Category Archives: Feature Interviews

Feature interviews with inspiring people who share their experiences, inspiration, and advice

“Every moment is worth it” – Interview with Aditi from Lyf&Spice

Photo provided by and used with permission from Aditi Shukla at Lyf&Spice

Today’s interview is with Aditi Shukla, a food and travel blogger at Lyf&Spice. According to her about page, “Lyf” is pronounced “life,” which “looks different from every angle. Add some spice to it & you have a zesty life! […] Lyf = a new angle to sprucing up life, might I add, with some flavor & spice!”

In this interview, Aditi shares some fun facts about herself, her bucket list, and the best advice she’s ever received.

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Name and blog:
Aditi Shukla at Lyf&Spice

Fun fact about you:
The thought of dipping my feet in water [used to] send shivers down my spine, but I’m now a certified Open Water Diver 😉

Funner fact:
I’m very bad at yoga, I skip work-out sessions, I can eat chocolate cakes all day. I am always positive, motivated, and always on time (rather… before time) for meetings and gatherings.

Funnest fact:
I collect bills [receipts] from dinner catch-up with friends, boarding passes, and small notes and scribbles from daily life for my scrap book. I label the collection and go through it once in a while.

What do you think has been essential to your success as a travel blogger?
I wouldn’t call myself successful yet, but my journey has been nurtured by consistency, hard work and the quintessential “never say die” spirit. It took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do with Lyf&Spice. It eventually grew to be about Travel and Food, and I spend all the time I can nurturing it. My aim is to help readers and fellow travellers with tips and tricks, and take non-travellers on a virtual trip through Lyf&Spice.

What was something that surprised you about blogging?
The amount of networking that needs to be done. To be noticed, you have to be seen first.

If you had to describe your blog in 6 words or less, what would you say?
Read – Travel – Drool – Repeat.

Who or what inspires you?
My mom, for the energy and confidence she exudes – her positivity always keeps me going.

What is your all-time favorite bucket list item (of yours or someone else’s)?
Well, besides wanting to travel the world with my travel buddy (hubby), I want to eat at every possible city of the world. Hosting a travel and food show ranks one on my (dream) list!

If you aren’t doing anything related to travel, what are you doing in your free time?
Writing, eating chocolate cake, hanging out with friends and family, or trying something new.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
From my dad – Celebrate life, ‘coz every moment is worth it!

Readers: Join me in thanking Aditi for sharing her time, stories, and advice with us! If you want to learn more about her, check out her blog Lyf&Spice, with all the links to the usual social media sites.

Want more interviews like this? Leave a comment and let me know who you would like to see featured, and be sure to sign up to stay updated on all the latest posts and interviews.

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“Life’s too short to sit around worrying about it” – Interview with Eric and Stacey of Tonight’s Better Together

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Photo provided by and used with permission from Eric and Stacey Berglind, Tonight’s Better Together

Today’s interview is with Eric and Stacey Berglind, a married couple who blog at Tonight’s Better Together. Motivated by their desire to keep their own romance alive, they share creative ideas for date nights for “anyone that’s fed up with same old dinner and movies or corny, uninventive Pinterest [date night] lists.” They also give readers glimpses into their marriage and life as West Coasters who moved to the East Coast. In this interview, Eric and Stacey share some fun facts about themselves and the best advice they’ve ever received.

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Names and blog:
Eric and Stacey Berglind at Tonight’s Better Together

Fun fact about you:
Eric: I’m a certified scuba diver
Stacey: I was Miss Borrego Springs, beauty pageant queen for a small town

Funner fact:
Eric: I’ve broken nine bones thus far in my life
Stacey: I was nudged by a bull shark in thigh deep water in North Carolina and lived to tell the tale

Funnest fact:
Eric: If it is furry I have to resist the urge to hug it (animals only)
Stacey: I’m allergic to bees because I’ve been stung by scorpions too many times

What do you think has been essential to your success as a blogger?
Both: Identifying the right form of social media and developing a consistent posting schedule has been crucial to our continued growth.

What was something that surprised you about blogging?
The willingness of the blogging community to reach out to each other. We have built friendships with people from all walks of life through blogging.

If you had to describe your blog in 6 words or less, what would you say?
Date ideas that don’t suck!

Who or what inspires you?
Our own relationship inspires us to develop new content for our audience.

