Freedom Friday! - Style from Coast to Coast

Happy Friday all! My good friend Ellese Launer just celebrated her first anniversary with her blog Rock.Paper.Glam, where she shares her point of view on the latest fashion and lifestyle trends.  I've known her for a few years now; we met in NYC and both moved out west to pursue our dreams.  I'm so happy and honored that she has shared her experience with us!  I think those of you with an entrepreneurial spirit can appreciate reading up on her journey and how she overcame the obstacles she faced.  Hope you enjoy, and follow your dreams!

My first blogger conference!

So this past weekend (March 28-30) was the 4th annual Lifestyle Blogger conference in Los Angeles. I won a scholarship to attend free of charge so of course I had to go :)

This was my first blogger conference; I had been to many other types of conferences before but I had no idea what to expect for this one.

First off I do not have a car or drive. Having lived in NYC my entire life I had no need to learn how to drive. I took a bus from downtown San Diego to downtown LA with gotobus.com. The roundtrip ticket was only $45. Unfortunately I could not find a friend to crash with, and the hotels were really expensive. Airbnb had some decent options but I found a great deal with Stay on Main. It's a hostel which has different rooming options. I chose a private bedroom with bath. The total for my stay including all taxes was $141. It is located right in downtown by trains and bus stops, and tons of restaurants and shops. I stayed on the 10th floor (room 1009) which was quiet. The room was small, comfortable for 1 person, and clean. I was a little worried based on some of the reviews I read, that it would be a horrible experience but a) it's an economical option and b) I could see how things could get weird if you share a room or bathroom, which is why I chose not to deal with that. If you can afford it, get a private room and bath; I think it'll save you a headache. They include towels and toiletries, as well as daily cleaning (if you'd like). They also have cable TV, free wifi (do not depend on the wifi though, it's very unreliable), computer stations, movies, games, and free breakfast every morning. I really feel I got a great deal, especially for the area. I took the metro blue line (which was about a 10 minute walk from the hostel) and took it to LA mart where the conference was to be held.

I was only able to attend the conference on Saturday.  They had a kickoff party on Thursday in Burbank, then the conference started on Friday the 28th until Saturday. I got to meet a lot of established bloggers and network with them. I even met one of my blogger heroes, Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista, who was on one of the panels. It was so interesting to see the business side of blogging. I'm still not really blogging for business; I'm a writer and just love to share my experiences and knowledge. I'm not sure yet in what direction I'll go with this blog, but it was informative to learn what others have done with theirs. I actually had a chance meeting with a friend of a friend, who also happened to be attending the conference. We had an instant connection and I can totally see us working together in the future.

I will say this about the conference - I don't plan on paying if I decide to go in the future.  Had I paid for this one, I would have been very disappointed.  I won't get into too many specifics but I thought the organizers could have been much more organized as far as informing the attendees of the programming and expectations.  There was really no "introduction" for first time attendees.  I felt like it was geared more for established bloggers and also bloggers who have attended their conferences in the past.  

As far as programming, while all of the workshops and panels had value in some ways, I think they were a little all over the place. I only attended on Saturday; the keynote was given by someone who is not a blogger. She had great advice for life in general but the conference is for bloggers. Same thing with the closing; the speaker is a great person but not a blogger. I think for the most part, bloggers aspire to have successful blogs. We want to hear and learn from the experts who will get us to that level, and also hear from the people who are at that level. If I wanted life advice, I could have read a self-help book.  I'm on the fence about attending future LALLBLOG conferences.  I am glad I had that experience though.

