A Mom-with-a-Blog
Turner uses social media to help women succeed in motherhood
May 23, 2023
On Friday, April 28, North inducted 2000 graduate and current successful author Jessica Turner into the Hall of Fame. Turner is a mom-with-a-blog called The Mom Creative and a self-described influencer for moms in particular.
“20 years ago, I was the student sitting in the stands that actually wanted to be up here someday,” Turner says of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In her senior yearbook, Turner was voted “Most Likely to be Famous.” She definitely achieved her dream.
After graduating in 2000, Turner attended UW-Madison, majoring in journalism. Since then, she has worked for such companies as Walmart, Target, Nintendo, and Nike
She published her first book in 2015 called The Fringe Hours for which she interviewed over 2,000 women about their passions and struggles. Turner defines fringe hours as “the hours often wasted at the end of the day.”
The book earned a #31 place out of all books on Amazon. She now has three published books.
In addition to publishing books, she also runs a successful blog—The Mom Creative—with which Turner gives fashion advice to mothers. The blog has over 100,000 views a month.
“No one just goes viral. You make it with grit and determination. Be the hardest worker in the room,” Turner says.
The blog primarily focuses on topics such as self-care, grief, loneliness, dating, gifts for special days, and places to travel. Turner uses her fringe time and blog to make things easier for working moms, particularly in ways to get them more time for themselves.
“Self-care really matters. You’ll be a better wife, mom, and friend when you take care of yourself.”
Turner provided students with five tips for becoming successful: be persistent, be a connector, make room for new dreams, love your people, and “make it rain.”
Turner’s fame started with a blog/column called “Put on that Swimsuit.” She wanted to empower women to find happiness with their bodies.
Turner credits several teachers for having a major impact on her future, including former English teachers Jim White, Ron Harrell, and Matt Terry. In high school, Turner wanted to be a famous actress, and her teachers gave her the tools and knowledge to guide her into professions similar to but different from it.
“My teachers showed me how I can dream differently. I became famous for helping women. The calling of your life might evolve. That’s ok,” she says.
Despite all of Turner’s success, she stressed to students that they should not lose sight of the important people in life.
“Don’t let success take away from investing in people.”
To make that point clear, she ended her speech by having students rub their hands, snap their fingers, and pat their lap to show how individually and together they can all learn how to “make [success] rain” down.
