A Piece of Tessa's Story
Meet Tessa! She is a blogger, a student, and an advocate of self-care and positivity! Tessa is going into her senior year at Grand Valley State University. She is newly engaged and looking forward to the next stage of her life while fully embracing each day that life gives her!
WHAT ARE YOU UP TO RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU IN SCHOOL, WORKING?
Right now I am traveling as much as possible, creating content based on my experiences, wedding planning, and enjoying each and every day! I love to live each day to the fullest, while embracing each moment one day at a time!
DO YOU HAVE ANY UNIQUE MORNING RITUALS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
I believe morning rituals are essential every single day, and a good morning routine will help you to achieve your best self every single day! I start each morning with meditation, two cups of hot tea, and a good workout (preferably hot yoga, barre, spinning, or cardio)! After my workout, I love having a green smoothie, and planning out the day in my Erin Condren Life Planner and my Lilly Pulitzer planner! Mornings are my absolute favorite part of the day!!
YOU ARE ALWAYS ON THE GO! BETWEEN YOUR TRAVELS, BEING A STUDENT, YOUR WORK WITH YOUR BLOG, AND YOUR SORORITY...HOW DO YOU DO IT ALL?
I’m someone who thrives off of being busy, but I also enjoy having time to relax and binge watch some of my favorite shows! I believe in working hard and achieving goals, but allowing yourself to detox and to treat yourself every single day!
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED? IS THERE A CERTAIN PLACE, PERSON, OR THING THAT KEEPS YOU GOING?
My family, friends, and fiancé are by far my biggest inspiration, but also each and every individual that reads my blog! There are days where I definitely feel overwhelmed or discouraged, and it means the world to me when I am able to talk with individuals or read people’s sweet comments or messages that they send me! I wouldn’t be anywhere without every single individual who has supported me, and my blog, along this entire journey, and I am forever grateful!
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP FOUR PERSONALITY TRAITS AND WHY
DREAMER: I am constantly dreaming of the future, and future goals that I am excited to achieve! I love finding new inspiration and new places to explore, and I’m constantly dreaming about ways to further my blog while enriching my life!
LOVING: I am all about love; loving humans, loving nature, loving yourself, and loving the life that you’re living! I don’t believe in holding onto negative vibes, whether it’s a person, a job, a food, or anything else that makes me feel unhappy. I think allowing yourself to love every aspect of your life will bring you to your best self inside and out!
AMBITIOUS: I am always going after new ideas and goals, and I love taking on new adventures and challenges! I am very ambitious with my future career, the future of my blog, and with my life in general!
PASSIONATE: Sometimes I fear I may be too passionate, but there’s nothing I love more than being fully immersed into something that fuels my soul! For me that is my blog, health/wellness, my future goals and plans, and truly anything else that sparks my interest!
HOW HAS YOUR PASSION AND AMBITIOUS HELPED SHAPE YOU INTO WHO YOU ARE TODAY?
I’ve never been a quitter when it comes to something that I love and that I’m passionate about, even when there truly haven’t been enough hours in the day to finish what needs to be done. I believe my passion and ambition have helped me conquer some of my toughest battles, while also showing me it’s okay to let go of certain things in order to further succeed!
YOU SAY YOU'RE A DREAMER, WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS?
I dream of traveling the world, and allowing my mind, body and spirit to grow with each adventure! I dream of always living my best life with my best friend/fiancé, and I dream of the growth and success of my blog! I would love to one day be featured in Darling magazine (or any magazine), and to promote positivity and love to women of all ages!
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING YOUR WORK FOR YOUR BLOG SIMPLY TESS? WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START YOUR BLOG?
I have been blogging for a little over two years, and I actually started blogging because one of my friends Elizabeth had the cutest blog and I loved her content! I had always read blogs throughout my life, but I never felt like I was good enough or had good enough ideas to actually create and keep up with one! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made, and I was able to find myself through my blog which makes “Simply Tess” even more special to me!
YOUR BLOG DISCUSSES MANY THINGS, BUT ONE THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO US WAS ABOUT PROMOTING SELF LOVE AND SELF CARE - WHAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO GO THIS DIRECTION WITH YOUR WORK?
Confidence is something I struggled with my entire life, through bullies at school and from scrutinizing my body far more than I ever should have. When I starting dating my fiancé over 5 ½ years ago, he showed me my worth and my beauty inside and out, and helped me realize that those bullies were irrelevant. 3 years ago once I started college, I was in an environment where body image was way overly saturated and I began to get discouraged once again. Thankfully my fiancé was with me every step of the way, but I also discovered the importance of self-love and self-care through books, podcasts, and YouTube videos. That began my personal journey to love myself, and every aspect of my life, and it’s something that I am very passionate about! That’s why sharing and promoting self-love on my blog is so important to me, because I hope everyone is able to find that within themselves!!
WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU LIVE BY, OR THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO OTHERS?
Two of my favorite quotes of all time are;
“Positive mind, positive vibes, positive life”
and “She loved life and it loved her right back”
I believe in living my best life, and filling each day with positive vibes and endless love! Start each day with a grateful heart, with a mentality to conquer whatever is thrown at you, and share happiness and compliments to anyone you encounter! Focusing on feeling good inside and out through wellness and fitness, and treat yourself to your favorite things to stay balanced! Life is as beautiful as you make it, so let it flourish!
CHECK OUT MORE FROM TESSA BELOW!