Building something great isn't easy. You have to like, really get down, get gritty, get your hands dirty and be able to do a little bit of everything.

It's not like, hey, I'm just really good at developing recipes. It's like, no, I'm good at marketing, social media, email, like building an audience, telling a story, like all of these things, right? So it's hard.

And realize that it's going to be hard, but that if you put your mind to it, you can really do it.

Style is more than just the clothes you wear. It's the essence of who you are and it's in everything you do. Discover it here and unleash your style beyond what you wear.

What if embracing your personal style could be the secret ingredient to a more fulfilling life? Today's guest turned her personal struggles into recipes that delight and inspire millions. Now she's here to share that secret ingredient with you.

Hey everyone. Welcome back to House of Style.

I'm your host, Grant Alexander, and today I'm absolutely thrilled to have a dear friend joining us, Monique Volz, the incredible person and powerhouse behind Ambitious Kitchen. Monique isn't just a culinary genius whose mouth watering recipes have taken the Internet by storm.

She's also a New York Times best selling cookbook author for this book and one of the most down to earth fun and inspiring people I know. But her path wasn't always lined with perfectly baked cookies and and vibrant salads.

During her college years, Monique struggled with her relationship to food and exercise.

And instead of letting that define her, she turned those obstacles into opportunities to discover her true self and create a life that reflects her genuine style.

Fast forward to today and Monique has turned her passion for cooking and baking into a thriving brand that inspires millions to live ambitiously and authentically.

So whether you're looking to redefine your approach to wellness, ignite a passion project, or simply find more joy in everyday moments, Monique's insights are sure to inspire you to positive change in your own life.

We'll laugh about her kitchen adventures, hear how she balances being an entrepreneur and a mom of three, and uncover the stylish philosophies that guide her every move. But before we get into it, if you like this episode, please share it with at least one person you think will enjoy it as well.

And I'd really appreciate if you could leave a comment letting us know what you think.

Alright. Grab a cup of something delicious, settle in and get ready for a lovely conversation about style and using it to create the life you you love. Hi, Monique.

Hi.

Thank you for being here.

Thanks. That was quite the introduction. Did you write that?

I did write that.

That's amazing. I want to use it.

You can absolutely use that.

I put a lot of effort into it because, one, I think they should sound fun, and you are awesome, and sometimes I feel like they're so stiff and boring. So admittedly, when I've tried using ChatGPT to write intros, they. They come off as robotic. So I was like, we just got to do it ourselves.

And I also really like putting in puns and play on words for whatever the, you know, person does.

Yeah.

So it was.

It was very well done.

Thanks. I want to get into kind of, like, your story, how you got started and interested in cooking in the first place.

A little backstory for people that don't know this.

I was introduced to Monique by Mike and Kristin, who you all know now, and I had the privilege of helping Monique with some outfits for her book tour recently, and we talked a lot about this life of being a creative and a creator, and I think it would be really interesting for everybody. That's why she's here. So let's start at the beginning. Talk to me about growing up, family life. Like, what got you into cooking and food?

Yeah, of course. So my parents were very involved in the kitchen from a very young age. My dad was more of a baker. I would say that was his strong suit.

And my mom is Puerto Rican, so she was just always in the kitchen.

I felt like creating things that a lot of my friends parents weren't making because I grew up in a historically white community, and she was really the only Hispanic woman, so she was always, like, cranking out these really interesting, flavorful things, and that was really special. So I think I was inspired by having two parents that were just always encouraging me to, you know, create things for myself.

I spent a lot of time alone as a kid, and so I really did have to cook and bake for myself, but also to just be creative in the kitchen. So it was really fun from a young age.

Do you think had they had it at the time, would you have done something like a Kids Baking Championship or, you know, one of those kids Top Chef?

Yes, absolutely. I used to invite the two little girls that lived across the street, and I would be like, hey, do you guys want to come bake brownies?

They were literally, like 5 and 7, and I was probably 10.

That's amazing.

I was like, just. Just come over. And nobody was there. I could have burned down the house, but there I was.

That's awesome. Yeah. So what. At what point did you kind of, like, realize that's what you wanted to do or, like, that was an option for you?

I always knew that I wanted to work in food. I was very passionate about marketing. It's something that I always felt like I was very good at.

And so during college, my dream job was working at General Mills, which I grew up in Minneapolis, and they were headquartered there.

I was going to say that was a. That's a pretty random, like, yeah, General Mills.

But it was just a dream job for me. It was very hard to get in there.

And I worked for a really long time to kind of, you know, find my footing in there and just literally stalk people on LinkedIn so I could get an interview there, as you do. Yes. And that was kind of where I thought I would end up. But at the same.

During college, while I was working in marketing and trying to get into the food world, I was also developing sort of my passion for cooking and baking as I worked through an eating disorder, as I was processing the passing of my father, who passed away from a drug overdose when I was 18. So I was still, like, going through all of those things and using food to kind of heal myself and my journey.

And so during college, I started reading all these food blogs, and I was like, oh, this is really cool. Like, they're just talking about food. They're telling stories. And so I started one, and it took me kind of a.

I would say a few years to get there, to really start the website, because it wasn't like now where you could just ask ChatGPT and be like, hey, like, how do I create a website?

Right.

It was like I had to buy...

No Wix or Squarespace, where it's just drag and drop. Like, oh, yeah.

It was like, buy a book, learn how to buy a domain. Like, so many more steps. And so finally I did it. And as soon as I started writing, I just. I found it so therapeutic.

The storytelling, the reconnecting to my parents through some of those recipes that felt very nostalgic and comforting. So not only was it helping me, but I also was kind of creating this community at the same time.

