She is always smiling, and one of the busiest women in digital media so just how is Taryn Newton managing her career, her family and her side hustle…all in heels? She shared with us her background and what keeps her authentic, consistent and balanced:
Q: You’re a woman of many talents. Tell us a little bit of how you got here on this platform, on digital media in general. How did you say ‘I’m going to start’?
A: When I started back in 2016 I had no expectations. I just always was that go-to person in my family that just liked styling the family. So my sister would call me and be like hey what do I wear? It really started from a style perspective. Believe or not I started and never showed my family it was all super dressy fashion. Then I took a year off when I was pregnant with my third child, because I had a rough pregnancy and I just really wasn’t inspired in the space. When I came back I said I want to come back very authentic to myself and just being who I really am. Me being in a dress everyday was not a representation of who I am on a daily basis. While I love getting glam, I wanted my platform to holistically represent who I am. After that I made it my mission to do life with my community authentically and try to make connections.
Q: You said you were the style maven in your family. Was that something that you grew up with or was that something that was enhanced with digital media?
A: As long as I can remember, but I started fine-tuning it as I navigated the space.
Q: When did you see a shift in growth on your social media platforms?
A: Definitely after I took that year off. Prior to that time off I was trying to do what I thought I should be doing or what other influencers were doing. When I decided to come back I started weaving in my everyday life, being transparent about past experiences, andI also got very active on stories. I started taking people through my life with me. That’s when I saw a very huge growth. From a logistics standpoint, once I came back, I was very consistent and intentional with posting content. I realized if I wanted to build an audience that would require me to show up for my audience consistently. [ and it doesn’t have to be that you post as much as me like once or twice everyday,] but your community should be able to count on you for some type of consistency.
Q: How do you balance raising your four boys, building a home, being a wife, working full time, and building your following?
A: In general, first I don’t do it all. I will never paint a picture I can do it all, because I truly don’t believe anyone should do it all. It’s definitely a teamwork situation over here. Rick and I work together and we know how to get it done. Definitely teamwork. Definitely prioritizing, and taking things off the plate. I always like to say while I am capable of anything, I know I should do everything. If there’s something that is not adding value or following my purpose I will clear that off my plate. I am always open to my community that I do not have it all together. I don’t think anybody has it all together, so if you see these quick snippets on my feed that is not the reality. I’m a hot mess. My kids are hanging from chandeliers, so that’s my reality. At the end of the day all I can do is what I can do.
Q: Have you ever thought of leaving your full time career to pursue this solely?
A: Absolutely. However, I have worked hard to climb up the corporate ladder. I love that I started out entry level in HR and worked my way into a leadership position. However, I understand that running a business and HR department won’t always be possible. I don’t get a notch on my belt for saying I’m in corporate and running a business if it means I don’t have time for my children or time to be a wife. Family is my priority so I don’t want to be this boss mom that has no time for my kids or no time for my husband. I want to be able to give 120% in every aspect of my life, and sometimes to do that it means letting go or closing a chapter in your life.
Q: Have you ever felt burnout or ready to give up or throw in the towel?
A: Oh yeah, absolutely. When I start feeling burnt out is when I am not doing things that are in line with my purpose and why I’m in this space. I always have to reassess to be sure all brand partnerships are fully aligned with who I am as a brand, and everything I am putting in this space fully represents who I am. For me, when I am creating content I love it is fun, also when I am committing to only the amount of content my life can handle. Being overworked is also a quick way to get burnt out and uninspired, which has been something I have experienced.
Going back on when I took the year off, it was partially because I truly was not inspired, and it left me feeling depleted. Now I am very strict with who I work with and how much work I take on. I don’t want to get to the point of feeling burnt out. If I am burnt out I can’t truly connect with my community.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to dip their feet in the influencer world while working full time?
A: I would say two things. First, be consistent but with however it best authentically fits in your life. As you are growing your community, your community wants to see you and wants to connect with you. If you’re not consistent, it’s hard for you to grow a community that truly connects with you. It’s not just numbers for me. I don’t care if I have a million followers if they’re not engaged with me.
And then two, ditch the idea of who you think you have to be in this space and just tap into truly who you are. Create content that fully represents who you are as a person.
Q: Do you have any goals for 2021?
A: One of my goals is to be able to have my own collection partnered through a brand. I’d love to partner with a brand to create a collection of clothing that really is inclusive of many sizes. I believe all sizes should be reflected in brandsl. Another goal is to continue speaking engagements, I love sharing my story in order to motivate and inspire, that if I can do they can do it.
