MOMMY TALKS PODCAST Episode 14
- MOMMY TALKS PODCAST
My name is Lacie Wever and I am an environmental educator so that's what I do, nine-to-five, Monday through Friday, sometimes on the weekends.
I work for a local environmental agency and there I do environmental education and outreach, so talking to schools and different organizations about how they can help with water quality, and really how they can be environmentally conscious in their lives.
And when I’m not working on those projects, that's when I dedicate my time to my blog, where I also talk about sustainability tips and eco-conscious lifestyle tips.
When Did You First Become Interested In What You do? Why?
My senior year in high school I signed up for an AP environmental science class because I heard it was a super easy class and who doesn't want to take an easy class their senior year, right? I had summer assignments and for one, I had to read this book called, "Silent Spring," and when I read that book—I didn't know this at the time, but "Silent Spring" is one of the books that kind of kicked off the whole environmental movement because it was so powerful and eye-opening.
So when I read, "Silent Spring" it was the first time in my entire life that I ever realized that I was a part of nature and I'm part of the environment and that my actions have a direct impact on the environment. Never in my life had I ever thought about myself in that way or thought about my actions that way.
So, during this time between when I was reading this book and taking this class I started making sure my parents recycled. I don't even know if we recycled before then. I was watching how much water we were using, making sure the lights were turned off, all of these things I had never thought about before.
When I went to college, I didn't know that I could have a career in environmental science or even that I could major in it. I took an environmental science class just because I was still interested in it and that was the first time I was like, ‘Oh people have careers in this! I can do this for a living.’ And that's really where it happened; it was just happenstance.
I found a passion and I didn't even realize it existed in the world and that's part of the reason why I'm so motivated to pursue environmental education: because I want other people to have that same Aha! moment that I did and realize that there are careers out there that you can pursue.
What Did You Struggle With When You First Got Started Going After Your Interest/Passion?
I started blogging when I was experiencing postpartum anxiety after having my son and I just needed an outlet, something to just my thoughts and feelings out there. I had all this stuff in my head that I needed to say, and I was like how? What do I do now? You know, what are my next steps?
So I found myself just kind of mimicking what I saw other people doing which obviously isn't genuine, but then I found myself writing for me and I realized that over time when you blog and when you're writing, you're writing to help other people. So that was a big struggle for me, learning how to tailor what I know to help other people and not just writing out my thoughts and feelings but learning how to use that to help and inspire others.
Do You Have A Degree Or Certificate In Your Interest?
a. With your degree or certificate, what are you able to do?
I got my Bachelor's degree in Environmental Thought and Practice which is an interdisciplinary applied major, so it's a little bit different from Environmental Science in the sense that I had to take Environmental Science classes but I also took classes on water scarcity and what happens to your garbage when you throw it away, our energy crisis. Things like that.
So it was interdisciplinary in that sense and then I ended up getting my Master's in Public Administration and I use both of those degrees pretty much every single day in my formal nine-to-five job. The knowledge that I've learned from those different classes that I've taken helps inspire me and pushes me to create lessons, curriculums, and outreach materials to teach other people. Based on the knowledge I've learned I gather that and figure out how to present it to other people so that it's digestible for them.
What’s Your Current Status? Single? Married?
a. Any children? If so, how many?
b. Do you feel that your status has had an impact on your decisions in life? If so, how?
Married to my childhood sweetheart.
Yes one with one addition on the way.
I never would have thought to do this blog, to move forward with trying to pursue this if I hadn't had my son. For whatever reason, having a child just opened up the world to me and showed me that there's a bunch of possibilities. You know, I don't have to just follow this one path that I thought I had to, there are all these possibilities I can pursue.
What Were Your Family’s First Thoughts About What You Wanted To Pursue?
a. Were they supportive?
b. Are they currently supportive?
c. What challenges have you faced together?
My family is super supportive. I'm very fortunate. Like I mentioned earlier, I've been with my current spouse since middle school, so I grew up with his family. I have the blessing of us all being a close family.
They were super supportive and it was actually my husband's idea to start blogging. I was like you know what, that's not a bad idea. My family is always reading my posts and asking me how it's going and I'm really happy about that. I do hear some mom bloggers who definitely struggle with that support even from their spouse so having that support definitely helps propel me forward. Because I do feel a lot of guilt with pursuing my passions and there's also some imposter syndrome and some embarrassment.
What Was Your No. 1 Goal When You Started?
a. Are you currently in line with achieving that goal or have you already achieved that goal?
b. If not, what do you feel is preventing you from doing so?
I didn’t know what I was doing, and I did it anyway. I had no idea, I was just out here submitting posts and pulling pictures from places. I had no idea what I was doing.
I still have a lot to learn but my life philosophy is that you should never stop learning, and so, I'm just always trying to learn. I'm learning how to be better and a lot of that has to do with the courses that I take. I’ve made the decision to invest in blogging courses to help me become a better blogger.
