Meet Trailblazer Sandy Yeh

Sandy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s actually quite funny. I was at a speakeasy one night with my uber-talented friend Jenna Lynn who’s a professional photographer and owner of a Digital Media Company. My friends and I have a huge affinity for food and culture, awesome coffee, sweet treats, fabulous ambiance and supporting local business and community. I’d been writing reviews on Yelp for a few years now but even before that people have always asked me for recommendations on food and travel. That night, she asked, “Why don’t you have a food blog on Instagram?” Honestly, I had very little experience with the depths and breadths of social media. Jenna encouraged me to think of a handle while she went to the bathroom. Immediately, I thought, Sandy from San Diego. Since living in SD, I’d meet certain people, and it was like a jingle to them. When Jenna returned from the bathroom, a play on words, @sandyeggofoodie was born.

The start of food blogging was exciting and a bit of a whirlwind! It had been a while since I had been able to tap into my creative outlet and it was refreshing to delve into this new arena. It was interesting to learn the tactics of growth and popularizing yourself on social media. Initially, like most, I was caught up in the idea to try and be big, but it was time-consuming to keep up with the pace of social media and trying to differentiate yourself. However, I had a point of view, and I knew I wanted it to be more than just pictures of food. I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a home where my amazing mother cooked incredible Chinese & Taiwanese dishes. It gave me a real sense of good food and how food brings people together. So I wanted to share my perspective, but I also wanted to connect people and share ideas and thoughts in a way to create conversation. Thus my idea for a written blog, The Carb Complex started to take shape.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think the most valuable thing I learned from this is that knowing who you are and what you’re hoping to gain from this is a process. I started out thinking that I wanted to grow big and possibly have this be a launching pad to a new path, perhaps even a career. However, after a few months, I realized that certain aspects of social media were not things that really aligned with my authenticity or desires. I realized that I could still have a positive influence, a good brand and still connect with like-minded individuals who shared similar passions, but I didn’t need to be huge to reap the benefits. If anything, having a smaller following and not focusing on a number was liberating and allowed me to connect with my followers better and enjoy it more wholeheartedly.

We’d love to hear more about thecarbcomplex.
The Carb Complex is my written blog that links to my visual food blog on Instagram, but the premise of this blog is to use food to conceptualize other complex ideas or situations in our lives and make them more tangible. These days, we’re so reliant on technology and all the great advances it provides us, but at the same time, we’ve become a society that is unable to communicate well with each other. If you thought about things such as dating, death, temptation, struggles in relation to food, perhaps you would be willing to take a moment and actually consider these things. 

My brand is about authenticity. I’m about connecting people and sharing good food, culture, ideas, and life. I’m a healer, advocate, friend, and confidant and I’m known for having a very honest perspective and willingness to share openly about our wins and struggles in life while creating a space of compassion, generosity, and understanding for others to feel invited and acknowledged. I’m a foodie and avid traveler, I love making people laugh, and I make some mean smoothies and acai bowls.

As many ideas as I have to share on this written blog, Life has not quite allowed me to invest the time in sharing as many stories as I’d like, and it’s still a work in progress, but that’s life! Life is full of unexpected setbacks and competing circumstances or priorities. Just remember, even if you’re not as far along as you’d hope when the time is right, and you’re ready, you’ll make it happen!

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I love anything that inspires you to find better versions of yourself or help empower you!

Some books I love are ‘You Are a Badass’ by Jen Sincero and ‘The Desire Map’ by Danielle LaPorte.

Poets I really enjoy are Rumi, Yung Pueblo and Nayyirah Waheed.

A podcast that I listen to regularly – Tara Brach

Blogs I enjoy:
Food, Lifestyle, Travel: http://betweenballoons.com/blog/
Blog, Woodwork, Women, Life: http://amandawhitworth.com/
Blog, Community, Women, Domestic Violence, Life: https://christellelerryn.com/

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecarbcomplex.com
• Email: sandy@thecarbcomplex.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandyeggofoodie/?hl=en