Meet Maricia Johns of Thisisyourbestyear in Fort Worth

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Writing has always been something that I liked to do even as a child, I would write about my day in my diary which I still have. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to be able to write monthly for several publications including the Longview News Journal in Longview, Texas which is my hometown. My articles for the Longview News Journal centered on the things that I remembered and loved while growing up there. While working in the public school system in Fort Worth my sorority sister who owns the Fort Worth Black News allowed me to write an article informing parents about the upcoming dates for the state-mandated exam which led me to write a regular column about education which eventually led me to be published in the USA Today.

Magazines were always in my home, and as I matured I saw that the articles and photos did not really fit who I was. They seemed to be either too young or in most cases too old for me. The magazines seemed to think that after a certain age we all fit a particular mold. They would never give women my age fun things to do, exciting places to visit or anything out of the norm. In most cases, anyone over the age of 45 was put into the 45 and above age group. Somehow they thought that one size did fit all. So, in essence, I decided to write about all women of a certain age.

I decided that I would write about things that interest me and the women that I knew. Sometimes the articles would be fun- zip lining, traveling, wine tasting, hair color and much more. In addition, I wanted to keep all of my readers informed. Even though I am based in Fort Worth, I wanted to keep all of my readers involved in and around their communities. Breast cancer, strokes, retirement, children, dating and many other things were discussed. I informed my readers about free or low-cost screenings while always telling those that did not live in North Texas to be proactive–check their local areas. “thisisyourbestyear” tells women of a certain age, that this is their best year. We can’t go back in time, but we can enjoy life as it is.

I pride myself on telling my readers if you want to be a “rocking granny” that’s fine, and if you don’t that’s fine too. Live your life to the fullest. Just as our mothers were not our grandmothers, the same holds true for us.

My readers and I are on a great journey. A journey that I am proud to say we share with each other.

If you are a woman of a certain age, know a woman of a certain age or hope to one day to be a woman of a certain age–“thisisyourbestyear” is for you.

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?
As on any journey, there have been a few bumps, detours that have caused me to reroute “thisisyourbestyear”. It took me a while to find my target audience, and to build my network. Once my target audience found me, they spread the word. By trial an error I had to find out which social media my demographics utilized the most.

When “thisisyourbestyear” finally started to get noticed, I had to have some assistance. I have been fortunate several friends have been able to cover events, write the articles, take the pictures and most of all be my sounding board about different ideas.

Mixing the social media, the website and the assistance of friends has made the road that I am traveling a lot smoother.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
“thisisyourbestyear” specializes in women of a certain age. The things that make us the same, and the things that make us different.

“thisisyourbestyear” has become a mainstay, and is becoming a household name. Meeting people who tell me they read.

“thisisyourbestyear” makes me proud. Women sharing their stories about illness, treatments, grandchildren and so much more make me proud because we are all helping each other by telling our stories.

So far, I don’t take any advertisement. If I am sent a product, and I like it–I write about it. If I don’t like it–I don’t write about it. This sets me apart from most blogs that do take advertisements.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up in East Texas, I was the girl who loved to play in the dirt. The girl who played jacks, played softball, kick ball–any kind of game. I was a 10-year member of the 4-H club and loved it. That was one way that I was able to meet people outside of Longview.

I loved to sit and drink coffee with my mother, and the neighbors. I was a mama’s girl, and my dad knew it. From the band, to cheerleading to being a teacher’s aide–I loved school. Being from a small town, school and church were also our social hours.

Even going off to college, I knew from the time I was in the 8th grade and attended a 4-H competition on the campus of Texas A&M University Commerce (East Texas State University) I would one day attend it.

Reading was something that I enjoyed, and still do. My first novels were the Bobbsey Twins. In fact, I loved them so much I named our cat Snoop after theirs.

I’m not a dog person because they need too much attention. I am a cat person because they are independent–like me.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.thisisyourbestyear.com
• Phone:817.366.9440
• Email:thisisyourbestyear@gmail.com
• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thisisyourbestyear/
• Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thisisyourbestyear/
• Twitter:https://twitter.com/MariciaJohns

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.