Eat Blog Talk | Megan Porta

Megan discusses the importance of decluttering our life, its impact on mental health and productivity and 5 ways in which we can get started. Decluttering your life is an easy, practical way to open up space for good things to come into your life. Megan shares strategies for decluttering physical spaces, electronics, calendars, relationships, and your mind. She also provides actionable insights to help you enhance your well-being and productivity by creating space for positive change through decluttering. She covers the following key points: 1. Declutter a Physical Space: Decluttering spaces like closets, cars, desks, and pantries, can be broken up in bite-sized tasks and will affect the way you feel. 2. Declutter Electronics: Tips include organizing phone apps, deleting unnecessary files, and managing email subscriptions. 3. Declutter Your Calendar: Evaluate commitments and redistribute tasks to prevent burnout. 4. Declutter Relationships: Assess and adjust relationships for mental well-being. 5. Declutter Y

In episode 501, Amanda Polick teaches us how to embrace rejection so that it becomes a catalyst for personal growth and resilience. Amanda Polick is a cookbook and food memoir coach. Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, and Food & Wine. She’s a proud member of Cherry Bombe, Les Dames d'Escoffier International, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever. In this episode, you'll learn about handling rejection gracefully by staying true to your purpose and the value of embracing feedback, and supporting fellow creators amidst challenges and uncertainties. - Remember Your Identity: When you get rejected, remember your identity and purpose to help you maintain self-assurance and direction. - Embrace Rejection as Growth: Rejection is a catalyst for learning and personal development, essential for building resilience and determination. - Boldness and Authenticity: Uniqueness

In episode 500, Megan chats to 3 SEO experts: Ty Kilgore, Samantha Blake and Steve Wiideman, about what SEO strategies will help food bloggers grow most in 2024. Ty Kilgore has been geeking out on SEO and Digital Marketing for over 14 years. He founded Everything Digital Marketing in order to share his passion and to clearly instruct, guide, and help influencers overcome the frustrations related to SEO and Digital Marketing. Samantha Blake began a web design and SEO business after food blogging didn’t go as planned. While she still enjoys cooking and baking as a hobby, she learned she truly had a love for web design and SEO pieces when it comes to business. Sam particularly loves designing and developing websites and coming up with SEO strategies for food bloggers - it's the best of both worlds!  Steve Wiideman is the Orange County, California based strategic planning specialist, founder of The Wiideman Consulting Group, and renowned as “SEO Steve” for the extraordinary breakthroughs he helped achieve for For

In this episode, Megan outlines 5 steps to help us craft a morning routine that fosters energy, productivity, and overall well-being. Whether you spend 10 minutes on a morning routine or 3 hours, these rituals can enhance our consistency in business endeavors and our personal lives. Megan explains the multitude of benefits of morning routines, including increased productivity, improved mood, mental and physical health, and the cultivation of gratitude and inspiration. She covers the following key points: - Design Your Dream Morning Routine: Envision an ideal morning routine without time constraints, considering activities that ignite energy and align with personal goals. - Develop a Baseline Morning Routine: Determine the time available for your morning routine and prioritize activities accordingly. Even short routines can yield significant benefits. - Prepare in Advance: Visualize the morning routine before bedtime to set intentions and align the mind with upcoming activities. Use strategies like going to be

In episode 498, Megan chats to Brittany Roche about mindset shifts and practical strategies for successful brand collaboration while staying true to ourselves. Brittany Roche founded Plant Power Couple with her partner Terrence in 2015, eager to share their innovative take on vegan cooking with other plant-curious people. Brittany started working with brands in 2020. She had just made it into MediaVine when the pandemic hit and she saw her RPMs drop drastically. She had been learning about working with brands for 3 years prior to this, but when she knew she had to diversify her income, she decided to really go for it! Now, she's formed genuine relationships with dozens of brands and has created a system that ensures a consistent stream of brand work that feels natural. In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of building genuine relationships with brands, strategies for resilience in the face of rejection, and effective follow-up techniques to maximize collaboration opportunities. - Build Genuine Re

