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

Hi Karissa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I started FitMommyStrong, my motherhood blog, I did it because I wanted to help other moms have the answers & resources that I didn’t have, at the tips of their fingers. I knew firsthand how difficult life could be as a first time mom struggling to find help & support – so I figured if I could at least help just one mama out there avoid going through what I did, it’d be a mission we’ll accomplished!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
You know, back when I started my blog in 2019, I never imagined it would steer into the direction of becoming a business. I always knew people ‘could’ make money from their blogs, but I never envisioned actually being able to get to that point. It always felt more like a dream. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout blogging and running a profitable website is that it takes A TON of work. I’m literally one person running a website from the back end to the front. I had NO experience with websites or coding or professional writing prior to any of this. And since then, I’ve literally learned all that and more! I’ve learned about marketing, social media platforms, and so much more – simply because I made the decision to be dedicated no matter how hard it would be. I’ve managed to make time every single night for the past year to work on my blog. Literally, every single night. I think the only time I’ve ever taken off was when I had a bad flu over the 2019 Christmas and 2 weeks ago when I gave birth to my 2nd son. But more importantly – I’ve always been someone who strives to provide not just helpful information, but legitimately reputable information. I will never ever risk the quality of my writing and blog posts for anything. Although this is a profitable blog for me, it’s more important that I write high quality blog posts that are actually helpful for mamas than sit here just trying to make a quick buck on a post. That’s never been my style and I will always strive to write top notch posts for my readers!

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?
Hmm, I’ll be completely honesty – I’m a total introvert so my version of fun usually differs from the vast majority! However, if I had a friend visiting from out of town, I’d take them to breakfast at a simple nearby restaurant- The Broken Yolk is one of our favorites! Their classic egg, pancake and hash brown plate is my favorite! We live pretty close to a few really gorgeous lakes, so I’d probably suggest going for a walk around one of the lakes to admire the scenery and enjoy the quiet trails along the way. At some point, we’d have to stop at a park so my toddler could play and get some energy out of course 🙂 For the rest of the day I’d suggest take out and maybe a movie or homemade s’mores in our backyard fire pit! Some of our favorite takeout places include: • Miguel’s (their fish tacos are the best) • Pizzos (best fresh pizza restaurant in San Diego) • Lucha Libre (home of the most massive and flavorful Mexican food I’ve ever had)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly, my husband has been my biggest supporter throughout this journey into starting my blog. My husband is a Firefighter Medic – he works long shifts, is one of the hardest workers I know constantly going above and beyond at his own job because he truly loves what he does, but also because he’s our main financial provider. So when the idea of me starting a blog came about (assuming someone upfront expenses would be made) – he supported me 100% and has always had a “what can I do to help?” kind of attitude. There’s plenty of days he will take on the task of caring for both our boys (our newest being only 2 weeks old) so that I can have some time to work on my blog & respond to any business emails, etc… There’s no way I would’ve been able to start this business without his help and support!

Website: https://www.fitmommystrong.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/fitmommystrong
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fitmommystrong
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fitmommystrong
Youtube: www.youtube.com/fitmommystrong

Image Credits
Photo by Erinn Mae Photography