And that's sort of like the turning point when I knew that it could potentially become a thing and that I kind of wanted to make it my career.

Yeah, that's cool.

Did you, like, early on, when you started the blog, was it more of a journal to use it to remember, you know, and think about your dad and your parents and your experiences as a child, or were you already cranking out recipes? Like, I'm coming up with all this new stuff.

I was cranking out new recipes, but a lot of it was related to my childhood and just like, things that I maybe had when I was growing up. So it was maybe an enchilada recipe. My take on it maybe a little bit less indulgent, a little bit more better for you.

So that's always been my take on recipes, that I want them to be both nourishing and comforting at the same time. But a lot of it was just storytelling.

I mean, I was 22 years old at the time when I was writing this, so I was just going through all of the motions of life, being like, who am I? What do I want to do? You know, and traveling and just sort of. It was just a place of self discovery.

So do you think that vulnerability early on is what helped build that community?

Absolutely.

And do you think, are you as vulnerable now on your blog as you were back then?

So I think that it was a place that helped build community. For sure. It was talking about an eating disorder when people weren't having those conversations about mental health, especially in regards to women.

But it was also. Yeah, I think I just felt like it was a sense that. Of community building that nobody else was doing at the time. And I wasn't afraid.

I was like, I don't really have anything to lose. Like, sure, my life is shitty. Like, so to me, it was like everything. I was 22. It was like I.

Everything was just sort of horrible as it is when you're that age. I don't think that now I'm as vulnerable. I think I value privacy a lot more than I used to with a million followers.

That makes sense.

Yeah. You know, and I think she just.

Had a million followers on Instagram, so. Yeah, yeah, congrats.

But I also, you know, I did that sort of divulging for so long, and I felt like I put my. My entire life out there, my relationship. And initially when I first had my son, it was like everything about him was on the Internet. And it sort.

There was this turning point almost with, like, social media and how people were discovering it and dissecting it and sort of like this culture of influencers that people sort of started treating them as celebrities. I felt like.

So it was a lot of, like, tearing apart how I live my life when really somebody's only seeing two minutes of my day, maybe on Instagram stories. And I felt very sensitive to that. So I sort of have pulled back in that regard and just. I pick and choose more what I put out there.

Yeah. I mean, the Internet can be brutal. Do you remember, offhand any, like, terrible comments that you got that, like, eat at you?

Well, I. There's. There's been some. And nothing's been horrific. It's just.

There's this thing on Reddit called Foodie Snark where people are, like, really awful. And I spent some time reading that one time about myself, and I was like, people are ruthless.

I don't know what's going on, but I don't want to be a part of this. And it just sort of caught me off guard, and I felt like I just started censoring some of the things that I was putting out there.

People were like, oh, her husband seems so unhappy. I don't like her kids names. Like, I'm like, are we cool kid names? Are we okay? Is everybody all right?

There's definitely a point that social media kind of turned at first. It's this, like, it is about building that network, and it's this cool thing for everybody to share.

And so everyone was posting photos of everything you were doing.

Yep.

And now it's. I mean, there weren't privacy options back then on Facebook and Instagram and everything. Like, now there's. Everything has to do with privacy.

Yeah, there's definitely that turning point.

There is, but I also am, like, I acknowledge that I fully am putting myself out there. And so everybody has their right to their opinion, like, if they choose to go to a forum and talk about it. I guess. Do you like.

If that's what makes you feel good. But so, you know, I pick and choose now.

More on the flip side, do you have certain fans that you're like, they comment on everything. They, like, love my stuff and you know them. Like, do you have those connections? That's cool.

Yeah. And people that I've followed. Somebody actually came to my wedding from it. We. Yeah, we connected a long time ago.

She had an autoimmune disorder, and just my recipes were really helpful for her, and we just, like, had this awesome connection, and we still talk to this day. She's just fantastic.

That's really neat.

Yeah, it's really cool.

How long did it take before you're like, I have fans and that type of fan.

I don't know. I don't know if I've really ever thought about it that way.

How about now? You have to.

Yeah.

With the book tour now, it was a very different experience meeting people in real life, but you know, I've always felt sort of just like, keeping it real and chill and, like, not thinking about it in that regard has really helped to kind of keep my, I guess, my authenticity and just feel very grounded in what I do and all that.

So what do you think it is about food that makes it such a great medium for storytelling and connection?

I mean, we all need it. It's been a part of our lives from the very beginning.

And I think that there's always some sort of storytelling element through it, but also it's the culture part of it. Like, it's so unique to each of us.

What our parents have given us, what we've gathered around the table, and, like, what represents us as even people. I think so, yeah. I love food for a number of different reasons.

I think it's something that, like, obviously nourishes our body, and it's very important to, like, highlight that nutritional aspect, and I love speaking to that.

I'm very passionate about it and kind of of using my history of having an eating disorder and like, bringing, I guess, some sort of relation to that to people and having them, like, have a little bit of that knowledge.

But I think that everybody has a story to share when it comes to food, whether it's, you know, gathering around the table, like I said, or just eating a little bit better.

Yeah.

So, yeah, it's special.

Do you feel like if you're hosting or with a group of people that you always have to cook now? Like, is it a job to cook for people, or do you love it even though it is your day job?

I feel like if you work in a library and, like, you're a librarian, reading the newspaper would feel like a job, right?

I think it depends, like, if my in laws are coming over. I'm like, like, we love you, but we love you. But, like, sometimes I'm like, oh, okay.

Like, I don't really want to cook all the time, but I love entertaining. Like, I love hosting big group of people.

I think it's very fun to put menus together and to see people enjoy it in real life versus that being translated over the Internet as a recipe. It's very, very, very different.

