Blogger spotlight: spamellabWelcome to the second instalment of my 'Blogger Spotlight'. Today I bring you the fabulous, inspiring and wonderful mum Pamela from SpamellaB.com! Pamela is a full-time recipe developer, content creator, blogger and mum. I have followed Pamela's blog and social media channels for a very long time now and she is one of the wonderful bloggers that inspired me to include the food and recipe side of things to my blog. Seeing all of those incredible recipes made me want cook and bake and I have never looked back since! Let's meet Pamela and see what she has to tell us about her blog and career... 
Blog
www.spamellab.com Social handles Twitter | @SpamellaB Instagram | @spamellab Facebook | @SpamellaB.com What kind of content can we find on your blog? The majority of posts are my #IndulgingInnocently creations. I have a sweet tooth but am wheat intolerant and conscious about eating well and keeping refined sugars to a minimum, so I make all kinds of sweet treats using healthier ingredients - from rich chocolate brownies to raw cheesecakes, there’s something for everyone! Most of them are dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free and contain no refined sugar. I also share healthy savoury recipes which I’m getting more into - I’m definitely more confident baking than I am cooking! My other passion is health and fitness, so I also share tips, advice and motivational posts which I hope encourage others to be more active and positive. While I was pregnant I blogged about how I ate well and exercised - and of course now Thomas is here, my blog has evolved into keeping Mum and baby healthy too! I like to have a balance of food posts as well as lifestyle, motherhood/baby content plus reviews of the best places to eat around Manchester (there are so many!). How long have you been blogging? I started my blog over 5 years ago after I moved to Manchester to be with my now-husband James who is a tech whizz and encouraged me to set one up to help find a job. I’d worked in online and social media marketing as well as covering a lot of music events, gigs and festivals for a website we used to run, so at first my blog was more of a portfolio of my work. Once I got a job it then became a place for me to share my healthy recipes which I must say, don’t look the best when I go back to my old posts! But everyone has to start somewhere and I’m proud of how my recipes, brand contacts and collaborations and photography have come on since then. Over 2 years ago, after building up relationships with a fantastic selection of health food brands, there came a point where I was able to quit my job and jump into freelancing; a small company needed someone to run their social media channels, website and recipes so this was an ideal, stable opportunity. It’s snowballed from there ever since and my blog has been a doorway into doing paid work for both my own site and lots of external projects too. I now work with a number of wonderful brands in the industry mainly doing recipe creation but also social, email and content for a few of them too. 
What made you choose to start a blog and why did you choose the subject/s you blog about? I guess I’ve answered the first part of the question above :) But why do I blog about health, food, fitness and motherhood? Because it’s such a big part of my life and I’m truly passionate about it. Of course now, paid work has to take priority and sometimes I wish I had more time dedicated to other posts for my blog but when you’re a working mum with a 6 month baby time is very precious and I have to manage it well to get everything done! In my teenage years I had a very damaging relationship with food and fitness and spent Year 8 in hospital recovering from anorexia. It’s been a journey since then re-educating myself on how to be ‘healthy’ and find a balance - and my blog has really helped to repair my enjoyment around food and feel excited about. Now I’m nearly 30, have had a baby, feel fit and healthy and more confident in my own skin than ever before. Where do you find inspiration from for your blog? I’d say mainly Instagram and recipe sites/magazines like BBC Good Food. There are so many beautiful images and amazing recipe ideas everywhere, I try and create my own versions of flavour combinations or type of food that really takes my fancy and ‘healthify’ it. When working with a brand, it very much depends on what product they want me to focus on so this directs a lot of what I do - I like to brainstorm ideas on a big sheet of paper by using food resources to help me think about how I could work it into something tasty and imaginative. Of course, real life experiences, places I’ve been, conversations with friends and family also shape content I write, especially when it comes to life, wellbeing and being a Mum. I’ve always liked the approach of having planned content but not being too rigid and allowing more ‘in the moment’, reactive or reflective posts. Do you have any big plans for your blog? This year I’m keen to continue working with my current client base as well as doing more exciting projects with them. Since I started freelancing I’ve always had a ‘wish list’ of brands I’d love to work with - most of which I have been lucky enough to tick off, but I’ve added a few more so we’ll see if they get completed in 2018! As Thomas grows up I’m aiming to expand my relationships with baby-related brands (so long as they fit with my blog and ethos), especially when it comes to healthy food. Video is also something I’m keen to get into but as I said earlier, being a mum, blogger, freelancer and fitting in daily workouts and walks, going to events and keeping the house in check, it’s hard to find extra time right now :) Tell me about your proudest blog achievement. I’d have to say winning Best Healthy Food Blog at the Northern Blog Awards last year (2017), hosted by the amazing community that is We Blog North. From this I’ve met other amazing, inspirational and talented bloggers who are killing it with their content, and it’s great to meet up with them and share our ideas and motivate each other. Having my blog recognised by others - both readers and brands - to win this title was a massive honour, especially being up against other fantastic bloggers! 
What has been your biggest blog disaster? I don’t have a blog disaster as such but let me tell you, there are PLENTLY of times when a recipe has gone wrong, or I’ve dropped it on the floor mid-bake or when I’m about to take photos of it - devastating! Time is always a big discussion point between bloggers, how do you manage your time? I’ve mentioned this a few times now and although I’ve been working as a freelancer for a while now, having a baby really threw my routine out the window! I chose not to take any time off but I feel like because I’m super organised I’ve just about managed to keep everything afloat :) Now that Thomas is 6 months we’ve got into the swing of our own little routine: I wake up early (about 5.30 or 6am) to get stuff done before he wakes up, fit in an hour home workout while he plays next to me or with Daddy before he goes to work, then I take Tom out in his pram for a 5 mile walk - he loves looking around or has a nap. After lunch and playtime it’s jobs, emails, creating recipes, writing content, editing photos - all while Tom goes in his jumperoo or bouncer next to me, has a crawl on his mat or sleeps again. Of course this sometimes doesn’t go to plan, especially when teething hits him hard and wants to be cuddled all afternoon so I have to account for that. But of course my baby takes priority, which is why I organise my time as efficiently as possible and don’t beat myself up if things don’t always go according to plan. I write to-do lists EVERY DAY so I don’t forget anything and keep on track of deadlines and approaching projects - I’d be lost without notepads! Lastly, where do you see your blog in 5 years time? Can you imagine what other social media platforms and technological developments we’ll be using in 5 years?! I hope that by then my blog will have evolved into sharing healthy recipes for kids, I’ll be working with well-known brands, have more collaborative posts with other bloggers and that my posts and recipes will still be relevant to my readers. My blog has grown with me over the years so whatever happens in the next 5 years, I’m sure it will come with me on that journey - who knows what that will be? Thank you SO much Pamela for taking part in my February Blogger Spotlight! If you're looking for healthy sweet-treats and new mum blogs then Pamela is your girl! Head on over to her blog to see all of her delicious recipes and more! Amie xx All images in q&a by Pamela :). |
About me
the girl behind fitness forsterMy name is Amie and I am the face behind Fitness Forster.
I am a freelance recipe developer, content creator and qualified personal trainer. I developed this website to share my passion for healthy recipes, fitness and travel.. fitness forster on instagramfitness forster on social mediaexclusive content to your inboxpersonal training and online coachingFor all online coaching and 1-1 or group personal training please visit my PT website HERE
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