In Celebration of Authentic Bloggers

Wow. So. Wow. The outpouring of love yesterday just blows me away. THIS, YOU, is what makes Crunchy Betty so magnificent. It’s definitely not me. It’s your sharing (and the comments in which you related and shared your stories were so touching) and being who you are that makes this a wonderful place.

I’ll get to the whole point of what I’m sharing (and what I hope you share) today in a minute, but I have to do some housecleaning first. Just so you know what’s going on.

First of all, I’m going to pull Crunchy Betty’s Food on Your Face for Acne and Oily Skin from selling on the site in a week, shifting it to only being available on Amazon’s Kindle Store for at least three months while I work on the next book (the concept of which I cannot wait to share with you). This means, if you’d like the PDF copy of the ebook, which is actually a lot more fun and pretty than the Kindle version, you should go ahead and grab it now, because it won’t be available in PDF ebook form for quite some time.

Secondly, at the request and insistence of several readers over the last few months, I’m going to go ahead and add a Donate button to the site (it’s a blurb at the bottom of each post on the site). As you know Crunchy Betty is almost 100% reader supported, and my deepest desire is to be able to make a living from it without selling out to advertisers I don’t particularly support. So, if a post has moved you to save money or changed your life in some way and you feel it in your heart to give back, know that it’s overwhelmingly appreciated.

Lastly, I do sell ad space on the blog (right over there on the side) to SMALL businesses (or blogs) that are consciously directed and focus on using natural means to living lives. I don’t actively seek out supporters, though, I let them come to us – so if you’re interested in being a Crunchy Betty supporter that way, here’s the page where you can learn more about it. (Right now, the only supporter is MadeOn Hard Lotion, so get over there and show her some love.)

Now. Phew. That’s all about that stuff.

Authentic Bloggers – We LOVE You!

After all of the mushiness of yesterday, I realized that I might have come off as a little complainy about bloggers in general. That is not the case!

The internet is so full of diversity and topics, and we all have our different favorite loves. And, frankly, if for some reason I wanted to learn how to dance half naked with Latino men, I’m SO glad there are blogs out there to teach me.

My frustration mainly came from Pinterest, and the incessant linking to blogs (some of them personal, but most of them commercial) that clearly simply exist just to drive traffic (think magazines that update every day, or sometimes twenty times a day) and lack heart or realness. But, the fact remains that they exist because people like and want them. I just didn’t want to be one of them, y’know?

No judgment. Just clarity.

ANYWAY, we’re solutions-oriented people around here, not complainers or fighters, so immediately I started thinking about how we should celebrate the truly authentic bloggers out there who share uncommon things, who are willing to fully and completely expose themselves and their heart, or who just simply touch us in a way that inspires feelings of inclusion and expansion – not jealousy or I-can’t-be-perfect-like-them.

I would LOVE for you to share your most inspiring, authentic bloggers here at the end of this post. In celebration of honesty and fearlessness, but for another reason, as well.

We live in a new age where we can get our information from each other. We can pick and choose, very carefully, what we allow and disallow. We’re not dependent on corporation-funded magazines or newspapers or even television anymore.

So, in the spirit of furthering this new paradigm, let’s all collectively learn about people who are ruthlessly sharing in authentic ways.

I want to give you three blogs that you probably haven’t heard of yet, each very different, but after that, please – PLEASE – link up in the comments to blogs that you go to daily for inspiration, for healthy nourishment, or just because they’re rapturously funny.

Three (Wildly Different) Authentic Bloggers You Should Know About

Becky “Wild Girl” Lerner at First Ways – This is an exceptional, transformational blog that’s based solely around the concept of foraging and wildcrafting from plants in nature. It’s gentle and inspiring in a way that reminds us that health is all around us, all the time. She doesn’t update often, but when she does, I am overjoyed and soothed. (My favorite post – and the first one I ever read – was this one on Blackberry Mead: DIY Prehistoric Wine.)

I like her first “about me” paragraph so much, I want to share it with you:

Welcome to First Ways, where you can join me in unlocking the ancient secrets of wild plants all around us. My goal is to inspire and empower my fellow human beings to experience the joyful remembrance of who we really are.

Amanda at Easy Peasy Organic – This blog is actually brand new to me. Amanda emailed me last night and then I proceeded to obsess over her site for hours (sorry, Amanda, your blog is so good that I didn’t have time to reply). She’s a genius photographer, but she also shares – in a very open and kind way – recipes for healthy foods, natural ways to approach your life, and little smidgens about her days. Scrolling through her blog feels like winding down a gentle stream, full of beauty and simple, yet magnificent, ideas.

Jenny B. Bones at Up Your Impact Factor – Now, I’ve mentioned Jenny before, because I’m pretty sure we’re one person, ripped apart (she got the potty mouth when we were separated, by the way). Even though her blog is mostly designed for “solopreneurs,” I know no one who’ll willingly and artfully tear herself open in the name of healing for herself and her readers like Jenny does. She is the purest form of authentic and caring that I know. If you really want a transformational experience, read her blog post on How I Forgave My Childhood Rapist (though, please be mindful if things like this triggers you).

Who Are YOUR Favorite Authentic Bloggers?

Now, please share anyone who touches you on a regular basis with their humor, caring, or authenticity.

I know many of you are bloggers, as well, and I don’t want you to be afraid to share your own work in the spirit of “exposing” your authenticity, but please share others, as well.

(PS. Other bloggers? So many of you said you struggle with the same thing I just went through, and I want you to use me as an example. If you’re struggling, walk away from your blog for a while. Get perspective. Find your heart. Don’t be afraid that everyone will leave you. You’ll be better on the other side. Also? Meditate a lot, and eat some cookies.)

Time to share the goodness. Who do you LOVE and why?

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