If this is something that I want to be good at and I want to pursue, then I have to put in the time and the effort and learn from people that are doing it well. Once I started doing that and doing the research and investing in courses from people that I trusted, I feel like there was a shift. There was this exponential growth.
You know, for a while I was super stagnant until I started really putting in the time and the research and investing in my blog. I would say the first goal that I set was pretty low when I first started because I didn't know what I was doing, so I didn't have a lot of expectations.
I just wanted to feel better and I would have loved it if a couple people genuinely wanted to hear what I had to say. I've definitely achieved that goal and I would say that I've been taking my blog very seriously for about the past seven months and since that time I have seen exponential growth. I’m extremely proud of where I am, and it gives me a lot of motivation for where I will be in the future.
Are You Earning Any Income From Your Interest?
a. Are you able to focus on your interest full-time or only part-time?
b. If part-time, are you currently working a full-time job?
Part-time
Yes
What Are The Biggest Challenges You Face Pursing This While Juggling Managing A Family/Working?
a. Have you been able to figure out a plan to make it less challenging?
b. Does your spouse/family assist with creating a plan to make things less challenging for you to focus on your interest/passion?
It's not easy. I’m not going to sit here and say that it's super easy. You know, it's great. It's tough and I would say that my passion and my motivation, and really where I can see this going, drives me to fight through the challenges. The biggest challenge is really guilt and balance and we talked a little bit about guilt earlier but a lot of it is balance. Finding out how to balance all of this together and manage my time properly, and so I'm thankful for my husband and his understanding.
We do weekly date nights, so every Thursday, I know is date night. Sunday before the week starts I get out my planner and I write out what I’m going to do every day after work. I work until about 3:30pm - 4:00pm and then I am just with my family until my son goes to bed.
After my son goes to bed, then I can put in a few hours toward my blog, so I write down what I'm going to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday—I know its date night. Our phones are put away, I'm not scrolling on Instagram, I'm not blogging, he's not checking ESPN updates. It's just us time and that also motivates me. I know that if I have a deadline, if I have stuff I need to get done personally for my blog, I better get it done before Thursday.
I try really hard not to work too much on the weekends, especially Saturday. If I have to do one or two things it's not a huge deal. I usually try to do it during nap time when my son's napping but for the most part I try not to, so really that just means I have to organize my time. I have to write out my tasks so that when I sit in front of my computer I'm not spending 45 minutes just figuring out what I need to do. I sit down and I know exactly what task I need to knock out so that I'm knocking it out and moving on because otherwise, you're just spinning your wheels.
I use a planner, so I use a paper planner. I know, I'm eco-conscious but I love my paper planner. I need it, I have to have it. I want the markers, I want the stickers, I want to write in it, and I do use a planner that's refillable so instead of buying an all-new planner I can just buy new sheets to put inside of the planner, so I do that. I also carry a notebook with me all the time so if something comes to mind really quickly I can write it in my notebook and I can remember to go back to it later. I just have those two things, those are my essential tools—my planner and my notebook.
How Has Your Current Situation Assisted You In Reaching This Achievement Of Improving Your Life?
Marcus is really there to help me and we are co-doing this thing together. It’s so freaking awesome just to have a partner who's willing to help you build on something that you're very passionate about.
What Would You Say To Any Other Mother Who Is On The Fence About Pursuing Her Passion Due To Life Circumstances?
Everyone has different life circumstances and like I said, I just feel very fortunate for the position that I'm in and I recognize that everyone doesn't have the same opportunities.
If you're trying to figure out do I need to hire a life coach, do I need to invest in a program, do research. Don't just press submit or trust the first person you see. Everybody is not an expert. Everybody does not know what they're talking about.
Do your own research and make sure that whoever you decide to trust with your funds, to give you knowledge, or take you to the next step, that they really know what they're talking about. And that they really care enough about you to put in time into whatever service they're offering you. I think that's super, super important and like I said, that's why I take my time before I pursue something. I'm not just going to go purchase a course, go hire a coach, if they don't know what they're talking about.
What’s Next On Your Journey?
Ultimately I guess my long-term goal that I would absolutely love would be for my blog to provide a part-time income. I don't want to give up the environmental education side of my life, I love that it brings me a lot of joy. If I could still have that and be blogging, I think I will have made it. That’s my dream job status. That's it for me.
That's the ultimate goal and I have all of these ideas in my head and I'm at the point now where I feel like I can make some serious moves. If I could really see some income I could really change some lives. But I need a coach to help me lay those stepping stones because now that I have all these ideas and I'm getting really good at what I'm doing, I need someone to help me get to that next level. Because to me when you start doing the business part of things that's when things can get a little sticky and I just want someone to help guide me, to hold my hand and help me through that part.
Are You Open To Collaborations?
If so, in what ways?
Yes, I am open to the following:
- Podcast Interview
- Content creation
- Event attendance
- Sponsored Posts
- Sponsored Insta Stories
- Photoshoots
- Product Reviews
- IGTV
- Social Media Takeover
- Giveaways
