Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Drake-McDonough.
Hi Courtney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Denver and went to school at the University of Denver. There, after changing majors a few times, I took a creative writing course and was hooked on the joy of writing. At D.U. I wrote a column for the student newspaper called In Good Taste, which was restaurant and theater reviews aimed at getting the students, many of whom were from across the globe, to venture out and see what Denver had to offer. I haven’t stopped working on that mission, even though In Good Taste is now a blog going on for 11 years, covering food, arts, culture, and travel.
That continued love of writing, and of food and travel, also led me to purchase a popular digital magazine, Real Food Traveler, which covers culinary travel around the world. I’m happy every day to be immersed in writing, and writing about topics I’m passionate about.
In the past year or so, I added podcasts to both sites and it has brought a new level of excitement to what I do. I love talking to people, getting to the story behind their business. There’s never a boring story- they are all personal, interesting, and inspiring. I absolutely love doing them.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Overall, I have been really blessed by how easily my websites have come together and how they’ve grown. Of course, there are struggles (try writing about travel and restaurants during a global pandemic and quarantine).
I think the biggest struggles have come from having to constantly shift between the different “hats” I wear for my work, some of which don’t come naturally to me at all, like advertising sales. But it’s also very interesting, and good for the health of my brain, to go between being a writer, an editor, a graphic designer, a tech person, a bookkeeper, and a marketer. I like having a well-rounded skill set. Keeping up with it all, and being good enough at it all, is a challenge though.
It’s a ton of work, but the rewards are many and, hey, this is life as a solo entrepreneur.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My professional world revolves around food, travel, arts, and culture – all wonderful things that make life better. So, there’s that right off the bat. The fact that I get to explore them through the written word and podcast interviews, talking to others is frosting on the cake.
I’m proud of the support I’m able to provide the restaurant and travel worlds through my writing, and through sharing the work of my writers, too. I’ve been thanked many times for being an advocate for restaurants and destinations and that makes me feel great. Food links us to other people and places. And we should expand our worlds through travel. To get feedback that I’m encouraging both and that it’s appreciated is wonderful validation for all the hard work I put into it.
What sets me apart, I think, is that I purposely stay naive about a lot of things. What comes from that is a constant state of “wonder,” which makes me curious about everything and delighted by discoveries. And that, I feel, makes me a better writer because I never want to assume a reader’s (or podcast listener’s) degree of knowledge. If I look at it through fresh, full-of-wonder eyes, that will come through in my writing and podcasts.
What does success mean to you?
Well, making enough money to pay all of your expenses, and then some is right up there. But if your day-to-day work feels like drudgery, you’re doing the wrong thing. You should feel excitement and anticipation as you start your workday. If you don’t feel passionate about it and feel a little giddy being in whatever your professional world is all about, you need to change that. So success, to me, is feeling excited about, and grateful for, your work.
Now, outside of work, success is, not unlike work-life, being able to find pleasure in everyday things, savoring all that’s good. If I can end my day saying I did that, able to feel gratitude, that was a successful day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.InGoodTasteDenver.com and www.RealFoodTraveler.com
