Boss Babe of The Month | Humanity & Hope Volunteer, Blogger Bestie, All Around Inspiring Babe

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Hi, remember me? It’s been a hot second since I’ve hit “publish” on a new post. Getting married will do that to ya I guess. 

But I’m back and feeling more inspired than ever! I’m so excited to come back with this Boss Babe of The Month post! This month, I am featuring one of my “blogger besties,” Chellie Britt. 

If there’s one thing I’ve gained since I started blogging, is the strong sense of community within the “blogging world.” I have come into contact with some of the most diverse, supportive, and genuine individuals. One relationship I have loved fostering is my friendship with Chellie. We started out commenting on one another’s Instagram posts after finding each other through one of our favorite podcasts: The LadyGang. IG hearts quickly led to supporting each other’s blogs, (check out Chellie’s blog here) and now we chat at least once a week. Sometimes it’s small talk, sometimes it’s an advice session, and other times it’s just to vent!

Chellie is one of the most genuine, down to earth, honest people I have ever had the pleasure of “meeting.” I say “meeting,” because although we have developed a friendship initiated through our blogs, we  have actually never met face to face…yet!

When Chellie shared that she was spending her 28th birthday on a service mission with Humanity and Hope United Foundation, I knew I had to feature her as a Boss Babe. More people need to be made aware of the awesome mission she is part of, and more importantly watching her grow and thrive as an individual has been so inspiring to me – I think other’s can benefit from knowing Chellie’s story too.

An Interview with Chellie Britt; Get to Know this Boss Babe and Learn How She Spent Her Birthday In Service.

"The people + the country have really gotten a hold of me + I can't wait to go back + help make their dreams come true."

Q: You recently took part in a service trip with Humanity and Hope. Tell us a little about their mission?  

A: Humanity & Hope was founded in 2010 by Riley Fuller. He’d ventured to Honduras a few years earlier with his family on a service trip + it really opened his eyes to the extreme poverty. Unfortunately, the organization he + his family went with was more of a “give the people stuff that we think they need + that’s it.” Riley wanted to do more.
 
When H&H enters a village, they’re much more people focused. They ask the people of each village three questions:
-What do you need?
-What do you want?
-What are your dreams?
 
H&H creates sustainable change by acquiring clean water, creating jobs where employees can earn a better wage, learn skills, feel empowered + they can share the knowledge they’ve gained with the next village Humanity & Hope helps. 
 
 
What inspired you to join Humanity and Hope’s mission?  
I laughed out loud at this question because we were asked this question the first night of our trip. Many of my teammates had sweet stories of how they loved service, that they were looking for an international service opportunity, that their friend wanted to go so they came, etc.
 
Everyone left me alone to address the elephant in the room. My one degree of separation from H&H is The Bachelor +, more specifically, Ben Higgins. He + Riley are best friends + he’s been involved with H&H since before he was a contestant on Kaitlyn’s season. He even mentions Honduras + his trips down there on a one-on-one date with Kaitlyn.
 
As an avid Bachelor franchise fan, I listen to his podcast, Almost Famous, where he mentions it frequently. But I didn’t look into H&H until March when Brandi Cyrus shared her experience with H&H on her Podcast, “Your Favorite Thing.” It was a Friday afternoon + I was stuck in traffic not moving so I looked up H&H. I saw they had a trip taking place over my birthday + knew I needed to go. I submitted my interest form + scheduled my phone interview for the following Tuesday. By Wednesday night I was confirmed on the trip + Thursday night booked plane tickets. 
 
Sounds like an amazing organization. And I love that you’re completely honest about how you heard of H+H!  If you can summarize, what is the biggest takeaway from your service trip? 
For the last couple of years, I’ve kind of been looking for a hobby. You know, a grown up “thing” that I do. When I was little I used to make (very sad looking) friendship bracelets + play softball. In college I took a couple of dance + music classes for credit. As an adult I’ve done some of those wine + paint nights. I can no longer play softball seriously (though I’ve played a pickup game now +then) since my spinal fusion when I was 18. I’m not artistic at all so not being what I think of as successful at dance, music or art is very frustrating. I hate to call service a hobby because I think it’s so much bigger than that, but this is the first thing that’s really caught my attention + my heart in a long time. The people + the country have really gotten a hold of me + I can’t wait to go back + help make their dreams come true.
 
