We recently connected with Stephanie Galt and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephanie, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?
Starting a platform – whether it’s an Instagram account, a blog, a podcast or anything else – is exciting at first because it feels fun, shiny and new. Keeping up with that momentum week after week, month after month, year after year? It’s a big commitment and takes a lot of hard work! If you want to build a following, consistency and self-discipline is key. Between researching locations, capturing content, selecting and editing photos, planning content calendars, writing captions, researching hashtags, scheduling posts, responding to comments and DMs, engaging with relevant content, and planning collaborations with brands, I spend several hours per week on Instagram… and then there’s the blog! Planning, researching, writing, editing, resizing and uploading photos… a single blog post takes hours to create, not to mention all the unglamorous behind-the-scenes tasks of running a website. I absolutely love blogging and content creation – it’s my passion and my creative outlet – but it’s also a lot of work. I have to show up, be consistent and put the work in: even when I’ve had a rough day at my 9-5, or when I just don’t feel like it, or when I’d rather be watching TV.
There’s a somewhat unconventional piece of advice that I learned from one of my favourite authors and speakers, Mel Robbins, and it completely changed the way I think about self-discipline. When it comes to achieving your goals, never rely on motivation. Motivation is great… when it’s there. When things feel fun, when you’ve just started a brand new project, when everything is going right. But what about that other 90% of the time? If you sit around waiting to feel motivated, you’ll never accomplish anything. So instead of feeling guilty about it, I acknowledge that most of the time – in that moment – I don’t want to do that thing I know I need to do to ultimately achieve my goals. This applies to every little thing in life! I very rarely “feel like” getting up early, or working out, or cleaning my kitchen, or updating my media kit, or doing any of those tedious, boring or annoying tasks. But I force myself to do them, because I know my future self will thank me for it. Contrary to what your Pinterest vision board might have you believe, achieving your goals is rarely glamorous – in fact, most of the time, it’s actually pretty boring. Behind every shiny new achievement is days, weeks and months of tiny, consistent, and yes – often tedious – habits. But it sure does pay off when you finally achieve that goal!
Another piece of great advice I got from Mel Robbins (seriously, I can’t recommend her books and podcast enough!) is the importance of parenting yourself. When we were kids, our parents made us do all the things that were good for us, but that we didn’t feel like doing: eating our vegetables, doing our homework, going to bed on time… As an adult, nobody’s there to make you do those things, so you have to parent yourself!
It’s important to create habits and systems that work for your life. I use time-blocking to assign myself tasks in order of importance, and figure out how I can use any “down time” in my schedule in a productive way. For instance, I have an hour-long train commute into work, so I dedicate that time entirely to working on Instagram posts. I plan and schedule my posts in advance – photos, captions, hashtags – so I don’t have to think about it later. I have scheduled blog-writing time every Sunday. I start every day with an hour-long walk on my treadmill, during which time I answer emails, engage on Instagram, and read a devotional or listen to an inspiring podcast. Over time, I’ve learned that you’re only as successful as your habits. When you think of the big goal at the end of the tunnel, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to start. But by starting with small, achievable habits – and making yourself stick to them – you’ll be amazed by what you can accomplish over time. And don’t be afraid to set boundaries: kids have bedtimes and screen time limits, but as adults, we need them even more. Something I’ve implemented recently: instead of responding to text messages, emails and DMs as they come in, I set aside 30 minutes each day and tackle them all at once. Resist the idea that you have to be available to everyone 24/7. This one tiny habit has done wonders for my productivity!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an Ontario-based blogger and content creator with a passion for local travel and tourism. On my blog and Instagram account, I highlight the best local restaurants, cafés, shops, museums, wineries, beaches, parks, events, hotels, Airbnbs… you name it! My favourite places to feature are those true hidden gems: anywhere that’s especially unique or under the radar. While I love sharing all sorts of travel content (I’ve written travel guides to Italy, The Bahamas, Arizona, Miami, New Orleans, Tennessee, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton…) my heart is truly in supporting all of the wonderful local businesses we have right here in Toronto and Southern Ontario. I’ve always loved local travel and tourism – a day trip to a nearby town is easily my favourite way to spend a Saturday – but I really started to appreciate it during COVID. When we were all lamenting the inability to travel, I started seeing the silver lining in the situation. Sure, we may not have been able to jet off to Portugal or Greece for a glamorous overseas vacation, but why not use this opportunity to explore the best of our very own backyard? And here in Ontario, what an expansive, beautiful and fun-filled backyard we have! I feel so blessed to live in a place where there’s so much to explore: from natural beauty to historic architecture, luxurious spas to boutique hotels, gourmet restaurants to award-winning wineries… it’s truly a wonderful place to live. I have a future “must visit” list of literally thousands of places in Ontario, and it just keeps growing!
