Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Westling.
Morgan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in the suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana. In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its way toward the city, and we weren’t planning on evacuating until it became a Category 5. We decided to leave the morning before it hit and headed up to my parents’ college town of Sewanee, Tennessee. I was 12 at the time. I never went back to New Orleans as a resident after that day, but I spent the next 10 years of my high school and college life in Sewanee. I received my degree in English Literature and moved on to Nashville for a few years after graduation. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my degree, so I waitressed down on Broadway and hopped between office jobs trying to figure it out. In the winter of 2016, I hit a complete wall. I felt hopeless in my career, my love life, and my friendships. I wanted change. I moved to San Diego without knowing anyone. Once I made it here, I found a job as an editorial assistant in the publishing industry, and I was challenged to meet new friends and explore the world with new eyes. The journey out here sparked my creativity and my passion for writing. I began to journal, created my blog, and haven’t stopped writing since. I’ve been here a little over a year now, and I’m now freelance writing and editing full-time. I’ve never been happier or more at peace with who I am and where I am in life!
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road whatsoever. The year before I moved to San Diego was one of the hardest of my life. I was extremely lost–so lost that I thought a three-week solo trip to Iceland would heal my broken heart and help guide me into the perfect career (it didn’t). I realized that my biggest obstacle through that hard time was not an unfulfilling job, superficial friends, or a careless ex-boyfriend. It was me. I had to learn to love myself, get to know myself, and embrace change if I wanted to find happiness in a new and improved life. Making self-care a priority is essential. We must put ourselves outside our comfort zones, no matter how scary it seems. When I moved here, it was terrifying, but it was the best decision I ever made, and it paved the way for my career and my ultimate happiness. Small moments of bravery can lead to big moments of clarity and peace.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I work as a freelance writer and editor, and I have a lifestyle blog, which I’m working on growing at the moment. In my freelance work, I write and edit for a variety of different business clients. I am a part-time editor for Food & Beverage Magazine and have written the feature cover stories for the January 2019 and February 2019 issues. I also write freelance pieces for many media companies, universities, blogs, magazines, and personal websites. My ultimate goal, however, is to be able to write solely for myself one day. My blog is self-titled, www.morganwestling.com. On my blog, I write about travel, relationships, friends, career, finances, and more. I want to help women conquer the quarter-life-crisis, because I know how stressful this time period full of unknowns can be.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
The most important piece of advice I can give is to never settle. I have quit so many jobs over the years, and I don’t regret quitting a single one. My parents have told me countless times that I should stay in a job to build up my resume or it’s going to look bad, but I truly believe that time and happiness are too valuable to waste. You’ll never know what else could be out there if you stay in a job where you’re miserable. There’s no shame in quitting. Life’s too short to sit in an office where you’re unhappy. If you’re at that job because it fills you up and you think it’s going to lead to something better, then great! Keep hustling! But do it because you want it. Not because it looks good on a piece of paper or because someone else says you should.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.morganwestling.com
- Email:westling.morgan@gmail.com
- Instagram:@morganwestling
- Facebook:@mwestling
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