Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Schiavon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Angela. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In early 2016 I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and casein (milk protein) intolerance after a 3 year long battle with a multitude of health issues. I was saddened because I knew that my life was about to change forever, but I was relieved because I finally had a diagnosis and a treatment plan.
I left my doctor’s office in tears, with a print out about what Celiac Disease is and that the only treatment was to adhere to a strict gluten free diet for life. That was it. I didn’t have a CLUE as to how prevalent gluten was and that removing it would cause me to basically re-learn how to cook, eat and live my life.
Thankfully, there were (and still are) tons of wonderful websites, blogs and Celiac/gluten free forums out there that helped me understand this disease and give me all of the information and support I needed as I began this new journey.
It was the information and support that I found online that inspired me to start my blog, Chronically Gluten Free. I had been wanting to start a blog that with a purpose of helping others for a while but just never knew what I would blog about. After a year of navigating this new gluten free (and dairy free) lifestyle, I was ready to start offering my help and support to the Celiac community.
With the help of family and friends, Chronically Gluten Free was born! I worked hard to build my website from scratch, with a little assistance from a web design professional, and on May 20, 2017 it was officially launched to the world with little expectation of what it would become.
Today, Chronically Gluten Free has grown more than I anticipated in its first year with over 2,400 followers on social media and thousands of website views each month!
I have also been able to be a part of some pretty awesome things thanks to my blog. I was chosen to be a featured blogger at the 2018 Chicago Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Expo (https://gfafexpo.com/). I became a contributor for The Mighty (www.themighty.com) where two of my blog posts have been republished. I have been interviewed by the Associated Press about my thoughts on Dunkin’ Donuts new certified gluten free brownie (https://www.apnews.com/c0c99d4462984bb5acbe3666dd32c5f5) And my greatest achievement to date was finding out that Chronically Gluten Free was named one of the top 100 gluten free blogs worldwide!
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh goodness, no, haha. Being successful is never going to be easy. I have definitely had my fair share of struggles along this road!
There are days – sometimes weeks – where I go unmotivated or had a failed recipe attempt and I get down on myself and just go MIA for a little while until I can find that spark again.
I struggle with having to be a perfectionist about everything, so even if the slightest thing goes wrong or if I am not producing something that I deem to be perfect, I will have to completely re-do it until it’s ready. This is something that I am learning to work through and overcome as time goes on and having this blog has actually helped me tremendously with that.
There are also days where I lack the energy to produce new content due to living with chronic illnesses, but these obstacles are ones I have learned to embrace as I really do not have control over them.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chronically Gluten Free story. Tell us more about the business.
Chronically Gluten Free is a blog that I started with the hopes of spreading awareness of an ever growing autoimmune disorder known as Celiac Disease. Aside from offering information about the harmful effects of gluten, CGF provides a foundation of support for those living with autoimmune disease(s), food allergies and those choosing a gluten free and/or dairy free lifestyle.
I am known for being a Celiac Disease advocate in the Chronic Illness community and a gluten free recipe developer.
I am most proud of all of the people I have been able to help in such a short amount of time. I get dozens of messages a month from people thanking me for doing what I do, and it brings me to tears because I know that all of the time and effort I put into this blog is worth it!
I don’t really like to compare myself to others as everyone is unique and different in their own way, especially in the gluten free blogger community. I feel that I bring my own perspective and experiences to the table and that makes me a valuable part of the community and I am grateful for that.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see this industry continuing to grow over the next 5-10 years. I feel like more and more people are choosing to follow their passions and what makes them happy, blogging being one of those things for many. Also, with the rise of social media and the internet in general, there is no way that this industry will go away – at least not anytime soon!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chronicallyglutenfree.com
- Email: chronicallyglutenfree@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chronicallyglutenfree/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chronicallyglutenfree/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChronicallyGF
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/chronicallygf/
Image Credit:
Angela Schiavon
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