How Jen Did It: 0 to 1 million+ monthly views in 12 months

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This is not only proof that I am not a “one off” fluke. This is a story of inspiration, strength, hope and a love story, which empowered the phenomenal success of Jen from Carlsbad Cravings. If this does not move you to tears, I do not know what will.

Jen from Carlsbad Cravings shares her amazing life story and how she grew her food blog to 1.3 million monthly views in just 12 months | Food Bloggers Central

“I really don’t know how long I am going to be around, so I do this because I genuinely love it and want to do as much as I can while I am here…..”

When I read that, I burst into tears. When I tell my friends about Jen, I burst into tears, but then I smile as I talk animatedly about her, her amazing food and zest for life (and ridiculously cute 4 legged daughter Kiwi who saved her life).

I first stumbled across Jen from Carlsbad Cravings on Pinterest, because her amazing food is everywhere. I’d be surprised if you didn’t know of her already.

Then gradually, we started to get to know each other. As cyber-friends do. And I really got to know her through her blog, Carlsbad Cravings.

Blogs are personal. But Jen’s is more personal than most.

Because Jen is a little different to those of us who have been lucky to be born with just minor allergies.

Jen was born with Cystic Fibrosis (and diabetes) which is a life threatening genetic disorder for which there is currently no cure. She is one of less than 3% of people who have been fortunate enough to receive and survive a lung and kidney transplant (read more about her story here).

After receiving her kidney transplant in 2013, she decided to use her newfound energy to share her love of cooking with the rest of the world, and thus Carlsbad Cravings was born.

And the rest of the world sees her amazing food! Jen has grown her blog to over 1 million monthly views in 12 months and currently has over 1.3 million monthly views!

I cannot tell you how privileged I am that Jen is here to talk to us today about not only her blog and the incredible success she has achieved, but also about her life.

*****************

“…in 30 years, you aren’t really going to care about your page views, you are going to care about your loved ones and the time you did or didn’t spend with them. So have fun, do it because you love it, and don’t take yourself or blogging too seriously..” Jen, Carlsbad Cravings

 Nagi profile photo 2Nagi: I don’t know where to start an interview like this. You’ve affected me so profoundly on so many levels and I feel so privileged that you are willing to talk to me. Let me start with this, because I did not know much about Cystic Fibrosis (“CF”) until I met you. Tell our readers what CF is and how it affected you growing up.

Jen Profile PhotoJen: Oh, Nagi, you are the sweetest! Thank you, I am so honored for this opportunity! Cystic fibrosis is the number one genetic killer of young adults in the United States. In simple terms, individuals with CF have a defective gene which mainly affects the lungs and pancreas. The extra thick mucus clogs the airways and traps bacteria causing constant infections which eventually decrease lung capacity to the point of respiratory failure.

In my younger years, I felt mainly unaffected aside from countless pills, and hours every morning and every night of aerosols and airway clearance etc. to try and preserve healthy lungs with – that was just normal to me. As I got older, and friends I knew with the disease died, I very matter-of-factly concluded that I would never get married or have a family. I assumed I would die in my thirties but I also lived in hope that a cure would be found.

I was relatively healthy (few hospitalizations) while my brother, Justin, 4 years my senior, was always sick – constant hospitalizations, coughing, etc. I watched him die at age 19 in our home due to suffocation despite breathing oxygen. Justin was a pillar of strength, courage, optimism and humor. He is dearly missed but I am so grateful I will see him again.

A year after my brother’s death, I found my health in the same downward spiral. At age 16, I was deathly ill (constant high fevers, bed ridden, on oxygen 24/7, constant throwing up, etc.) and in desperate need of a lung transplant. I was too sick for a cadaveric lung transplant (transplant from a brain dead individual), so the new and risky living lobar transplant was my only hope. I had weeks to months to live.

“I am forever in debt, forever grateful, forever humbled and forever in awe of my two lung donors, family and medical staff who have made my very life possible.”

