've let things happen and I've rolled it that I've learned, and you've rolled with it and you've learned. I love that

rolling with it, not holding it so tightly. I got a roll that things can come and go so fast. I could have this whole place right now and then I could, you know, call burn up tonight and I have But I have people, and I have friends, and I have that would take me in and a heartbeat that would help me, that would supply things for me.

God would supply things like I would need to clothes well, God has supplied all these companies in my life, which seems so small, but like if I needed something, He's there. It's there, My friends are there. Shelly. You're amazing. You are amazing. Thank you so much for joining me. What a way to kick off my first episode on the Influencer series. You're not just a fabulous influencer for fashion and blogging, just for life and the way to live.

You're such a great influencer for that. Thank you. I appreciate you so much. I love my God. Okay, by how inspiring is Shelly. She is so freaking amazing. She's only twenty years old and she already knows so much. She's so wise, so wise, has such a booming business for herself to be so freaking young, like, she blows me away. I love that girl. It was such an honor to get to interview her. And next week, you guys, I have Megan and Liz. You know I love me

some Megan and Liz. I have already interviewed them once. They are the most precious twins that have ever walked in the face of the earth. And Liz just got engaged. We're oh my gosh, we're talking all about her engagement, what her wedding is gonna be like, of course, her and her sister's incredible bond, how they have stuck together, how they love each other, how they do their influence. They are YouTube stars. They have over a million subscribers.

They're also Instagram stars. They have like almost two hundred thousand followers. They are all about fashion. They their own clothing lineup, Macy's. We're gonna talk all about it and get all the details, so you guys are not going to miss Megan and Liz next week. We'll see then