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What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Putting her 9 to 5 life on hold to travel
• Writing about being single and dating
• Her favorite and least favorite things about blogging

Rachel Emma was a sophomore in college trying to reinvent her style when she first came across fashion blogs run by everyday people. That’s when the idea popped into her head that she could do it too, so she began her fashion blog Rachel Lately which has since transformed into a popular lifestyle blog. She cited her most popular posts as the ones about travel and dating where she keeps everything real and candid.

Rachel shared with us that 2016 was the year she felt her blog had really taken off. She got recognized by the clothing company ModCloth; they featured her on their website and asked her to host a launch event for the brand. The same year she went to Europe for a month and a half and saw her Instagram following grow as she documented her trip. Since then she has taken a leap of faith and gone full time into social media. She said she wouldn’t stay full time, but decided to do it so that she could travel without work constraints.

Rachel’s least favorite part of blogging and social media was how fake somethings can be because of people only sharing the best of the best and not showing real life. She said she had to unfollow some big-name bloggers because the perfect curated life content they put out made her feel bad about her life. Her favorite part has been all the connections she’s made through the platform she has.

To hear more from Rachel, tune into the fourth installment of the Positive Influence. If you like what you hear then be sure to share with friends and colleagues! You can listen to more of The Positive Influence here!

Host: Chelsea Bancroft

Guest: Rachel Emma

Find Rachel on Instagram

 

Transcript:
this is a founding media podcast if welcome to the positive influence podcast I’m your host Chelsea Bancroft this week I am so excited to share my interview with Rachel Emma of Rachel lately she was one of the first blogger friends I made in Austin Rachel started her blog in two thousand eleven and shares info like travel guides and tips for new places and festivals thoughtful ramblings on life and the best things to do around Austin Texas Rachel is a huge advocate for girl power a not so secret Harry potter fan girl and recently nine to five life on hold to go travel abroad let’s jump in and hear more from Rachel

thanks for coming thanks for having me so I first found Rachel when I moved back from Sydney and I found your blog post about it on Instagram and then the blog post about ten things like I didn’t know about being a fashion blogger and then you literally like would carry flowers around hello like but for a photo shoot how extra that was and I was like I know that is that because like I didn’t know any blockers you like I don’t have any blogger friends and so I was like I would carry around flowers to we became fast friends yeah bloggers do some weird ass things or AFP photo or now we do it for the gram to gram in the old days it was due for the blog and then Instagram blew up and now yes I do all day how

how long have you had your bot and how did you get started god so I started my blog like before like making money off the blog was even acting it was two thousand eleven I’ve actually looked back at the exact date that my first post well the first thing right away blogger bursary yes yeah and it was April fools day in two thousand and in two thousand eleven and I went back in my phone to see what day that was it was a Friday night I think it is like okay I was a loser in my sophomore year of college that I had nothing to do but create a blog like in my spare time so yeah and it came about because I started reading fashion blogs when I was like nineteen because you’re kinda new to college and it’s no longer the days of wearing like Abercrombie and Hollister in high school you’re like okay what’s my style my gonna be in this new city this new school and I went to the university of Texas by the way again so yeah I had no idea like what to wear I think it was after Christmas I was given some combat boots and I was like how do I wear these it’s so embarrassing I legit Google old how to where or how to style a combat boots I did it often still combat boots but like yeah leather leggings yeah I think this is also before Pinterest was a thing to so I didn’t go there for inspo this is a two thousand ten and so I googled it and this post came up of this girl and she was just like a regular average girl like not a model and she blogs about just you know how to style what she wears every day and she had a post like how to style combat because I was like this girl is just like me like and it was on a I think is blogger dot com blogspot back then I don’t even think people use that anymore yeah so yeah and I’m just like if she could do this maybe I get it and that gosh it was like back then I had a boyfriend and I was like we could go hyphen on this DSLR camera and you can take my photos my Instagram husband yeah thankfully he was very supportive oh god I would make him like stop whatever he was doing the like I need to get a picture of this outfit and yeah that’s how it started I think I even remember doing a post every day for a month it was called the thirty for thirty challenge I think the G. blog readers or member this yeah you really choose thirty pieces from your closet and that includes like tops bottoms and shoes like just thirty pieces all together and you have to like remix them for thirty days straight and have to take a picture of yourself every single day and post about it and that was the most exhausting I can go back and again Instagram wasn’t a thing back battle just like hope somebody looks at this week on my blog so yeah it started as a style blog nowadays though it’s transformed into more of a lifestyle blog and I’ve noticed people seem to read my post more about what I M. the best stat was travel and dating yeah

