I started blogging for the first time in 2014 under a different name, Lattes & Lipstick, as a way to share my life abroad. I had just moved from South Carolina to London and wanted a way to share this new life. I also wanted to have an outlet for my writings outside of Facebook and my then platform of choice, Tumblr.
My small corner of the internet for my thoughts and updates suddenly had strangers reading and commenting. I became a featured writer for the University of Westminster, went to restaurant and gallery openings. I took on brand partnerships, even had parts of our wedding completed sponsored. Blogging became a side hustle.
It was fun, exciting and time-consuming. I rebranded under the name Staci & Co as the brand grew and more partnerships included Rich. It was a true family affair, our weekends were consumed by content. I never expected it to take off but as it did, I became more and more stressed. The amount of time and effort running a website caused a strain on my relationships and my mental health. It was all too much and in the summer of 2019, I closed down Staci & Co.
Staci & Co 2.0
You’re probably wondering why I would start something again after I said caused me so much stress. Trust me, I didn’t want to be here. I texted a group of friends asking them to talk me out of it. Pull me back from the ledge, I pleaded, but they all saw what I already knew: I needed to write. The problem was always, I never wanted to be a blogger, I just wanted to write. I thought I found that opportunity with my job, I get to write an article every week, but the last few months I had other ideas, scribbles and whole paragraphs on anything from feminism to sustainability and ethics. I just had nowhere to share, no platform…until now.
And as for the stress, my newly reimagined Staci & Co has no visions of product placement, affiliate links or brand partnerships unless they’re on my terms and PERFECT for me and my lifestyle. It’s not a place for fashion trends, shopping links or forced content. I have no visions of grandeur or quitting my job. Just a place to share and hopefully meet a few like-minded people along the way.
Without further ado, I welcome you to Staci & Co 2.0 – a place for the bad feminist, the modern-day flexitarianism and the queen of unpopular opinions. For the girl just trying to hold it all together.