In a living lobar lung transplant, all 5 lobes (Everyone has five lobes – three on the right side and 2 on the side of a heart) are completely removed from the patient and replaced with the bottom lobe from two donors so the recipient has 2 lobes instead of 5. When all of my family members were disqualified, 2 family friends from church stepped forward and offered me lobes of their lungs.

When my lungs were taken out, I had just a quarter size left of good, healthy pink lung tissue, the rest was black and scarred from so many infections.

There were several bumps and miracles along the road of recovery, but the surgery was successful. I am forever in debt, forever grateful, forever humbled and forever in awe of my two lung donors, family and medical staff who have made my very life possible.

Kidney2

Nagi: Reading about the logic your family applied as to who should give you your “first” kidney transplant in this post was both funny and heartbreakingly beautiful to read as they argued the “next available” kidney. Tell me more about this time in your life, and how you felt.

Jen: I can’t believe my kidney transplant was just over two years ago! I was listed for a cadaveric kidney transplant while we waited for test results to see if my mom or sister would be a match for a living donor transplant. At this point, I felt pretty crummy physically but I was in great spirits.

I was severely anemic so I had little energy, my legs and feet were full of fluid so I could only wear skirts and one pair of shoes, my diet was very restricted and on and on. Still, the situation wasn’t life or death like it was with my lung transplant – worse case scenario I would be on dialysis for years and feel crummy until a match was found.

Still, I was filled with an overwhelming peace that everything would work out.  I still didn’t know how, or by “who” – but I knew it would.  Until the test results came back, it was just a waiting game, a hopeful waiting game. 

My Heroes Ask Wallflowers to Dance | Jennifer Sabin Stately - Carlsbad CravingsNagi: You wrote a book, “My Heroes Ask Wallflowers to Dance” about your life. Tell me about writing it – it was so emotional, I can’t imagine the strength it took! (Here’s a post where Jen shares her experience about writing the book).

Jen: I never planned on writing a book but I really wanted to honor all of the heroes in my life from my brother Justin, to the rest of my family, lung donors, doctors, community, etc who have metaphorically “asked me to dance” and carried me onto the dance floor of life when I didn’t have the strength.

Writing my book was an emotional, cathartic, heartwarming, rewarding experience. I would be typing away as tears poured down my cheeks.  Time and again, Patrick would look at me and say, “Are you okay?!”  And I would respond, “I’m good, I’m good,” and keep typing and crying. It was emotional to read my dad’s journals, to relive the pain and loss, awe-inspiring to reflect on all the service and sacrifice on my behalf, and overwhelming to reflect on all the Lord’s tender mercies and miracles in my life.

Nagi: Do you have some resources and organisations you could share with us for those of us who want to learn more and support the cause? Are there organisations that you are involved in?

Jen: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is an amazing organization that has raised millions of dollars for cystic fibrosis research. I have spoken at several of their fundraisers and attend their Great Strides Walk every year.   They have many drugs in the pipeline that are extremely promising to treat cystic fibrosis and hopefully to completely cure it in the near future. 

Nagi: How are you now?

Jen:  I feel great! I feel blessed every single day to be alive, especially with less than 1/3 of lung transplant patients living past 10 years and I am celebrating 16 years next month! After my lung transplant, my doctor told me that “A lung transplant doesn’t cure your disease, it gives you a different disease.” I have come to understand what she meant with over a dozen pneumonias, four lung rejection episodes, etc. The immune-suppressants I take so my body doesn’t detect and reject my donated lungs or kidney make it hard for my body to fight something as simple as a cold so being able to work from home truly is an answer to prayer!

Jen and Patrick | Carlsbad Cravings

Nagi: Tell me more about your husband Patrick. I read this post. How did you meet, who asked who out first ;-), where did you get married?

Jen: Patrick is sweet, kind, courageous, creative and so much FUN! I had never know if I was going to get married but I had always known I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than my soul mate. Enter Patrick.

