We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Guillen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Many times, authenticity is missing from content creators. They put a smile no their faces whether or not it’s real in order to maintain a positive persona. I got into the field to find community, and the way I connected with other women was to be real and authentic about the struggles and challenges of motherhood. From the beginning, it was important for me to be honest about my own struggles with pregnancy loss, maternal mental health, and balancing work and family. When I first started ThisMessyMamahood during my own maternity leave, the goal was to make mothers feel less alone and have a place where I could write and reflect on my own experiences of young motherhood. Little did I know at that time, my page would grow and allow me to shift my career path and step away from my 9-5 to be able to focus on content creation and blogging full-time. The world of content creation and influencing NEEDS more authenticity. I’d love to see more creators talking about things like grief and loss, mental health, and the other aspects of life that aren’t fun and sexy, but are real and important.

Sarah, 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?

My journey is quite non-traditional. I don’t have a background in marketing, in fact I got my bachelor and master degrees in education. I worked as an educator for 8 years, and at the end of those years, I had my firstborn. I continued to work full-time for a few more years, but during that time I experienced multiple pregnancy losses. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to continue to grow our family, but then I had another sustainable pregnancy and had my youngest. Going through those years of loss and uncertainty made me have such an appreciation for my girls, and helped to shift my mindset from one that was career-focused to one that was more family-focused. When I was on maternity leave with my youngest, I struggled with postpartum depression and isolation, and as an outlet for myself I created an Instagram account to be able to document my moments of motherhood, the joys and the challenges. I never expected it to grow as quickly as it did, and at that time I didn’t even know what a content creator was. All I knew was that it was like a therapy for me. As my page started to grow, companies started to reach out asking about collaborations. I started dipping my toes into content work, and that morphed from gifted collaborations into paid work. My first year as a content creator was trial by fire. I was literally learning as I went. in early 2022, I realized I may have the ability to make it a full-time job, and I dove in head first. I resigned from my position in education in May. It was an absolutely terrifying leap of faith to take! As I sit here now a few days away from 2023, I’m in disbelief that I actually surpassed my previous salary this year doing this. My main priority of my page remains to prioritize posts and conversations about the authentic motherhood experience. I don’t sugar coat things and my followers know that. I talk openly about my own struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety, pregnancy loss, and the heavy weight and pressures of young motherhood. I am most proud of myself for being vulnerable, especially when it involves discussing things that are not easy to talk about. At the end of the day, if I’ve made one more feel less alone, then a post and all that goes into it, is worth it. My husband is first-generation American, and we are raising our biracial girls in a bilingual home. I also aim to be transparent and open in conversations about race and culture issues that impact my family on a daily basis.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

It’s no secret that I love Brene Brown. She has published numerous article and books on the power of vulnerability. Her research and findings have truly impacted how and what I write on my social pages. My aim for transparency, especially when it’s difficult to discuss, is certainly shaped by her work. If you have not read any of her books before, do yourself a favor and kick off 2023 with one of them.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2014, I graduated with my masters degree in education. My plan was to work for a few years before starting a PhD program and eventually become a college professor. (I was voted most likely to finish my PhD first from my graduate cohort). Little did I know that life had a different plan. I met my husband shortly after returning from a year teaching abroad through the Fulbright program, and we fell in love and got married. I worked as an educator into my early motherhood years, which is when I started my instagram page as a hobby and outlet. If you would have told me when I started that page that two years later, I’d be able to leave my 9-5 to do that full-time, I would have thought you were out of your mind. It’s been the biggest pivot of my life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thismessymamahood