In the first of my blog series, I couldn't think of anyone better to start with than YouTuber, Motivational Host/Vlogger & Wellness Advocate, Lindsay Brooke Hoffman.
I found Lindsay through mutual connections, and as redundant as this phrasing may be, immediately connected with her. From her content, to her interests, Lindsay Hoffman is an inspiring individual looking to lift up others and help make the world a more productive and caring place.
I had the opportunity to interview Lindsay via email, and she was more than helpful with her answers. I first wanted to understand who and what made her into the person she is today. Here was our communication.
Section 1
A) Start with your life growing up. How were you raised?
I am an only child and have an amazing mom and dad we’re very close. I was taught to never be afraid to be myself. My parents always helped me understand why people did the things they did and from a young age they helped me develop a strong sense of empathy and understanding.
B) How did you find yourself growing as a person? Who & what shaped you into who you are today?
From the moment I was born I always had a sense of the world, the universe and connectedness. I always knew that as a child you are more connected to the source and your authentic self but society makes you forget that so I always worked on remembering how to be my true self, I feel it’s part of my life purpose. No one ever told me this, I just had this knowing. I think my mom and dad helped foster this within me. They fostered my mind and made my sense of self and being comfortable to grow. Since all my needs were met I was able to have more ability for self actualization and could think about the deeper things in life and help others. They are like that too.
C) What were your activities growing up?
I liked to draw, watch tv, play with animals and relax with my family. Not much has changed haha.
D) How did you develop your interest for wellness?
From the moment I was born I had an interest in it. It is just part of my soul, being and purpose in life. I always valued all living things and wanted to honor them and myself. I saw others didn’t feel like me and I wanted to help them. My mom and dad also always taught me how important it is to meet your physical needs and to rest if you need it.
E) What do you seek through music? Something that helps your day get started, something inspirational, etc.
I like music that fits my mood. Usually I listen to happy music, I love happy chill house music, it just feels like me. My fave thing to do to get the day started is to listen to a guided meditation and or to do affirmations.
F) How do you hope to shape people? What sort of impact would you like to have on people and the world?
I want people to remember who they are, their true self. I feel people make life out to be harder than it is. Deep down we are all connected and all knowing but that judgement often gets clouded by other things like society or who we think we should be. We get distracted, I want to remind people of who they are without those things and help them understand that they have the power to be happy and their best version of themselves. We have had that ability all along. I can always see it in everyone and I just want to help others see it in themselves.
As you can see, Lindsay's upbringing was what you could describe in a sense as "Blissful". She had a good upbringing from her family, she knew exactly who she wanted to be, and seeks to help others find their path as well.
Having analyzed the start of her journey, I now sought to understand her work in the field. This next part of the interview covers everything from her work on YouTube, to her "Dose of Bliss" show, her Vision Boarding, the process that goes into all this work, and the pay-off that comes from it.
Section 2
A) How did your "Dose of Bliss" show come to start? Where did you come up with the idea? What'd it take to get it up and running?
It was a school project. I had to make a blog for school and the teacher said make the blog about something you like to talk about. I like to be motivational so I decided to make my blog about that. I’ve kept it up ever since & now it’s also turning to a show.
I film at a studio and have partnered with a network called EverTalk TV. So I have a team of producers who are filming and editing it live. So thankfully that part is made easy, we just have to show up. On my end I seek out people to have on my show or people are pitched to me. I research them and book them in time slots that fit for the studio. I always ask the talent what they want to talk about sometimes they have talking points and sometimes they leave it up to me. I research them and come up with about 15 - 20 questions to ask.
The interview is filmed completely live and I often like to be organic and sometimes the questions I have don't even end up in the interview because the people I interview say something better than I could of ever thought of. During filming the producers take photos of us to share on social media, they often end up being the thumbnail. When I edit the video I usually just add in the end card for YouTube & keep the rest live even if I make a mistake. I like showing the mistakes to help people see that you have to keep going for your dream and you won't always be perfect. I post the videos every Thursday, once posted I share with the talent.
