We were lucky to catch up with Randi Símone recently and have shared our conversation below.
Randi, 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.
First off, thank you so much for reaching out to me for another feature.
I’d say that the biggest risk I’ve taken has honestly been to be public with my healing journey. Not long after my first interview with Voyage, I embarked on a healing journey. Because I already had a blog, & later podcast, I thought it would be best to share that journey with my audience. Healing is not pretty, let me say that. When you’re intentional about doing the work, it can get real ugly. You’re forced to do a lot of unpacking, & also holding yourself accountable. There’s a level of vulnerability that comes with this journey, & I think many people are not comfortable enough to let themselves be that vulnerable, especially in front of others. Sharing this journey has been very fulfilling though, honestly. And it’s great to know that my stories continue to inspire others, & help them through. That makes it all worth it…to know that I’m not just doing this for me.
Randi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Readers likely know me as a blogger, so I’ll start there. I love to travel, I love photography, I love food. I had friends & family continue to encourage me to blog, & 1 day, I just gave in. Símone B’n Free launched January 2019. Quite a bit has changed since then, & what I offer to my audience is undergoing some shifts. I launched a podcast last January (B’n Free with Símone) to discuss my healing journey & all things self-care. That is what’s most important to me now…not cranking out staged content, which is what I found myself doing with my blog. I learned quickly that I wasn’t, nor have any desire to be, an influencer & I felt that that was what my blog was starting to portray. While Simone B’n Free is still running, there isn’t much activity for the time being as I restructure its model. In addition to the podcast & blog, I’m in the process of writing a book & have another venture that will be launching later in the year.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?
I have the freedom to share what’s comfortable for me, & people respect that. If I feel pressure as a creative, it’s self-imposed, because I don’t have people pushing me to do more. I create when I’m in the mood, & that’s what makes it fun. Also, knowing that I have an impact on others. I used to question why anyone would look up to, or be inspired by me. Now, my thoughts on that are: “Why not?” My stories are real, & some of the best feedback I’ve received is that what I share is very personal & relatable. That makes my soul happy.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
My audience looks a little different than it did when I first started. For instance, my blog no longer has its own IG page, & I’ve nearly completely purged my personal account (to better align with where I am now). But I didn’t do anything other than just be myself. In the beginning, I did what other bloggers suggested, & went crazy with hashtags so that my posts could be found. Now, I share on multiple pages across multiple platforms, & I have friends that share my links as well. One thing I’ll always remember, when I first started this journey is that: “Your audience will find you.” That remains true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.
simonebnfree.com/ - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/bnfreepod/ | https://www.instagram.com/ simonebnfree - Twitter: https://twitter.
com/bnfreepod - Other: https://www.
flawlessnoisesmedia.com/ bnfreewithsimone