We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christa Hines. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christa below.

Christa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.

Entrepreneurship can often feel like a heady ride on a roller coaster. Some days you’re slowly trekking up the hill toward your goals and all is calm and peaceful. Other days you’re riding the high of a stomach-in-your-throat drop with the air whistling through your ears. And on other days you’re getting jerked around on a twisty learning curve! Some days you get all three. Although I can hardly be described as an adventure junkie, I love how I’m always learning through owning my own business and how no day is quite the same as the day before.

But that certainly doesn’t mean entrepreneurship hasn’t been without its challenges. As a recovering people pleaser, one of the biggest hurdles I’ve had to learn in order to grow as a business owner is discerning what’s in my best interest and what’s not. Naturally, I learned this the hard way.

When my oldest son was born, I decided to leave a comfortable marketing & media relations job to give myself some flexibility as I completed my master’s degree. As a career-oriented person, it was scary because I wasn’t exactly sure what my next iteration would look like, and I worried about gaps in my resume.

Then, my second son was born and we relocated to a new state. It seemed like the perfect time to hit the restart button on my career, but I also still wanted some flexibility while my children were young. I’d always loved the storytelling and writing responsibilities of my past jobs and decided to try my hand at magazine writing, which had been a long-time aspiration.

That led to nearly a decade of writing articles and essays for regional and national magazines. Through it all, I got to put my curiosity to work, learning from experts on a variety of topics ranging from maternal health issues and helping kids become stronger communicators to addressing the anxiety epidemic among today’s youth.

Passionate about social connection and its impact on our health and well-being, I also self-published two ebooks. Then, a friend approached me about helping her with some writing for her business, and with that, my writing career sprouted a new leg. Like magazine writing, strong storytelling geared toward a specific audience is essential to effective business writing. And it’s just as much fun.

But as I took on more and more instead of feeling inspired which is critical as a creative, I felt sucked dry. I was stewing in a quagmire of my own making, working long hours for low-paying clients, all while still trying to be a fully present and involved mother and wife.

On top of everything else, I began experiencing a mysterious health issue that took over a year to get correctly diagnosed. It often left me out of breath and fatigued (unrelated to COVID). Completely stressed out and sick, I realized I had three choices: Continue driving myself into the ground risking my health and my relationship with my family; find a 9-5 job; or get serious about creating a business that was fulfilling, supportive and profitable.

Option one obviously wasn’t really an option so I tested out option two. That felt like the safest choice, and I got pretty far down the rabbit hole of the interview process for a job that appeared promising. That is until my heart took over and I got honest with myself. Deep down, I knew the best option for me was to stay the course and focus on my own business.

As risky as that decision felt at the time, it was the next decision that was the scary game-changer. I knew that if I was going to be successful and effective at building my own business, I had to start saying no to opportunities that don’t align with my values or resonate with my creative interests and aren’t a good return on my time investment.

It still often feels risky and uncomfortable, but I reap the benefits every time I do. Not only does it mean I get to collaborate with inspiring clients, but it also means I can enjoy a supportive, meaningful and profitable creative business.

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

People ignore confusing content. As a content marketing writer, I help health and wellness professionals create engaging content that connects with their audience. Combining my comprehensive background in marketing and media relations with my skills as an author and award-winning parenting and health & wellness journalist, I provide a variety of copywriting and copyediting services including website copy, blogs, newsletters, social media and sales materials. I also provide presentation coaching for clients who wish to grow more confident at creating and delivering captivating presentations.

Formerly a media relations specialist for a large healthcare system, I’ve undergone media training and prepped numerous sources for TV, radio and periodicals. In 2008, I switched sides and started interviewing sources myself for dozens of articles that I’ve written for regional and national publications across the U.S. and Canada, including Parents, Woman’s Day, Vibrant Life and Kansas City Parent.

I’m also the author of two e-books, Confidently Connected: A Mom’s Guide to a Satisfying Social Life and Happy, Healthy & Hyperconnected: Raise a Thoughtful Communicator in a Digital World. In 2019, my article Kids Worried Sick: Breaking Down the Anxiety Epidemic Facing Today’s Kids was awarded the Parenting Media Association Silver Medal Editorial Award.

Active in the Kansas City community, I’m a member of the Wellness Consortium, a network of health and wellness providers and vendors passionate about whole-person care and making a difference in the community; Central Exchange, a women’s leadership networking community in Kansas City; and a member of American Public Square, a local non-profit that promotes thoughtful, civil discourse on important issues facing our communities and nation.

For fun, I love yoga, taking long nature walks with my sweet dog, and spending time with my friends and family. I’m also working on my first novel.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Creating connection is a key driver in my creative journey. This theme is woven throughout my work. One thing we all have in common is that we seek meaning through art, music, movies, books and stories.

I believe loneliness and isolation are among the gravest health threats we face. A lack of strong bonds fuels stress, which negatively affects our mental and physical health. Developing healthy social connections, strengthening our relationships and spending time with supportive people can be one of the least expensive but most nourishing forms of self-care available. But if we don’t feel well, it’s much harder to maintain strong connections with others, which is one reason why I enjoy working with professionals who work hard every day to improve the health and well-being of their clients.

Stories can help us find our way to people and groups that can make a positive difference in our lives. It’s validating to feel seen, heard and understood. When we take time to listen to someone’s story, we create a sacred, healing space. Shared stories can help people feel less alone in their own experiences, and like other forms of art, can create a magical sense of connection and community.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first started working in magazine writing, my big goal was to land a piece in a prominent national publication. To that end, I pitched and pitched ideas to editors at numerous magazines. Sometimes I’d get a formal rejection. Other times, crickets. I re-evaluated my approach. I took classes. I sought advice from writing coaches. I read books and articles about how to pitch effectively. I researched more ideas. I would sit for hours in the bookstore and the library researching the magazines I wanted to write for.

Thanks to the encouragement from a particularly supportive writing coach, I kept at it. After nearly two years of trying, I finally landed my first piece in Parents magazine, which led to articles in Woman’s Day magazine and other publications.

Experiencing rejection is one of the hardest lessons to learn for any writer, but one thing I learned is that every rejection is one step closer to a yes. My persistence eventually paid off. The submission process has taught me a lot about my resiliency as a writer, as well as the nuances of the business of writing, including how to effectively market my writing and how to navigate the publishing business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christamhines.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christa_m_hines_writer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christa.melnykhines
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christamelnykhines/