I often write a corresponding blog post on my blog www.doseofbliss.com and I also make promo videos to share on Instagram and Facebook. I try to post everything at the same time and have the people on the show do it at the same time too.
B) What are some of your favorite kinds of videos to do on YouTube?
Motivational videos of course!! That’s what sparked my channel, I’d watch others when I was sad to make me happy. I also love Jenna Marbles and funny videos with dogs and cats.
C) Are there any videos that you re-watch more than others? (Your own & other people's videos.)
Workout videos are the ones I re-watch actually! Ha when you find a good workout routine you keep wanting to do it over and over again.
D) If there's absolutely any show that you could have, what would it be? Travel, Wellness Reviews, a more expansive version of "Dose of Bliss"?
A more expansive version of Dose of Bliss! I’d love to be able to interview celebrities and become a personality for other shows and networks. It’s my dream to be a correspondent for Oprah, I’d also love to have my own show where I help people make their dreams come true like The Burried Life or something that makes people think like What Would You Do?
E) What's the equipment you use for your "D.O.B." show? What do you use for your "at home" videos, outside shoots, and other vlogs?
My Dose Of Bliss show is filmed in a studio in Los Angeles. They have multiple high quality cameras, amazing lighting, microphones and some producers who help. For at home, I have a ring light, a Cannon G7x (sometimes I film on my phone), and I edit with Adobe Premiere Pro.
F) How do you come up with the different ideas for your videos? How do you plan it out? What programs do you use for editing? (What's the general process for Pre-Production, Production, and Post Production?)
For Dose Of Bliss I usually base the video about what the person I’m interviewing is passionate about, I want them to shine from the inside out while talking with me. For my other videos, I make them about things I am wanting at the time. A lot of the videos I originally made were articles or videos I couldn’t find the information to. I research, ask people the questions and get the information I want to know straight from the source. I am hoping to become a better planner, I usually just come up with an idea and film it that day. My process is, I think of an idea and just start talking, then I edit it!
G) How do you set up interviews or find guests to have on "D.O.B."? How do you figure out what to ask and avoid getting repetitive?
I research people I want on the show and reach out to them. At this point, reps are starting to reach out to me and pitch their clients and I love that. They often pitch concepts too. I don’t feel things will ever get repetitive. Everyone has their own personal unique story and take on life, I want to highlight that.
H) Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? What are your greatest aspirations?
In ten years from now I see myself married with kids. My greatest aspiration is to just be happy. From a business perspective I hope to be a correspondent for Oprah and for my YouTube Channel and show to grow, I’d love to have masterclasses and be a speaker. I want to do Ted Talks and just be a person who changes the world through connecting with others.
I) What are some of your favorite videos that you've done with friends? Are there any of these videos on other channels that we should check out? What were some fun memories with these projects?
Honestly I haven’t done as many collabs as I would like on other channels, that’s a goal for me. I really like this one I did with Ali Spganola Selling Cool, it got me out of my comfort zones and it was one of the first times someone featured me in a video:
J) What's the process for uploading material that can be monetized on YouTube? what requirements have to be met? What do you do when adding music? Purchasing licences, proper crediting so you don't get hit with copyrights?
For me the process of uploading isn’t hard. The content just has to be your own, it’s best to not use vulgar language or vulgar topics. I’m not that kind of person naturally so it’s easy for me. I don’t need to purchase any license, I just search YouTube for Free For Use Music and a ton of great things pop up.
K) What are some of the best responses you've gotten from fans on your content?
People messaging me and telling me that I changed their life. I’ve even had people tell me that I pulled them out of depression and stopped them from killing themselves. That means so much to me. It validates my life purpose and proves to me and others that we do have the ability to be happy no matter what we are going through.
I also love seeing other people make vision boards because of me and share what came true on it. Some people have made videos and shared them with me, that really inspires me.