Somewhere along the way, my personal Instagram account turned into a personal brand. This wasn’t an official change so much as a mindset shift. I still post personal content that’s unrelated to my niche, so it’s not a completely niche account, but I try to add as much value as I can to every post. For instance, if I’m sharing a new restaurant I visited, I want the photos and caption to provide as much insight and detail as possible: what did we order, how did everything taste, what was the atmosphere and service like? I’ll post the menus in my stories and share specific dish recommendations, or perhaps a link to their weekly specials.
In 2022, I launched my blog, which really cemented the shift from personal page to personal brand. I created a logo and a media kit, and started writing weekly posts and building an email list. I’ve always loved writing, so the blog is a natural creative outlet for me! I’d worked on some Instagram collaborations with brands before, but after launching my blog, I really noticed an uptick in the number and size of brands reaching out. I’ve now worked with numerous local businesses – from wineries to Airbnbs to goat farms – and it’s so fulfilling. I’ve also worked with some larger national brands, but whatever I do almost always has a local twist. For example, I recently worked on a collaboration with Ford Canada to promote their F-150 Lightning truck, but the concept was a road trip to the town of Stratford, with a spotlight on the local shops and businesses there. It’s important to me that the bulk of my content is still organic – i.e. I don’t get paid or comped to post about it – and I’ll never promote something I don’t believe in. I strongly believe that blogging and content creation is something you have to genuinely love. If you’re just in it hoping for money or free product, it won’t be fulfilling or feel authentic. Even if I never saw a cent from my Instagram or blog, it wouldn’t change a thing – I’d keep right on going!
In my 9-5, I’m Senior Manager of Marketing & Partnerships at McGillivray Group, where I work in marketing, sales and business development within the real estate and media industries. I love my day job and am fortunate to work with an amazing team! I live in Burlington with my fiancée Tania, where we’re currently planning our upcoming wedding. When I’m not working my 9-5, Instagramming, blogging, day-tripping or wedding planning, you can find me exploring my other passions: home decor, baking and entertaining.
What I love most about my “5 to 9” is discovering local gems, learning new things and connecting with people. I love finding new favourites, especially when they’re “under the radar” – whether it’s a cute coffee shop, a flower farm, a small-batch brewery or a unique event, there’s something so satisfying about unearthing those hidden gems and helping spread the word to others! In our era of globalization, it’s never been more important to support local. If I can help bring new customers to a local business, while helping my followers get out of the house and find fun activities to enjoy with their families, it’s a win-win. My favourite messages are from people who tell me they visited a place I recommended and loved it, or that they’ve used my blog posts to help them plan fun road trips with their families. It makes my heart happy!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Consistency & Dedication – As I mentioned earlier, I truly believe this is the key to anything you want to accomplish. My best advice is to take your goals, break them down into small, specific and achievable action items, and work on them consistently. A big goal can feel overwhelming and out of your control, so instead of focusing on the end result, focus on the habits you can control. For instance, one of my 2025 goals is reaching 10,000 Instagram followers. I can’t guarantee if or when that’ll happen. But I can set aside a half-hour each day to engage with relevant content, to help me reach potential new followers. I can make sure I respond to comments and DMs every day, to keep my existing followers engaged. I can pitch businesses on collaborations that’ll expose both of our accounts to new eyes. By focusing on the tasks rather than the result, I put the control back in my own hands. Try waking up an hour early each day this week, and using that time towards your goal – whether it’s working out, applying for new jobs, writing a blog, or taking an online class. And hold yourself just as accountable as you would to your job! Just as I wouldn’t simply not show up for work on Monday, I wouldn’t not show up for my weekly blogging date with myself. And even though it’s important to acknowledge that the habits themselves aren’t always fun or exciting, you can try your best to make them as enjoyable as possible. Maybe that’s a cute new workout outfit, a fancy coffee to make you look forward to waking up early, or listening to a funny podcast while cleaning your kitchen. Trust me, rewards help!
