10 years ago today I published my first blog post here on Kayla in the City.
At the time I was a senior in college finishing up my theater degree at NYU. I was just starting to work out and learn more about health and wellness, but felt really alone because no one I knew at college was talking about these things. No one I knew at college even knew what the heck almond milk was… although to their defense it was 2011 and almond milk wasn’t available at every coffee shop.
One day I stumbled upon a fitness blog while looking for a review of a class I wanted to take at my gym. This blog led me to a few other fitness blogs. Suddenly, I felt like I had found my “people.” These people were talking about the same things that interested me like the best yoga mats and what sneakers to wear for a Zumba class.
I became invested in these bloggers, people that I didn’t know but I felt super connected with. I found myself trying their pancake recipes and treadmill workouts when I needed some inspiration.
Most of them were older than me, many married, and a few years out of college. I realized I had something different to offer than other healthy living bloggers. My own perspective on health and wellness as someone still in college and in their early 20’s.
And so, Kayla in the City was born.
I didn’t know anything about starting a blog or growing a blog and I didn’t even have a good name idea — I came up with the name Kayla in the City while looking up at my fuzzy Sex and the City DVD box set.
I pressed publish on my first blog post, and the rest is history. Actually… not just history but it actually changed my life.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how different my life would be if I never started my blog.
Starting a blog:
- Introduced me to some of my closest friends.
- Got me my start in marketing… and pretty much every job I’ve had in marketing since.
- Gave me a place to learn the ins and outs of marketing firsthand.
- Gave me my start as a yoga teacher and fitness instructor as it allowed me to host events all over NYC.
The list could go on and on and on of all the ways starting this blog changed my life. I truly don’t know what my life would look like if I had never started this blog. I don’t think I’d be working in social media in any capacity. And I don’t know if I would be teaching yoga and fitness as the experience I gained through teaching my own community gave me a leg up while auditioning later on.
Putting myself out there and sharing bits and pieces of my life alongside my thoughts paved the way for “future me” in a way I never could have DREAMED when I was 21 years old.
In the last 10 years, the world of blogging has no doubt changed. A lot of those bloggers I followed back in the day have stopped posting. And of course, Instagram changed the game and most people started focusing on just creating content there.
I’ve also changed, as is to be expected when you’ve been doing something from age 21 to 31. Over the years I’ve definitely become more private and guarded about what I share (although maybe some wouldn’t think that 😂). There are aspects of my personal life that are just for me and are off-limits to public consumption.
I’ve also become more self-conscious about what I post if I’m going to be really really honest. I look back at some of my old posts and remember how few f*cks I gave. There wasn’t this constant fear of what everyone else would think and I didn’t overanalyze every word I wrote down. I felt freer to write from the heart and talk about what was on my mind.
Maybe being more guarded comes with age and how things have changed on the internet. I don’t know. Even just including this bit here gets me nervous. But I do think it’s important to say and point out.
Even still, blogging will always have a special place in my heart. I might’ve started this blog as a way to mostly talk about fitness and wellness which are things I barely talk about anymore 😂 because I ran out of things to say. But ultimately I started this blog because I felt alone and craved community and connection. 10 years later I can say it has provided me with that above and beyond what I imagined.
I want to end this by saying the BIGGEST thank you. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning (and holy moly if so!) or you’re a new friend. I am so grateful to you for being part of this community and this space that’s changed my life.
Thank you for your kind comments, emails, and DMs. For sharing your own stories with me when you could relate to things. For joining me for IRL events and more recently on Zoom for yoga and book club. For supporting this blog and its partners.
Simply, thank you. I am so grateful 💗
