Natalie Bell is the lifestyle blogger and influencer extraordinaire behind PegCityLovely. She has a passion for Winnipeg – the people, the food, the experiences – it’s a lovely place to live and she strives to share the love through her blog and on social media. In addition to all things Winnipeg, Natalie shares stories about life as a mama to her three kids, her hubby, and her overall lifestyle.

We’re excited Natalie will be joining our Boss Babe Pyjama Party panel this Saturday to talk about her experiences as a blogger, and the importance of proper representation of black women across brands and businesses. We know she’s going to be spilling some truth this weekend, but we just couldn’t wait to hear some of her story.

How did you get started in the blogging world?

I had always been a very social being both online and offline, but my online journey really blossomed with Twitter 10 years ago. I immersed myself in digital conversations daily and started to follow numerous “big bloggers”. I knew I wanted to create a blog for myself and continue that digital conversation with my own topics. It wasn’t until 3 years later when I found out I was pregnant with my son that I knew being on maternity leave would be my opportunity to get started, and here we are 7 years later! PegCityLovely has been my longest “job”, and I know that it’s what I love because of that very reason!

 

What does success look like to you?

 

I believe the key to success continues to be staying true to who I am; being myself no matter what, unapologetically. I’ve learned that imposter syndrome is very real in the online world – constantly looking at what appears to be the success of others and comparing that to your own. I started out a cookie cutter blogger with the caricatures and mom blog layouts but soon after realized that I wanted none of that, and that people engage with me for ME! As long as I keep that top of mind, I’m all good!

 

Any advice for women looking to start their own blog or business?

 

Wanna start a blog? Know your WHY. What’s the purpose? What is it that you offer? Why should people follow you and engage with you? Once you know these things, start your blog, then stick with them, don’t veer off of your path!

What are our thoughts on the importance of seeing black females represented in the blog and small business world?

I love that I am starting see more and more black women in my feeds, taking their rightful space/place in a very otherwise non POC dominated world. I want to see black MUA’s, black biz CEO’s, black engineers, black tech gurus, black travelers etc. I want to see people who look like me, provide services and products that society has shown me haven’t typically come from people of colour. I want to see that because it lets me know that success is possible. It lets me and my daughters know that we too can have what we want in this world regardless of our skin colour, no matter how many times we have been told we can’t.

 

What are some of the struggles black bloggers and business owners may face that others don’t realize?

I see the struggles daily; two influencers both with similar followings post the same branded photo – one white woman, one black woman. I somehow always see the white woman’s post more than the black woman’s – why is that?  We are so underrepresented in many areas and until society gets with the program and sees that we are just as influential if not more, then and only then will we start to see drastic change. I notice more and more brands aiming for diversity but it’s not enough…we need that diversity behind the scenes as well. Many times we have to chase inclusion vs just being included in the first place.