Meet Trailblazer Ivy Morris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivy Morris.

Ivy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
This is all Samantha Brown’s fault. I watched her Travel Channel shows religiously when I was growing up – I wanted her job so badly! I’m lucky to have known what I wanted to do from a young age and to have kept that dream. Through writing, I want to encourage people to experience cultures that are different from their own. Every step I’ve made in my personal work and career is to further that pursuit.

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?
In the words of Drake: “Know yourself, know your worth.” It sucks, but I’ve dealt with employers and organizations that undervalued me. If you’re a huge asset to a company – particularly if you can back up that statement with numbers and results – fight for yourself. Ask for competitive pay (Glassdoor and LinkedIn are great for this), stick to what you know and remind people of your accomplishments.

And, go the extra mile with your writing. Constantly ask yourself, “why?” with each sentence you write. Food that’s only described as “delicious” is the bane of my existence. That hamburger was delicious. Why? Because of the onions and cheese. Why? The onions were caramelized and the cheese practically oozed out with every bite. When you can’t ask “why?” anymore, that’s when you’ve created something people want to participate in.

We’d love to hear more about Arizona Travelers.
I’m a writer first – blogger, Instagrammer, everything else second. I might upload the crappiest pictures ever, but I’m always proud of the words on the page.

Everything I post on my blog is posted with heart, honesty and good intentions. I figure that if I like something, other people might like it as well. I’m terrible at keeping secrets, but I love discovering things that are lesser-known. That’s what you’ll find at arizona-travels.com: a solid guide to the Grand Canyon State’s interesting places, things, and people.

While I work a typical 40 hour/week job in marketing, I’m probably best known for my side hustles: the blog and my freelance work. You’ll see me at expeditionfoodieaz.com, published in city and state travel guides, and on social media.

The work I’m most proud of, however, was a personal story on the United States/Mexico border for sheswanderful.com: https://www.sheswanderful.com/2017/02/15/what-the-us-mexico-border-is-like/. I grew up in view of the border fence, and my childhood gave me a very unique perspective. To me, it’s not just a responsibility to educate people on my hometown. It’s an obligation.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
Jessica Dunham, of Dunham Media. Jessica was my former boss before she launched her own business, and she completely changed how I write. She guided me without commanding and boosted my confidence and skills. Jessica is an incredible mentor and friend who I definitely try to emulate. Plus, she’s a badass.

Joanna Goddard of cupofjo.com. Her blog is filled with kindness and support and I feel like I always exit the page having learned something. And the sponsored blog posts? They’re brilliant. In my opinion, Joanna Goddard and a team should be the number one go-to for posting sponsored content. You don’t even realize it’s happening and once you do, the topic’s probably so great that you don’t even mind.

Also, my mom. She balances showing respect and not letting yourself get walked all over (of which I’m certainly guilty). Lady power, y’all.

Contact Info:

• Website: arizona-travels.com
• Email: ivy@arizona-travels.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivy_june/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/arizonatravelers/

Image Credit:
http://www.kellyandsergio.com/ [Sergio Lopez and Kelly Rashka]

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.