yeah I just talked to last night again yeah that’s all guys I see that yeah about the the dating one best post and I am waiting with anticipation for this years of like all the guys you dated it was in two thousand sixteen wasn’t it yeah two thousand sixteen was my very first full year of being a completely single before that I was in like a three year relationship and before that I had always been in a relationship so this is my first year like completely alone single and dating apps were like becoming a huge thing and at the same time I was working a job remote so I was home alone like all day every day and I just like crave human interactions so yeah two thousand sixteen I went on about twenty seven twenty eight dates total first day yes most of those are first dates back few of them were maybe two dates and then even fewer got that set their goal yeah yeah like it were you nervous putting all that out there yeah my I also most of those guys like we never spoke again a couple of them we remained like civil even some like a two maybe we became like friends after that and they like read my post and they would like this is really like in my number sixteen or like number eleven about me and I’d be like yeah oh sorry I got a lot of apologies after our city if they were well deserved yeah I actually reposted it again a couple months ago I forgot why but the single one right or was it before that well it was like before the single one okay to talk about yeah I had posted again and one of the guys I had not spoken to for two years but so I don’t even know he’s still following the diet and was like I think that one’s about me is it and I was like yeah he’s like I didn’t realize I was that bad I don’t think that go but like they can’t deny it like I think I wrote was true like everything that happened it wasn’t like a really dramatic yeah and I really wrote it as like a fine typos right my friends get a lot of enjoyment out of my head pressure dating horror stories so they like the world needs to know about the and someone was even I used to write a book about this and I’m like I don’t have enough for a book yet but a blog post I could do it Smith Moore get out the tender and hook up tenders the words don’t do it ladies yeah and

you just wrote about being single and it’s like your best blog posts this year for sure yeah and I mean the most yeah it was after I reposted the hoard dating story posts that I got a lot of women messaging me saying like I’m so glad you posted this I had never read it I was starting to think that these bad dates were like my fault like F. M. is it my fault that I’m single is there something wrong with me like it really struck a chord with me I I I don’t know if they’re going through like especially that first year of being single I thought like I would easily find a boyfriend within a year yeah but then after a year I was like what’s happening and but no it is hard dating is hard and I wrote this post to let women know that they’re not alone in their feelings of feeling isolated in like never gonna find somebody and maybe the world is just full of these bad dates and men that treat you like not how you should be treated so yeah it’s the it’s on my blog grades lately dot com called you should read this if you’re single it’s aimed at women but I’ve had my guy friends actually read it to my single guy friends and they got a lot out of it as well and I didn’t expect that but it’s true like I feel like I ate I ate talk more to women because you know I relate to them and most of my audience are women but I forget there are guys out there who can feel alone to being single so it just warmed my heart that I got the help a few people out there is a lot of people that responded it was so nice I think I was like oh people actually read what I write yeah I yeah it was very humbling and grateful

