Hi there! I’m just a girl, in front of a computer, asking Emily’s gazillions of followers to love her. Just kidding. I’m just me. Let’s see…I have three kids who make me both blissfully happy and certifiably insane. I work, probably too much sometimes but I love it.
My company, Inked, partners with emerging brands to help them launch product lines. You probably haven’t heard of Inked but instead of the brands we work with like Studio Calico, Ali Edwards, A Beautiful Mess, The TomKat Studio, Big Picture Classes, BabyBoyBakery and COURAGEworks. We work behind the scenes to help them grow their businesses. It rocks.
My husband is a genius financial planning wizard.
We have a farm.
And chickens.
My idea of the perfect date is a beer and a movie with my husband that doesn’t get interrupted by a little person crying over which Netflix show was chosen by the other.
I’m most proud of our farm. We’ve lived all over, including New York City for 7 years, Nashville for 5 and we’ve gone from being deep in debt (with collectors calling me at work) to fulfilling our dream of owning a farm to raise our children on. I get a lot of questions about how we did it. It wasn’t anything mind blowing. We lived on a budget, well below our means, saved pennies, said “no” to a lot of things, and we stayed focused on our goal. That went on for 13 years. Slowly but surely we dug ourselves out of debt, started saving and stayed focused. The process forever changed me and I owe every bit of gratitude to my husband. Because he is who he is, which is stubborn and focused, I became a better person. Ultimately, we get to live this amazing life, on a beautiful 100-year-old farm because he had the patience with me and with the small and steady progress. The end result is that I can say we are in our forever home, living a dream we dreamed for many years.
How do you take care of yourself so that you’re physically and mentally prepared to be your best self for others? I’m not the poster child for this. I struggle with prioritizing myself and being mentally prepared every day. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized, though, that there are a few things that greatly contribute to my sanity. I try to take a short walk every day on our farm. Also this year, I’ve been working through Lara Casey’s Powersheets and that has really helped me focus on the day to day things I can do to keep perspective. But I’m probably a bit of a rebel in that I don’t believe in balance. That’s a crazy, silly notion we women have cooked up. I believe in checking yourself before you wreck yo’ self. That’s it. Oh and try to make sure at the end of the day the kids are alive. I find if you set the bar low, each day you’re a success!
What’s your favorite beauty secret? Oil cleansing! I figured out several years ago that my skin was directly tied to my diet and all the horrible chemicals in our cosmetics (I can preach some safe cosmetics stuff but I will spare you). I switched to a more natural routine which includes oil cleansing. It’s magic and cheap and it works better than anything else. I found it through The Wellness Mama which has a whole host of ideas and recipes for those of us who are just a bit crunchy.
What’s your favorite go-to outfit for a quick polished look? Lately I’ve been mixing a polka dot sweater with a flannel button up shirt underneath. I put that with skinny jeans and my converse. My style is preppy/weird so it kinda works for me. Fashion is a weird thing that doesn’t come naturally to me so I have to just wing it and hope I don’t look like a hot mess all the time.
What’s your favorite quick-prep dinner for your family? I love to cook so we’re always trying new things but I’d say a really great standby for us is Beef Stew in the crockpot. The kids say they hate it but I think the tears are tears of joy.
Tell us your favorite Instagram account to follow and why? I crush on a lot of people via Instagram because that is totally normal and not creepy in the slightest. I’d say my biggest crush lately is actually a friend of mine @aliedwards. She makes ordinary life look so genuine and awesome at the same time.
What tradition or routine is important to you? I love listening to music. Whenever I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I can usually bring myself back to earth with the right song. Bless the gods who created streaming music. I also love that we sit down to dinner together every night. Usually someone cries and almost always someone complains about the delicious yet nutritious meal I have prepared. But, it’s still one time when no phones are allowed and everyone talks to each other. As with the common theme of my life, it’s a little bit of a hot mess, but it’s genuinely us.
What’s in your purse? I have a big leather tote from Madewell that I carry everywhere. Nicknamed “The Black Hole” because I can never find anything in it. It usually has my wallet, 87 different lip balms or glosses and a ball of yarn with knitting needles. Don’t ask me why I keep the yarn and needles in there. Because I have room? I keep thinking I’ll just learn how to knit while I’m in the daycare parking lot I guess.
Where do you find your inspiration? While I love me some Pinterest, I get the most ideas from podcasts about business. Ted Radio Hour, Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy and Elise Gets Crafty are my go-to podcasts.
We know you’re a busy lady! How do you balance all of your work responsibilities in addition to your home and personal life? Any tips for our readers? Make a list of all the things you like doing and all the things you procrastinate or completely ignore (at work and at home). Outsource the second list wherever possible. It relieves time, stress and helps you focus on the things that matter each day. I learned this from Kim Stoegbauer at The TomKat Studio. She’s one of the best delegators I’ve ever met and she’s incredibly successful at work and home because of it. Last year I discovered Bullet Journaling and I’ve been doing it ever since. It helps me keep the ever growing list from getting unruly and from things falling through the cracks.
What’s your favorite app (or other tool) for helping you do life? I’m loving Amazon Music lately. If you have Amazon Prime it’s free and I think the features are better than Spotify. For keeping up with my family and husband’s schedule, I share a calendar with my husband on iCloud. For photo editing, I’ve been playing with A Color Story by A Beautiful Mess. It’s legit.
Follow along with Sam:
Website: www.inkedbrands.com (Coming soon! Check back later this week for a brand new website.)
Instagram: @samanthashepard