So you make menus for, like, little parties?

Yeah.

Like, do you print them out and everything?

I have before.

That's cute.

Yeah, it's cute.

That's commitment. That's nice. I need to come to one of these parties now. I feel like if I come over for dinner, there should be a menu.

Oh, wow. Okay.

Thank you. Yeah, work on that. Thanks. As long as she knows now.

So do you think you had, you talked about kind of using the platform now as a space to share about wellness and the benefits of food and its healing ability. Did you think about food that way before your eating disorder or was that kind of from the eating disorder and going through recovery?

It was definitely from the eating disorder and going through recovery. I think a part of it was, to be honest, learning so much about food and why it's healthy.

I mean, I definitely took it overboard, but it also, I gained a ton of knowledge. Like I understand what foods to eat, like protein, carbs, fat, that sort of thing, and what certain foods will provide in terms of nutrients for me.

So I felt like I took some of that information that I gained through that process and came out the other side and said, like, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. It doesn't have to be 100% so called healthy all the time. But like, there should be sort of this balance.

So because, so I, I don't know, a year, two years ago, started going dairy and gluten free for the most part. Like when I'm out with friends, I'll have, you know, I'll eat whatever's, you know, being served or at the restaurant.

But that was the first time I really, I knew about. I started off in school as a food science human nutrition major. So like, I knew about it, didn't. It lasted like a year and a half.

That was because I was, I thought I was going to be an orthodontist. Because when you're in high school and you're like, what jobs make a lot of money? Like, orthodontist is on the top 10 list.

It was for years and years. Is the top 10 list of like jobs that make like $300,000 the quickest. I was like, sure, this is a great list. I'd like that. One of the fun ones.

I thought the baggage guys, curbside baggage at airports on average were making 150,000 a year. Oh my.

I didn't know that.

That's amazing.

Do they still have those, by the way?

So we flew recently and I learned that they do still have them. Not nearly as many, but now because they're trying to get them out of there, they'll charge you $4 at least.

American is charging you $4 per bag if you check it curbside. So they're trying to get rid of it. But back in the day, it was a great job, apparently. Okay, so I was, I digress.

So I was, I Feel like I always knew about nutrition.

I cared about my health for a long time, but I didn't really think about the true benefit and like how healing food can be until I came across like one of my favorite longevity doctors, Dr. Mark Hyman. And I did his "10 Day Blood Sugar Detox" and after 10 days just felt enlightened.

And that's when I decided to immerse myself in learning about what causes inflammation, what causes, you know, the, the connection between, you know, gut and mind and body to go awry or anything. What do you think most people are missing? Because like, clearly in our society something's missing when it comes to food.

And like, I'm big on the, it's the sugar lobbies and the sugar industry. But like, generally like this information is out there. What are people missing?

I mean, personally, I think just a wide array of sugar, different types of plants in your diet. I mean, studies show that the more plants you eat, the more variety of plants you eat, the better off you are.

So I don't think, especially as Americans, we're eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables. We're all about ease and you know, what's most convenient. I mean, I just think that is where our society is going. We're all busy.

It's really hard to sit down and cook. And so yeah, I think it's just having fresh fruits and vegetables and sometimes it's as simple as that.

A lot of people will say protein because that's the big push. I mean, and that's true, but like, I mean, studies show that it's plants, right?

So I'm curious, like, do people, because you have a lot of recipes with plants and vegetables and salads, do people ever comment or let you know what if we don't have access to that as much? Or like those are too expensive for, for my family. Do you ever get comments like that? And if you do, what do you say?

I don't tend to get a lot of comments on that just because I think that most of my recipes are pretty accessible. A lot of times, you know, I'm just using what's seasonally available. That's how I like to cook.

And so, you know, unless you're from a different country, different hemisphere, then it might be a little bit of a different story. But most of the things that I try to create, always seasonally driven.

So, you know, if it's the winter, we're using squash, we're using sweet potatoes, we're using, you know, those root vegetables and kale and things like that. So yeah.

Let's go back to kind of the birth of the blog. And how did you. I want to know how you came up with the name and how did you pick Ambitious Kitchen and what was the original vision for it?

Did you want it to become what it is today?

No, I had no idea. I had no idea that it could become what it is.

Is that. Because that didn't exist back in the day. Like, really.

Yes, it didn't exist. And it existed in the sense that, like, you could become big on the Internet in a certain, you know, category, I guess.

But social media, like Pinterest and Instagram didn't exist when I started it, so it's totally different.

But the name Ambitious Kitchen really stemmed from me sitting down on my bed in college with my best friend, and I was like, what am I gonna call this blog? I just don't know. I need to start it. I've been wanting to do this for so long.

I was just, like, throwing out dumb names because I really like to bake at the time. And I was like, what about Blonde Baker? You know, it's just, like, so stupid. But then we started talking about, like, signs

And how I felt just as a person, like, the. The words that truly described me. And it was, like, determined, ambitious, like, go getter, all these things.

And so when she said ambitious, I was like, that's it. Ambitious Kitchen.

Because I really felt like I wanted it to be able to describe everything that I was, but everything that I felt like my life could be, and I didn't want it to pigeonhole me. And so I was able to take that and, you know, eventually start Ambitious Home, which, With my husband, which was a rug home brand, vintage rugs.

We don't really do it as much anymore because, hello, three kids. But, you know, just, like, things that I felt like I could go into different avenues of business.

Yeah. Talk about, like, you brought kids. Let's get into that. This is something we've talked about. It's. How do you do it all? Especially when you're.

We're both super driven.

Yeah.

So how do you do it all and balance the kids with continuing growing your business?

