MARY CRAVEN PHOTOGRAPHY.
Landyn Hutchinson
Our annual list of trailblazing women are creating lasting legacies for themselves and for the city of Nashville. Now they’re sharing their stories, their triumphs, their setbacks, and their advice with us. Prepare to be inspired.
Making her Way
Authentic. That word perfectly describes me and is the backbone of my brand. I guess you can say the growth and rise of it all was honestly staying true to myself and continuing to share my everyday life—the good and bad— which in turn created a community of incredible women that related to just that: real life. Each of my 44 trips around the sun gave me life experiences, like growing up with a single mom, learning to decorate on a dime and celebrate the little things, falling in love at 14, husband in the public eye, moving nine times, teaching myself to cook, finding my personal style, raising kids, and most recently, chickens. I’m not an expert at any one of these things, but one thing I can do is help us all feel good in each area of our lives.
Challenges Faced
I never set out to have a website, open a store, or host a podcast. It all just happened so organically. One woman sharing with another and then another. It’s really all so crazy when I stop to think about it, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the success that I have had so far. If there’s any one challenge, it’s finding that beautiful balance of life and work. So much, if not all of what I share is my daily life. There’s no lights at the office to turn off and leave by 5 p.m., as a matter of fact that’s when the lights turn on: It’s dinner time and I’m the friend sharing an easy weeknight recipe in hopes of giving you an idea for tomorrow night’s dinner. I guess that would be my challenge in all of it.
The Definition of Success
Success is knowing that what you are doing is helping you and others live a better, happier, healthier life. I believe success comes from being content. I believe in our culture everyone is looking for the next big thing, what to do next—we never slow down long enough to truly enjoy what we have worked so hard to accomplish. Don’t chase the title or the money. Do what you love, and you will eventually find both and be more fulfilled. I’ve thought a lot more about the success of Living with Landyn and the next steps I want to take with this business. Our culture’s idea of success is not worth the value of myself, my family, or my employees. At the end of the day we should all want to live a life of value and be able to truly enjoy it.
Advice to Others
Ask yourself, “What’s my gift? Can it make someone’s life better? Is anyone else doing it?” OK, good. Then go for it! Trust me, there are going to be a lot of things you don’t know—I feel that every day, but that’s OK. It’s called Google. I’ll let you in on a little secret I’ve learned: turns out nobody knows what they’re doing. Remember this when you’re feeling defeated. You can’t compare your right now to someone else’s right now. We all start from the same place, so don’t get discouraged, and whatever you do, don’t let fear get in your way. Remember, life’s a boomerang. What you put out there will come back.
Meet Landyn Hutchinson and other women in the local community who are the best in their fields at our annual Women in Business event.
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The mix and mingle reception will be held on August 24 from 5-7:30 p.m., to network with our Women in Business honorees plus 200 other local business professionals. Throughout the evening, we will be doing live Q and A sessions with each woman!
Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres from Virgin Hotels Nashville along with wine from Biltmore Winery and cocktails from Tito's Handmade Vodka. Beverages from a full bar will also be available for purchase (credit cards only).