Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cassandra Osterholt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Cassandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Creating Roost Eleven Eighteen was taking a risk. I have always been pretty self-conscious about myself. I would say I still am. But I wanted to share my experiences so other people didn’t have to feel as alone as I did. I am sure there are people that know me who make fun of me, but I don’t really care about that. Creating Roost Eleven Eighteen has made me so happy, and I found my purpose in life. It started out as giving me something else to focus on other than my anxiety, and it has grown into something so much more. With great risk comes great reward, right? I sat on my website for a good two months before going public and starting an Instagram page. I was scared to take that risk! But my sister, Karlie, and my really good friend, Maurissa, believed in me and told me to take that jump!

A year after starting Roost Eleven Eighteen, I went back to college. I started to realize I wasn’t nearly as self-conscious and nervous as I was before. I really think that has to do with being so honest with my blog! My goal for Roost Eleven Eighteen was to be beneficial to my audience, but I didn’t know how important and beneficial it would be for me too. I would have never known that had I not taken that first big risk.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I created my brand and blog “Roost Eleven Eighteen” after dealing with severe anxiety and depression and just feeling so alone. I knew I didn’t want Roost Eleven Eighteen to focus on mental health, but I definitely wanted it to be a part of my talk. I am multi-passionate, so I decided to create a space to talk about all my passions in one place while sharing my mental health journey. I wanted to create a space where everyone feels welcome and where we support one another and grow and learn together. One of my goals with Roost Eleven Eighteen is for not only me, but my followers to make new and lasting friendships. Life is hard, and just being surrounded by other people who know or can sympathize with what you’re going through makes a world of difference. I share topics about mental and physical health, gardening, lifestyle, home DIY, cooking and baking, and recently started incorporating book reviews/what I’m currently reading.

Since Roost Eleven Eighteen is also a lifestyle blog, no day is ever the same. In 2023, I have been focusing on myself and what makes me happy. 2023 has been all about finding ways to bring joy and happiness into my life every day, and I have loved sharing that with my followers. This year I have also started focusing on my physical health along with continuing to focus on my mental health. I have really enjoyed sharing both journeys this year. Both physical and mental health journeys are topics that will always be around!

How did you build your audience on social media?

For me, it has been finding people who I relate to. Just being my true authentic self and knowing how vulnerable I want to be. I always wanted to share my successes and failures, and I think many people can relate to that. Social media has always been known for only showing the best parts of our lives. But it is okay to share what isn’t so perfect either. I have always tried to find a balance between my private personal life with my family and friends and the blog. I like to share a lot, but I’m allowed to keep some things private.

I also recently became a part of a women’s support community on Instagram. Not everyone in my “real” life understands my goals for Roost Eleven Eighteen and how much work goes into online blogging, content creating, and growing an audience. So, finding and joining this support community, I have seen a difference in how I run everything. I have more motivation because I have other people supporting me that understand the process. I want to be able to support others, but I need the support too!

I am growing my audience every day, but I am happy with how far I have come and have stuck with the original plans and messages I first had when starting Roost Eleven Eighteen.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Roost Eleven Eighteen was created in June 2021. I had large goals when I first started out. I thought I needed to have a certain number of followers to be considered successful. While the statement is true to have brand partnerships and things of that nature, I have learned how I can be successful. I can have a community that learns and grows together. I try to remind myself, even if I just help one person feel better about themselves or let one person know they are not alone in their journey then I have succeeded.

In the beginning, I felt like I was struggling, and there are days when I still feel like that. But I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I always wanted Roost Eleven Eighteen to be a lifestyle blog and recently I have been diving more into that. I used to think my life was pretty average and that no one would want to hear about it.
Roost Eleven Eighteen makes me so happy, and I am proud of what I have achieved so far. The Roost now has a small book club: June 2023 is the first month of reading! I hope it continues to grow! I have had followers reach out to me and thank me for being open about my mental health journey and that they no longer feel alone, and that is a big accomplishment to me.   

Contact Info:

• Website: Roosteleveneighteen.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/roosteleveneighteen
• Facebook: facebook.com/roosteleveneighteen
• Pinterest: pinterest.com/roosteleveneighteen