We recently connected with Marilyn Hunt and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Marilyn 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.
I was living in LA, Redondo Beach a beautiful place I knew so well. I saw the ocean every morning and heard the waves every night but the life I knew was turned upside down. I was a month away from a divorce after a lifetime of a marriage that was mostly a lie. I felt like an island of one in an archipelago of a 1000 islands. I was lost and sad and alone in a crowd. I knew I had to rebuilt my life somehow but had no clue how to go about such a task at 61 years old. 4 years earlier friends left LA and moved to Nashville. I’ve visited twice but never imagined living in a Southern state but they encouraged me to take a leap and give it a try.
So I flew out one weekend in May of 2019 and decided that if I find housing in the next two days I will move to Nashville. I met a realtor just after landing and the townhouse I saw became my home for the following 3 years.
Once I made that decision all the trepidation I felt before just drifted away. I experienced an unfamiliar peace and resolution, a quiet joy and anticipation to start my new life. Little did I know that this singular risk would lead to a creation of a FB group New to Nashville, now with 25k followers that turned into a business as well.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I literally stumbled into event coordinating by chance. I was a recruiter in the TV cable industry. I’ve always had a gift of bringing people together, New to Nashville club is an informational, social and a marketplace platform. Outside of FB I have held 394 events since June of 2019. Our group is there to introduce new citizens of our amazing city to others who are new to town as well and serves as a foundation for creating friendships, partnerships even love. I share my favorite places with our members and help new businesses with exposure.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The mission of New to Nashville is have a village of friendships, to find resources necessary for establishing a new life and promotion of new and established businesses in town
How did you build your audience on social media?
To build an audience I believe one must have a niche, a clear message a particular purpose. One must work at it daily, forgetting the traditional 9-5 timeline and be available anytime. Useful information about our city is the currency, so is the creation of social contacts.
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