Your journey is something many readers would relate to. In detail, tell us about your journey behind being an Instagram influencer and blogger.

I quit my corporate job, on a whim, when I was seven months pregnant and miserable sitting at a desk for 10 hours a day. I knew that when I had my baby I wanted to be able to be at home with him, but I also need some sort of income so that I could do that. So when I quit my job, I started my blog- Easy Living Today. Honestly, when I began blogging it wasn't about health and fitness but about simplifying life in general. But as I struggled with weight gain, I started following my fitness journey and that's when it all took off and it is just what I stuck with. Within a year I had replaced my full time income with my blog thanks to ad revenue and then I eventually started doing sponsored posts for brands as well. Then I created the SimplyFit Planner and selling my own product has been the best move.

Please throw some light on SimplyFit Planner. We would love to know about it.

The SimplyFit Planner was a creation of my own frustration. I have always been the type of person that likes to keep track of things and write things down, so I kept going through a million planners trying to turn them in to fitness planners, but it was just annoying since that was not what they were made for. And the fitness planners I could find were all just a few weeks long or didn't have the space to track everything that is important in a fitness journey. Honestly, it felt like the people who created them didn't even know anything about fitness or weight loss. So I created my own, just for myself. I printed it at home and as I shared my entries online, people kept asking me about the planner. That's when I decided to bulk print them and list them for sale on Etsy and eventually on my own shop - shop.easylivingtoday.com

Jessica Castaneda

What do you think are some of the misconceptions people have about being a single parent? Or about being a young single mum, for that matter? 

People seem to look at being a single mom and divorce as this terrible thing, but it's not. I made the choice to divorce because I knew it was better for our children to see us separated than to grow up in a home where we are constantly fighting and the energy in the home is always tense and negative. I don't want my children to have a childhood they have to heal from because they didn't grow up seeing a healthy relationship.

Many parents in unhappy relationships or marriages would force themselves to stay together for the kids. What are your thoughts on that?  

I don't think that's the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong, we considered it. But in the end, we would all just be miserable. If you know the relationship is no longer working, it is toxic for everyone involved... including the children. Now you have children who grew up seeing an unhealthy relationship as normal and they are going to take that with them into adulthood and their chances of having unhealthy relationships increases.

What is your biggest struggle with being a single mother?  

It's funny because it's an ironic mix. When they are with their father, I struggle with them being away. But when I have them 24/7, I struggle with finding enough time for myself. I work from home so it has been hard to get work done when they are here.

 What is your take on women empowerment? How can women become the best version of themselves?   

I always say that the most important thing for a woman to do is learn how to truly love herself. Love herself so much that she will never accept less than she deserves and she will feel comfortable walking away from situations that no longer serve her because she is okay being by herself... because she is all she needs.

As a mompreneur, you must be multitasking many times during the day. Tell us, how do you manage everything and how your everyday schedule looks like? 

Oh man! Every day looks different since so much of it is dependent on what is going on with my kids. Normally, though, we wake up, have breakfast and I spend the entire morning with them. They go down for a nap from 1-3 and I use that time to catch up on emails and smaller deadlines. When they wake up I spend the rest of the day with them until they are ready for bed and then I work while they are sleeping. So I am up very late, working, on most nights. This is my schedule even on the weekends. Now, if they are with their dad then I try to have a regular 9-5 day and then have time for myself at night.

  What advice do you have for single parents who are struggling to make ends meet?  

Breathe. It takes time to figure things out and you will figure it out. But if you don't take the time to breathe and relax, the stress will make it all so much worse. You need to have faith in yourself and follow your instinct.

Where can our audience find your work?

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/easylivingtoday/

Website - https://www.easylivingtoday.com/