We met on the dusty streets of Puerto Nuevo, Mexico where we were vacationing separately with friends and just happened to be on the same street at exactly the same time in a foreign country.   I helped Patrick move from about an hour away to Carlsbad (north San Diego) which was technically our first date because he bought me In ‘N Out. As I whipped out my insulin with my burger and fries, I found him so easy to talk to about everything. Our second date was a jail break from the hospital in between my IV doses to a Japanese restaurant. I made sure I changed out of my gown first. 🙂 We were married less than four months later in the San Diego Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Temple on May 26, 2006. It has been the best 10 years of my life! 

Jen and Patrick Wedding

Jen and Patric’s wedding – gorgeous!

Nagi: This is a hard question I’m sure, but tell me what your most wonderful memory of Patrick is.

Jen: I have so many wonderful memories but one that encompasses so much emotion is immediately after my kidney transplant. We didn’t know if the surgery would be a success – if I would wake up with a functioning kidney or be on dialysis. When I woke up, not only did the kidney transplant work, but I felt amazing! We were both giddy, laughing and talking and planning all the fun things we were going to do. He was smiling ear to ear and I could see the weight of the world off his shoulders and replaced with pure joy.

Nagi: (cheeky) Who wears the pants in your relationship?

Jen: We each wear a leg! 🙂

Nagi: Booooring…..so politically correct! 😉

“As I thought about sharing recipes, I decided I also wanted to share more of the blessings and miracles that continue to be part of my life as well – and being both a lung and kidney transplant recipient (due to cystic fibrosis) – there are many!”

Cream-Cheese-Stuffed-Banana-Coffee-Cake-7-1

One of Jen’s fabulous cravings: Cream Cheese Stuffed Banana Coffee Cake

Nagi: What made you start your blog?

Jen:  I have always loved to cook! Before my blog, I would create my own recipes, find a photo of a similar looking recipe online and add it to my visual recipe index of my HUGE recipe binder. Such a foodie nerd. Even when I was severely anemic before my kidney transplant and my feet were so swollen and felt like they were going to explode after a long day at the office, I always had energy to cook. In fact, the thought of creating in the kitchen re-energized and got me through the day.

After my kidney transplant when I was working from home, I was walking on the beach with my sister-in-law and she said, “You should start a food blog, I’d read it!” I had never wanted to start a food blog because then I would actually have to measure things but the thought of my sister-in-law and 30 people finding joy in my food excited me. The fact that it has turned into what it has is such an incredible, humbling blessing. I get to do what I love, work from home and stay healthy and eat lots of food.

After the outpouring of love from my book, I also wanted a place to share more of the blessings and miracles that continue to make my life possible. In a way, my blog is my legacy, my journal and my testimony all in one place.

“… honestly, cooking has gotten me though some tough times

Nagi: I’ve noticed that your family features in your recipes posts. Can you tell us more about the food you share on your blog?

Jen: I share anything and everything I love – whether its inspired by an old family recipe or a family member’s favorite ingredient – food and family simply go together! I share recipes with big, bold flavors – often Mexican and Asian – and often a creative twist on a classic – the creative part is my favorite! I want every single recipe to be the very best it can be so if an extra spice or ingredient will do the trick, I am going to add it! 🙂

Jen Food PhotographyNagi: You’ve achieved growth on your blog beyond what most people ever dream. I have my theories. 🙂 Care to share your thoughts?

Jen: I think it’s a lot of hard work, a lot of luck and a lot of bright images. 🙂

I only post recipes I absolutely love so hopefully that keeps people coming back and knowing that Carlsbad Cravings always has delicious recipes.

I also try and create recipes that are accessible yet still creative and unique. I name my recipes first – and if it sounds good, then I will make it for the blog – if it sounds too out there – I will make it for me. I have worked hard at creating beautiful images because I want people to eat my food!

I had never held a nice camera before my blog and am totally embarrassed of my first images, but that is a good thing because it means there has been improvement!

I think quality photography is extremely important to get noticed, featured and invited to contribute to other blogs. I lucked out and was asked to be a contributor for some big blogs such as RecipeGirl, Realhousemoms, The Recipe Critic and Chef in Training which really helped me grow. I also got noticed early on by BuzzFeed and they began regularly featuring my recipes – they seem to really like creative angles on food.