Learn more about Humanity and Hope

 Any advice for someone looking to get involved with Humanity and Hope?

Connect with them on social media for a start! See what they’re up to day to day! If going on a trip is a reality for you, just do it. They’re currently fundraising to purchase the Grand Farm for one of their villages, La Coroza. You can also purchase products from one of their partners: Generous Coffee, Go Exchange, Doxhalogy Jewelry + MudLove.
 
"I’m really proud of some of the posts there + perhaps they could continue to help someone."

 We met through the blogging world. Aside from friendships, what is 1 thing that blogging has given you?

Outlets are so important in both powering our world + powering ourselves. That’s what this blog is for me, an outlet. LifebyChellie is actually my sophomore blog. My freshman blog  started as a place for me to vent as I rode the waves of being a “freshman at life.” I started it at the end of my first + only year of teaching + maintained it during my gap year working three part time jobs + onto the first year and a half of my current job.
Eventually it was no longer inspiring + far too self-deprecating for me to use as an outlet, but I didn’t want to take it down as I’m really proud of some of the posts there + perhaps they could continue to help someone. But I needed a new outlet to be charged from + three months later, LifebyChellie was born. 
 
 
Check out Chellie's Blog

On your blog, you have shared a lot about your past struggles, and how you’ve overcome hard times. What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone who may be going through a hard time?

Your circle is very important. They can make or break you. Surround yourself with quality over quantity. A year + a half ago, my circle looked completely different. You need + deserve people around you who are there for you as fiercely as you are for them when it’s sunny + when it’s raining. But your circle of support shouldn’t be limited to friends. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out for third party help help when you need it. I saw a therapist for three years in college + that was one of the best gifts I’ve given myself. Finding therapy that’s affordable can be kind of tricky + can take work, but it’s so worth it. Some therapists will let you pay on a sliding scale where you pay what you can afford. 
 
 
We’ve been following each other for about a year now. I have loved watching you share your journey and grow along the way. How would you say you’ve grown the most in this past year?
I always say I’m in the “newborn giraffe” stage of being an adult. My first blog is a representation of a giraffe struggling to stand + continuing to fall down. Now I’m that giraffe that’s standing with very wobbly legs but I’m standing on my own two (or four in a giraffe’s case) feet, I’ve pulled away from toxic people or people who simply don’t add to my life. Some of it’s day by day, fake it ’til you make it + learning to be okay with exactly who I am in any given moment. Sure I’m still very hard on myself at times but I am always reminding myself of just how far I’ve come. Shoot, I went to Honduras by myself/not knowing a single one of my teammates. I wouldn’t have done that a year ago. Self acceptance with a commitment to growth is a beautiful place to be.
"Some of it's day by day, fake it 'til you make it + learning to be okay with exactly who I am in any given moment. Sure I'm still very hard on myself at times but I am always reminding myself of just how far I've come. "
To quote one of our favorite podcasts, The Lady Gang – what would you say your “ish” moment has been so far?
 
Can I pick three? 
1. Ashley, Lauren + Naz of the “I Don’t Get It” Podcast took me to lunch back in March + shouted me out on the episode they recorded right after meeting me. 
2. I was invited to a Taylor Swift secret session in June which was across the street from where my ex works. 
3. Bill Nye the Science Guy retweeted my tweet about climate change. 
 
 
If you want to learn more about Chellie, head to her blog . Chellie is hosting a fundraiser in Chicago on December 5th at Zanies Comedy Club. All proceeds from the tickets will go to Humanity and Hope. Learn more here!

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