We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jana Tingom a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jana, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Traveling and writing have always been a love of mine. I happily married a man who enjoyed these as well! So Phoenix With Kids is really just an extension of what we already enjoy. Arizona is often viewed as all desert, or a barren land with the Grand Canyon and nothing else. There is so much more in our state! Our main goal for the blog is to bring awareness to the beauty and exciting places Phoenix and Arizona have to offer, and how families can enjoy them as well. A great example is Fossil Creek, a popular waterfall near Camp Verde which you’ll see all over social media in the summer. We’ve been twice with our kids and yes, it’s an hour long drive at 10MPH on a washboard road, and then a 1.5 mile hike. But it’s totally doable with kids! We break down the route, give tips, and share information on our blog to help families plan ahead. This is our goal for anything we share about: give the details, give the tips, and give the inspiration!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Phoenix With Kids was started in 2013 as a simple, family friendly list idea of things to do. We had a website, and occasionally wrote reviews of where we visited. Over the years it’s grown to including hundreds of reviews, including places around Arizona, and with the social media components, we reach thousands of families every month! We released our 4th annual Christmas lights map this November, which has been very popular, and also offer a complete park map, splash pad map, reviews on resorts, indoor suggestions for the summer, day trips, hikes, and so much more.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Phoenix With Kids was actually started by my husband, Chris, and his knowledge of website design really helped propel the website forward! We both have a love for travel, and enjoy sharing our adventures with friends. So writing family related guides and reviews was a natural outcome. We also aim to write thorough and detailed reviews, which families have mentioned are extremely helpful. So my advice to anyone wanting to start a localize blog, is to begin at places you truly love because that enthusiasm will shine in your writing, and inspire others. Be honest, keep it fun!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed in the influencer world. Comparison can’t be helped, and there’s the pressure to “do it all”, especially during the holiday season where there are numerous events every single weekend. Prioritizing and writing down a focus has really helped me alot! We have several blog contributors who write for us, but if they are busy too and can’t attend a event, I just say no. We do what we can to serve the community, and our family comes first.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.phoenixwithkids.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/phoenixwithkids
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/phoenixwithkids
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@phoenixwithkids