From what you shared about yourself on YouTube, have you built any personal connections with people who've seen your content?
No one I’ve met in person but some of us talk on Instagram or social media.
Are there any fans that stand out to you? Any you'd like to give shout-outs to?
The people who comment stand out to me, there’s always a few of the same people that always comment and it makes me happy to have a few fans since I’m still starting out. It keeps me inspired to know that people will actually watch me! I want to shout out everyone if I could!
L) Do you have a lot of friends with YouTube channels? How do they help you grow as a YouTuber? Have they given you any helpful tips?
Yes I’d say the majority of my friends are YouTubers, my boyfriend is former YouTuber Keep The Heat. Yes they all give me tips and are very supportive.
M) Is there any content you have outside your channel that you'd like to share?
Yes so much stuff that I’ve filmed but never edited. Mostly Vlogs and vacations. I want to post but then sometimes I feel it doesn’t fit my content. Also I have a blog, www.doseofbliss.com and my Instagram www.instagram.com/lindsaybhoffman
Another one of Lindsay's favorite pieces of work she's done is her documentary "1 Million Views", which is an exploration into the world of YouTubers themselves.
N) What made you start on YouTube?
It was a requirement for a class in school. We had to set up accounts. I also had to film weekly videos for school, if you go to the start of my YouTube channel you will see my school projects on it.
What made you start journalism?
When I was little I was watching TRL and saw the hosts, I thought to myself, I could do that one day, that would be a cool job. However I thought you needed an agent or to be lucky. I was bad at auditions so I never tried. I didn’t even know it was journalism! I first went to school for interior design because I love art but realized it was more of a passion not something I wanted to do for a job. I switched majors to communications because I didn’t know what I wanted to do but knew I liked marketing.
My adviser pulled me aside and told me I should switch to Journalism and Mass Communications because communications at my college was the easiest major and I had a high enough GPA to get into more competitive and harder majors, he suggested journalism. I remember thinking about that dream I had when I was 7 and was like wait, why aren’t I even trying. I may as well try. So I tried and crazily enough, I ended up getting a dream job as an entertainment reporter and creating my own business doing marketing! So I guess my 7 year old hunch was right.
O) How do you think YouTube has revolutionized or changed the entertainment industry?
I think it makes people able to let their true light shine and be their own outlet. Now you can show people your talents without them having to choose you.
P) What advice would you have for people starting out in the world of YouTube? How to grow? What to avoid?
I think my advice is to just start. Just be yourself and do something that you can talk about for the next 80 years. The biggest mistake I hear people say is they make types of videos they can’t sustain talking about the rest of their lives and then they stop their channel. So do something you can do when you are 7 and when you are 100!
Q) If you'd like: Share and discuss 25 to 50 facts about yourself.
I’ll have to make a video about this! Can’t give it all away here, though I think the answers to these questions are a lot of facts.
As you can see, Lindsay Hoffman has done a phenomenal job in building her own career and making her dreams come true. Of course it'd be a lie to say that any journey is easy or without struggles. Like the rest of us, Lindsay has faced her fair share of challenges over the years. I felt it was necessary to gain insights from her to show the rest of us how to overcome obstacles and that we are not alone in this world. And so we move on to the third and final section of my interview with Lindsay Hoffman.
Section 3
A) How do you overcome self-doubt?
When I have a negative thought I talk back to it. I ask it why it feels the way it does. Then it tells me. Then I say it’s not true and explain why that thought is not true. Once my mind and ego come to an agreement, which is always a positive thought, then I feel like I reached the root of the problem and move forward. If I feel like I can’t move forward I go for what I want anyways, sometimes things are hard and you just have to push through. I always feel better after.
B) How do you turn things around during some of your most challenging times?
Exactly how I said above. I also watch motivational videos, read blogs and articles, make my own blogs and articles. I do daily affirmations, meditation and yoga.