What is your all-time favorite bucket list item (of yours or someone else’s)?
Eric: Going snowboarding with a helicopter
Stacey: Go swimming with a whale shark

If you aren’t doing anything related to blogging, what are you doing in your free time?
Both: Working full-time and trying to be outdoors as much as possible with our furry mutt.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Life’s too short to sit around worrying about it.

Readers: Join me in thanking Eric and Stacey for sharing their time, stories, and advice with us! If you want to learn more about them, check out their blog Tonight’s Better Together, with all the links to the usual social media sites.

Want more interviews like this? Leave a comment and let me know who you would like to see featured. Be sure to sign up to stay updated on all the latest posts. Also, get on the Insiders list, a monthly email with a summary of blog posts, cool surprises and printables throughout the year, invites to insider-only online events, and chances to be featured in the blog.

“Always say yes to the next adventure” – Interview with Susan McNulty of The McVagabonds

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Susan and Ryan of The McVagabonds – Photo provided by and used with permission from Susan McNulty

Today’s interview is with Susan McNulty, a travel blogger at The McVagabonds, and a friend of mine. We met during our AmeriCorps VISTA year, and now she and her husband are adventuring in Europe after completing a long road trip from Seattle to Pittsburg!! In this interview, Susan shares about some of her travel and blogging journey so far, one of her ongoing Europe bucket list items, and the best advice she’s ever received.

Name and Blog:
Susan McNulty, half of The McVagabonds!

Fun fact about you:
I love food, both eating and cooking it. I love it so much that I decided to go to culinary school a few years ago, and trained at The Art Institute in Pittsburgh. I have a dream to one day eat my way through France.

Funner fact:
I’m working on getting to all four “corners” of the United States, a list that I made up a couple of years ago after moving to Seattle. I’ve been to Bellingham, Washington (top left); San Diego, California (bottom left); The Everglades, Florida (bottom right). Once we get back to the States next year I hope to make it up to NE Maine to get to all four points!

Funnest fact:
My husband and I are currently on our longest trip together: travelling around Europe for six months! We love to explore new places and have since the day we got married, but this is by far our biggest endeavor to date. We’re using it as a trial run to hopefully spend part of the year travelling from here on out.

What do you think has been essential to your success as a travel blogger?
I’m quite new to the blogging game, so I’m only just now starting to hit my groove. I think I’ve started having little milestones because I’ve been treating it like a job. Every day I have a certain amount of time set aside to write and edit posts, upload photos and reach out to other bloggers via comments. I think it’s been good in many ways, especially with helping to find my voice as a blogger.

What was something that surprised you about blogging?
How much I’m enjoying it! I’ve kept a journal since I was young, so I’ve always had a record of things that have happened in life. But with blogging, my journaling is taken to a whole new level. I’m able to add photos and include more facts and history. Plus I’m able to share my experiences with friends and family which they appreciate, especially when we’re abroad.

If you had to describe your blog in 6 words or less, what would you say?
A collection of adventures and memories.

Who or what inspires you?
I think travelling, and all of the people I’ve met along the way, inspire me. There’s a big world out there, full of people so different from myself. I love meeting new people and learning from them. They inspire me to be a better, kinder and more conscientious person.

What is your all-time favorite bucket list item (of yours or someone else’s)?
I have an ongoing bucket list item for our time in Europe: eat one pastry in every city we go to and document it. Before we left Pittsburgh a dear friend of mine told me I had to eat a pastry in Paris all by myself, no sharing with my husband. The idea not only stuck with me but it grew from there! It was the first item on my European bucket list and by far my favorite – who doesn’t love pastries?

If you aren’t doing anything related to travel, what are you doing in your free time?
I’m an avid reader, so I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting books. I love going into second-hand shops and finding new-to-me books that have a history of their own! I’m also obsessed with my dog, who stays with my parents when we travel. We go for walks, try out new dog parks and area always on the lookout for new doggie recipes.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Always say yes to the next adventure, no matter what it is. Don’t be afraid of life! I’ve been living by this philosophy for the last couple of years, and it’s been working out pretty well so far!

Readers: Join me in thanking Susan for sharing her time, stories, and advice with us! If you want to learn more about her, check out her blog The McVagabonds, with all the links to the usual social media sites.