Two weeks ago I featured Amy Sanford and we learned about her passion for helping people. When asked who inspired her, she chose Heidi Larsen of Foodie Crush, and this is what she had to say about her choice:
"I met Heidi at Evo '11 in Park City and she was incredibly warm and friendly. It was fun spending time taking pictures with her, cooking with her, and laughing. Then when I lost my job, she was the first one to reach out to me with a potential job and gave me several great suggestions. When we met she was a working mom who juggled two different jobs while she was working on making her dream a reality. In November of last year she launched the Foodie Crush magazine and is now living her dream. I was impressed with her when I met her and my admiration for her continues to grow."
Here's a little more about Heidi.
Give us the basics, where were you born, and where have you lived?
I had a pretty standard, suburban childhood, born and bred in Ogden, Utah, graduating with a degree in Advertising and Graphic Design from Utah State University, and then living in Salt Lake City where I met my husband, Jeff and where I was an art director for an ad agency and an in-house art department for a large nutritional supplement company. I was offered a job in Los Angeles and we moved to Venice, California where I was the Creative Director for a magazine publishing company. We were there for 13 years before moving back to Utah once we had our daughter and realized that raising a child in Los Angeles can be a challenge. We're pretty sure she'll be somewhat bitter one day that she grew up a snow bunny rather than a beach bunny but being around family again has added so much to our quality of life.
If you had to summarize your childhood in 3 words, what would they be?
Stable, Encouraging, Tall
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be what nearly every kid wants to be: a veterinarian. Yes, I loved animals, especially dogs, but what most kids don't realize is that being a vet mainly means you're exposing yourself to constant loss. And since I'm not a big fan of blood and gore, that plan quickly went out the window.
Now that you're "grown up," what's your dream job? (you cannot answer "mother" - even if you want to)
I'd have to say that I'm living my dream job right now. After working for others for the past 25 years I'm finally working for myself and doing what I love: sharing information with others that hopefully inspires them to inspire others.
List 5 things you're passionate about.
My family, my work, my dogs, design and food
How are you different now than you were 5 years ago?
5 years ago we had just moved from Los Angeles back to Utah and were focused on getting back to basics. I was working for a company where I learned a lot about patience and choosing battles. I've now created a company where I am my own boss and don't have to fight battles I don't want to be in. While I still work plenty of hours I have more flexibility and time to be present for my daughter and husband, and myself.
What piece of advice would you give a 21 year old version of yourself?
1. Listen well to others, smile, and think before you give your response. 2. You might think you know it all, but you have oh so much to learn. 3. Always wear sunscreen.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?
I feel that over the past 10 years or so I've been on a constant charge of multi-tasking, always doing more than one thing at a time while thinking ahead of what my next step should be. I'm trying to curb that to become a more effective single-tasker, doing one thing at a time and doing it well with better presence of mind.
If you could have one super-power, what would you choose?
I wish I had a mega-memory so I could better remember names and events and have better memories so I could be a better storyteller.
Share with us a secret or lesser-known talent or skill you have.
My husband says I'm a great back-seat driver but I like to think that I just have a really good sense of direction.
Share with us a quote that inspires, motivates, or moves you.
My very smart grandmother was an amazing story teller and quick witted. She always had a collection of inspiring quotes, but by far my favorite of her mantras was, "Inch by inch, life's a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard."
Love these answers? I do. Want to connect with Heidi and many places as possible? I don't blame you. Find her here:
@FoodieCrush on Twitter
Foodie Crush on Pinterest
@foodiecrush on Instagram
Foodie Crush Magazine on Facebook
Join us again next Tuesday when we feature Heidi's "Hey, you inspire" pick - Courtney Carver of Be More With Less.
In the mean time.... hug a blogger. That's an order.
I love that she's living her dream of working for herself - and it looks like that's going well for her! :) Great feature!
ReplyDeleteGreat to meet new people! heading over to check out her magazine..
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