How My Blog Changed My Life: Stefanie from the Broke and Beautiful Life

by Melanie

Today, I’m super jazzed about the latest edition of How My Blog Changed My Life. If you are new here, I started this interview series after I realized my own life had changed tremendously because of my blog. Because my favorite part of blogging is the community, I thought it would be fun to interview others about how their blogs have changed their lives. These people are my inspirations!

Today, we have Stefanie who is insanely talented and someone I deeply admire. More about her: Stefanie O’Connell is a New York City based actress and freelance writer. She chronicles her struggle to “live the dream” on a starving artists’ budget at thebrokeandbeautifullife.com.

StefaniaM

What was the inspiration for starting your blog?

I’m a professional actress by trade and a personal finance junkie out of necessity.  During one of my first tours I read Suze Orman’s, “Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke”.  From that point on, money became my hobby – “Millionaire Mind”, “Investing for Dummies”- I read anything and everything finance and became obsessed with tracking my own in my spare time.  When I saw how nonchalantly other actors would treat their limited funds, I shook my head in silence.  When I heard them subsequently complain about having no money, I decided to do something and start my blog.

What has been the most challenging part of having a blog?

There are a lot of challenges surrounding blogging, more than I think most people realize, but I think the hardest is having no idea what I’m doing- seriously.  There are so many things that go into a blog that I never realized, it’s really overwhelming when you start out, and I’ve found it doesn’t really get any less overwhelming, but you get better at dealing with it.  There’s always some new thing to do or learn for the sake of your blog that you have absolutely no idea how to implement.  If you want to be a blogger you have to be a self-starter.

In what ways, direct or indirect, has your life changed because of your blog?

I used to have to do things I hated just to get by- waiting tables, personal assisting, babysitting, trade show hostessing, pretty much any random side jobs you can think of- then I’d have to be up at the crack of dawn the next morning to audition.  It was soul sucking and exhausting.  Now my “survival job” (as we call it in “the biz”) is freelance writing- something I absolutely adore and can do on my own time.

It might sound like a minor change, but I’ve gone from being miserable and negative 99% of the time to feeling truly happy and content 99% of the time.  It’s the first time in my life where I’m not waiting for my next acting job to make me feel fulfilled.

What have you learned from blogging?

The more opportunities you create for yourself, the luckier you get.  As an actor, I’m all too familiar with rejection and how much luck matters.  Rather than focusing on what I can’t control, I’ve decided to empower myself through blogging — constantly creating more opportunities for success, even in the face of rejection.

What advice would you give to new bloggers who are thinking of starting a blog?

I do coaching for beginner bloggers so I could write pages on this, but if I have to narrow it down to one thing… know who you are, who you’re writing for, and what mission you’re serving.  Okay, that’s like three things, but the more clarity you bring to those fundamental answers, the more focused and effective you’ll be as a blogger.

Thank you Stefanie! I want to follow in your footsteps 🙂

Melanie
Latest posts by Melanie (see all)

13 comments

Natalie @ Financegirl October 15, 2014 - 5:34 am

“know who you are, who you’re writing for, and what mission you’re serving.” <– YES! I think this is excellent advice!

Reply
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life October 15, 2014 - 10:51 am

Yep, that’s basically what it all boils down to 😉

Reply
Shannon @ Financially Blonde October 15, 2014 - 8:11 am

You know I love this series and love Stefanie’s blog. It has been fun for me as one of her reader’s to follow her journey over this past year+. You just never know where your life will lead once you hit submit on your first post.

Reply
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life October 15, 2014 - 9:58 am

Ain’t that the truth. It’s the best journey though!

Reply
Ben Luthi October 15, 2014 - 8:22 am

Love this! I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my blog has completely changed the direction I’m going in life and I feel extremely blessed. Glad to see others going that same route!

Reply
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life October 15, 2014 - 9:59 am

It’s really amazing how far you can go when you create your own opportunities. Congrats on all your success Ben!

Reply
Even Steven October 15, 2014 - 10:28 am

It certainly keeps you focused and on task for your finances. I had a coffee with a friend who happens to read my blog and said are you sure you should be going out to get coffee with me, shouldn’t we be drinking coffee at home and not spending any money….he was right in many ways and made me realize that I need to practice what I preach, especially around him!

Reply
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life October 16, 2014 - 8:36 am

Oh yeah, the blog is like the ultimate accountability tool- and scapegoat for overinflated social spending expectations.

Reply
Myles Money October 15, 2014 - 2:13 pm

“The more opportunities you create for yourself, the luckier you get.”

Absolutely! You create your own luck through hard work and tenacity. Everyone has their fair share of rejection but you learn from past experiences and you keep working to create new opportunities. It’s the perfect recipe for success.

Reply
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life October 16, 2014 - 8:37 am

I only wish more people realized this and acted upon that knowledge.

Reply
Brandy October 16, 2014 - 4:26 am

I love your advice and I’m trying to understand what I want my blog to be and what I want to write about. That’s one reason I don’t really write about retirement or investing. Right now, those aren’t my priorities – it’s debt!

Reply
Tonya@Budget and the Beach October 16, 2014 - 6:30 am

Great stuff Stefanie! I think I’ve mentioned this before but I’m a huge fan of your writing, so I’m really glad you decided to start a blog!

Reply
Brian @ Debt Discipline October 16, 2014 - 6:35 am

Great stuff. I’ve been reading Stefanie’s blog for some time now and her hard work and determination has really paid off.

Reply

Leave a Comment

* By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More