Today we’d like to introduce you to Simmy Hassan.
Simmy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been passionate about blogging. I remember being infatuated with MySpace, Tumblr, and Xanga. I would teach myself how to code and make my page legit. I would even get paid in high school to spice up my peers MySpace pages. I never really thought about taking it seriously until probably mid-college and I started up a Blogger account, but it was just about what I was going through on a day-to-day basis. I really did not have a purpose for it and soon forgot about it. Forward a few years later, after college, in 2017, I told myself that I would start a blog. I’m a girl who is into CrossFit, healthy heating, hair, and makeup, so I figured that is would set me apart from other bloggers who focused on just one thing. I wanted my blog to be a one-stop shop.
I began posting in December 2017 and set a goal for myself to post at least once a week. I did this for a good two months, lol. In January, I found out that I was pregnant and lacked the motivation to continue with the blog. My friends, family, and even the few subscribers that I gained were wondering what was going on. I would get DM’s and messages and knew that I needed to get back to business. During my hiatus, I realized that being a mommy blogger would help me reach my goals for this blog even more. I announced that I was pregnant in April 2018 and my blog was booming. I received so many questions from others who were expecting or were trying to have a baby and this was off of one post. Which caught me off guard.
I fell off again just dealing with the whole pregnancy, but I was still scheming on how I was going to become consistent with my blog because without consistency I would not be able to create the community that I was aspiring to be a part of.
Once I had, my sweet baby boy, Ash, I went ahead and started planning on how I would become more active on my social media and blog on a consistent basis. I started posting, gaining more followers + subscribers… I was on to something. Being a new mom, I was dealing with everything that came with it; no sleep, body issues, and even postpartum depression. I started getting personal with my readers and letting them into my life. I was finally finding my true niche. Everything that came with motherhood, which entails raising a newborn, having a social life, working out to get the infamous snapback, and learning to deal with my postpartum feels.
I came to the realization that I was onto something and this time, it is meaningful. More so, I found myself truly engrossed and fully immersed. My whole life now revolves around just writing, my good and not so good moments and sharing with the world, not for clout but because I believe that I can reach out to a larger audience who also maybe going through the same things and just wants to learn from me how I found my happy place with my son, my health, and everything else.
I hope to increase on weekly posts, and eventually daily post, on life, relationships, religion, health, fitness, and more importantly, motherhood I want others to come to my blog and use it as sort of an outlet so that we can create a healthy community.
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?
Hahaha, being a blogger has definitely not been smooth sailing for me. I’ve always had a fear of putting myself out there and that has gotten in the way of my growth. Even taking part in this interview is scary, because I’m exposing myself even more. Having a 9 to 5 job, being a new mom, working out and on top of that trying to put content together definitely feels like I am on a constant rollercoaster. Although it’s hectic, I love it. I’m so passionate about helping others and this blog has been given me the opportunity to do just that. I am learning to put myself out there, which is helping me come out of my shell little by little. There is a lot of work that comes with running a blog. On the outside, it looks like a piece of cake. You have to first find your niche, plan your content ahead of time, and I cannot stress this enough that consistency is key.
I’m not where I want to be just yet, but that is okay… there is a lot more to come. I’m learning to get comfortable being uncomfortable, especially being behind a camera. To my fellow women, remember you are a boss, capable of doing anything that you set your mind to. Pay attention to the things that you are naturally drawn to. That is what will connect you to your path, passion, and purpose in life. All you have to do is have the courage to start. Like I tell my nieces and nephews, nothing worth having comes easy. Just remember whatever you want to do, do it now there are only so many tomorrows.
We’d love to hear more about BarbelleBeautyy.
I’m a blogger. I don’t want to limit myself and categorize myself under one category. My mission is to inspire others to find their own awesome and own it. I want my readers to get over their fears and go after the one thing they have always wanted to do in life. I am most proud of putting myself out there because it’s really is nerve-wracking. I’ll soon be launching a series of meal plans + workout routines for people since I have been getting spammed with questions on what I am doing to lose the weight after baby.
There are a couple of things that set me apart from others. For one, I’m genuinely personable and very friendly. I go the extra mile to engage with people and nurture my community. I make sure to respond to everyone who reaches out to me and listen to what they are currently going through. You sometimes think you are alone, but I’ve learned that being transparent is helping me fulfill my passion, and connecting me with other women who have similar issues. I love people and the fact that I am building a community is wild.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Get out there and talk to people.
I’d like to consider myself an introvert, but deep down inside, I am an extrovert. I’ve learned to stop seeking outside validation and to just do me. Take it one step at a time. When I started my blog, I reached out to other bloggers that I followed on social media. Now, not everyone will respond to you, but there will be a few, so shout out to them. Find events in your area to go to and just talk to people. That’s what I have started doing just recently and there are some things I have in store that I’m pretty pumped about.
If you need to ease into it, I suggest starting a group with your friends, that’s what I did. I always told myself after having a baby, I would not lose touch with my friends, so I started a girl tribe. We get together once a month, whether it is to attend a workout studio, go to events together, or brunch. We talk about what were are doing outside of our jobs and offer one another advice to grow whether it is a business, a YouTube channel, or a blog.
Just get out there and see what happens.
Pricing:
- Meal plans
- Workout routines
- Personal Training
Contact Info:
- Website: BarbelleBeautyy.com
- Email: BarbelleBeautyy@gmail.com
- Instagram: BarbelleBeautyy@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://fb.me/BarbelleBeautyy
- Twitter: twitter.com/barbellebeautyy
Image Credit:
Kelcee Guyton Instagram|K.N.GPhotography
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.
