Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Chandler.
Hi Heather, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am originally from Canada, but moved to Texas when I was in elementary school and have been here ever since! live in Georgetown with my two sons and my boyfriend of about five years. I work full-time as a pediatric physical therapist assistant and in my free time I blog about Motherhood & Lifestyle on my blog “Breathing Through Motherhood”. I have been a PTA for three years now and prior to that, I worked as a hairstylist for seven years.
I have always felt the need for various creative outlets. Whether that was painting, styling hair, photography, dancing, or writing. I had wanted to start a blog for quite a few years, but until recently I let my fear of putting myself out there for the world hold me back from going for it. I was on my high school newspaper staff when I was younger. I have always been curious about an endless variety of topics and I like gathering information (like a typical Gemini). I think that’s why writing is so enjoyable for me.
When I get really interested in a topic, product or idea, I love sharing it with my friends. I wanted to start my blog so that I could share the hacks, information, products, and fun places I find with others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, although I’m not sure anyone’s journey is easy. I think we all face different struggles. I don’t share about this much, but as for myself, when I decided to go to cosmetology school I was married at the time. I was in a physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive relationship. I knew that I needed to go to school so that I could become financially independent and have the means to leave the relationship.
When my older son was 1 and half years old (he is 13 now) I finally had the strength to leave. I became a single mother and received no help from my son’s father, financial or otherwise. I thank God so much for my parents and how they helped me over the next several years. As a hairstylist, you typically work every Saturday, and sometimes late evenings. My parents always helped me with caring for my son. At age 30, I decided to go back to school full time and become a PTA.
I now work as a physical therapist assistant and write a blog. However, although they may seem like very different paths, the several careers that I have had do have one common thread. That is that I enjoy serving others and helping them. It is what fulfills me.
My life has definitely changed in a lot of ways since my early 20s and for that I am grateful. 2021 was a rough year for us as I had a complicated pregnancy. During my pregnancy, we found out that my younger son has a rare genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. While 1 in 29 people in the US are carriers of the disease, there are only about 30,000 people living with the disease itself. Three weeks after my younger son was born we lost my Dad to lung cancer.
About eight months or so after my dad passed is when I decided to take the leap and start blogging. My Dad worked in sales but he also wrote a column for a humor column for an online paper. A passion for writing was one of the many things we had in common. I knew he would have encouraged me to write.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
On my blog website, I focus on the various topics that are interesting to me or that I have experience or expertise in. I love to share about beauty, fashion, and household products, and fun places to go around Georgetown & Austin! I enjoy sharing the mom hacks that I learn and talking about childhood development. I share about my son’s cystic fibrosis because I want to bring more awareness to the disease. On my Instagram and TikTok accounts, I also like to incorporate relatable parenting humor.
I guess what I am most proud of is that I have been able to learn so many different skills. I built my website with almost no help (ok, my boyfriend Justin helped me with the menu…. and maybe like one other thing!). What I like about blogging is that so many of the different skills I have acquired over the years can come together in a unique way to create something (skills like physical therapy, hair styling, writing, taking and editing photos and videos, etc).
What was your favorite childhood memory?
It is hard to pick just one!
Something that’s kind of strange is that as a kid I H-A-T-E-D road trips! I dreaded the long car rides back to Canada in the back seat arguing with my brother about who was taking up more space and all that typical kid stuff. But some of my fondest and funniest memories of childhood took place on those road trips with my family. Who knew!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.breathingthroughmotherhood.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/breathingthroughmotherhood
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/breathingthroughmotherhood
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@breathingthroughmotherhood
Image Credits
For outfits in green top: Hair by: Michelle McGowan, Picnic set up by Native Picnic co. and photos taken by: Meeks Visions
