The Chopped Podcast

If adding more video to your site feels like another hurdle you have to jump, Jake Poses with Jumprope has a message for you — it doesn't have to be that hard! Every now and then an innovative company steps up with solutions that make your work as a food blogger easier. Is Jumprope right for you? Listen in to today's discussion to learn more! Show notes: https://chopped.academy/?p=5112

As a food blogger it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking if we just work more, we'll be more successful. This type of mindset can lead to burnout, which can eventually lead to quitting altogether. Today's guests, Sarah and Laura of The Wander Cooks, talk about the importance of creating life balance with our work. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. These two suggest finding ways to enjoy your life along the journey. https://chopped.academy/?p=5079

We've all heard the directive, the money is in the list! This is implying that growing your email list can pay off in the long run. But if you're struggling to grow your list, or trying to figure out what to say to them once they're there, Matt Molen has an inspiring message. Look at your email list as an investment. That changes everything. Matt is back on the show today, talking about creating a rewarding email newsletter. That means rewarding for your audience and for you! We also talk about communicating via email during times of crisis. It's an informative conversation with lots of helpful tips and inspiration! Show notes here.

We've learned a lot about the ways to drive traffic to your site, from Pinterest, to Facebook, to Google, and more. But what do you do with that audience once they're there? Today we're learning about cultivating an engaged food blog audience. Because having an engaged audience makes all the difference. Today's guest is John Greely with the site Slickstream, which has a mission to help bloggers actively increase engagement on their sites. It's an informative conversation! Episode 200 Notes Page

If you're a food blogger and you're looking for a better vision for your role, Laurie Buckle of Cook-It Media, encourages you to consider becoming the Editor-in-Chief. It's kinda catchy, don't you think? It has a good ring to it. Whereas a blogger may be simply going from post to post, the editor-in-chief takes a higher level view of her audience and discovers how she delivers content to them. It really is an inspiring discussion to help you take things to another level! More info on the show notes page

If you thought food blogging would be one continuous path to success, join the club. However, that "build it and they will come" model is more like fantasy than reality. Today's guest, Lindsay Moe, is here talking about Pushing Past Roadblocks. Look, roadblocks happen. Sometimes they slow you down. However, Lindsay shares great advice on how to not let them derail you entirely from reaching your goals. Read more here: https://chopped.academy/?p=5004

Now that food blogging is coming into its own as a career path, there are so many courses, consultants, and teams of individuals ready to be hired to help make your dream a reality. But what if you don't have the money for all that? Kristen Wood is here to talk about how to bootstrap your food blog. The good news? You can create a successful and thriving food blog on a budget if you're willing to put the work in! Episode details here

As a creative entrepreneur, food bloggers face a lot of struggles, including isolation, comparison and more. For food bloggers dealing with mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar, and more, there's an added layer of difficulty with this chosen career. Today's guest, Jennifer Farley, is here talking about food bloggers and mental and health. There's a lot that goes into therapy for mental health issues. However, sometimes the first step is simply saying the words and having a conversation. That's what today's episode is all about.

You can Reinvigorate Your Pinterest Strategies with this thoughtful advice from Pinterest guru, Nicole Barker. Want to grow your audience to new levels? Pinterest is a powerful search engine that can deliver on that goal, but you have to know how to use it. And as many of us have learned the hard way, Pinterest is changing all the time. Learn the latest ways to improve your Pinterest game today!

We all know "comparison is the thief of joy" but that doesn't stop us from falling into the comparison trap. Today's guest, Cassie Heilbron, encourages stopping the comparison trap and loving your style as a food blogger. What does that mean? It means embracing the way you work. It means appreciating your style as a food photographer, blogger, and social influencer. It means finding a way to admire how others do it, while at the same time learning to love the way you do your own work. It's a powerful tool we all need in our basket of skills. Read more about this podcast at our blog: https://chopped.academy/?p=4931

If you're excited about your food blogging career, finding a way to stay focused with your work is critical. Because there's a number of distractions that can take over your passions, including comparing whatever you're doing with others. Tanya Harris talks about becoming the focused food blogger and the tools she's used to help her along the way!

