We were lucky to catch up with Tonya Graddy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tonya, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I have not always been a dream chaser. For a long time I have wasted years wishing my life away on my closet dreams and talent of being a writer. There was always that voice in my head telling myself that I was not good enough. Now that voice did not get there by itself, somewhere along the road of my life I have been told this, why I chose to hold on to it, I do not know. We are told so many things along the way that we choose to let go of but those words, “You are not good enough” whether said, implied, or we THINK they are implied, or thought, we hold on to, makes no sense really. They are just words. My style of writing may not be for everyone, but it is for someone. One day I woke up after a really shitty day at work and thought, “Why not me? I have been afraid of failure for a long time, but you cannot fail if you never try. That is how The Graddy Gadabout was born. I love travel, and why not write about what you love.
Since putting myself out there, I have not been afraid to be told no and I stopped being afraid to try. I have started my blog, started a website, submitted some articles to some journals, and I even inquired about becoming a contributor to the Pure Michigan travel magazine. I am sure they laughed A LOT when they asked me for a Media Kit and me, being the novice that I am, had to google what that even was. Needless to say I received a “Not right now.” from them, but I put myself out there and I went after it.
My blog is a work in progress. If I could devote more time to it I am sure I could grow it more quickly, but for now, slow and steady wins the race. I am still after all, working full time for corporate America. I am still trying to learn new things to perfect my craft and improve how I use social media. I don’t want to make millions, but it would be wonderful to one day be able to make a living doing what I love. Until then, I will keep improving and keep on doing what I love.
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 currently have a travel blog called The Graddy Gadabout. My blog documents the good, the bad, and the ugly of all things while we are traveling. My husband and I go to places across the United States that are economically priced for families, and places that are achievable for the average family. However, we will not sugar coat our travels, we have stayed in some shady places, been in some very uncomfortable situations, a mudslide, and possibly been hit by lightning. I document it all, not just heart hands and sunsets. I am also not afraid to check out festivals as well. We have accidentally made it to some pretty cool places by not having an itinerary. That is what is different about what I write. I am not gonna sell sugar and sunshine. I will also tell you about the disaster and the not so good times too. Sometimes those are the best memories.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The biggest thing you have to be prepared for when being a travel blogger is that you need to learn to be flexible. Things happen. Reservations fall through, weather sucks, and things happen. You need to be able to pivot and move on. You also need to have a good deposition, meaning, you need to know how to play well with others. A little kindness goes a long way when trying to learn the area, local secret locations, and just get to know the people of the area. You have to be able to relate to people and not be a miserable human being. And lastly, you need to have patience. Success will not happen overnight. If that is what you are wanting, then blogging is not for you. You have to enjoy the craft first then reap the benefits.
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 am always looking for opportunities to collaborate with folks in the travel industry. It would be cool to start getting my feet wet with a podcast or something. I am open to all ideas though.
Contact Info:
- Website: graddygadabout.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/the_graddy_gadabout/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Graddy-Gadabout/100083448619926/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-graddy-1a6aa2259
Image Credits
Tonya Graddy Korey Graddy