While content is key, we have all heard that promotion is queen. I believe I grew so quickly because I had a few recipes that went crazy on Pinterest due to my bright images and collage pins back before collages were everywhere. Aside from scheduling tools (yay BoardBooster!) to promote my content, I am in many Pinterest Share Groups and FaceBook Share Groups which is very important for cross-promotion – and making blogging friends!

Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Nagi: Until you hit that “tipping point”, which for me was 1 million and it sounds like it was around that for you too, when you felt you could take your foot off the accelerator, how much time did you spend creating content and promoting each week?

Jen:  I would say it was about 50/50 but it felt like I was promoting even more because I was manually pinning for the first year – I know, crazy! I didn’t like any of the scheduling tools out there until BB, so I had a strategic spreadsheet with all my pins and boards. I also participated in many FB share threads for pinterest, yummly, SU, comments, etc. Now BB and VA do most of my promoting which is mainly pinterest and FB share groups.

Nagi: I love that! We did the same, spending so much time promoting our work! You’re a text book case study for my 50/50 Rule Post (i.e. for every hour you spend creating content, spend 1 hour promoting it).

What are your top 5 recipes? Where did they “take off” and why do you think they were so popular?

Jen: 

  • Bettter-Than-Takeout-Beef-and-Broccoli-11-861x1024Almost No Bake Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Pies – This recipe doesn’t have as many pins as some of my others but since I posted it in July 2015, it is continually is in my top 5 and going strong. I think it has done so well because everyone loves chocolate, peanut butter, pies and mini everything! It has done well on FB because the picture is FB friendly – up close and personal – and it has done well on pinterest because I have a non-expandable process shot pin. It is also part of a No Bake Desserts Roundup I participated in with some other bloggers so its shared constantly.
  • Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa – I am actually really surprised this recipe has done THIS well and I almost didn’t post them because I wasn’t happy with the pictures! I think they do well on pinterest because they are colorful and an approachable, fresh new take on everyones favorite – tacos! They have been shared by various publications such as msn.com, BuzzFeed, etc.
  • 3 “Secret Ingredient” Better Thank Takeout Beef and Broccoli
    – I posted this recipe my third week of blogging! It really took off on pinterest because of the up close photo and I did a collage pin before everyone was doing them. This pin has now been around a while so people like to comment on the pin and say that they love the recipe – and that always helps! Also, everyone wants to know the “secret ingredient” 🙂
  • Southwest Pepper Jack Salad with Creamy Avocado Salsa DressingSouthwest-Salad-with-Creamy-Avocado-Salsa-Dressing11 – I am pretty sure this is my most pinned recipe. It is bright, a pouring shot (although not the best), and a twist on a beloved classic. It was shared by Real Housemoms and got a lot of traffic from that, but it mainly just rocks Pinterest.
  • Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze – This is my “viral” post. I thought I knew what viral was until this recipe was shared by Real Housemoms. As of date it has over 330,000 reshares from their FB post. I think it has done well because it is an upclose, happy shot, a twist on a classic favorite and everyone loves “cream cheese stuffed” cakes and breads.

Nagi: What camera and lens do you mostly shoot with? Do you ever shoot with artificial light, or only natural?

Jen: I use an old school Canon T3i because its all about the lens in my opinion (and its what my husband already had 🙂 ). Almost all of my overhead shots are taken with a 17-85mm lens. I used a 50mm lens for all my other shots until about a month ago, now I use my new macro lens – so my very newest posts are shot with that.

Nagi: Tell me your favorite foods! (Other than wings – we are kindred spirits!)

Jen: I LOVE anything that is sweet and spicy – the ying and yang of that flavor combination is my favorite in the world! That is probably why Mexican and Asian inspired dishes are my favorite because I can play off of that dynamic. If I had to pick one of my favorite recipes, it would be my Secret Ingredient Mongolian Beef. It pretty much sums me up! 

“Money is not what drives me….”

Nagi: What drives you? You work harder on your blog than almost anyone I know!

