Because in order have success as an entrepreneur, you need to grow with passion.
Throughout my freelance career, I've had opportunities beyond my wildest dreams thanks to my blog and tight knit relationships in the beauty industry. I remember a little over seven years ago when I told my parents I was quitting my full time beauty PR job to pursue an editorial freelance dream, they couldn't see the bigger picture of my goals, but were supportive and wished me luck. Yes, of course they thought I was nuts to walk away from a cushy PR job where I made a decent salary, had benefits, loved my clients and coworkers, but hey, they had faith that I'd be OK.
“The minute live tweeting the Emmys red carpet (something I used to live for) felt like work and I opted out of covering backstage NYFW, I knew something had to change. ”
At that time, being a well respected, freelance, multi-media beauty journalist was the goal, which quickly turned into focusing mainly on TV reporting and celebrity. And I had tunnel vision. With my prior experience of writing beauty and building expert relationships at Cosmo and my new found knowledge of branding and marketing, there was no stopping me. My first TV segment was the month I quit with E! on live from the Emmys red carpet. I was writing for iVillage and part of Glamour's elite blogger network thanks to the passion behind BeautySweetSpot. Things were happening immediately and my career took off.
Then and now...
In awe of everything celebrity, I'd never miss a beauty event if there was a chance to take a selfie with a Kardashian, talk brows with Cara Delevingne, sip mimosas with Victoria's Secret models or party with Carmen Electra (I'm dating myself). I even got to hang backstage with Katy Perry after a concert.
Through strategic brand partnerships, my dreams all came true. I reported for E! live from the red carpet during the Emmys last year thanks to Dove, had the chance to appear in TV commercials for three different beauty brands, attended the Emmys, Grammys, Super Bowl and NYFW multiple times and was featured for my work in publications like Elle, Forbes and WWD.
Like I mentioned, beyond my wildest dreams, but I did it, am burnt out, and could care less about celebrity.
For over a decade I've been truly passionate about my career. I really loved what I was doing and love working for myself. Truth is, my passions have changed from reporting on celebrity beauty and dying for an on-air gig to working in wellness and reporting on things I truly care about. I know that in order to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to work with passion. The minute live tweeting the Emmys red carpet (something I used to live for) in the fall felt like work and I opted out of covering backstage NYFW, I knew something had to change. It was time to truly re-evaluate my career and check in on how I was spending my time.
See post Reflecting on Authenticity and Ethics.
I know I need to let go of what is no longer feeding my soul and focus my attention on my new interests in nutrition, spirituality, health and fitness (as well as beauty, of course).
This shift in interests really started a bit over a year ago when I decided to go back to school for nutrition and revamped my site, even changing the name from BeautySweetSpot to JeannineMorris.com. Now, as a Holistic Nutrition Counselor and Yoga Teacher, I'm on a new, exciting path filled with passion and am excited to see where it leads. Currently, besides freelance writing, doing TV segments and blogging, I'm teaching private yoga lessons and have several clients that I'm health coaching.
Right now I'm somewhere in an uncomfortable transition trying to make smart choices with my time and leave room for new opportunities so I can see a new big picture a little bit clearer. Luckily for me, my new passions tie in nicely into the overall theme of beauty and I don't have to completely switch gears, just allow them to shine through in my content.
