Conversations with the Inspiring Kirsten Ortez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten Ortez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kirsten. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my blog as a little side project in my freshman year of college. To be quite honest, I was procrastinating from studying for finals, so I started a blog. It didn’t look at all what my blog looks like today. I want to say I’m on my 4th blog name, but I think this one will stick.

I posted every once in a while, but never really took it seriously. I just liked writing. In my junior year of college, I connected with a fellow blogger online, saw the potential in my own blog, and decided to turn my blog into a real thing.

I joined the McGuire entrepreneurship program at the University of Arizona in my senior year of college which really helped to define a mission statement, goal, and overall future for my blog. I developed my blog on the side while I worked my way through the final years of school (including grad school) and started to see improvement in my photos, growth in my audience, and an increase in sponsored posts. If you ever take the time to go through the hundreds of posts, you can see so much improvement in my content and writing over the years.

While I don’t see myself taking this full time, I love having the opportunity to share advice and more of my story with a diverse audience of women. Even though my blog kind of grew out of nowhere, it’s helped me connect with so many amazing women.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nothing worth having ever comes easy, let me just start with that. It has most definitely not been a smooth road and I’ve had a hard time with my blog over the years. Brand partnerships can be stressful, creating content can really take a lot more time than you anticipate, and sometimes deadlines and life interfere. Either way, it’s been a truly rewarding experience.

If there is one piece of advice I can give any woman starting her journey – no matter what you create, try your hardest not to fall into the comparison trap. Create before you consume. With so many bloggers, influencers, and creatives entering the space every day, it can feel increasingly hard to stand out and it becomes so easy to compare yourself to other, ‘more successful’ bloggers.

Stay in your lane, do your own thing, and share your own story. I promise you, every single person out there has something amazing that only they can share with the world. Find out what your amazing thing is and then get really good at sharing it. If you focus on that, you won’t get caught up in the game because your unique perspective will always shine through.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Curated by Kirsten story. Tell us more about it.
Full time, I’m a corporate world woman. I mean, I wear jeans and sports jerseys to work, but I do work that 9-5 office life.

On my blog, I share ‘lifestyle for the woman on the move.’ I love sharing advice for standing out in an interview, making the most of your time, dressing for the occasion, and planning trips that fit into a busy schedule. Honestly, I share a little bit of everything because the woman who comes to my site loves a little bit of everything too.

I plan on the future of my blog being a bit different, which is actually what I’m so excited for now. This year, I plan on sharing a lot more about my struggles with anxiety and body image and more about my journey to a more sustainable and happy lifestyle. I think I got caught up in the rat race of fashion blogging and keeping up with the Jones’ so I am so proud of where I see this going and optimistic about the future of my blog.

From business tips to mental health to make the most of what you have now, I just hope that my blog will continue to provide a space for women to feel inspired, share their struggles, and live their best lives.

Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Don’t let what you want now get in the way of what you want most. Do things that provide long-term value for you.

But, on that same note, the best thing you can do to provide the most long term value to yourself is to take care of yourself. You can put your best self into the world (and your career) if you focus on you. Do what makes you happy, spend time with friends, and say yes to every learning and growth opportunity that is presented to you. Don’t be afraid to fail and be vocal with what you want with everyone.

Had I not told every single person at my firm that I was studying abroad and looking for an internship, I never would have gotten the opportunity to work at my firm when I studied abroad. Had I not applied for every cool opportunity that came across my inbox, I wouldn’t have volunteered abroad or gotten to attend some pretty cool events over the years.

So, take care of yourself, go after what you want, don’t be afraid to fail, and say yes to things. I promise you won’t regret it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.curatedbykirsten.com
• Email: hello@curatedbykirsten.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kirstenortez
• Facebook: facebook.com/curatedbykirsten
• Twitter: twitter.com/kirstenortez

Image Credit:
Holly Kapp (all photos except me in the baseball cap holding orange juice and the horizontal photo)

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.