Jen: I thought long and hard about his question – because honestly, I hadn’t thought of it before! I’ve concluded it’s a combination of things. Foremost, I am driven by my love of cooking. I would be cooking and creating blog or no blog, so having the platform to share excites me! I work hard on my posts because I want to be proud of every single recipe and I want people to actually make and try my food. Carlsbad Cravings will be around long after I am gone, so I want to accomplish as much as I can while I am here. I want my legacy to be delicious and beautiful!

Jen's Cranberry Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

Jen’s Cranberry Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf

Nagi: What is your ultimate goal with you blog? Is there a point when you think you will take a “back seat” and not work so hard?

Jen: My ultimate goal used to be to achieve 1 Million page views/month. Since reaching that goal, I don’t feel the need for “more, more, more.” I am content with my growth, but I will always have the drive to create because that is when I am happiest. I finally hired a VA, so in essence, I am taking a back seat in the promoting/everything-I-don’t-like-to-do department, and get to focus on cooking and photographing and let my VA run more of the “blog” aspect of it. YAY!

Nagi: Thank you so much for opening yourself up to me and FBC. I honestly cannot tell you what an inspiration you are. You still owe me a cake for the puffy eyes I woke up with after bawling my eyes out over your posts!

In closing, what words of wisdom do you have to growing bloggers out there?

Jen Profile PhotoJen:  I will bake you a cake for FBC in LA – I take requests. 🙂

Have fun, always give yourself a pat on the back and celebrate your victories. I see bloggers everywhere constantly getting discouraged and comparing themselves to others but please give yourself more credit!
If you are looking at another blog, it should be to learn something, not to belittle yourself (or them!). If you love cooking, are striving to improve your photography, networking and promoting, the growth will come.
But in 30 years, you aren’t really going to care about your page views, you are going to care about your loved ones and the time you did or didn’t spend with them. So have fun, do it because you love it, and don’t take yourself or blogging too seriously!

– Jen xo

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In A NutShell….How Jen Did It

This is my condensed summary of How Jen Did It. To me, she encompasses all that I believe and teach here on FBC for what it takes to build a successful blog.

  1. Working damn hard;
  1. Heavy investment in promoting her content;
  1. Great photography – bright, sharp images with intense colors but not oversaturated and not overexposed. WITH a cheap camera!;
  1. Creative and unique recipes. Jen is the poster girl for this post I wrote on Creative Recipes with a strong “pitch”;
  1. Niche – Jen’s blog is not as easy to box into a niche as, for example, a blog focused on a particular type of diet. I would classify her blog as a “general food blog” but – and this is a big “but” – the standard of her blog is so high, she’s caught a captive audience who loves “her taste in food” and of course her new content is able to leverage off the high traffic she has;
  1. Researching and experimenting to promote herself. Finding and participating in sharing groups, being one of the “first movers” with long Pinterest pins; and
  1. The “X” factor. This is not something I’ve written about on FBC (yet). The “X” factor is an extra motivation that many successful entrepreneurs have, rather than just purely the financial gain. Jen has it. As soon as I read her backstory, it all “made sense”.

  *****************

FINAL WORDS TO JEN

Thank you so much for opening up to us Jen. Not only about the challenges you faced / face, the pain you’ve experienced, but also the incredible strength and hope. And how much time and effort you put into this interview to share your blogging experience and words of wisdom with others!

You are an inspiration to me and when I was reading your responses to my questions, it put things into perspective for me too.

Most importantly, I love your reminder that we should have fun and do it because we love it! At the core of it, that’s what blogging is about. You can’t run a successful personal blog if your heart isn’t in it. It’s so obvious when love, enthusiasm and pride isn’t reflected in a post.

– Nagi x

PS I love that in one week, I’ll be meeting Jen in real life at the FBC Conference in LA (woo hoo!) so this space RIGHT HERE is reserved for a picture of Jen and me together! 🙂

If you enjoyed reading this story about Jen, tweet it:

0 to 1.3 million pages views in 12 months: Jen from @carlsbadcravings tells her story #fbc #foodblogger Click To Tweet

 

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Comments

  1. says

    What an incredibly inspiring story, and not just her success as a food blogger but her success in life. I am a nurse by profession so Jen’s story is even more incredible to me. I’ve cared for many adolescents with cystic fibrosis.

