Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Fuller.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My life, for various reasons, has been somewhat colorful to say the least. I’m a registered nurse with my master’s in Healthcare Systems Management for Loyola University New Orleans and am currently pursuing my Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership, also from Loyola. I love helping people, I grew up with parents and grandparents who truly are some of the most generous people I’ve ever met. Once I started venturing into higher education and needed to dedicate large portions of time to studying, my time on the hospital floors decreased. I found myself somewhat at a loss when it came to my need to help and care for others. This is kind of where I decided to start my blog.
I’ve always loved fashion and embraced any opportunity to dress cute outside of scrubs. With the encouragement from close friends, my blog The Daiquiri Diaries was born. I didn’t want to just talk about clothes – as fun as they might be. One of the positive aspects of social media is being able to connect or feel connected to people you’ve never met. My husband is a military pilot and I’ve spent many a day and night all by myself. The blog quickly became a platform for me to discuss the inner workings of my life because I knew others could relate! Whether it was how to tie a scarf, how to get a better night’s sleep, or how to battle depression, I’ve completely thrown myself out there for anyone and everyone to relate and turn to. It’s a humongous privilege to be a source of comfort to someone and it still amazes me how many people actually share some very personal information and stories from their present lives. If I can be a source of comfort, cheer, or some (maybe) solid advice to someone, I count this venture as a total win!
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?
I won’t lie and say it wasn’t a struggle. Literally every day brings something new or a challenge my way. I tried to create my blog (website) from scratch and ended up in a hysterical fit of pitiful tears. Fortunately I found an amazing blogger (@lushtoblush) who also creates websites for the incapable such as myself, and she saved the day! It sounds silly but even simple things like Photoshop and video creation took SEVERAL hours of YouTube tutorials and Google academy finest. The last time I had done anything like that was in high school, yikes!
Aside from the techy stuff, growing a thicker skin was an absolute must. As much as I love my followers and the wide audiences of social media, people can be hugely vicious. The infamous internet trolls love to target people just for the opportunity to say something hateful. If I could change anything it would be to erase negative energy across social media. The power of words is something people really don’t grasp, and the dangers within can be catastrophic. I turned one particular comment thrown my away into an entire blog post, picking apart each item from the comment and transforming it into a powerful statement of self-love.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
There are a bazillion bloggers out there, that’s no lie. There are few, however, who in my opinion are truly raw with their emotions. I strive for that and my audience pushes me to continue to do so. I don’t pretend to be perfect, or to live an ideal life. If I stepped in dog poo that morning while walking the dogs, I’m going to share that with you because hey, we all HATE that (and can usually laugh at it)!
What were you like growing up?
Oh man, I was a super geek. I was the little girl with a big ol’ noggin, super frizzy and HUGE curly hair, who took her little lunch box to school every day. I’m the oldest between my brother and me and of course was incredibly bossy. What sisters aren’t? I loved a good book, still do, and cried when I made my first B in high school – aka I was and still am a ginormous perfectionist.
I grew up ballet dancing, starting at the age of 2. My teachers both danced in NYC with the Joffrey Ballet Company and were incredible. I didn’t officially stop dancing until a couple of years ago. I did little else outside of ballet. I spent hours each day at the studio and eventually started participating in summer intensives in NYC. I could still dance the entirety of the Nutcracker to this day – it is my beloved!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.daiquiridiaries.com
- Email: thedaiquiridiaries@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thedaiquiridiaries
- Facebook: facebook.com/thedaiquiridiaries
- Twitter: twitter.com/twirling_tara
- Other: youtube.com/thedaiquiridiaries
Image Credit:
Images by Megan Weaver (@meganmweaver) and Rebecca Patton (@beckleyco)
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.
