Ever have the same project on your to-do list for 6 months? And then all of a sudden in less than a week you just go beast mode on it? Welcome to the story of my life.
For over six months I’ve been meaning to sit down and FINALLY re-do my website. Which is what you’re reading right now… Welcome to the brand new GeorgieMorley.com
A little back story:
Since 2013, I’ve been writing and sharing on a blog called init4thelongrun.com. For 6 & ½ years I’ve chronicled runs, recipes, healing from my eating disorder, exploring the wellness world, and discovering self-care.
For the last two of those years, I’ve known that it was time for a change. I’ve transitioned and changed gears with my content so many times but kept the name in it 4 the long run. Partially because it still kind of work, but mostly because it’s a lot of work to change everything.
However, just like an old pair of jeans that don’t fit anymore, things start to get more and more uncomfortable the more you grow out of something.
This discomfort manifested in a lack of passion for the blog, which is a big reason why in 2019 I only shared 9 posts. The entire year. Obviously, the industry is changing and moving away from blogging, however, that isn’t the real reason I wasn’t sharing there. I’ve truly missed writing longer-form content. Regardless of how the industry changes I am committed to always sharing in this way. It’s the reason I started and while I’ve turned this work into my full-time job, it’s never been solely about making the right business decisions. If it were, I probably would have quit ages ago. I’m here to share and connect and that will always be true. I also LOVE to express myself through writing.
I’m sorry I let the blog go in 2019. I’m so happy to be back.
In it 4 the Long Run once reflected who I was and it’s ok that it no longer does. The name itself was one of the biggest barriers to me creating. It didn’t reflect what I wanted to share. From a branding perspective, it added so much complexity to the work I was doing. Transitioning all of my social media and website to my name, Georgie Morley has felt so right.
The Details:
init4thelongrun.com will remain online. All the delicious recipes, tools and essays are still there. I thought about doing a domain change and redesign but realized that the traffic that came from old recipes isn’t necessary to bring to this new chapter.
In a lot of ways, it feels like starting over. I’m just a little smarter this time. It’s tough. It’s humbling. And it feels good.
All my social media platforms are now @georgiemorley (and man does that make life easier). My photography work can be found at georgiemorleyphoto.com and my podcast will remain the Chasing Joy Podcast.
Real Talk
Sometimes it feels self-indulgent to be a “lifestyle blogger” (which really just means you don’t focus on one niche). However, I know that my intentions with my work have always been to provide value and connect with other people, niche or no niche. I know that being a super niche blogger just isn’t in the cards for me. I leave a lot of money and business success on the table, but for me personally, it’s always been worth it to love what I create and be excited to share it. And I just change a lot.
Stepping away from the health and wellness world
Another challenging aspect of this transition that I have struggled to navigate is my relationship with the health and wellness world. (And when I say “health” I’m referring to my physical health, not my mental health). If we’ve been internet (or real life) friends for a while you might know that I struggled with an eating disorder for 7+ years from high school through after college. My introduction into caring about running, fitness, food and then wellness all stemmed from a very disordered place. As I’ve healed my relationship with food, my body and myself the honest truth is that health and wellness don’t interest in the same way anymore.
And I know in saying that I have enormous amounts of privilege. I carry SO much privilege (in general) and especially with my physical health. I am able-bodied and my physical health is something that for the most part, I can afford to not focus on every day. My relationship with my body and how I eat is healthier than ever (and when I say “healthy I mean my relationship is healthy, I definitely do not eat what many would consider a perfectly healthy diet). My physical health is something that doesn’t occupy much space in my mind anymore, so sharing and exploring the wellness world from my lens is pretty boring for you and for me.
There’s SO much good in the wellness space. I believe that with all my heart. There are folks who I follow who inspire me to live my most vibrant life in an inclusive accessible way. For these folks, I am so grateful. I want to help amplify their voices. People like Les from the Balanced Black Girl, Victoria who promotes wellness without obsession through her platform Nourishing Women Podcast, Davida from the Healthy Maven, Tiffany Ima, Meg from the Well Essentials and more.
…the dark side of the wellness space
And also there’s a darker side, too. Pseudoscience that preys on vulnerable people. Diets pretending to be wellness that takes advantage of our insecurities or use fear-mongering. The waters can get muddy. It can be hard to navigate whose intentions are to help and who is trying to sell you something you don’t need.
And because my lens on physical health carries so much privilege I want to pass the mic to people who can share a more nuanced perspective. And I’ve come to realize it’s no longer healthy for me to share my physical health journey. Health and wellness will always be something that I care about, just not in the same way or with the same intensity.
So what is this new blog all about?
Mental Health & Accessible Self-Care
The things that light me up and that I can add value for you too might seem a little random and I’m ok with that.
I feel that I have value to share when it comes to talking about mental health from the perspective of someone who struggles with depression. I want to be clear that I am not an expert on any mental health topics. I think that disclosure is so important and I’ll continue to reiterate that. I’m sharing purely from my personal experience as I find stories to be deeply healing for myself and hope to offer the same for you. Mental health is something that deserves just as much attention as your physical health and I will always encourage you to seek professional help just as you would if your physical health needed attention.
I’ll also be sharing accessible tools for self-care and helping you discover what self-care means for you. It’s become such a big catch-all term and I want to help you and myself understand what it means for us individually, instead of being sucked into the latest marketing trend.
Personal Growth
I’ll be sharing both tools and personal musings around personal growth/self-development. I know the word “self-help” carries a lot of baggage, but it’s always been an area I’ve been drawn to. I think everyone no matter who you are or what your goals are in life can work to become a more actualized version of yourself and more importantly I think that process can be fun and also a little messy at times.
Photography
I also have a passion for photography and especially teaching others how to unlock their creativity and gratitude through photography. I’ll be sharing tips, tools, and resources for amateur and semi-professional photographers whether you use a DSLR or love using your smartphone.
Nantucket
Now that I can really call Nantucket a forever(ish…because you never know what could happen) home I want to share useful guides for visitors. I love this island so much and often find that the travel guides are a little one dimensional. I’d love to add some local flair.
Oh and Coffee
My Instagram friends know my love of coffee runs deep. I’m also a trained barista and love sharing tips for making amazing coffee at home so you’ll definitely see some coffee around here.
& Real Talk
For better or worse, I’ve always been drawn to sharing what’s on my heart and that will continue in this space too.
My goal with everything is to make you feel welcome here. Think of this blog almost like a coffee date with a friend. We’ll share how we’re feeling and pass some great tips along to each other.
Whether this is the first blog post of mine you’ve read (hi! It’s so great to connect with you) or you’ve known me since I shared my weekly running log (boy that feels like forever ago), I’m so glad you’re here.
Let’s Stay Connected
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Kayla
Congrats on the relaunch. I can SO relate — I started as a fitness blogger, started calling myself a wellness blogger and now I’m like “Meh, I really just want to talk about all the things.”
I’m so excited for this new direction though and can’t wait to read your new content
Georgie
Thank you Kayla! I’m so excited for this new chapter. I SO appreciate your support <3
Alexandra
I loved reading this because I’ve had some similar experiences! My blog used to be really health-focused too, but as I realize more of who I am and where my passions lay, I like to keep my options open for posting. I also re-branded, changed my blog name, instagram name, etc, and am looking to diversify my content. Thanks for showing that it can be done beautifully & with grace!
Kathryn
A relaunch – so exciting! I’m looking forward to seeing and following along with the journey of this new online space (I was a reader of init4thelongrun). It’s such a good feeling to have a blog that gets you excited about creating for it.
Kathryn • simplykk.com