yeah so with blogging like what’s been like what was the moment where you’re like oh shit like I’ve like I’m doing this again what was your biggest success like when you realize really making it kind of I feel like two thousand sixteen was the year that things started to take off I got recognized by mod cloth and they wanted me to like close third grand opening party in Austin and feature me on their website supercool yeah I’m something like that never happened to me and I have loved my cloth so to work with them I was so excited and then soon after that I went to Europe for six weeks and I guess I don’t know what happened but I guess those hashtags like really came in handy that’s when my Instagram started my Instagram following started growing a lot I think because people just like to watch I don’t know zero trips yeah yeah see I was definitely that summer or it was growing but I still I don’t even think it’s down sixteen I was making money from my blog or Instagram but I was like okay this is becoming something a creative outlet that I ate isn’t just to do anymore yeah it was becoming something I put actual effort in and was getting recognized so yeah definitely a shift in mindset in two thousand sixteen it’s typical

and now you’re full time right as of now yeah yeah how is that bit and being a full time like relying on blogging full time you know I feel like this is gonna sound awful but I feel like it’s more Instagram that has been keeping me afloat yeah than my actual blog like I guess people just became Lazier and it all just or word with sword and sing gratification yeah and they don’t want to go to your blog posts to like read about an outfit you wore and more like if you’re gonna post office just posted to Instagram and tell me they’re here now that’s true I’ve seen that like shift especially definitely with fashion bloggers yeah that’s why I have shifted more to lifestyle because my post about dating and travel get more reads my blog then style posts so I leave those to just Instagram I’ve read the question has it been being full time right stressful like it is stressful just because you’re like relying on brand store yeah you to make money now yeah yeah but it’s fine I really like what I do and and I will say this isn’t for ever I do intend to like go back into a marketing role probably this next year yeah better basket traveling yeah that’s why I know it sounds like you’re a full time blogger because you make enough to do that like now it’s because I plan to leave soon yeah and I will be blogging still while I’m away but yeah going on some adventures next year and hopefully I find some internet I’m able to like write about it so you’re gonna try and like work with brands like traveling or yeah Lee B. yeah no I’m going to do it I think it sounds hard because I won’t have the address for brands to send Yang’s like that’s legit how I am able to promote on Instagram is because I have an address yeah they sent things to but I think I’ll be traveling slow and so I’ll be in one place more than just a couple days so it’ll be hard but yeah I’m gonna do my best because the girl needs that’s all so what are some

like what are some of your favorite brands that you’ve worked with how did you get those sounds awful but what what do you just have to like I know one so I when I travel I only need to carry on a backpack I’m crazy I can I can I can admit my camera gear in a backpack yeah I’m gonna have to leave my big camera behind all that since I know but it’s so heavy yeah hi start time for that but yeah I only traveler backpack and I did a lot of research it was to my Japan trip in two thousand fifteen I didn’t want to take a huge suitcase I was like I’m going to be there ten days I can totally do this in a carry on and I am so weak that like I didn’t want to carry on wheels because that makes it heavier I can’t lift it myself so I widget did some googling into backpacks and I finally settled on one called the Tortuga two steps towards I love them so much like I’ve had two backpacks with them already and the first one I did by myself and it blasted Japan six weeks in Europe and my trip to South Korea and has held up like this entire time it’s been great and always tagging them like I love you guys please notice me Love Me one for me please and I do I think it just tagging brands that you genuinely love like mentally they’re gonna notice because to get dead they reach out to me asked me to take photos for them paid me for the photos and offered to send me like they’re brand new backpack which yes please like I would have done all of it just for the back and yeah that’s about right no yeah so that was a great partnership I’ve been lucky enough to work with Ralph lloran urban outfitters Zappos hallmark I my favorite partnerships are the music festival one yeah because that’s another passion of mine is going to music festivals and euphoria it’s an old one if you were in Austin a few years ago he remember how fun that was an A. C. L. I got to go both weekends and that’s again this year yeah okay as I suffer from like major you guys is like if I see something fun happening in Austin and I’m already here on the site like I wanna I gotta be there or I’m going to miss out and that so I was determined to do that yeah those partnerships for music festivals I reached out to brands I knew you were going to be there yeah like Hey let me really yeah yeah but you don’t have to pay me like I just want to go to the music festival yeah that was that’s all I wanted but the other ones that maybe I didn’t reach out to they found me I’m very lucky I assume through hashtags that have to do with bloggers yeah yeah that sometimes you just feel lucky yeah sometimes you got to like reach out yourself this went out are you guys you know and