2) Perseverance – Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution to get fit or lose weight? The first week of January, you’re in the gym every morning, meal-prepping protein-packed salads, and chugging water like they’re not making it anymore. By week two, your clothes aren’t fitting any differently and you still haven’t seen an ab, so you start to get a little discouraged; maybe you skip the gym a couple of mornings and fall back into your evening wine-and-chocolate habit. By week three, you’ve given up completely: you haven’t seen any results yet, so what’s the point anyway? If it sounds like I’m all too familiar with this scenario, it’s because I’ve been there many a time. “Sticking with it” is hard enough as it is, and it’s even harder when you’re not seeing any results – it can be so discouraging! The hard truth is, you may reach your goal or you may not – but if you stop when things are hard, you’ll never know. There was a time when my Instagram was thriving and I was consistently gaining followers – it felt so fun and easy. About three years ago, amidst changing algorithms and greater platform saturation, I started to notice a significant dropoff. I went from gaining 100 followers a week to 10 followers a month! I was working harder and harder for fewer results. Things have levelled out a bit over the last year or so, but my growth rate still isn’t anywhere near what it was, and I don’t think it ever will be. It’s been a slow, steady slog. And social media is unpredictable: I know firsthand how frustrating it is to spend hours working on the perfect post, only to have it absolutely bomb. When I started my blog, I had exactly three readers: my mom, my dad and my fiancée. I felt so stupid: why was I sinking all this time and energy into something nobody cared about? But I’ll never forget the first time my blog appeared in the first page of Google search results for a place I’d written about. I was ecstatic, and it made me remember why I’d worked so hard. In the words of the great Billy Ocean… “when the going gets tough, the tough get going!” Keep doing what you can, and eventually the results will come.
3) Confidence – This is something I’ve had to develop over time, and honestly, I’m still working on it. As someone who posts on social media nearly every day, it may surprise you to learn that I often struggle with “post anxiety”, but I do all the time. I worry that I look tired or ugly or that I’m making a weird face, that my photos aren’t high-quality enough, that my captions are stupid. Will people think I’m self-centered if I post a photo of myself? Will I receive hateful comments for posting a photo of me with my (same-sex) partner? Will I lose followers for expressing a political opinion? Whenever I struggle with this, I think of a line from one of my favourite TV shows, Schitt’s Creek: “Nobody cares. People aren’t thinking about you the way that you’re thinking about you.” The truth is that most of the time, people couldn’t care less about the details you’re agonizing over, because they’re too busy worrying about themselves and what other people think of them. Reaching out to brands takes confidence, and it can be scary. For a long time, I was too nervous to approach any companies, and simply waited for them to come to me. Inbounds are great, but if you’re really looking to kickstart some opportunities, you’ll have to overcome your fear and start reaching out! The worst that can happen is they say no. And don’t be afraid to negotiate compensation. I used to feel a nagging sense of guilt whenever I’d get products or services comped in exchange for content, as if I was getting a free gift I didn’t really deserve. Then one day, it hit me: between capturing content, editing photos and reels, writing blog posts and captions, researching hashtags, scheduling posts and stories… I was spending hours and hours of hard work on each collaboration. You wouldn’t work your 9-5 and expect your boss not to pay you, so why would this be any different? Of course, you have to start somewhere, so manage your expectations accordingly. I still remember my very first collaboration: a skincare brand sent me a free bottle of moisturizer. The product cost all of $20, but I still remember how ecstatic I was! In my opinion, the best way to build confidence is through hard work. When I collaborate with a brand, I put everything I have into creating the best content possible. I brainstorm creative ideas and concepts, I take tons of photos and videos so I have plenty of content options to work with, I carefully select the images and clips I feel will best represent the brand, I do tons of research before writing blogs or captions so I have the most detailed and accurate information possible, and most importantly, I ask the partner what they want to see. I want to deliver an end product that both the partner and my audience will be happy with. When you’re confident in the quality of your work, you can naturally be more confident in yourself!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always open to collaborating with brands and businesses to promote products, services, experiences or events that I think would be of interest to my audience! If you’d like to discuss a potential partnership or collaboration, I’d love to hear from you. I work with both local (Toronto/Ontario based) and national brands, and even brands in other countries if the opportunity is right (e.g. I once partnered with Dollywood in Tennessee to promote their theme park.) You can contact me directly through my blog https://stephaniegalt.com/ or send an email to galt.stephanie@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stephaniegalt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniegalt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniegalt/
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