Trying new things can be scary. This was the feeling when we made the decision at Walking Cradles to jump into the world of working with bloggers and influencers. Jamie (our shoe designer) and I spent countless hours reviewing blogs and pages of women whom we thought best represented the Walking Cradles customer.
One of the first things we realized was that to be a really good influencer, one needed to embrace the role as their full-time career. Variety in material, consistency in posting, and relevance in products reviewed are all aspects that take a lot of research, time and development before hitting the upload or publish button.
During a trip to Colorado in June, 2018, I received a message from one of the influencers who was on our radar. Jodie Filogomo noticed I was in Golden and she and her husband, Rob, invited us to join them with another fashion blogger, Cindy Scurry, for brunch that weekend. I explained there were six of us, to which Jodie exclaimed, "The more, the merrier!" Lunch was a blast, and I knew immediately that not only had we found a perfect influencer for Walking Cradles, but I had made a new friend!
Once Jodie and I connected, she introduced me to a fabulous group of women, known as "Forever Fierce." This group of women embody the Walking Cradle spirit: young-at-heart, take-charge, age-gracefully, love-fiercely, fashion-focused, yet comfort-driven! We were asked to be the official shoe (specifically, the Orleans in both Silver Glitter and Black Glitter) of their 2018 convention "FierceCon" which further proved that crossing paths with Jodie was a true blessing! As one of the founding members, Jodie was integral in growing this invitation-only group to over 8,500 women!
When the Walking Cradles Spring 2019 Shoe-Stravaganza and Fashion Show came around, we knew that inviting Jodie to be a guest model would be a huge hit! She and Rob came to Walking Cradles and found out what goes on behind the scenes at a shoe company. However, we also found out what goes on behind the scenes as a blogger/influencer as we watched them pour over contracts with companies who want to work with Jodie, photos (which, by the way, Rob is an amazing photographer) to consider in posts and articles, and schedules for all the upcoming newsletters, posts and feature articles! Wowza - we had no idea how much work goes into being a successful blogger/influencer, but Jodie and Rob are killing it!
Learning of Jodie's previous career as a dentist and how she decided make a career switch to embrace her love of fashion made me realize that trying new things is scary for everyone - but you never know unless you try!
In April 2017, Jodie was interviewed by Lindsay on "Have Clothes, Will Travel." When asked what she hopes the future holds for Jodie's Touch of Style, she answered: "Truly, I love helping others (it was the same with my dentistry)! If that can be making women feel beautiful by trying new styles or even styling a clothing item differently, then that makes me happy!! And then the future will take care of itself, right?" Well, Jodie, we know you have found your calling and it certainly seems the future is taking care of itself in a wonderful way!
Jodie's gregarious personality makes you feel like you have been friends forever! Well, that was 4 years ago, and as I look forward to Jodie and Rob's trip to St. Louis tomorrow, I can't help but think about how grateful I am that our path's crossed in Golden, CO and all the fun things we have done since then - both virtually and now again, in person!
We are super excited to have Jodie back at Walking Cradles this week and she will be joining us on our Facebook Live Reveal on Friday at 2pm (CST). We already know Jodie LOVES the Orleans Sneakers, so who better than her to introduce the three new colors of this popular shoe! In addition, Jodie has packed her personal favorite Orleans and will let us all know Friday which one that is and why. In addition, Friday is our first Fall '22 product reveal and Jodie is going to be the first person to try them and let us know what she thinks! This will be a Facebook Live you won't want to miss!
Below are some photos of Jodie throughout the years showing her rather extensive collection of Orleans sneakers! Which ones do you think are her favs? Find out Friday!
Jodie's first Orleans feature - here she wears one of the original colors (now retired), the Wine Matte Snake Print Leather.
In this fun pic, Jodie is wearing the Black & Bone Snake Print Orleans sneaker.
Jodie always packs her Walking Cradles when traveling, ensuring she will look great while her feet feel amazing! The Silver Glitter Orleans are her choice to pair with this fabulous striped dress as she stylishly waits at the airport!
A self-proclaimed fan of color, Jodie loves the Orleans in Tie-Dyed Fabric. We love how she so creatively and effectively color and pattern mixes!
DON'T FORGET: Be watching on Walking Cradles Facebook LIVE this Friday, August 19 at 2pm (CST) as Jodie will be making a guest appearance, introducing the new colors of Orleans, and sharing in our first style reveal for Fall '22!
If you aren't already following Jodie, don't waste any more time - check out her blog and social media pages.
Jodie's Blog: https://www.jtouchofstyle.com/
Jodie's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodiestouchofstyle
Jodie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtouchofstyle/
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