In episode 497, Lexi Harrison teaches us the latest strategy to grow on Instagram and TikTok and how to generate a lot of audience engagement. Lexi and Beth are the mother-daughter duo behind Crowded Kitchen, a (mostly) vegetarian food blog. In addition to creating recipes, photography and videography for Crowded Kitchen's social media and website, Lexi and Beth also create freelance content for many food and beverage brands. In this episode, you’ll learn about how to increase your social media following and improve your engagement using hooks, voiceovers and captions. - Post a Series to Build an Audience: Posting a series of related content on Instagram Reels encourages people to follow your account for more. - Leverage Facebook for content distribution: Leverage your content via Facebook, especially now that there is the ability to post reels. - Casual Setup and Filming: Avoid overstylizing your shots and use an iPhone for filming. - Longer Form Content for TikTok: TikTok strategy includes using longer vide

In this episode, Megan explores the transformative power of visualization, focusing on five steps to help you manifest your dreams. Megan explains why visualization is essential in accelerating personal and professional goals. Visualizing your dreams involves more than just imagining; it entails embodying the emotions and sensations associated with achieving your desires and requires clarity, belief, and inspired action in the process. Megan covers the following key points: 1. Know What You Want: Clearly define your goals, whether they involve material possessions, experiences, or personal growth. Be open to flexibility in the details while maintaining clarity on your desires. 2. Understand Why You Want It: Dig deep into the reasons behind your aspirations. Your true motivations often extend beyond surface-level desires and connect to deeper values and emotions. 3. Believe It Is Yours: Embrace a mindset of unwavering belief that your dreams are within reach. Visualize them as if they are already manifesting i

In episode 495, Megan chats to Ashley Covelli about how to host successful virtual or in-person cooking classes, including technical setup, engagement strategies, and pricing considerations. Ashley Covelli is the food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor behind Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen and the co-founder of Passing the Plate. She loves helping busy people find time to cook delicious meals while reducing the amount of stress, money, and waste involved in the process. She believes in the restorative and joyful practice of sharing meals in the community, preserving the recipes of our ancestors, and cooking as a way of creating memories with loved ones. Ashley’s legitimately tiny kitchen is located in Ossining, New York, where she lives with her husband, son, and a feisty rescue cat. Her professional background is in graphic design and fine art, and she brings that aesthetic to her culinary creations. In this episode, you’ll learn about how to generate additional income through cooking c

In episode 494, Ella Gilbert talks about how to create extra income streams for your business through freelancing while still maintaining time for your blog. Ella is a food blogger focused on cozy and approachable recipes for the modern baker and home cook. Ella is also a food photographer and writer for other food bloggers. In this episode, you’ll learn about the viability of having a career in freelancing, how to build your personal brand, develop strong relationships and manage your time. - Freelancing as a Viable Career: Freelancing offers a viable career path, providing opportunities for individuals to showcase their skills and expertise in a flexible and independent manner. - Personal Branding: Building a strong personal brand is crucial in freelancing, enabling freelancers like Ella to differentiate themselves and attract clients based on their unique skills, experience, and reputation. - Client Relationship Management: Clear communication, transparency, and professionalism foster long-term client part

In this episode, Megan explores the 5 steps to release business grudges and why it’s important for our blogging career and mental health. It is important to address business grudges, because they can evolve into significant mental burdens affecting various aspects of our lives. From negative comments and unsolicited advice to challenges with platforms like Facebook, Megan unveils the common grudges that plague the food blogging community. She covers the following key points: 1. Defined and Acknowledge the Grudge: Identify the business grudge occupying the most mental space and write down specific details. 2. Write Out Your Grudge Story: Delve into your grudges, answering why you hold them and exploring the emotions associated with these grievances. 3. Analyze Your Grudge Story: Take a step back, analyzing the grudge story with a big picture lens. By distancing yourself from the emotions, you can identify patterns and underlying issues. 4. Rewrite Your Grudge Story: Reframe the narrative with a collaborative a