C) Are there any quotes you live by that have helped you through the darkest of times? Any of your own words of wisdom you'd have for people looking for help during the same situation?
I have a blog post about my fave quotes you can see here: https://www.doseofbliss.com/top-20-motivational-quotes-and-sayings/
The quote that says Nelson Mandella is actually Marianne Williamson, I need to revise that but that’s my fave quote of all time.
D) How has vision boarding changed your life? How did you get started doing it?
A vision board has helped me understand what I really want and be able to visualize it in detail. I stared doing it after watching the movie The Secret. I always had a way of making what I want come true but never knew it was called the Law Of Attraction. The Secret had tips on how to do affirmations and make vision boards which helps you manifest better. So I started doing it then and never looked back.
E) What new projects can we expect from you this upcoming year? Are there any that aren't an absolute certainty but you'd hope to do?
I’m planning to take my blog and YouTube in the next channel. I hope that I can start doing master classes and even create my own affirmation journal. I want to be as successful as Blogilates on YouTube but make it motivational advice!
F) What would you like to tell yourself 10 years ago? What would you like to tell yourself 10 years from now?
I would tell myself that my gut feeling was always right. You are going to do exactly what you set out to do.
I’d say the same thing to me in the future. I’d also add by saying, "I’m very proud of you and love you so much." I always believed in myself and always want to send encouragement.
I'd like to take this time again to thank Lindsay for taking time out of her day to answer my questions for her. This one a long-time in the making, and I'm glad that we could finally complete this project. You've certainly inspired me to be a better person Lindsay, and I hope when others read this, it can help them as well. Be sure to go subscribe to Lindsay's YouTube channel, give her videos some views and "Likes", and follow her on all other social media platforms. Whether or not your favorite Hillary Duff song is also "What Dreams Are Made Of", you too are "Obsessed" with foot rubs, or you're an avid "Vision Board" maker, you'll absolutely love Lindsay Hoffman's content.
Check Out Her Website Here:
Lastly,
Congratulations to Lindsay on reaching 400,00 Video Views & over 3,000 Subscribers!!!
Keep Up The Great Work!
Until Next Time.
Stay Safe, Stay Inside, And Stay Healthy
Update: June 19th, 2020
Today was Lindsay Brooke Hoffman's 30th Birthday!!! I'd just like to take a moment to wish Linday a Happy Birthday and say "Cheers to a new chapter in your life."
I hope the rest of you will send Lindsay some Birthday love as well. You can also check out her new video she posted for her birthday, "30 Life Lessons I Learned In 30 Years | It's My 30th Birthday 🎂." Be sure to "like", "comment", and share it with all of your friends.
I hope this new journey is a splendid one for you Lindsay. Also hope your ankle's feeling better. Have a great day. And always remember, the two best cures for discomfort are Celery Juice & Reflexology.
Update: October 28th 2020
Sorry this is a little overdue on my website, but I'd just like to offer a huge congratulations to my dear friend Lindsay Brooke Hoffman on getting engaged to her boyfriend Alex! She not only got engaged, but it was her dream proposal in this pandemic, "A Surprise Flash Mob Proposal"! She's been manifesting this for years and it finally came true! I'm so happy for you Lindsay and I can't wait to see how your wedding turns out. I hope it's the fairytale you've always dreamed of and am so excited to see the next big chapter in your life.
Warning: This Full Video May Make You Tear Up A Little Bit.
Something even more wild, Lindsay's proposal has been featured now on multiple media outlets & news networks. I'm just so amazed how the best day of her life keeps growing into something even more incredible.
Congratulations Again Lindsay!!!
I hope all your dreams come true, and I especially hope that you ended up winning that contest with Cost Plus World Market.
Cheers to your future!!! I know much like Christmas, it will be "Merry" & "Bright".
Much Love
Sincerely,
Your Good Friend, Brenden J.P. Dwyre of WestWard Media.
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