    I often think about writing a book on what makes people successful, and not necessarily in monetary terms but success in terms of setting out to achieve something and doing it.

    You called it the “it factor”. I don’t have a name for it yet either, but it’s something that sets off a spark in a person to go on ahead and do whatever it takes to reach their goal.

    Where does that spark come from and how do some people have it while others don’t – even given the same circumstances?

  2. says

    Jen sounds like a truly remarkable women! Strong, courageous and with a zest for life. Her story had me in tears as I know all too well how chronic diseases can forever be life changing. I wish her so many wonderful, healthy blogging years ahead! Thank-you Nagi for an inspirational post!

  3. says

    What a wonderful person — I’ve got tears in my eyes not because I feel sorry for all of her health issues but because she is so sweet and strong. Thank you so much for sharing it. I am definitely purchasing her book and several boxes of Kleenex to go along with it. Wish I could meet her. Again thank you!!

  4. says

    I think I commented on FBC FB group but I have to say it again!! Jen.. I have been following Carlsbad Craving for quite sometime. You are hands down one of my faves. And I LOVE your posts! I see many bloggers in a rush to just post recipes. Somehow, to me blogging is way more than just that. And you make everything seem better.

    PS: Nagi, we are extremely lucky to have two such amazing girls as our mentors. Rock on ladies!
    Xo
    S

  5. says

    This post really puts things in perspective. It’s inspirational, honest and so personal that hats off to Jen for actually sharing! I love how Jen concludes it and it’s something that as bloggers, we need to remember!

  6. says

    I discovered Jen’s blog after finding one of her recipes on Pinterest and love it since! There is true passion for life and for food on every page of her blog. Jen, you are an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your story!

  7. says

    When I first read this post this morning I was so moved and decided to come back tonight to write so I could collect my thoughts. After reading everyone’s comments, I’m in tears again – joyful, celebrate- your-life tears. Thank you, Jennifer for sharing your story and your shining light with us. Thank you, Nagi, for bringing the fabulous Jennifer to us. I learned a lot today and had some super important reminders about what truly counts in life. Kudos to you both for touching so many of us in that special way. Love this and wish I could better express my gratitude for the impact it’s had on me today 🙂

  8. says

    Loved reading this interview. Jen is so inspiring, as is her story. I just lost an old classmate to CF – she was 25. It’s a vicious disease and I’ve seen what it does to people, so I can definitely understand the strength, courage, and determination Jen has and how incredible it is. Thank you so much Nagi for taking the time to write up this lovely post and share her story with us. You are so awesome and I can’t wait to meet you this weekend! <3

  9. says

    Nagi, you are terrific for doin gthis inspring post. I also discovered Jen’s wonderful blog a while ago. I was drawn to the Carlsbad in the name because I live not too far south of her in San Diego and of course stayed for the recipes. I always read the “About Me” page to learn more about the blogger, and in this case her amazing story and courage was another reason to love the blog. As a new blogger still finding my way, her advice to have fun and blog for the joy of sharing recipes rings true. It’s a lot of work to do this the “right” way, and sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m learning so much (which is wonderful in its own right), that “good enough” is OK and to get on with it, and that I will get more efficient with practice. I look forward to meeting you both in a few days!

  10. says

    Inspirational!! The words that stuck the most with me were: “…in 30 years, you aren’t really going to care about your page views, you are going to care about your loved ones and the time you did or didn’t spend with them. So have fun, do it because you love it, and don’t take yourself or blogging too seriously..”. I could not agree more!!

  11. says

    So inspiring! I so wish I was in LA to meet you guys, maybe one day I’ll be able to travel over the pond!!

    This though, OMG, totally my new motto in life: “But in 30 years, you aren’t really going to care about your page views, you are going to care about your loved ones and the time you did or didn’t spend with them.” – encompasses everything I feel about blogging. I love it so much, but I refuse to focus solely on numbers and comparing myself to others!

