We recently had the chance to connect with Stephanie Arsenault and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up at 4:45am, splash some cold water on my face, meditate, work out, read something inspirational, and then share my wealth of knowledge and wisdom with others. Just kidding. Instead, I am a zombie. Not the quick, brain-eating kind of The Walking Dead fame, but more like the groaning, slow, relatively incompetent variety à la Shaun of the Dead.
After several minutes of grunting and complaining, I head out to the backyard and sit in my giant egg chair and, as I apparently live in a bird sanctuary, I’ll usually open up my Merlin ID bird app to help me identify my feathered friends as I sip on a cup of coffee. Next, I check the progress in my greenhouse, curse whatever creature has been nibbling on my veggies, then go about making my list for the day. Without a list, I am a useless person. I include really simple things on it (Make tea! Shower! Call mom!) along with the bigger, important tasks, just so I can feel accomplished. I am so sorry, readers, if you wanted inspirational tips (I, too, have read “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast” and the closest I am getting to that is that I often forget to eat breakfast so technically I get a lot done before breakfast).
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Stephanie! I’m a freelance food and travel writer, photographer, recipe developer, beer and wine nerd, and cookie monster (of the eating and making variety). And a certified travel advisor. A Stephanie of all trades, one might say.
Most recently, my book, “111 Places in San Diego That You Must Not Miss” was released, and I am so proud of it. It’s a book that’s part of a larger series that celebrates different places around the world (111 Places), and it’s meant to both guide visitors but also surprise locals with places or stories they may be unaware of.
As a Canadian who moved to San Diego (but first vacationed here many times), I have a unique perspective on the area, and a drive to explore and discover different aspects of San Diego as a whole. Since the book came out I have had so many locals tell me that they’ve lived here their entire lives and still hadn’t heard of or been to many of the places that I included. That said, it was really tough to find a good balance of spots to feature (somehow my initial list was like, 80% food and drink related), and to narrow it down to 111. I mean, come on. This place is incredible – it was hard to not just make it a list of Approximately 900 Things Stephanie Enjoys.
Next up, I plan to write a cookbook. I’ve taught cooking classes in the past, and would love to host those again, and maybe focus on something people tend to find intimidating (but I adore) like sourdough, pies, or pickling and preserving. I also dream of making and selling my pickles, and have been looking at commercial kitchens that I could use to make them in.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I did not believe I could do hard things. Life hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve dealt with pretty crippling depression and anxiety for the majority of it. It’s not something I’ve openly talked about, but it’s something so many people struggle with and I think that if we were all a little more candid with how we are doing, it would be so helpful. I recently had a devastating loss in my family, and that has prompted me to just open up; I want people to know that it’s okay to not be okay, and that there are resources and people who can offer support.
I am also extremely lucky to have a husband who not only provides me with kindness and gentleness when needed, but he pushes me out of my comfort zone and has been doing so for literal decades. Without his encouragement, I’d be a hermit crab (yes, an actual crab) living under a rock somewhere. Instead, I do things that make me uncomfortable (even if it’s just meeting new people) but are so rewarding (like traveling by myself to beautiful places).
But at the end of the day, it’s me. I’m the one living my life, and I wish I could tell 10-year-old me that it’s going to be okay, and that I can do hard things.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I’d say a solid case of imposter syndrome. I mean, everyone has it to some degree, but I am so good at it (oh, the irony). But again, I’m learning to beat it. I think writing my book was such an incredible feat – so much hard work! – and now that it’s finally done and out there, I am just so proud of myself. So now, when that imposter syndrome creeps up, I try to remind myself that I accomplished something wonderful, and maybe I’m not such an imposter after all.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no. When I’m writing (or on Instagram, etc.), I think I come across as a much louder, boisterous version of myself, but in reality I am not good at speaking, at small talk, or at using my words out loud. In real life, I am quiet and introverted; there’s that safety behind a keyboard that I think many writers find solace in. It’s always so funny to me that I chose a job that requires me to be public, to be accessible, and be social, when in fact I trip over my words when talking and get flustered very easily. So yes, the public version of me is the real me, but without the shyness that gets in the way. In public and in private, I am always smiling (and only like, 40% of the time it’s because I have really bad RBF) and doing little happy dances.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What will you regret not doing?
I know that life is short and I am extremely lucky, and I don’t want to waste it or be ungrateful. There are very few things in life I regret doing (for instance, I regret taking another bite out of that questionable burger that I saw wasn’t fully cooked after the first bite and doing it anyways), but I know I’ll regret not doing things. So I do the scary things (even if it’s just the one time… hello skydiving!) and if I hate it, that’s okay. At the end of it all, I just want to be proud of the life I’ve lived, of the person I have chosen to be, and of those I surround myself with.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.globaldish.ca
- Instagram: @globaldish
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-arsenault-19366947/