If your day is broken into chunks of defined time, finding ways to get things done can be a struggle. Today's guest, Megan Porta, talks about planned productivity for limited time spans such as that. Without planning, your precious time can easily be squandered. That's while you'll love these tips from Megan about ways you can transform time to be on your side! Read more on the blog: https://chopped.academy/planned-productivity-for-limited-time-with-megan-porta/

Today's guest, JinJoo Lee with the site Kimchi Mari, is on the Chopped Podcast talking about the Art of Taking Yourself Seriously. There is no end to the distractions that can happen in any given day when you're working for yourself. JinJoo explains that when she realized she was putting everyone else's priorities above her own, things started to shift. Learn about the inspiring change of perspective that can make a difference for you too!

If you have big dreams you need a lot of confidence to see you through both the good and the bad times. Today's guest, Chandice Probst of the site This Vivacious Life, talks about developing confidence and how it has helped her do courageous things for her career as a food blogger.

Have you ever dreamed of launching a physical product for your blog? Today's guest, Suzy Karadsheh of the site, The Mediterranean Dish did just that! However, today's discussion has us also talking about the tools she used to grow her site to a successful blog, so much so that her husband quit his job and they now work together. You'll love Suzy's dedication to her audience and the authenticity in which she lives her life and how she shares about it on social media and her blog. 

Are you busy updating old content on your site? Today's guest, Melissa Riker, shares tips for the best ways to Give Old Content a Refresh so that it's user friendly and SEO optimized! Learn tips to manage your time and hire help to get your content updated. And while you're at it, get inspired by the conversation around staying motivated, food photography and styling, and so much more!

As a food blogger, finding time to get everything done is always a struggle! Today's guest, Jessica Scully, is talking about time management. As an owner of a fitness center, mom, wife, and food blogger, Jessica has experience managing multiple priorities. Her fitness instructor mindset also gives plenty of tough love combined with self care as well. She recognizes one of the best ways you can feel good about yourself is through doing difficult things. If you're looking for a dose of inspiration, today's episode will get you there!

As a food blogger one of the biggest struggles can be simply showing up to do the work day in and day out. Today's guest, Brian Dixon, specializes in helping entrepreneurs not only find their audience but also reignite the spark and passion for their blog! Listen in as Brian shares his tips on how to become a mission focused blogger!

Have you ever dreamed of being a really successful food blogger? Jessica Hoffman of the site Choosing Chia is today's guest and she's talking today about Developing a Food Blogger Work Ethic in order to find joy and balance in the work of achieving your goals. You can't always have control over the outcomes, but you can use these mindset shifts and visioning techniques to fall in love with the process which can, in turn, have an impact on how you approach the work.

Food blogging can be a lonely business! It can feel like everyone has the skills to make it happen except you! Add to the mix a few rejections from places like Food Gawker and brands, and you've got a real recipe for disaster. Stephanie Melchione with the site The Cozy Cook talks about the rejections she experienced early on in her food blogging career, and how she persevered, dug in her heels and learned new skills, and ultimately quit her job to pursue food blogging full-time!

Adopt an Email Growth Mindset and optimize your email strategies. Email is where it's at, and if you feel there's room to improve your email marketing strategy, Matt is the go-to expert! He's worked with thousands of bloggers, including well-known food bloggers, to help them grow their list, and send more engaging content to their readers. Be a part of the email strategy movement by listening to today's episode!

Have you heard all the buzz lately about keywords lately? Keywords are the most talked about SEO component and the least understand. Today's guest, Brandi Crawford, is here talking with Marly about all things keywords and how you can optimize keywords to help grow your traffic!

There are a LOT Of myths about SEO and today's guest, Megan Clarke of Clapping Dog Media is here to dispel those myths! Do you think SEO is constantly changing? Or that it's just too hard? Megan has some great ways you can incorporate SEO into your food blogging strategies. It's a lively and fun conversation that will leave you feeling inspired!

A failure to plan is a plan to fail and the really successful people in this world have that figured out. As a blogger, you're the boss so creating a plan is paramount for your success! Michelle Palin is today's guest on the Chopped Podcast and she's talking about planning, setting goals and finding ways to achieve them!