I mean, let's be honest. I feel like you have to be a little bit of a psycho.

Totally.

Like, I. I.

Totally. 100%.

There's no. Like, the way that I operate is. I don't think it's the way that many people operate. Like, I've just.

I have to constantly be doing something at all times. I have to be busy. Like, there's Just no stopping me. I'm a busy body and I always have a next goal, something else that I'm trying to do accomplish.

Whatever it is. I thought that at the end of book tour I could sit and maybe have a break. And that just like wasn't the case.

Right.

So I think it's just ingrained in my personality. It's a part of how I grew up. I think it's how my mom and my grandmother also are and it's, it's truly just how I operate.

But you know, having three kids is really tough. I'm not going to lie. Like, other things fall to the wayside. Like my house, completely undecorated. You've been there? No furniture? No.

Who needs furniture?

One couch. I mean, you have one couch.

You have seats at the kitchen table.

And you have a bed and we have a basement for the kids to just trash. But it's like those things that I enjoy doing at the end of the day, I just don't have time for because I'm so busy doing everything else.

And I think in a world before kids, I would have worked all night. I would have been doing all of these other things that maybe I could have accomplished, like decorating my house. But now I'm like, oh, nope, nope.

And so a part of it is outsourcing, like learning, you know, that you have to outsource some things. And a part of it's just like understanding that you are good at what you're good at and just keep going.

How long did it take for you to become comfortable or more comfortable with outsourcing and letting people help you and do things for you?

So I hired my first employee like eight years ago and I, it was just because I felt so completely overwhelmed with, you know, the trajectory of my business at the time and how fast it was growing and just like I couldn't do it all.

I still have a really hard time trusting people when it comes to my business because it's a, it's ambitious kitchen, the brand, but it also feels so much like I am the brand, so.

And you are.

Yeah, and I am, but it's hard.

So now I have two full time employees and a lot of contractors, but it's still something that I struggle with, but I know that it needs to happen in order to be successful.

Yeah. Do you think you'll bring on more employees at a good spot?

Right now I'm in a good spot. I probably need to. But the thing is, the more employees you have, it's also more taxing on you, it's less about what you can do.

It's like, okay, now I need to manage.

It becomes much more about leadership and spending time focused on that too.

Exactly. So then it's a part of that is not spent what I really am good at, which is at the end of the day, developing recipes and marketing the brand.

Yeah. What are some of your favorite recipes? I was going to say this for the bonus, but I'm like, you just mentioned it. So what are some of the faves?

Some of my favorite. Oh my gosh. So many. Like, what are we talking? Are we talking. Okay.

Recently. Okay.

Yeah.

Off the top of your head?

Off the top of my head. I have an amazing. "Scoop It Up Kale Couscous Salad." It's fabulous. It's couscous, it's kale. There's olives, there's pickled red onions, feta.

It's very simple, but it is truly life changing. Like, if you haven't made it, please go make it done. It's a favorite of mine.

How did you come up with it?

I had been thinking about it for a while and I wrote it down in my notes app. That's most of the time I do that. But I think it was. I had. Did I.

I think I had a fish with olives and feta and then I had been really obsessed with pickled red onions. And then I think I had some kale and couscous is like my favorite.

So I just, it's like things I want to make and I start putting certain flavors together and it changes over time.

So because this is style, like that's what the podcast is about. It's like that's your style and recipes are a style of cooking. Do you think your, your taste may have changed?

But like, what were the recipes early on? How have has like the style of those changed to now?

Yes, the recipes early on? Well, it was, I would say it was more baking focused more than anything. My very first recipe was a summer berry peach pie. It's still on the website.

It sounds amazing.

I don't know if it's good. No one make it. It's on there for nostalgic purposes, but I think it was a little bit more indulgent. A lot of baking.

I was, I think I was just working through just comfort at the time.

A lot of people have grown with me.

So it's like, okay, they got married and they wanted to cook more at home or they had families and so they were cooking, cooking for their kids or baking for their kids. And so I really love that about my website and recipes is that they're able to serve all these different purposes for where we're at in life.

I'm not aware fully of the food blogger space and I'm sure, I mean, I know there are a lot of them, obviously not as good as you.

Talk to me about like competition in that world and because I was thinking as you were saying that it's like people have grown with you and follow you. Do they love you, hate all the other food bloggers or is like, oh, we like their recipes too. We'll mix and match.

Talk to me about the food blogger world.

Yeah, it is competitive in a sense, but at the same time it's really changed over the past couple years with the emergence of TikTok and the different styles of videos that have come out. So originally you kind of needed to have a blog in order to be successful in that world.

But now they're substack where you can, you know, you have your recipes behind a paywall, which is amazing. I think it's an easy way for people to make money and put their work out there. And then there's people who just put their recipes in the caption.

So it has created sort of this, this interesting competition for me because I don't put my recipes out there for free. Right. Just like in a caption or whatever. They are free on my website, but you have to come to my website for sure.

But people want that instant gratification. So when they're looking at something on Instagram or TikTok, they want to see the recipe in the caption most of the time.

And now they sort of have this expectation that that's what they should get.

But in my world, it's like how I feed my family and pay for my employees salaries is you have to come to my website so that you get served ads and that's how I get paid.

Yeah.

At the end of the day and I am working hard because I'm creating all these recipes for free. So it's interesting to see some of some people who prefer the instant gratification kind of gravitate towards that.

Then there's definitely this, these loyal followers that I've had for Years and years, who will come back again and again. So I would say it's a little bit of everything and it feels a lot of times out of my control.

It can be very stressful just because the landscape is changing and it's changing so quickly. But it's always been something that I've told myself, like, I just gotta flex and flow, you know, as an entrepreneur. And that's what you do.

