We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Regi Strauss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Regi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Apart from launching Midpractical Modern, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my Midpractical Monthly Challenge. Without the Monthly Challenge, there would be no Midpractical Modern!

The idea was born during the pandemic. Like everyone during that time, my husband and I were confined to our home. However, after the world started opening back up, we continued to opt for our cushy living room couch while seeking out our next Netflix series to binge.

Once we realized how much time we had been spending mindlessly watching television, we challenged ourselves to go without TV for a whole month. I shared our journey on my instagram account and received so much support along with suggestions of what to do instead of rewatching all 18 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy for the 3rd time (true story). I ended up with a long list of new things to try, chores to tackle and other activities that would add value to my life.

As the end of the month approached, I started to get messages asking what the next month’s challenge would be. I looked back at the list I had created and turned one of the activities into a new challenge (a pantry cleanout!) and continued to share the ups and downs with my followers. Fast forward to a year full of challenges later, and I began Midpractical Modern, where I continue to take on challenges and create content that educates, entertains and inspires others to do the same.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For the span of my career, I’ve been many things to many people: Intern. Coordinator. Producer. Event Planner. Photographer. Manager. Mentor. Leader.

It wasn’t until I did some work with a leadership coach that I explored how I identify myself:
Creator. Doer. Maker. Influencer. Entertainer.

My self-reflection helped me realize that I was not living my truth and led me to make a tough decision to leave a prosperous full-time position in corporate to pursue my passion of creating content to inspire, entertain and help others.

In the fall of 2022, I launched my lifestyle platform, Midpractical Modern. Midpractical Modern is focused on inspiring and entertaining content on how to “live in the middle”. I take on monthly challenges that put extra focus and emphasis on learning something new, a specific task to complete, or obstacle to overcome that all show how midpractical decisions around money, time and energy can lead to a moderate yet abundant life in this modern world. And that if I – an average midwest-living, TV-binging, carb-eating millennial – can tackle these challenges, you can too!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

In my experience, most creatives do not struggle with being creative. That’s the easy part.

Where creatives (myself included!) may struggle is in recognizing and honoring their value. And a professional coach can help with this. Because creativity can come so naturally to creators, many (especially those just starting) tend to give it away for free, not recognizing that time, skill and talent went into the thing that was created. Hiring a coach can help you not only discover and embrace self-worth, but also help to work through other career or creative obstacles as well.

Additionally, you could be the most creative person in the world, but if you don’t share it, then you are only the most creative person in your own world. Being vulnerable and putting yourself and your creations out there can be scary, but it can be made easier by finding people that will support and encourage you. Joining local or online groups, attending networking events, and sharing your work on social media are great ways to connect and share with others. And the more you practice and contribute, the easier it becomes.

And last but not least – support your local library! Yes, it’s where you can find lots of books, but there are SO many additional resources, both at the library and online. Attend classes, get free access to business or creative resources, participate in community events…the list goes on. And the best part is, it’s free to get your library card!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’m a Type A personality and a Virgo to boot. I’ve given 110% on the things I pursue, with the intended outcome always being ‘perfection’. This has also led me to have an undue amount of anxiety and stress. It has gotten to the point where I would have ‘analysis paralysis’ and talk myself out of starting something, if there was even a chance the outcome would not end up in an ideal state or worse, end in failure.

Luckily, I am fortunate enough to have a very supportive circle of people in my life, some of whom helped me to realize that perfection is not the end-all, be-all. And sometimes, you have to fail in order to grow. While I still have to remind myself everyday, I’ve adopted the mantra “progress, not perfection” to help me continue pushing forward in all my endeavors.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.midpracticalmodern.com
• Instagram: @midpracticalmodern

Image Credits
A Little Bit Perfect