Has your blog been the victim of scope creep? This is what happens when we start out with an original purpose and slowly expand that purpose to include more and more. Nora Schlesinger is here today to discuss how to solve those scope creep issues. She refers to it as downsizing your blog. Nora is sharing specific strategies she used to downsize her blog and as a result grow her traffic and revenue!

If you're curious about self publishing a cookbook, Chelsea Cole is telling her experience and shares her process for how to self publish, how to design a cookbook, and more! Chelsea was inspired to create her first cookbook and shares about how the experience changed her blog and opened many doors for her and her blog!

If you are feeling a heightened sense of emotion related to your food blog — whether you're scurrying to update old content or trying to get more traffic — adopting a Curiosity MIndset can transform your entrepreneurial experience. Special guest, Cara Ansis is here to talk about the ways that understanding your motives and underlying negative self talk can drag you down. Even when you're successful, these underlying messages will make you feel like it's never enough. Take on the Curiosity Mindset to find more joy in your day-to-day life and as a blogger!

If you feel overwhelmed as a food blogger, there's a reason why — it's too all too much! There was a day when a food blogger could be a solopreneur but the industry is changing, expanding, and requiring more and more of individuals who are committed to success. Sara Nelson of the site Real Balanced is here with a new business model: A team approach model to food blogger. She encourages food bloggers to “Marie Kondo” the work and do what brings them joy and find other people to do the rest. Get ready to feel inspired by Sara's passionate conversation with Marly!

Are you the super hero for your blog? That may seem like a good thing, but Mike Michalowicz is here talking about why we should be moving the needle from super hero to Super Visionary! Why? Because becoming the Super Visionary will transform your day-to-day work from stressed and overwhelmed to feeling more passionate and inspired about your mission. You will love today's uplifting discussion from the author of the entrepreneur's favorite book, Profits First.

Erren Hart with the site Erren's Kitchen describes her success story as a food blogger with all of its ups and downs. She's an inspiration in so many ways, especially as she talks about her drive and passion towards the path of success. Erren has such a great sense of humor and shares so honestly, it's a real treat to listen in to today's episode. Grab a cup of coffee and join this authentic and real discussion about the highs and lows of food blogging!

In this episode of the Chopped Podcast, I'm joined by Nora Taylor of the site Nora Cooks. We talk finding courage to follow your dream. Because Nora had other options before her. Solid options. It was a job offer that fit her education. But following a "whim" Nora found herself purchasing her first DSLR instead. Today's discussion highlights what happened after that, including her quick success in the food blogging world, and a lot about how she got to that point!

Join me for this discussion with Amber Bracegirlde and Eric Hochberger, co-founders of Mediavine, about Mediavine's latest product for bloggers. Create with Mediavine is a plugin you can use to create recipe cards, DIY cards, and even list cards. And this is only the beginning. If you're curious to learn more about Create before using it, today is your chance to get all your questions answered!

Listen in as Brandi Crawford returns to the show to talk about her continued phenomenal growth as a food blogger. Brandi is living the dream as a food blogger and shares her expertise so you can too. Brandi and Marly discuss their passion for spreadsheets to stay organized. And Marly discusses how she went through an SEO review and discusses her use of spreadsheets to stay organized with updating old content. Learn how you can get specifics on growing your food blog from Brandi and Marly!

Today's discussion with PR expert Alistair Clay will tell you why it's so important to give yourself permission to believe in your story. Because you have one and your audience wants to hear it. Alistair has expertise in helping influencers know their story, have confidence in it, and deliver it to their audience in a way that makes a difference. You'll also learn how interacting with the media can make a difference for your site and ways to go about that. It's a power-packed episode full of nuggets that will get your year started out right!

This episode features Australian food blogger, Jessica Holmes, the creative baker behind the site the Sweetest Menu. Jessica and I had such a fun-loving, interesting conversation about the challenges of finding joy as a food blogger while also working a full-time job. Deep in the heart of that conversation you'll find a direct connection between joy in your work the ability to stop comparing yourself to what others are doing. Jessica also shares about her love of desserts, photography, and all things Instagram!

Trying to take your entrepreneurial endeavors to a professional level can be a grind. Today's guest, Katie Webster, talks about the importance of Building Blocks to Success as a way to make it easier and more achievable. Katie shares so many helpful strategies for staying organized and on top of your goals as a food blogger.