I want to mention that before I even headed out to LA I was presented with some self-created obstacles, the main one being not seeing myself as an "established" blogger. I felt like, "what am I gonna be there for?", as if to say I'm not good enough to be a part of the conference. I had a mini freak out moment the night before I left thinking about whether or not I would benefit from going. I went over the pros and cons, as if this wasn't a great opportunity. Thankfully I decided to just show up, free of expectations. I was also a little hesitant about going by myself, but in the end I refuse to miss out something because I don't have a companion to feel "comfortable" with. I learned a long time ago from Laura Yamin to just show up. All I have to do is show up, and that's it, nothing else. I remembered many moments when I felt like quitting before even trying and how just showing up made a world of difference. Every time I've showed up, I've never regretted it. This time I made an amazing connection, and learned more about myself as a blogger and writer. I also made myself proud by pushing myself to do something that felt initially uncomfortable; I think that's one of the secrets to success.

By the way, there were 2 earthquakes while I was in LA!!  Thankfully they weren't bad by where I was.  They were "rolling earthquakes", so it felt like I was on a boat.  It was BANANAS!  The first one I felt was Friday night, and then the second one was during the conference on Saturday.  It was a little scary.  I guess I was definitely shaking things up this weekend ;)


By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!

12-Week Body Transformation + Lifestyle Blogger Conference

I previously entered a contest for a chance to win a scholarship to attend the upcoming Lifestyle Blogger Conference.  Latina Lifestyle Bloggers is also hosting another opportunity to not only attend #LALLBLOG14, but also serve as a Brand Ambassador for one of the conference sponsors, 12-Week Body Transformation.

Imagine what your life will be like in 12 weeks.  12 weeks from now it'll be either on the same trajectory it's in or be on track towards fulfilling your goals. If one of your goals is to transform your health, 12WBT can be a great option.  They offer meal plans, fitness plans, and tons of support.  12WBT is more than just giving you options to lose weight, it is truly about a lifestyle change.  I underwent (and am still going through) a major lifestyle change which began December 1, 2012.  I committed to changing my eating and fitness habits to lead a more fit and fabulous life. I am still working on my fitness goals and am taking it day-by-day.  I think working with 12WBT can help to give me a clearer focus on what my ultimate health and fitness goals are.  As Deepak Chopra affirmed in one of his heart meditations, "the body is the garden of my soul".  I am taking out the weeds in my garden and making room for roses, so to speak.

Being given the opportunity to attend this conference will also greatly help me with my blog.  I am truly passionate about writing and sharing my story.  I know that I am vital to this world and my voice is a vital force for the Universe.  I want to take my words and wisdom to new heights, and my blog is a vehicle to get the messages out there.  I know attending this conference will allow me to learn more about sharing my story effectively, and will also help me network with other like-minded individuals.

The Lifestyle Blogger Conference will be held on March 27-29 in Los Angeles.  Feel free to check out the event page for more information.

By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!

Pick me! Latina Lifestyle Bloggers Scholarship

The 4th Annual “Lifestyle Bloggers Conference” will be held from March 27th through March 29th in Los Angeles, and I intend to go! The Latina Lifestyle Bloggers Collective is offering full and partial scholarships to attend and I wanna win!

First off, I’ve been writing and blogging since 2010 and I can truly say it is my passion. I firmly believe in following your passions; I took a leap of faith on December 1, 2012 to move out west from New York. I chose to go from east to west in search of better opportunities and a better life over all. 

I love sharing lessons learned and experiences gained, so as to provide inspiration and (hopefully) wisdom to those who need it. Attending this conference will help me network with other inspirational leaders in the blogging community, as well as learn how I can really take the work I do and services I provide to the next level. I know I have so much more to offer and would appreciate the opportunity to hear from the experts in the field at #LALLBLOG14.

Please pick me, pretty please (with a cherry on top)?! 

If you think I should win show me some love in the comments!

For more information:

Event ticket page: (http://bit.ly/12YQ7nb)

Lifestyle Bloggers Conference page: (https://www.facebook.com/LifestyleBloggersNationalConference)



By the way, have you checked out my FREE E-BOOK? It's called "Greens on the Side" and will help you get started with your weight loss goals in just 5 easy steps.  Check it out!