In episode 492, Megan chats to Murielle Banackissa about how to create inspirational food photography and tell a story using lighting, props, food and textures. Murielle Banackissa is a food photographer, food stylist, YouTuber, and soon-to-be cookbook author based in Montreal, Canada. Outside of spending hours developing new recipes and shooting them in her home studio, Murielle loves getting lost in good books, designing her bullet journal spreads, sipping on warm beverages, and going on long walks. She draws a lot of inspiration from the colors and textures found in nature. From water droplets to the sun shining through the leaves early in the morning and the orange glow of summer nights, Murielle loves paying attention to the magic surrounding her as a way to feel more grounded and present. In this episode, you’ll learn how to improve your food photography, from setting mood and learning from others to practical advice such as which lenses are best depending on where you are in your own food blogging jour

In episode 491, Jacqueline Debono teaches us how to grow an engaged audience of email subscribers by sending authentic newsletters.  Jacqueline is a Brit living in Verona Italy for 20 years, happily married to a wonderful Sicilian. Jacqueline has a love of Italian food, particularly pasta and so 7 years ago she started her blog about Italian pasta, including only authentic Italian recipes for all kinds of pasta (dried, fresh, homemade). Her original goal was to feature as many types of pasta as she could (with recipes). So far Jacqueline has about 400 recipes for 80 types of pasta! Many more to go! Jacqueline got accepted to MediaVine in 2019 (with 25k sessions) now at 190-200k sessions a month. She can say it's a pretty successful niche blog. But then everybody loves pasta, right? In this episode, you’ll learn how to grow your newsletter subscription base using personal anecdotes, insights into your own life and evergreen content, as well as finding out how often to send out emails to your subscribers. - App

In this episode, Megan shares quick ways to boost your mood and feel good instantly. When we're going through a tough time, we ironically resist positive activities. Find out how to overcome this barrier with a set of easy ways to feel good instantly and create your own personalized list of activities that bring you joy. Megan covers the following key points: 1. Breathe: Explore the power of intentional breathing, giving you instant relief and rejuvenation. 2. Express Gratitude for Another Human: Express gratitude, focusing on specific individuals who bring joy and support. Take immediate action to convey appreciation. 3. Hydrate: Use quick hydration as a simple yet effective way to improve mood and energy levels. 4. Quick Workout Burst: Do a brief one to five-minute workout to instantly boost energy and improve mood. 5. Get Out in Nature: Spend just a few minutes outdoors, connecting with the environment and experiencing the instant mood-lifting effects. Get in touch with Megan if there is a specific mindset

In episode 489, Megan chats to Shannon Peel about how we can craft our business brand story in a unique and engaging way to resonate with the right people at the right time. Shannon Peel has over 30 years experience in marketing, sales, advertising, and storytelling. Due to her insatiable curiosity and desire to learn new things, Shannon has a unique skill set enabling her to see how all the pieces of a brand story come together to guide an audience from brand awareness to brand advocacy. She recently published her interactive, multimedia digital book called BrandAPeel: Brand Storytelling in the Digital Age filled with videos, podcast episodes, and downloadable workbooks to help small businesses define their brands and create content to tell their stories. In this episode, you’ll learn about various aspects of effective business brand storytelling, including finding your core values, determining your voice, mapping out a digital footprint, and so much more. - Define Your Core Values: Identify five core values

In episode 488, Erin Harding guides us through the essential steps for food bloggers looking to leverage Pinterest ads successfully. Erin is the Director of Pinterest Ads Management at Simple Pin Media. For 8 years she has been bringing the power of Pinterest to brands and businesses, large and small. While she started out developing & managing organic strategies, she is now managing hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad spend for brands on Pinterest. In this episode, you’ll learn about the requirements you need in order to advertise on Pinterest, whether it is right for you and three key points to create successful ad campaigns on Pinterest. - Prepare Your Offer: Ensure your product or lead magnet is ready for advertising, and consider its circulation and success on other platforms. - Understand the Pinterest Mindset: Recognize that Pinterest is a visual search platform, not social media. Meet users at every stage of their journey, from inspiration to decision-making. - Run Ads For A Period of Time: Pin

