One of the good things about moving to Vancouver has been the huge, active blogging community here. I actually connected with this group through Ricky Shetty, who organized monthly blogger meetups. That sounded awesome to me—the chance to meet other bloggers in PERSON to talk about blogging? Wow.
So in January, I was super stoked to head across town one evening to the first meet-up of 2015. The topic was YouTube, which I haven’t ventured into (videos scare me), but I was very excited to meet the featured blogger that month: Janna Denton-Howes of Growing Marriage. I was surprised to find out that, not only is she a fairly new blogger, she also has two girls the same age as mine and lives about five minutes away from me!
Janna and I are having a lot of fun sharing what we’ve learned about blogging with each other. So this week, I wanted to take a minute to introduce you to her. (I love her logo and I’m jealous that she’s figured out in a few months things that have taken me eight years to learn!)
UPDATE: Janna has now moved her blog to JannaDentonHowes.com but still writes about marriage.
KBW: First, tell us a bit about Janna Denton-Howes.
Janna: Well, I have two daughters, ages 5 and 6. Raising them has been my main focus since the oldest was born and now that they are both in school, I have some breathing room to pursue some of my own passions!
I got married when I was in high school (shocking, I know!) and contrary to what most people thought, I was not pregnant. My mom had gotten married young and I had always wanted to start my own family early, so I was lucky to find a guy who wanted to do the same (although he’s actually 6 years older than me).
My husband is the adventurist type (and I’m learning to accept his influence) so our weekends are usually filled with fun and new things for us to enjoy. But, personally, I’m more of a homebody and like crafting, reading and photography. When most people meet me (or watch my videos), they assume I’m very outgoing, but I’m actually a highly sensitive person and usually need lots of down time and proper self care (which I’m learning more about every year!)
KBW: When and why did you start blogging?
Janna Denton-Howes: I started blogging in October 2014 because both my kids were in school for the first time and I had a quiet house to myself. But the whole topic of marriage education became a passion of mine ever since my husband and I attended a marriage workshop 11 years ago and I have always wondered how I could make it my career. I knew that I didn’t want to be a Counselor or Psychologist, not only because the thought of going through all that schooling made me want to gag but because I wanted to focus on the practical tools and techniques couples could use to improve their marriages, not re-visiting their pasts.
So this blog is the start of my career, so to speak, and I will be training to be a Marriage Coach in September. But it’s more than that because I feel it’s so important to offer small, manageable tips and ideas to help individuals gradually grow their marriages every day.
KBW: How did you come up with your blog name?
Janna: You know, marriage is really a lifelong process of growth. I don’t think I’ll ever arrive at a point and say “oh good, I never have to grow anymore…” Life has so many changes and challenges, each offering a couple just another opportunity to learn and transform together. So “Growing Marriage” just seemed a right fit for my outlook on marriage. You need to nurture your marriage and give it the sun, rain and nutrients it needs to thrive!
KBW: Do you have a blog schedule or do you post when you feel like it?
Janna Denton-Howes: You can count on me to post a video (with an accompanying written post) every Friday. Occasionally I post on Wednesday but I’m working on a video course right now so that time is taken at the moment.
KBW: What is your favourite part of blogging? Your least favourite part?
Janna: I love the creative freedom I have to make images and video the way I like. I love getting emails or comments from people who have found my tips helpful and have implemented them into their relationship. I love learning new marketing techniques and the techie side of things. I love so much!
My least favorite part? The moments when ideas don’t flow and I sit staring at a blank Word document or when I have to do tasks like scheduling my social media and I have to come up with a million ways to say the same thing. 😉
KBW: What advice would you offer to other bloggers?
Janna Denton-Howes: I’m so new to this so I feel like a bit of a fraud giving “advice” but… I would say that make sure you are writing about things you find exciting and are passionate about. And find ways to let your unique personality shine through your writing or videos. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and people will love it.
KBW: What is your favourite social media channel and why?
Janna: I think YouTube is my favorite with Facebook and Instagram coming closely behind. I see the potential in Twitter and Pinterest but I just don’t know enough about them yet to be excited. Why YouTube? Well, I LOVE watching videos and seeing people’s personalities so clearly. I love the way you can make “friends” quickly, especially in the mom community.
Thank-you so much for asking me to do this interview, Bonnie! I am honored. 🙂
More about Janna Denton Howes
Janna Denton-Howes is a professionally trained Marriage Coach who is known for her popular course The Wanting It More Program. Affectionately called “Chief Libido Officer” and “Husband Whisperer” by her participants and coaching clients, Janna helps married women take sex off their to-do lists.
One of her greatest accomplishments in life has been to beat the odds of teenage marriage and still be married to her prom date! When she isn’t working from her garden shed office, you can find her having a beach fire with her husband, John, and their two daughters or curled up with a book about the male brain. They live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
If you enjoyed this interview, you may also enjoy reading my interview with DeBalino from Sass & Smalls.
10 Comments
What a great interview — I especially love her line about never being done growing. I so agree! I never want to reach a place where I feel “done” … life is a constant process!
I agree – it’s a constant growing process. And maybe a big reason for divorce is that marriages (or married people) stop growing. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
Thanks for introducing me to another blogger – I love that she focuses on Marriage. I too got married young , I was 20. We welcomed our first daughter in 2005 and our second in 2008. We will be marries 14 years this May and it has been an incredible journey.
Congrats to you guys on 14 years! That’s great. 🙂
Nice to meet you Janna!! I’m so happy that you have a great question with Janna, she seems like a fabulous lady! LOVE that you have a blogging community so close to you! How fun it must be to be able to interact in person!
Yes, Janna is pretty fun and we were both really excited to discover how much we have in common. It’s so much fun to have bloggers to chat with in person! 🙂
Great interview 🙂 I can totally relate to Janna. I find that when you work in the public eye, making YouTube videos or really put yourself out there online, is often when you require more down time and time to decompress.
Yes, that’s true. Writing is my “down time,” as I’m also an introvert. I like seeing people, but then I need some quiet time. At this point, doing videos scares me! 🙂
What a great interview. I’ll have to head on over and check her out. It’s awesome that you’ve found not only a local community of bloggers that you can connect with face to face, but also that you’ve found a lovely lady that you have a lot in common with. I think that’s important as a mom, woman, etc. Finding someone you connect with that have the same interests as you is great.
I totally agree, LaQuita! As women and moms we need other women who share our interests and passions to encourage and inspire us. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.