so what’s your least favorite part of the blog blogging and Instagram and like most favorite I guess I don’t like how I don’t L. A. fake it can be sometimes like I really do and that’s why Instagram stories is so awesome like I never realize how great that is for brands but you really but even brands of bloggers you see like behind the scenes yes and it’s all kind of messed up but but yeah my Instagram feed if you saw it like I would look like a girl that lake has our shit together but yeah it’s the highlight reel yeah every photo is perfectly edited and you now just to make it look picture perfect but yeah it’s it’s not it’s my life but it’s not my whole life right now it’s a very small percentage I think some I am legit had to unfollow so many big name bloggers because their lives their perfect lives are making me feel shitty about my own life yeah it’s hard not to compare but like that it’s so hard to not realize that that is the you like the best version of yourself that you were absolutely putting out there it is probably photoshopped a bit yeah like to edit out people like I’m not alone here just amazing destination I don’t yeah that’s so true by ordering or yeah like photos where I’m eating like a fancy meal when really you don’t know that the day of the night before like I don’t have any groceries I ate like oatmeal for dinner forty eight hours or there’s just so many things that don’t get put in the highlight reel so but something I do like about it it’s going to sound so cheesy but I have made some awesome connections through this platform and really it’s so funny it was two thousand sixteen again that year was very prominent where I finally started to decided to not be my sh usual shy self yeah Hey I was so shy like about my blog goes like nobody cares and I was like nobody you knows who I am but then I was getting these invites and I think okay I’ll go even though I didn’t know anybody because none of my friends are or bloggers at the time so I did legit had to go alone yeah ever since after that year more Austin bloggers started sprouting up yeah definitely the past couple years like it conjure pulled and yeah so just finally meeting people and now a lot of them like friends of mine and I guess we’re going to get you from yeah no it’s true yeah it’s funny because Kelsey said the exact same thing I know this is gonna be cheesy but so true I had a feeling yeah yeah I mean what are we gonna say like a little money other all the food all that’s about damages like selling until now

so before you wrap it up what would be your biggest advice what would your biggest advice be to someone who is just now starting up like as a blogger or Instagrammer definitely make sure all your handles are the same it really helps yeah but I do think having like a theme for your blog and Instagram feed is a big deal that way when people like first go to your page like they just want to be able to look at you right and within five seconds no no like if you’re there vibe if they will call you so even though again I said it can seem fake really just pick a cool color scheme that you like and stick with it I do think investing in a nice camera we’ll help you I’ll admit by phone cameras are really stepping up these days so maybe even back and help like Shelby lake seizes her just her iPhone and her photos are amazing they’re better than mine I don’t know I I don’t know what happened but I think I’m going to look so much better than my you know I’m just like but yeah so that and then I really would right more authentic pose other than the like the caption that no one cares about yeah like although that’s been proven wrong in some cases zero but the foot the the post right do right from the heart are my most popular so as long as you just post content that you like and your consistent with it Mike I would say post once a day then people will come to you yeah yeah all right

well thanks for coming on the show thanks for having me where can they follow you like what are your Tom handles and stuff Instagram is Rachel dot lately and then my blog is Rachel lately dot com if you’re brave enough to follow me on Twitter I’m my funniest so that’s where you won’t see the highlight reel somewhere I’m just a weirdo but that’s Rachel X. Emma my name is Rachel Emma yeah so yeah I mean that that’s be friends thanks for thank you again right it was so much fun hearing how you start your journey and what you’re up to now we will have all the links to racial social accounts interracial lately in the show notes be sure to check out the positive influence podcast team includes me Chelsea Bancroft producer Mariah gossip an audio engineer Jack Wallace thank you everyone at founding media for your support a positive influence podcast is available on apple stitcher Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts from you can also view this and other founding media podcasts in video form on our YouTube channel a link is in the show notes thanks for listening