We had the good fortune of connecting with Briana Fountain and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Briana, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I didn’t always take care of myself or invest in my wellbeing…

In fact, just a few years ago, I went through my quarter-life crisis about a year after college. I was at my lowest. I felt fat, hated my job, was fighting with my boyfriend, and lost contact with my friends.

When the summer of 2018 began, I started my blog and began reflecting on my life in college. I thought about my time as an RA in which I learned about the Five Wellbeings and how they lead to a happier life. I took that idea to heart, expanded it to include two more wellbeings, and did a little remixing. These became my guides to holistic health and wellness: The Seven Wellbeings.

So what happened? Well, fast forward to a year later. I feel physically healthier. I got a new job. Bae and I are making plans to take some big steps together and my friends and I are tackling my Summer Bucketlist. All of this good growth and blooming began on that wonderful day I decided to practice holistic wellness.

That is how The Blooming Babe as a blog started. The more I wrote about and practiced self care, the more I saw a need to create custom planning pages to support holistic health and self care. This is how my Shoppe was started!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One of my brand colors is beige, it’s an earthy color. It’s raw., just like I am. But it’s raw and authentic without being dirty and gritty. The Blooming Babe is authentically raw and that what sets me apart. I am where I am professionally because I didn’t give up early on. Lot’s of people think blogging is something that you start and find instant success in. This is not true. In fact, my biggest challenge was trying to grow my blog and Instagram while working a full time job. After being laid off, I took time to truly invest in my business working through a rebranding and content strategy. After getting some traction, I was able to successfully launch my online Shoppe full of downloadable planning pages.

The biggest lesson I have learned along the way is that you can’t go into this blind. Plan, plan again, and then plan some more. You can never be too prepared because you never know when you will get that one endorsement, repost, or viral Tik Tok that skyrockets your business.

If there is anything I want you to know about my brand is that what puts a smile on my face is helping people learn, prioritize, and celebrate their wellbeing because sometimes taking care of yourself is hard. My goal is for you to affirm to yourself “I’ve got this”. If you do that, then I can rest at night knowing my job is done.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend visiting the area I’d take them all around Metro Atlanta!

A few Places I’d take them

Restaurants:

– The Varsity (cause ya know, its a classic)
– Dua for Pho
– Publico for Tacos
– Slutty Vegan
– Seed Kitchen and Bar for their Pan Roasted Blue Cod
– The Wing Cafe & Tap House
– Anticos for Pizza
– Iron Age for Korean BBQ
– South City Kitchen for Southern Food
– No Mas! Cantina
– Rock N Taco
– Salt Factory Pub
– Fox Dogs
– and the Marietta Square Market

Attractions
– Six Flags
– Skyline Park at Ponce City MArket
– Georgia Aquarium
-World of Coca-Cola
-Zoo Atlanta
-Fernbank Museum of Natural History
– College Football Hall of Fame – OPEN
– National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Outdoors
– Etowah Indian Mounds
– Sweetwater Creek
– Providence Canyon
– Piedmont Park

Arts + Entertainment
– The High Museum
– MODA
– A Concert at The Roxy
Nightlife
– Ormsby or The Battery
Shopping
– Lenox ( if they feel safe)
– The Outlets

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements is the book that got my journey started. It is a great resource.

Website: www.thebloomingbabe.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thebloomingbabe

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/brianafountain

Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebloomingbabe

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebloomingbabe

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx3K4y4SkfvdykdA6Jb5qgw

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebloomingbabe

Image Credits
Makenna Bagwell

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