Meet Cassie Hepler

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cassie Hepler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cassie below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Cassie with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My father who started his own business Hepler Geothermal Heating and Air Conditioning in the 80s before it was trendy to be eco-friendly. He had a vision, took the opportunity and built a successful green business that my brother has taken over and now runs in central Pennsylvania. I remember brushing dad’s hair while he worked on blueprints on the living room floor during TV time or drawing at his desk while he was working so working from home seems natural to me. We lived on a farm, ate organic from the garden and lived the country life while mom took care of us, the chickens, horses, dog and cats. It was a very wholesome, peaceful time that I remember fondly.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Cassie Hepler and I am the owner/publisher of lifestyle and travel blog ExplorewithCassie.com as well as a multi-media journalist, photographer and professional model/actress based in Phoenix, Arizona. I also work with TikTok since May 2020 as part of their #learnontiktok educational fund. I recently started sewing fashion designs again and Cassie’s Couture was reborn. This year, I would like to be be published in one of my favorite magazines growing up National Geographic as a writer and/or photographer. I still have images from a child engrained in my memory from Nat Geo! Also adding more international travel to the bucket list too.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Grit, thick skin and always wanting to learn more! Grit will keep you grinding weekly when others give up or simply do not want to do all the work involved – and it is a LOT of backend work people will never quite grasp. That “effortless” ambiance probably took a week of planning and work total to execute if not more. Thick skin – once you start getting some success, you will find you have a lot of new “friends” who aren’t actually they just want to be you, have your connections/experiences and/or drain your brain. You’ll also have outright haters who will try to smear your name and bring you down. I used to get caught up in the drama, but now I just block and move on. You’ll never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you, you’ll only be criticized by someone doing less. People at the top are constantly learning and wanting to know more, discuss ideas and change the direction of the future. That’s my tribe and vibe!

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, I take breaks. And by breaks I mean digital detoxes where I am still exploring because that is what I love to do – blogging on it or not – but no forced social media sharing involved. I also take booze breaks as it effects your nervous system negatively. It’s terrible for your body and honestly, I’ve been drinking since I was a teenager and it’s getting boring. I find edibles and CBD much kinder to my body, mind and soul. I also take gym and yoga breaks when I am getting angry, it’s the best way to direct that built-up energy into something positive. I also call or hang with my besties, that helps too as they’ve been there for decades and know me very well and usually have me laughing by the end!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Brian Delfin Photography, Model and Fashion Designer Cassie Hepler

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