Homegrown Talent, Worldwide Reach
Photo by Melanie Hodskins Photography
Mama Jill
She goes by Mama Jill on TikTok, and has enchanted followers worldwide with her southern charm, fun take on motherhood, cooking skills, and engaging humor. Owensboro native Jill Castlen has put her hometown on the map as a social media influencer, and continues to grow her audience.
“I love showing off my favorite foods from places in our town, like grilled cheese from the Big Dipper or mashed potato pizza from Fetta,” Jill shared. “I get messages from people saying they came to Owensboro just to try some of the things I’ve shown in my videos!”
When she began her weight loss journey nearly three years ago, Jill shared her experiences via TikTok. “I started off sharing funny mom content and my journey being a young mother,” Jill recalled. “I put a comedic spin on the weight gain I experienced after having kids. Since then, I have lost 145 pounds.”
Her most viral video netted 35 million views on TikTok and detailed her weight loss efforts. She was blown away by the feedback she received. Connecting with her followers is a calling for Jill, who views them as her “besties.” She goes live to speak with them regularly.
Post-weight loss, Jill continues to entertain her followers with cooking videos, recipes, and funny moments with her husband.
“My main topic is cooking,” Jill said. “One of my favorite sayings is, ‘If you don’t have a mama who shows you how to cook, I’m your 23-year-old mama!’”
With two million followers on her main account Jill200016 or Mama Jill and almost 900,000 followers on her TikTok account Mama Jill After Dark, she has made social media influencing her full-time job.
“It has its perks, absolutely,” Jill shared. “Of course, there are downsides like negative comments, but I try to let that go. I love what I do.”
For those who want to venture into the world of TikTok, Jill has some advice: “Just go into it having fun and show your true self, regardless of what others may think! You will find those who want to follow and support you.”
Kate Higdon
Kate Higdon of Owensboro’s Captured Moments Photography has turned a niche side hustle into a full-time gig (www.katehigdon.com).
“I have always enjoyed my photography business but found myself completely in love with my (then) side-business,” Kate recalled. “When I began my weight loss journey, I shared my experience with anyone I could.”
It was during the pandemic that Kate began creating TikTok videos to get in front of more people, and that spilled over to other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
“I now have around 700,000 followers worldwide; my social media business is based on Attraction Marketing,” Kate explained. “Basically, I get rewarded for authenticity; creating value; consistency; and relationships. It’s important to show up as your authentic self on social media. People aren’t looking for ‘perfect,’ they are looking for relatability.”
Kate admits that she had a “lot of hesitations when she started.”
“My only frame of reference were the videos my daughter made, and I definitely wasn’t a dancer!” Kate laughed. “I didn’t believe people would be interested in what I was creating, but my husband said, ‘Don’t you think there are other women out there who have the same interests as you and need help?’”
She began creating content to help people on their health journeys and make them laugh.
“It has been super rewarding,” Kate reflected. “Not only financially, since this venture has replaced our full-time income from our photography studio, but also intrinsically since I have the opportunity to help others. The feedback I get from people saying that I changed their lives means the world to me.”
Nature To Nurture
Nonprofit group Nurture to Nature Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Philpot rescues and rehabilitates injured or orphaned animals (www.nurturetonature.org).
Kristin Allen, founder of Nurture to Nature, said she began the venture around 25 years ago when she found her first injured animal, and that since then it seems like animals “just find her.”
“God always puts animals in my path,” said Kristin. “My son, Grant, wanted to take an animal rehab class together, and we did; I got a permit and began rehabbing animals. We found a redtail hawk on the side of the road and worked with the Western Kentucky Raptor Center to treat that animal, which turned out to be non-releasable.”
Eventually, Kristin took over the permit for the Western Kentucky Raptor Center, to help Kentucky-native birds of prey.
The Allen family was featured on Nat Geo WILD’s Bandit Patrol, sharing with viewers a typical day: pairing up baby screech owls for rehab, puppet feeding a great-horned owl, and performing a daring night rescue of a downed owl.
“After we were featured on NatGeo, our number of followers skyrocketed; we now have around 2.8 million followers.”
Some of the most popular videos feature the Allens fixing turtles’ shells after they have been hit by cars; treating foxes with mange; and bottle-feeding baby deer.
“We post fun videos with music that makes it look like the animals are singing,” Kristin laughed. “We love what we do, and we enjoy sharing that enthusiasm with others.”
Renmade Calligraphy
When she’s not teaching at Burns Elementary School, Lauren Fitzmaurice enjoys her calligraphy business and has just published her first book.
Lauren recalled, “When my middle son (who is now 10) was born, he had a rare heart defect that required heart surgeries at both five days and two years old. Through that difficult time, I needed something to do for myself.”
She decided on calligraphy, and her mother offered to pay for her to take an online course.
“I was hooked,” said Lauren. “I’ve been lettering and brush pen-obsessed ever since!”
Lauren began sharing her passion on Instagram (Renmade Calligraphy) nine years ago and started with 0 followers, yet kept sharing her lettering.
“As I shared more, I received amazing opportunities to work with different brands and collaborate with other creators. This led to writing and publishing my first book.”
Lauren advises those who want to follow in her footsteps to “just be yourself.”
“You are not defined by the number of likes you get or the amount of followers you have. As they say, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy.’ If you put your heart into the content you share, you’ll find people who are excited about it and support you.” OL
