Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Crocker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amanda, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Thanks so much for having me! I think both confidence and self-esteem building are evolving things — something that I’m always working on. For me, the process looks something like this: getting an idea in my head that I want to try at something, being brave enough to actually take the action steps (even really small ones at the start) to try that thing, trying to remind myself that if I “fail” I have actually just learned what does not work — and that I need to realign instead of quit, getting little glimpses of success, and continuing moving forward and growing. I think the people that you surround yourself with also play a huge part. If you surround yourself with encouragers, hype humans, people who want to see you win, etc…it makes it much easier to be brave in the first place. To try things, to take those first steps.
For example, a little story from my journey in the social media and photography world: Awhile back, I traveled to Washington to hang and hike with some friends. One evening, I joined a group of exceptionally skilled photographers on a hiking adventure. Many of them do photography full-time, which left me feeling a bit out of place and, frankly, quite intimidated. I had just got my first ever camera and 1000% had no clue how to use it. My primary tool until then had been my trusty iPhone. Because of this, I didn’t want to take my camera out and fumble around with it. However, the group made me feel so welcomed, getting rid of any feelings of inadequacy. They made it clear that it was perfectly fine to stick with my iPhone if I felt more comfortable. Yet, they also encouraged me to get out and experiment with my camera, despite my uncertainty with its settings. It’s something that will stick in my mind forever. It definitely helped develop my confidence and self-esteem in learning more about my camera, photography, and the social media world. So my advice: Surround yourself with people who push you to try and get better. And also, be that person back. It’s huge and it matters.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I work full-time in healthcare, in the Ophthalmology field, and part-time as a content creator in social media. For my full-time job I do a lot of direct patient care and preliminary testing before seeing the doctor. I have been doing this for nearly ten years now and it’s super rewarding to be a part of patient care in what I find to be one of the most important senses — sight. The content creation came about when I was honestly just trying to meet more hiking pals. I’ve always loved to take photos/videos and share my adventures. When I was looking to meet more friends who enjoyed hiking, I landed among some amazing photographers/content creators. This inspired me to pursue learning more about photography, and social media, which landed me to where I am today with it!
I still have TONS I would love to learn about photography/videography, and also social media, marketing, etc. I wish I had more time in my days to learn all the things quicker, but it has been such a fun journey and side hobby!
My aim with my personal socials are to inspire others to get outside and lead a healthy, active lifestyle through nature experiences. I also love to throw little bits of inspo vibes, encouragement, etc as my way to share that mental health is huge and hopefully bring some extra light.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Communication. I think good communication is essential for executing ideas, having good understanding, and building connections (both personal and professional). 2. Adaptability. Change is constant and I think it is so important to be able to adapt to new circumstances, environments, and challenges. I think if you are able to be open-minded, flexible, and try to find solutions in life you can better stay the course towards your goals, even when unexpected situations occur.
3. And the third was altering my mindset to “it’s my world, you’re just living in it” (and to be clear, it’s equally your world, and I am just living in it). What I mean here is: do what you want, and what sets your soul on fire. It is YOUR world. Everyone else is living in your world and if it makes you happy it doesn’t have to make sense to anybody else. This serves as a good reminder to myself to stop caring what other people think. And I would encourage you to remind yourself that it is your world, too.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am open to partnerships and collaborations! I would love to work with outdoor brands (whether that be gear or clothing), unique stays, tourism boards, healthy foods/snacks/beverages, lifestyle & wellness brands, car companies, experience services, and more! The main thing for me is that it has to align well with myself and I feel will align well with my community, too!
The best way to get in contact with me if wanting to discuss a partnership is via E-Mail at: [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adnamacrocker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adnamacrocker
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-crocker-4b63bb22b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adnamacrocker
- Other: I am also on TikTok and Pinterest, same username: @adnamacrocker
Image Credits
Photos taken with assistance from Kevin Peters and Cherise Hatch
