Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Urben.
Jenna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started The Urben Life in 2016, a couple years after graduating, when I really started “adulting”. Throughout college, internships, and jobs I managed various blogs and social accounts but never kept up with my own. After a while I really wanted a space to document my recipes, travel, and lifestyle.
My husband and I are both lactose intolerant and I have a severe egg sensitivity, because of this I live completely dairy-free and egg-free. When people find out about this they always exclaim “NO CHEESE?! NO CAKE?! How do you live?? What do you eat???” I then go on to explain how I order at restaurants, the type of products I buy, and how I experiment making recipes allergy-friendly or veganized. Since we both work from home, I have the opportunity to spend more time coming up with new ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, sweets, and snacks. Having a blog to showcase all these things is super helpful for those who are going through something similar and for those who aren’t, so they can have a better understanding of food restrictions. We still eat tacos and pizza, just modified. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good quinoa bowl or kale salad but it’s all about balance!
The goal of The Urben Life is to connect others living with food allergies or sensitivities. It can be very isolating and awkward in the beginning when you’re navigating your way through what your body can and cannot tolerate. As an extension of my blog, I share my journey on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more! One of my favorite platforms to connect with others on is my closed Facebook group, Dairy-Free & Egg-Free Recipes. We just surpassed 1,000 members who range from college students needing quick and easy meals, new mothers wanting classics for their children, grandparents searching for new recipes to feed the family, and so many other wonderful people. It’s amazing to watch others come together to share their experiences and recommendations.
Before I started blogging I was hesitant to share my life with strangers, and even my friends and family. The overwhelming support from most everybody is something that I hope to share with other bloggers. Up until last week I was exclusively taking photos on my iPhone 6S and running my blog on an upgraded WordPress plan. Now that I have realized my passion for blogging, I have investing in myself and migrated to self-hosted, finally upgraded my phone, and plan to purchase a “real” camera in the next couple’s months. I share this to encourage others who want to start blogging. Everybody has to start somewhere and I’m all for open conversations and collaboration.
When I’m not blogging, I’m helping small businesses grow their digital presence. I love forming relationships with business owners and celebrating their wins with them!
Looking forward, I hope to continue to inspire foodies with restrictions as well as bloggers with ambition. Connecting with others is the best part about blogging, so reach out and let’s be friends!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Everything in life has its hurdles but it’s how we react to those less than perfect moments in life that shape us. I choose to see the positive side of things but blogging and being vulnerable on the internet can have its downsides. Thankfully, I have the most supportive husband and family beside me so I’m able to pick myself up and keep trucking on. Besides the horrible comparison game we can all get sucked into from time to time, my only true roadblock has been when I transferred my blog to self-hosted and updated the theme. That entire week was a disaster and left me feeling very burnt out and frustrated. It was the first time in two and a half years of blogging that I felt that way but instead of living in that dark place for too long, the people closet to me offered their help and listening ear and I came back refreshed and recharged.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Urben Life – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am known for my dairy-free & egg-free recipes. I’m so proud of the brand I’m building myself for others to find comfort in knowing they’re not alone with their food restrictions. I love sharing my favorite products with my followers and hearing their reactions. What sets me apart from others is showing how eating allergy-friendly can be just as fun and delicious.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theurbenlife.com
- Email: theurbenlife@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theurbenlife
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theurbenlife
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/theurbenlife
- Other: www.pinterest.com/theurbenlife
Image Credit:
All photos taken by me except featured wedding photo taken by Celina Gomez Photography.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
