Aaron shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Aaron, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up and get ready to tackle the day!
1) Crawl out of bed as soon as I have the willpower, use the bathroom and weigh myself.
2) Put in my contacts, brush and make the bed.
3) Back to the bathroom, shower and get dressed.
4) Finish freshening up, pack my bags and off to work.
Let’s go!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
So, a bit about me: My name is Aaron. I am truly a lifelong foodie! Inspired by the countless food influencers whose content I’ve spent countless hours watching, I finally decided to take that step and begin to share my passion for food with anyone who cares to give my channel a click. Enter Aaron’s Trendy Eats.
The ambition of “Aaron’s Trendy Eats” (ATE) is really to be a food channel open to “All Things Food” (ATF). The only limitation I might put on that is that I want the channel to be relatable, i.e., readily relatable and accessible. That’s why much of the early content is — and will continue to be for the foreseeable future — centered on fast food. Most everyone eats fast food at times. Most people know the big chains. And, while prices have gone up, it’s still “relatively” affordable. In other words, you probably won’t see me doing a video about cooking a little-known dish with hard-to-find ingredients that takes a very long time to prepare. I love cooking, but that video is probably not coming anytime soon. Or ever. That said, I started posting some fine dining review content to expand the channel a bit. I am a fast food fan, but I don’t eat it all the time! For now, the idea is that the channel content will be centered on three of my passions: food reviews, food challenges and food deals. I believe that the triple threat of having a discerning palate, being able to eat a lot and having a keen eye for savings does make the channel unique. While I think it’s fair to say the channel is not very well-known now, if it continues to grow and eventually shifts into my full-time job, I’d love to transition to more of a food & travel channel. That is the dream!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
Great question.
I had to take a moment to think about this one, but the answer is clear: my grandma.
I grew up in a home of video games, basketball and a whole lot of food, not chores. One thing I remember clearly about my grandma is that she would always ask me to help with the laundry for the house: folding towels, matching socks, etc. We were a family of seven, so we did laundry every day – sometimes more than once.
The thing about doing the laundry that made it memorable was that I had four brothers, but my grandma would only ask me to help. Once I realized it was just me, I felt indignant. Why just me? There’s five of us! And my grandma telling me “you’ll appreciate it when you’re older” did not make me feel any better about the “clearly” unfair situation.
But then, something happened. She was right. As an adult taking care of my own home now, I love chores and cleaning! Okay, maybe not love, but I do appreciate them. I appreciate a tidy home. I appreciate the intentionality of taking care of a home. I appreciate my grandma and her laundry lesson.
Another big lesson about work I learned from my grandma: there’s always more work to do. Always. Well, technically, my grandma taught my mom that and then my mom taught me, but you get it.
There’s always more work to do. What does that mean practically? Embrace rest. Cherish it. Don’t be lazy and don’t stop working, but know this: there’s only so much you can do in a day and there’s always more laundry to do.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Find joy every day and appreciate the little things.
Don’t let anyone else take away your joy. Don’t give them that power over you. You are the one who controls your attitude. And that is powerful.
Look around at nature, neighborhoods and people – and smile.
We all live in different circumstances, but I believe each of us still has so much to be thankful for. And if life is tough right now, look back on a favorite memory and be thankful, if even just for a memory.
Most of all, appreciate the people in your life. I think most all of us have at least one special relationship we should treasure abundantly. And how amazing is that?
Life is a blessing. God is good. Each day is a gift. None of us knows when our last day will be. Don’t let your last day be filled with a bad attitude and an ungrateful heart.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that being unemotional was maybe my greatest strength. Now, I look back and realize that it was possibly my biggest weakness.
Being “calm and collected” can look very cool. Whether on the screen or in real life, there’s something alluring about the guy who is stoic and calculated in his actions, not driven along by his changing passions. The macho guy. The man’s man. Mr. Reliable. Whatever you want to call him, many of us aspired to that. A lot of us still do.
After all, doesn’t Professor Snape call those emotional guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves weak people and fools? (Yes, I am a huge Harry Potter fan.)
Now, how did I get cured from that? From not shedding a tear for years and being proud of my disciplined stoicism. Simple: I watched High School Musical 3. I leaned in for that sappy love scene of Troy surprising Gabriella at Stanford and let my heart soften into quiet tears. And something changed in me. I felt alive. (And I’ve continued to feel alive since.)
Life is beautiful. Feelings give life color. Life is messy. Express you emotions and live your feelings, don’t bottle them in.
Thankfully, I think I am not alone in this change in perspective and I believe there is something of a culture shift that has happened and continues to happen in this regard.
Takeaway in other words: High School Musical gives better life lessons than Harry Potter.
Well, maybe.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m walking around the lakes.
I am incredibly fortunate to live in a neighborhood with two beautiful lakes in the center. And over the past few years, I’ve had the absolute privilege of spending dozens – if not hundreds – of afternoons taking a stroll around the lakes and decompressing after a long day’s work.
Greens and browns and blues. Nature is truly the most amazing painting. No manmade work of art – no matter how impressive – can compare.
Listen to the birds. Feel the breeze. Gaze at the sky. Make the journey.
Pro Tip 1: When you walk around a lake, try to time it with sunset, especially if it’s after a rainy spell.
Pro Tip 2: If you’re worried about a high blood pressure reading at the doctor’s office, think about when you feel most at peace during the test – your lakes. (It really works!)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronstrendyeats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaronstrendyeats/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aaronstrendyeats