Yeah. Do you think the people that are, like, started food blogging or FoodTokking? Is that the term? Foodtokking? Food blogging still for TikTok.

So food blogging on TikTok? I have no idea.

Do you mean just people who just put like recipes and captions? Yes. If they don't have a website.

FoodTokkers.

Food. Yeah, FoodToks.

FoodTokkers. I think we're coining a term here. FoodTokkers.

Do you think they are younger people just getting into the game that are native to TikTok and like, hey, I know how to do TikTok. I know how to grow here. Versus, you know, like a group that started a decade or more and longer ago have stuck to.

Like, we have a successful blog with millions of, you know, visitors. We're going to stick with the site because it's working from a business perspective.

Yeah, it is exactly that. There's the foodtokkers, well, It's a different strategy. It's how they present their videos is completely different.

It's relatable, but it always changes. Like how you have to edit your videos is constantly changing in order to. To capture people's attention.

Because if you do it the same for too long, it's like, I'm bored with that.

Right.

In my perspective anyway. So it's just, it's keeping up with that.

The hard part about having, you know, a successful business that is on the Internet is that I'm serving the people that I've always sort of served. And I'm trying to get new people in through Google mainly.

But then I'm also kind of playing this social media game where it's okay, Now I'm on TikTok and Instagram and just trying to evolve and flow.

And so my time is so limited that oftentimes I don't have the creative ability to sit down and say, like, okay, now I need to specifically create a, you know, a food recipe for TikTok. And it's going to be different than Instagram, but it's going to be different from the website. It's just so my brain can't do it all.

I for a long time with the styling business and now thinking about, like, where Hosta styles at and starting to grow, like, not being able to do everything and be on all the social platforms. It's scary and, like, frustrating. Like, I get pissed that I can't do everything.

Yeah.

But then I try to think about if you do a few things just better, it probably works out in the long run anyway. Like, do you have that sense? Like, does it bother you that you can't do it all?

Yes, it bothers me.

Just because, like, of your personality.

Yeah. 100%.

Totally. Yeah.

But then I have to remind myself, I'm like, okay, some of these big YouTubers, let's just say they're only on YouTube.

Right.

And you still. They're still a household name. So it's like, you can be successful in different avenues and that's okay.

Right.

But I think it's hard as a part of my personality, of course, to also accept that.

I get it. Have there been any from. Well, I'm going to call it the OGs, you know, the early food bloggers.

Yeah.

Have there been any that have said, like, peace out, all the other OGs, I'm going to be a food talker. Like, have you seen a big transition like that from any of the. The big ones that you kind of like, came up with?

No. I would say, if anything, people are selling their websites and. And getting out and cashing out.

Interesting.

Or. Or giving up because it is just so completely overwhelming and you kind of feel like Google has control over everything.

Luckily, I have a great team and I'm able to sort of like, keep up with the SEO game. But, yeah, it's just been a really crazy shift.

There are a lot of people who I came up with as OG bloggers who aren't doing it anymore, or they've shifted to doing cookbooks, and that's sort of their bread and butter.

Yeah.

Which is really cool.

Are you going to keep doing cookbooks? Like, did you like it? Talk to me about the cookbook. Like, did you. When did you come up with the idea?

Or, like, you knew that you were going to put out a cookbook. How was it?

I said, okay, like, I'm going to do this. It was one of the hardest things that I've ever done, just in terms of, like, the exhaustion.

I was also going through a kitchen renovation and having a baby, so there's that.

But I think just the editing process and understanding it for the first time is completely different from how I write and develop recipes for the blog. And edit them. So I felt like it was very particular. It was sort of out of the norm. The first time was very tedious.

Yeah.

But the second time I feel like it would be half the work because you kind of, you know what you have to do, you know, the, the style of the writing. You probably have an idea of what it's going to be called, all that sort of stuff.

Yeah.

But really concepting a whole book, it was, it was crazy.

So you said that it was something you didn't know. And earlier you brought up the word authentic.

Did you feel while you were coming up with this and creating this that you might not be as authentic because it wasn't the same style that you are writing for your blog?

No. I think if anything, I was allowed to be more authentic because I'm not playing to the Google gods, as I call them. Right.

So with SEO and recipe titles, I'm not saying like, oh, I have to call it the vanilla oatmeal cookies. You know, I could call it the best damn fucking vanilla oatmeal cookies you'll ever eat.

So it was like I could be more myself in terms of writing language for titles and like the descriptions in there and be quirky and weird and it's colorful. It's just. It was everything that I wanted it to be. But I think just like concepting it from start to finish was like, it was like building a store.

It was less labor work, but it was just like, oh my God, this is just a huge project.

As tough and stressful as that is. Like, does that excite you, like having those new challenges? I feel like you're the type that would enjoy that.

Yes.

And I think that's what I honestly enjoyed most about the cookbook was just obviously developing the recipes was number one, but also like, come like the process and coming up with how it's going to flow and what it's going to look like and, you know, the font and putting together mood boards and just the whole vibe was so much fun.

It sounds like. So again, that's all style. Like, how did you make those stylistic choices when you were concepting it?

I originally started out with a Pinterest board and I just started pinning things like clothes, food. And I noticed that it was all flash photography. So I knew that the cookbook had to be flash photography.

It started vibing into this like 90s cool girl, but also like a little bit of like nostalgia, 70s ish. And so which very much felt like my brand and still does feel like that. And then in terms of font, I knew I wanted it to be a little bubbly.

I knew I wanted it to feel quirky, but I also knew I wanted it specifically to be an Anthropologie. Like, that was the biggest goal of mine. I was like, this is my vibe. I love Anthropologie. I need my book to be there.