  12. says

    Nagi! THANK YOU so much for your thoughtful interview and all the time it took preparing this post – and every post for FBC! I just love you and am so excited to see you in a few days! I’ll be the one with the cake 🙂 xo

  13. says

    So glad to have read through this and now to have discovered Jen’s blog. What an incredible life story and everything she has been through. Simply inspired by this and now have bookmarked about a dozen recipes of hers to make!

  14. stelliciouslife says

    Wow. Jen’s story is so moving and isnpiring (and I’m not talking about her blog wonder story but her life story). I am in awe what a strong, brave, positive and energetic woman she is even after so many hardships and wish her the best health and happiness!

    Thank you both Nagi and Jen for telling us Jen’s story, I am humbled.

  15. says

    Thank you Jen for being you and so full of life. You are an inspiration, an awesome little cook and you are going to break all of the cystic fibrosis stats. Thanks so much Nagi for hosting Jen.

  16. says

    Oh wow… I’ve been a fan of Jen’s blog, from even before I started blogging. Her recipes are downright delicious! Her blog is so polished and professional, I would have never guessed that she hasn’t been blogging for years and years. What an incredible story and post! Such an inspiration to us bloggers and food lovers. I wish Jen many many happy and healthy years to come 😀

  17. says

    An amazing post.
    I was just about to rush out to the shops and was finishing up my morning blog reading when I read the first few lines of this post. I sat back in my seat and absorbed every word (with numerous flicks over to Jen’s blog during the process). An incredible read xx

  18. Shiho@chopstickchronicles says

    Thank you so much for sharing your story Jen, How inspiring person you are and Thank you for the post Nagi san. I have learnt so much from both of you, especially the “x” factor. Also so feel missing out Jen’s cake in FBC conference in LA!! Please take photos and post it on FBC please.

  19. says

    Woow, such an inspiring story! thank you both ladies, Jen you are very inspirational i had to use some tissue when reading this. A true testament that you can do anything you set out to do if you put your mind to it! Thanks again

  20. says

    This is such an inspiring post, it is not only about blogging, it is an inspiration on how to live life everyday. Thank you very much Jen, you are very strong and inspirational. Nagi I am so grateful to you for sharing this interview and everything you have been sharing through FBC 🙂

  21. says

    I have encountered patients who have the same disease as you Jen and Iam just amaze how strong you are after all you have been through. In my profession, I have learned so much about what
    matters most in life through our daily encounters with patients… I am happy that you are feeling ok and here right now to share your inspirational life with us… stay strong !!!

  22. says

    Thank you for sharing your incredible story with us, Jen. And thank you, Nagi for bring it to us! This is such a wonderful example of what you can accomplish with strength, determination, and hard work.

  23. Jane says

    Thank you Nagi for sharing your interview of Jen with us. Such a beautiful read, and yes I did need a tissue. Jen is an inspiration as a blogger and such a kind soul.

    How fortunate you are to meet Jen in person. Please give her a hug for me.

    With Aloha,

    Jane

  24. says

    Nagi, Thank you so much for sharing Jen’s story. She has been a personal encourager for me, as I myself have CF and a love of cooking. Her book–no words for how much it has moved me or how many tears I have shed. She is remarkable. I only hope to have a quarter of her success 🙂

  25. Jenn says

    Fantastic post Nagi. Jen, thank you for sharing your story – it is inspirational in so many ways. I hope that blogging continues to be fun for you for many years to come.

  26. says

    Thank you both so much for this collaboration! I knew “of” Carlsbad Cravings because I’ve pinned a zillion of her recipes on Pinterest, but I’d never actually visited the blog. Now I will be a frequent visitor (and probably spend hours of my life reading through it all. I love the heart and inspiration behind her story. XOXO

  27. says

    My goodness, what an emotive post! I’ve had an emotional evening already, and this has the tears flowing again! The courage, determination and sheer guts shine through. Add that to the most beautiful photography and delicious sounding recipes and you have what can only be a winning combination! Wow!

    Thank you so much for sharing with us, that can’t have been easy. I am in awe! x