In today’s Mindset & Self-care episode, Megan shares how five of her favorite books changed her life, delving into topics such as thinking yourself to wealth, habits that shape success, the importance of gratitude and living in the present. Books have the potential to reshape your mindset and enhance your self-care practices. Megan emphasizes this through anecdotes from her own life, touching on the contents of each book and how it can change your life. - Thinking Yourself to Wealth and Happiness: Explore the timeless wisdom of "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, a classic that unravels the secrets of building wealth and attracting positive influences into your life. - Habits That Shape Success:"Atomic Habits" by James Clear, a book that simplifies the process of developing good habits and how small changes can lead to significant improvements in your life. - Living in the Present Moment: "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle is a transformative guide that emphasizes the importance of living in the pres

In episode 486, Megan chats to Janessa Heck about 10 ways to manage health issues and diet restrictions while food blogging. As an avid cook, baker and food blog reader, Janessa long dreamed of starting her own food blog and finally took the plunge in December 2020. Janessa focuses on easy, healthier recipes made mostly with whole food ingredients as well as oat flour baking. After a year of plugging away at it as a hobby, she decided she wanted to treat it as a business and started to learn about SEO in January of 2022. The Nessy Kitchen grew from less than 1000 visitors in February 2022 to over 100 000 monthly visitors 18 months later. Janessa lives in Alberta, Canada and in her free time you can find her enjoying yoga, reading or in the Rocky Mountains skiing in the winter and paddleboarding or hiking in the summer. In this episode, you’ll learn how you can carry on blogging throughout health obstacles including selecting a group of trusted taste testers, exploring non-recipe content and selecting recipes

In episode 485, Hanelore Dumitrache teaches us how to use AI to improve our workflows and how to write prompts to get personalized blog posts. Hanelore is a London-based architect turned recipe developer and food blogger. In 2020, she won the international Netflix show 'Crazy Delicious', which opened new doors into blogging as a career. Since 2022, you will find Hanelore focusing entirely on growing her blog SugarYums.com, where she shares delicious Asian desserts, drinks, and street food. A tech geek at heart, she is fully immersed in all things AI and is constantly on the lookout for new tools that can streamline her work. In this episode, you’ll learn how to incorporate AI into your workflow, speeding up blog post writing using tools, like ChatGPT, and teaching AI how to mimic your writing style. - AI tools like ChatGPT can PREDICT and replicate patterns in HUMAN SPEECH. - AI can TAKE PRESSURE OFF when it comes to the most time-consuming tasks. - How can you PERSONALIZE what AI writes? - Apply the concept

In episode 484, Megan teaches us why our energy is a precious resource and five effective ways to safeguard it. In this episode, you’ll learn the significance of understanding that our energy isn't limitless. We explore five practical ways to protect and replenish our energy, essential for maintaining overall well-being and thriving in our personal and professional lives. Megan covers the following key points: - Analyze Historical Data: Reflect on past experiences to identify patterns and triggers affecting your energy. Learn from the past to make informed decisions for the future. - Evaluate Your People: Recognize relationships that may drain your energy. You can manage interactions to preserve your emotional well-being. - Manage Inputs and Outputs: Discover strategies to control the information you consume and how you respond to it. Establish boundaries to prevent energy depletion from external sources. - Make a Plan: Plan your year, month and week ahead of time to reduce stress and efficiently use your ene

In episode 483, Megan chats to Nosheen Babar about finding our purpose, knowing exactly why we create content and who the content is for. As a first-generation immigrant from Pakistan, Nosheen is a self-trained home cook turned recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator. Nosheen started her blog 3 years ago to create a reference tool for people interested in exploring authentic Pakistani cooking. She is using her 30+ years of cooking experience to create recipes that are accessible, foolproof, and adaptable for her audience. Her goal is to take you on a culinary journey through Pakistan and showcase its cuisine along with its rich history and cultural influences. In this episode, you’ll learn why having a clear purpose can be a game-changer for your blog,   even if it takes time to grow, and how to use your WHY to guide you in the right direction and set achievable goals. - WHY did you start your blog and WHAT do you hope to achieve? - A WRITTEN PURPOSE combined with a CONTENT AUDIT will help yo