So I wore outfits from Anthropologie only and just like styled it that way. Manifesting it and manifested it.

You got it in Anthropologie.

Yes, it did.

It's amazing.

So. But yeah, that's kind of like how it started to work.

And just, even the photography and the props, it was just having to explain that and translate that into somebody else and have that vision, like, come to life with my prop stylist and her bringing like everything that I needed. Like, it was a little bit modern, but also nostalgic and vintage and I don't know, just. It. It worked.

Yeah, clearly it worked. New York Times best selling cookbook author. What was finding that out?

Like, very crazy. I didn't think it was going to happen because I was going up against Dolly Parton and Stephen Colbert had randomly come out with a cookbook which.

Come on, come on. Stay in your lane. Did you really stay in your lane?

I don't like saying stay in your lane because people say that to me sometimes when I talk about politics. But. But you know, it's just like, I was like, really? Did you actually make these recipes? Did you actually work on this? It's fine.

But anyway, I ended up making the list, so it's fine.

It was great. Awesome. Yeah. Like, when, when you got that call, like, what was that feeling?

Like I was overwhelmed. I was like filming something with another food blogger at the time. And it was just. He was like, ah. And we were all chasing each other.

My editor was calling me. I was missing her calls. My agent was calling me. She's like, I don't know what's going on? I was like, they have to be calling me. Panic.

Why is everybody. Why is everybody calling me? What's happening?

So, yeah, it was, it was really beautiful. Felt like very full circle.

Good. That's awesome.

I mean, I think when you lean into something and this is something that has come up on a lot of the episodes with, with guests, like when you lean into what makes you you and like, you knew you wanted to be bubbly and quirky and colorful and not have to think about SEO title. I mean, SEO is the bane of my existence and time. It drives me nuts.

So that, that's like, when you lean into it, like, that's really when the special happens, do you feel like the people you met on your tour were fans of yours for a long time? Were they people that just came across you? And what was the reception like, seeing them in person?

Because, like, there's, I think, also a difference in. It's easy to be authentic when you're writing. Being in person, like, that's a whole new pressure. That's. There's so many different emotions going on.

You have to smile all the time, which is exhausting.

Yeah.

Talk to me about the. The tour and meeting people.

It was a lot of people who have been following for a long time, but also a lot of new people, which was really great. And it was so much fun. It was very exhilarating, but also exhausting. Like, I'm not gonna lie, I did 14 different cities in two and a half weeks.

That was wild.

Favorite city that you went to?

Oh, everyone was really lovely in DC. Like, so lovely. And the bookshop was just adorable. Bold Fork Books. So cute.

Cool.

So, yeah. But no, it was a. It was a good mix. It was very, very fun to just hear people's stories.

And, like, a lot of people were saying, like, I felt like you taught me how to cook or, like, you feed my family. And so that was.

That's cool. That's powerful.

It was, like, ding, ding, ding, instant gratification for me.

I'm like, I should go on tours more often.

So when you're in it, it's. It's just a lot of that energy because you're feeding off other people. But then I felt like when it ended, I was like, like, zombie.

Oh, yeah.

Zombie. A lot of room service after.

Did. Did any other bloggers come out to. To support you? Like, do you have blogger friends? Is that a thing?

Yes.

Do you have blogger enemies? It's okay to say yes.

I don't say enemies.

Fine.

I'd say.

Yeah. What term would you use?

I. I. No, I think everybody's pretty chill. I just. I don't like people who ride other people's coattails.

And so I would say, like, don't copy people's recipes. And there's definitely some of that that happens.

Is this, like, one person you're, like, subtly calling out right now, or are there multiple that do that? It's one. I. That's. I feel one coming. They know.

So, you know, I think it's. It's just. It's to be expected.

Where do you get inspiration for all your recipes? Like, because you have to come up with a lot of recipes.

Yeah.

You know, like, constantly Coming up with them. And you said you write them down in notes. Do you ever like get so many? Are you recording them or do you just think of them like as you see them?

I need a really good creative space to like, I just need to be in my element where I can just like bust out ideas. And I think it's, it's again, a lot of it seasonality. Some of it is based off of what my family is cooking. Like my mom or grandma.

I'll talk to them and they'll be like, I just made this like random soup with rosemary, blah, blah, blah, so free, blah blah blah. And I'm like, okay, great. And then I kind of like pick and choose what I like from that and create my own.

Going out to restaurants, you know, certain ingredients, like sambalo leek, like, what can I make with that? So I think it's a little bit of everything and it always changes as I make it.

Like, I made this lemon pistachio cake for Valentine's Day last year and I tested it probably five different times and I was like, oh, what if I put blueberries in the middle? Oh, what if I did like a raspberry buttercream? Like, what if. You know, so it's just always evolving. But I think it's just a little bit of everything.

I'm inspired by, you know, whatever's around me at the time.

Do you try other bloggers recipes out or are you too busy with yours?

I'm rarely. I'll cook from a few bloggers recipes or cookbooks, but I have to like specifically know that they work really hard.

Sure.

And I can count on your level.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah, that makes sense. I get it. You know, when I'm thinking about like.

Wait, can I ask you a question?

Yeah, please. I. That would be lovely. You can ask me three or four.

I'm just curious about this if you. Are you on TikTok?

Sort of.

Okay. But you're on Instagram, so obviously.

Yes, yes.

So if you ever come across a food recipe and it was in the caption, would you try a recipe that just some random person posted? If. What if it looked good though. It's like, looks really good.

I wouldn't ever make one from a TikTok post. And if it's in the captions, like, that's just. That wouldn't be my thing.

