We recently connected with Kelly Dobroski and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kelly, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I think the key to finding your purpose is two-fold: 1) a LOT of trial and error, and 2) checking in with how you feel.
I’ve loved being near the water since I was a kid – I was always the last to want to leave the beach on family vacations, and was hard to pull out of the neighbor’s pool in the summer. This love led me to Washington College and Duke University to study how we manage our ocean’s resources. What I learned is that we have enough science to know what to do, but we need to work on how we communicate the need to protect these places to the public and businesses. During my studies I also really developed my love for travel, as I had the opportunity to travel to Peru, Hawaii, and Belize.
After multiple jobs and internships, I realized I always sought out opportunities to learn how to be a better communicator and opportunities that allowed me to travel. Every job I’ve had has taught me how to really listen to my intuition, and know when something isn’t a true fit, or when something is exactly what I needed. All of this led me to realize that there’s opportunity to combine the two things I love to do, which led me to create Coastal with Kelly.
Coastal with Kelly is a travel and lifestyle brand that shares adventure travel and luxurious experiences, through specifically showcasing waterfront destinations. It’s your one stop for all things coastal: where to go, what to do, and how to live better near the water. But more than that, Coastal with Kelly highlights sustainable travel initiatives and products and brands that support the places we love to visit. All because we love what we see, and we protect what we love – and without taking care of the places we love to visit, they won’t be there for future generations to enjoy the same way.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Coastal with Kelly is a platform that shares coastal lifestyle and travel information to inspire more people to visit the coast, with the underlying mission of supporting ocean conservation efforts. At the end of the day, Coastal with Kelly is your one-stop for all things coastal: you’ll find inspiration for where you should take your next vacation, things to keep at your beach house, how to host a seafood boil, and more.
Coastal with Kelly creates digital media across social platforms to inform people about coastal destinations, activities, and products that make life at the coast and traveling there better. Services for brands that align with Coastal with Kelly include content creation, content amplification, social media promotion, email campaign sponsorship, and more.
I have worked with brands across industries, including skincare, luxury fragrance, regenerative ocean food, and more, and I love the challenge of finding out how our missions align.
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?
The top 3 impactful things on my journey have been: 1) being okay with being a beginner, 2) knowing when to quit, and 3) having a sense of adventure.
Every time I’ve started a new job, and landed on creating Coastal with Kelly, I had to be okay with not knowing how to do a lot of things. I still remember being stuck a few years ago with not knowing how to create a reel, and sticking with solely carousel posts on social media. Now, reels are my favorite things to create (aside from written blogs), because it’s fun trying to piece together a story in less than 10 seconds. I had to be okay with being a beginner so I could start gaining more skills to create better reels. And I’m still learning!
I also would not be where I am now without being okay with quitting – while you don’t want to quit things too early, I think it’s a really important skill to know when it’s the RIGHT time to leave something. Whether it’s quitting a newsletter that isn’t your vibe or quitting a job, it’s important to listen to your intuition about these things. For example, I know a lot of people who have stayed in roles for 5+ years that they HATED, because they were okay with not taking that extra step or initiative to find something that would be a better fit. Just remember, it’s okay to quit – but have a plan.
I also think all of this led me to have a sense of adventure, because I’ve constantly been learning and starting over. Between learning how to pitch brands, learning how to write better blogs, learning a new culture after moving halfway across the country – it all led me to have some incredible adventures (and ultimately launch Coastal with Kelly). I think remembering to say YES more to the things that scare you are a part of that adventure, and that attitude has helped me immensely.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I think something else that drew me to travel content creation is this desire for building community and story telling, so I am always looking for more opportunities to collaborate!
I love partnering with brands that focus on one or more of these three things: adventure travel, luxurious experiences, and sustainability in the ocean. For example, sustainable hotel lines tend to meet all three, as do travelers seeking these same values in their travels.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.coastalwithkelly.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/coastalwithkelly
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastalwithkelly
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coastalwithkelly
- Other: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/coastalwithkelly
Image Credits
Kelly Dobroski
