Tell Me All About It: Q&A with Jessica Lawlor

Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Jessica Lawlor. She's an inspiration for many reasons, but one of the things I love about her story is that she is running her blog + online biz while working full-time in a career that she loves -- and she just graduated from yoga teacher training!

Lots of my clients (and many of you readers) are solopreneurs on the side or during nights and weekends, so I think that Jessica is a great person for you to know + learn from; She's a wonderful example of how to follow your entrepreneurial dreams and still grow your career in your established field of choice. 

Before we dive in, here's a bit more background info about Jessica (or Jess): She spends her days working in public relations promoting an amazing destination outside Philadelphia. In her "spare time" she runs a blog, JessicaLawlor.com, writes for several publications and websites, speaks to groups about personal branding/public relations, and consults with freelance clients on content strategy/development, blog management, social media + more. She is one busy lady, ya'll. 

So lets learn more about her, shall we? Read on for all things Jessica Lawlor + how to Get Gutsy (her manifesto), below:

1. What's the story of your biz/blog? What made you decide to start it?
Back in 2012, after years running a book review blog, I began to lose interest and knew I wanted to change directions. I struggled with selecting a blog name, so I decided to stick with my name, Jessica Lawlor, with a tagline underneath it that read: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

I knew that through my blog, I wanted to incorporate other people’s stories of stepping outside of their comfort zones. I needed a way to define that. To discover that definition, I brainstormed a list of words that described getting out of a comfort zone and eventually came up with the phrase, “Get Gutsy.” I began to use #GetGutsy as a hashtag, the name of my newsletter and a general way to describe what my blog is all about.

But then something incredible happened: Get Gutsy really seemed to resonate with my readers and months down the line, people started referring to my blog as “Jessica Lawlor’s Get Gutsy Blog” or simply “The Get Gutsy Blog.” It took on a life of its own! That’s when I knew something big was happening. Something beyond my control. Something amazing. I realized that: my readers essentially named my blog and defined my brand.

All of this eventually led to an ebook, an essay contest, a course and an entire week-long celebration all around the idea of getting gutsy!

2. What inspires you?
I truly believe that inspiration is everywhere! I find inspiration on my mat in yoga, sitting on the beach staring at the ocean, and even in everyday situations like taking a shower or driving to work listening to a podcast. I’m also incredibly inspired by words- I’m obsessed with quotes and collect beautiful words to share with my blog readers and followers on social media.

3. If you had to give one piece of advice to women (or men!) who want to take the plunge and pursue their dreams of working for themselves or starting their own business or blog, what would it be?
Start now. When you simply get started with whatever project or goal you can’t stop thinking about, you can reap the benefits much faster. Don’t wait!

4. What's your yoga story?
Two summers ago, one of my best friends dragged me to an outdoor yoga class. I didn’t really want to go; I had tried yoga a couple of times before and I hated it. It didn’t feel like a vigorous enough workout and I simply wasn’t in the headspace to appreciate the practice. But still, I let my friend convince me to go...and I quickly fell in love.

I started hot yoga a few months later and the rest is history! I began going to more and more classes and eventually hit 100 classes (and published a post with 100 lessons learned from 100 classes!). After a year of practicing 4-5 times per week, I enrolled in yoga teacher training and just completed my certification a few weeks ago. Teacher training completely changed my life and I can’t wait to share this beautiful practice with my future students!

5. What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
Right now, my biggest accomplishment is shaping and living exactly the life that I want to live. I have a full-time job that I love and teach/practice yoga and run my blog/freelance business on the side. Things can get overwhelming at times and nothing will ever be perfect, but I truly feel like I have the best of both worlds doing what I love, while also feeling secure.

6. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Ah! It’s totally Netflix. I’m new to the Netflix game (I know, crazy, right?) but I’m loving binge-watching shows -- I’ve already made my way through Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (hilarious) and am almost done season 6 of Parks and Recreation.

7. What's your favorite book and why?
It’s always hard for me to name a favorite book because I’ve read and loved so many! My favorite book of the moment is Yes, Please by Amy Poehler. I’m on an Amy Poehler kick because of Parks and Recreation, but this book is not only hilarious, it's also filled with gems of wisdom! Amy’s story of her rise to fame is really inspiring- she truly worked her way up, yet she remains so humble.

8. If you were exiled to a desert island and could only bring 3 things, what would they be?
Oh, I love this question! I’d bring my Macbook (hoping I’d find a little bit of Wifi on this desert island!), my yoga mat, and a notebook. With those items, I’d have everything I need :) 

9. Words of wisdom you live by?
“If you choose to see everything as a miracle, then where you are right now is perfect. There is nowhere to run to; there is nothing else to do except be in this moment and allow what is to be. From that place of radical acceptance, major change can happen. The first step in any transformational experience is acceptance and surrender to the present moment, the way that it is. From that place we have the awareness, humility and power to change what is.” 
-Mastin Kipp

(This is actually the quote I read during my very first public yoga class, so it’s super special to me!)

10. If you could live anywhere for one year, where would it be and why?
Hands down, Rome, Italy. I studied abroad there in 2009 and dream about going back every single day. I often say that I left my heart there and need to go back to find it!

Isn't she fabulous? If you want to learn more about Jessica, you can find her in the following places:

• Blog
• Get Gutsy newsletter: Subscribe here
• Twitter 
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Thanks for taking the time to tell me all about it, Jess!