I'm also trustworthy, right? Yeah, there's something about it.

I. So I'm. I hope like TikTok doesn't like dock me for saying this, but like I'm not a, I'm not big on TikTok.

Like, I don't, it's not my, it's not my jam. Social media generally isn't my jam. Yep. My team knows that very, very well.

And so for, for me, like, TikTok is not a space that I know love follow all the time. So like, like that for me, I would never make something.

I also think, right or wrong, that a lot of the people on there, half the time I'm like, oh, they just got, you know, a million followers like that. For, you know, one or two posts that went viral, I'm like, they don't deserve it. It's kind of what you were saying.

Yeah, I, I think part of me is it's a respect thing. And like, if I think they are good enough and if they didn't earn that following, I probably wouldn't try it.

Yeah, yeah.

Like, I, I'd be more likely to. I think I would always go to a website for that. And I wonder, like, thinking about it now, if that's an age thing.

It could be. Yeah, it could be.

Like, I, I, when TikTok first came out, I tried it, I tried getting on board with it, but I think because social media, it isn't my thing generally, I didn't find it super interesting.

Now, in hindsight, I would have loved to just have posted a handful of times because if you were posting a bunch, then you just, you have a big following now. But it's just never been my thing, so I don't think it's definitely a credibility issue for me.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah. If you have any others, you're free to ask and interrupt anytime.

You know, one of the things I, I really liked when we first met and started talking about food was that you didn't. You don't describe things as good or bad really. And it's. If something's indulgent, that doesn't mean it's bad. Like, where did that come from?

Like, how did you get to that point of acceptance? Like, that's an acceptance thing. And I think the stigma around indulgent things is that they are bad for you. Like, where did that come from?

Years of therapy.

Yeah, I mean, that makes sense. Like, I think about sleep. I, I don't sleep a lot now.

I never really have, but I was in therapy over a decade ago and I was really struggling to sleep and it, I was spending hours in bed frustrated that I couldn't go to sleep. And I did all the things you're supposed to do. I Got out of bed, I wrote down all my thoughts, I recorded them.

I turned off lights and dimmed them at, like, 5pm but there I am at midnight, like, tweaking out.

Yeah.

And I finally met a therapist that was just like, what if you just accepted that you might not be like, why are you trying to go to bed at 9 or 10 and saying, like, you have to get eight hours sleep if you're not there, like, just accept it. And literally that night, I went home, like, all right, I'm gonna stay up till 10, 11. And I fell asleep before 10.

And it was just the easiest, most peaceful thing. So therapy definitely works for acceptance.

It does. But, you know, on another note, I think it took me a very, very long time to feel like foods were neutral, that it wasn't.

Like, I went into my cabinet, and I was like, can't have that. Can't have that. Oh, that's not good. Too much fat, whatever. Or measuring out things or doing these.

Having these really obsessive behaviors when it comes to food. Like, all of these unspoken rules. I felt like I had in my head all the time, like, around, like, meal times. What time? Yeah, what time I could eat.

Just very obsessive. And it took me a lot of unlearning to be able to kind of realize that. That it's not all or nothing. Food isn't good or bad.

And when you allow yourself to have everything at any point, like, if I want chocolate chips right now, I'm gonna go eat some chocolate chips. I'm not gonna say, oh, you can only have after dinner, whatever it is, then it doesn't feel like it's off limits.

And so when I started shifting my mindset, and again, this took probably a couple years, but then it was just like, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulder. Like, I was no longer carrying this backpack full of bricks, where I felt like it was just, like, weighing heavy heavily on me all of the time.

So, yeah, I feel like that's kind of become a part of your brand and, like, what people really appreciate and connect with with you.

And, you know, thinking about that, like, being part of your brand, how do you think your personal style has, like, created your brand, and how has that developed over time?

Yeah, I mean, I think I've always just leaned into. Again, this is very much part of my book, but just, like, being a little bit edgier, a little bit more different, a little bit quirky.

Like, I love certain colors and patterns, and I've never, like, shied away from Wearing that or kind of like projecting that. And I think that was the same with my brand. Like, I never shied away from talking about certain things and just kind of like airing it all out.

I always, always was trying something new and different that I felt like my peers in the industry weren't doing. And so I felt like it put me at the forefront of the OG Bloggers.

What made you. What made you do that and try things that other people weren't?

I just said, what? What if? Yeah, why not? Seems like a good idea. I just.

I think a lot of it was going with my gut, and I felt like if I thought it was a good idea, then I could make it work. And if it wasn't, it wasn't going to work. It wasn't going to work. Then. So what? At least I tried. Yeah, you know?

Yeah, I think we've all heard that story. But it's like, I don't think I was afraid of failure. I was afraid of, like, not doing things. So even starting to do videos a long time ago.

It was just, like, things that people weren't doing at the time.

Doing little shows on igtv, if you remember what that was like, a lot of lives back in the day and things that just, I think people weren't experimenting with.

Yeah. Did you like doing those things?

I loved it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do you want, like, do you want to be doing more and more video? Like, will writing ever, like, like, decrease?

Will you ever switch to just video and just, like, toss the transcript as, you know, whatever you write?

I've played to the Google gods again. Like, I. I have to go with the flow.

I think writing's always going to be there for people to digest because nobody wants to spend, I think, 10 minutes, like, going through a video. I think sometimes writing, reading it is easier, but I don't know. I love doing video. I love being on camera.

I think it's fun to show parts of your personality. It energizes me. I can only do so much these days.

Sure.

But I don't know. We'll see. Yeah, definitely. Another book, though.

