Sarah Von Bargen, 35, blogger/ghost writer/internet awesome-i-fier, usually in St. Paul, Minnesota (though she travels three months a year)
Over the years, the blogs that I read have changed a lot. As I’ve changed and grown, the things I’m interested in reading about are a lot different than they were way back when. And the people whose work I found helpful when I was younger, isn’t necessarily what resonates with me at this stage of my journey. But one of the blogs that has constantly been in my reader since I discovered it in 2011 is Sarah Von Bargen’s Yes & Yes. Perhaps it’s because Sarah doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out, yet she’s still plenty inspiring and wicked knowledgable. She’s incredible at helping people be more awesome online and showing how to make life more fun and adventurous. Sarah’s amazing at curating guest posts on everything from incredible real life stories and travel to style and food. More recently she launched a small business blog and helps people take their online lives to the next level. From starting her own business to travelling for three months a year and peppering her life with everyday adventures (she also inspired my birthday list!), Sarah is pretty rad at making her dreams come true. I’m so excited to have her here today for our next Inspiration Interview.
How would you sum up what you do?
I write things that help us all remember that yes is more fun than no – in life, online, and in your business.
What unconventional career path brought you from there to here?
I’ve been doing writing-related jobs for 15+ years … all those things you do when you know how to string a sentence together: public relations, newspaper, ad agency, English teacher. When I started Yes & Yes I’d been living abroad and working as an ESL teacher for five years. I wanted to read a lifestyle blog that was funny and smart, helpful and flippant. I wanted to read a blog that acknowledged that humans can’t be pigeon holed and sometimes adulthood looks a bit different than we expected.
I couldn’t find a blog like that so I created one.
After about three years of daily blogging, people started asking for my help. They wanted advice on navigating social media, content marketing, how to write blog posts people actually read. So I hung out my proverbial shingle and I’ve been self-employed ever since!
What does self-love mean to you and what role does it play in your life?
It means making the choices that are right for you. Sometimes these choices aren’t particularly popular with your family, your friends, your clients, your employer, or your partner but if they’re right for you, they’re worth pursuing.
My self-love takes the form of professional boundaries (no business emails after 6 pm and never on the weekends) and telling people what I need rather than devotedly hoping they’ll figure it out.
Boyfriend, could you please do those dishes?
Sister, could you bring wine and dessert to Easter brunch?
Friend, could you meet for lunch and give me advice about That One Thing?
Where does your inspiration come from?
Everywhere! Most often I get my best ideas from conversations with my painfully clever friends. I also get a lot of good ideas when I’m out and about or when I’m moving my body. Inspiration rarely occurs when I’m sitting in front of a screen.
What advice would you give for someone with a monumental dream looking to make it a reality?
Work backwards and break your big goals into tiny steps. Let’s say you want to move across the country in six months. What needs to be ready at the five month mark? The three month mark? The two month mark? How can you break that down even further into little steps that won’t overwhelm you? I love using Trello for big projects – you can assign tasks, deadlines, even give yourself checklists and see how much you’ve got left!
Thank you, Sarah!
You can find Sarah being awesome all over the Internet on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. And if you sign up for her newsletter, she’ll take a look at your website and give you three suggestions to improve it – for free!
How do you keep yourself inspired? And who’s inspiring you these days?
Mega love & chocolate kisses,
The life you want is possible and it all starts with learning to adore yourself.
I’ve LOVED Sarah’s blog and helpful nature for years now, I still get traffic on one of my posts that she featured from years ago. I really loved what she had to say about Self Love, sound advice!