Looking for a dose of inspiration? Check out my conversation this week with lawyer-turned-food-blogger Jessica Hylton Leckie of the site Jessica in the Kitchen. She shares how she fell in love with food blogging and the struggles she overcame to take it from hobby to career. It's an inspiring, down-to-earth discussion about authenticity, branding your blog, and finding ways to engage with your loyal viewers.

Cheryl Malik was busy helping other organizations run successful social media campaigns when she thought, “Why don't I try doing this for myself?” It's a good thing she did because today she is the creative force behind the popular site 40 Aprons. On today's show she's sharing tips on how to get things done, including developing a virtual team that keeps her creative juices, blog, and social media content flowing.

Have you dreamed about having an inspiring Instagram profile with a large, engaged audience, you will love today's discussion. Kimberly Espinel shares about ways on how to improve your instagram game.

Today's guest, Joanie Simon, shares how taking the leap to start her food blog and food photography career changed her life! In addition to finding more engaging work, Joanie also started a YouTube channel to share her food photography experiences with a few other people and then it took off! Now Joanie's channel, The Bite Shot, has over 80K subscribers and has increased Joanie's reach dramatically!

Learn how this culinary scientist turned her passion and love for food into a food blog. How did she go about creating it, what were her goals in engaging with her audience, what were the skills she needed to be successful? Jessica Gavin, culinary scientist and author of the book Easy Culinary Science for Better Cooking shares about all of this and more on this episode of the Chopped Podcast.

Today I'm talking about cultivating strong women in your life. I have been blessed by strong women and I think there's a case to be made for finding and cultivating more opportunities for that. Having a strong woman in your life can be a guide for living, interacting with people, and knowing and speaking your truth!

If you ever think you've got too much on your plate as a food blogger, just imagine today's guest, Serene Herrera. She has FIVE children between the ages of 14 and 1, and yet somehow she gets it done! I talked with Serene to learn her Best Time Management Strategies for Food Bloggers. I think you're going to love it!

Feel like everybody else has this food blogging thing figured out, but you're still struggling? Today I'm talking about How to Find Your Passion with Sarah Cook. And she knows about struggles. She shares candidly about the site rebrands, Pinterest mistakes, personal struggles, and more before finding her stride as a food blogger. Be ready to be inspired!

Do you think the food blogging milieu is too crowded? Too competitive? That it's impossible to grow your site? If so, today's show is just for you! I'm discussing the Secrets to Growing Your Food Blog with Brandi Crawford. Brandi shares about her numbers and the tremendous success she achieved within the first year of her food blog!

It's easy to say the words, repeat a few mantras, and imagine that you're walking an authentic entrepreneurial walk. But if you keep bumping up against the same walls (or ceilings), there's a chance you haven't addressed some underlying issues. In today's discussion, Cara and Marly talk about Simulating Abundance and how to tap into real, authentic changes in your life as an entrepreneur.

It's doesn't seem like a natural fit at first, but using Minimalism as a Food Blogger can be an effective way of knowing how to use your time with purpose. Masa and Michael Ofei of the site The Minimalist Vegan share their perspectives on using minimalism in blogging, social media, and passion/professional projects.

As a food blogger one of your primo taste is creating value for your audience. It is so central and yet elusive at times as well. Today I'm sharing my interview with Heidi Larsen of Foodie Crush, about how we can bring value, the impact of food photography, and using planners to guide and plan our everyday work.

Are you thinking about writing a cookbook? It's something a lot of food bloggers do. Today's guest Lisa Huff talks about how her food blog career helped her get a book deal and passion she put into creating her book. We also talk about the struggles of comparison as a food blogger and how to navigate those negative feelings and be your best!

Today we're talking about Growing Your Food Blog to Two Million Pageviews Per Month, SEO, and Building a Diversified Revenue Stream with Amanda Batcher on the Chopped Podcast. If you dream of the day when you can make your food blog your full-time career, today's episode will enlighten you on Amanda's process for doing just that!

Learn about Launching a YouTube Food Channel and a new career with guest, Beth Le Menach. Beth shares about her experience creating video production and YouTube channels for her job and how she transferred that knowledge to create her own thriving food-focused YouTube Channel. Now she's turned that into a new career!