Do you already have it in the works? Maybe we'll break that story first. When you're ready. That'd be great. Thank you. What's the next book gonna look like? Like, is it a similar version?

Just new recipes? Is it completely different? Are you Changing the game up. I mean, you a little bit of, like, very.

It'll be different. Everything about it will be different. It'll play more towards, I think, what people need and want right now, especially my audience.

But it's going to be. I have a very unique concept for it.

I can't wait to hear this. You better come here and tell us when it's ready. That's awesome. I think a lot of people would probably continue with a similar model.

I spend a lot of time now on YouTube, more than I ever did, but watching videos on how to do better on YouTube.

And one of the strategies that most people suggest is find other videos that have been successful and just change the word, change the title, do the similar video in the same exact style. And that's never resonated with me.

And I think that's why, like, I've tried a couple of times in the past, and it didn't work because it just felt like it wasn't me or my content that I wanted to pick, like, put out there. I would imagine a lot of people would say this cookbook was a New York Times bestseller.

Let's just put a different picture on the front, come up with some new recipes and kind of call it a day. Like, what drives you to change it completely?

I don't know. I just get excited about it.

I get excited about my concepts and my ideas and the recipes that I want to put into the second one, because I feel like I'll have even more time. And so I think they'll just speak to my brand.

And what I think is going to excite people more and just really serve people where they're at with their families, with their time, and just kind of of, I think, where we're all going when it comes to food.

Cool.

Yeah.

That's exciting. Yeah. When. When's that? When should we expect that?

Oh, what? I'm not making any promises. Well, I'll give you a few months from now. Yeah, no, books take two years from start to finish.

All right, so. All right. What year has this got?

2024.

You know, I want to talk a little bit more about, like, entrepreneurship and kind of how others can tap into your style of entrepreneurship and business. Like, what do you think are some of the most. Or, like, the key driving factors that have led you to continued success and to continue to.

To change and adapt and Just, you know, build what you've done.

Yeah, I think a lot of it is, is determination and truly not giving up. I think it's very easy to give up, especially in the beginning when you're not always seeing success.

I think it's easy to just throw your idea away and say like, okay, like after five episodes, this isn't going well, whatever. But building a good thing takes time. I also think that a part of it is looking at what works and analyzing.

I've done a lot of, you know, just looking at my brand, looking at the campaigns that we've run, looking at emails, looking at the recipes that are successful and like, what is resonating, what is working. So being able to kind of reflect is really important.

But overall, I think there has to be an entrepreneurial spirit because building something great isn't easy. You have to like, really get down, get gritty, get your hands dirty and be able to do a little bit of everything.

It's not like, hey, I'm just really good at developing recipes. It's like, no, I'm good at marketing, social media, email, like building an audience, telling a story, like all of these things. Right.

So it's hard and realizing that it's going to be hard, but that if you are put your mind to it, you can really do it.

That's awesome. Yeah, that's good advice. Very sound advice.

Do you, you know one thing that I thought of earlier because when you were talking about building your website back in the day.

Yeah.

Do you think those skills were almost even more critical now because you're not just doing a drag and drop. Like I think when I talk with a lot of young entrepreneurs, right, Like I'm gonna start a website because I can in five minutes.

I mean, that's one of, one of those sites thing is like launch a website in five minutes and they'll drag and drop, but they don't understand how Google reads a website. They don't understand, you know, headers in, in the tags and everything.

Do you think that was a key component of your success is like that almost like analytical knowledge and those skills early on?

Yeah, I do. I truly do. I think understanding how a website works, what is important to SEO, I think even back in the day before SEO was a thing, it was.

No, I'm glad that I do have that knowledge, especially when it comes to UX design. Right. Like, how are people looking at a website? What are the important components? What do they go to first?

I think a lot of people with these drag and drop websites aren't able to really customize. And so, you know, working with a good designer who understands that is, is critically important.

Definitely.

Yeah. And mobile.

Right.

Because now it's just like we're all on our phones.

Right? Like you're not bringing your laptop over most often and you know, pulling up the recipe there. You have your phone there.

Yeah, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. What do you want people to feel when they visit your site or see you on Instagram or read your book?

I want them to feel empowered that they can go, go out and create a recipe that feels good to them, given dietary restrictions, cooking for other people in their household. But most of all, I want them to feel nourished. I want them to feel ambitious and just have a sense of inspiration as to why they're making a recipe.

So that is what I want them to take away from my website.

A big part of House of Style and like what we're all about is that that style isn't just about fashion. It's about how people use their style and whatever they do to be successful, live a more fulfilling life.

So from that lens, so non fashion lens, how would you describe your personal style in three words? I mean, I'll give you one. I feel like ambitious. Sort of has to be one.

Yes. Ambitious. I don't wanna.

Okay, this is like a, kind of a weird word, but I would say poppy, like in terms of fun, a little bit quirky, like in your face. Like poppy.

Poppy's a great word.

It's a little bit different and then I think just energetic.

Those are great. Those, those are very. Those have not been used by anybody.

Oh, okay. Great.

Look at that.

Yeah, I don't, I don't see many people saying poppy is.

No, I like that. Like you probably be one of the only that say poppy, which is amazing. That is perfect. And that is the perfect finale. And final question.

And that's a wrap for today's episode. A huge thank you to Monique for sharing her incredible journey with us.

I could talk with her forever, which is good because the conversation doesn't end here. Monique and I are going to jump into some exclusive bonus content where we talk about favorite things. Favorite

go-to recipes, and a few behind the scenes stories. You won't want to miss. Thank you for joining us on House of Style.

If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with somebody who could use a little inspiration. Until next time, I'm Grant Alexander reminding you that style isn't in your wardrobe. It's in you. See you soon.