Social Media Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Julianna Christensen Of ROAME Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Stanley Bronstein
Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. I learned this lesson the hard way when I first started blogging and creating content. When I did, it took away a lot of the joy I had in creating content, when in reality, I am on no one else’s journey but my own.
As a part of our series about leaders who are using their social media platform to make a significant social impact, we had the pleasure of interviewing Julianna Christensen.
Julianna Christensen, content creator and Founder of ROAME, is a West Point graduate and Army veteran whose career evolved from military precision to creative entrepreneurship. With extensive expertise in content creation, influencer marketing, and brand development, she built a significant social following and is known for her keen eye for aesthetics and attention to detail. Her passion for self-care, travel, and organization naturally led to founding ROAME, delivering thoughtfully designed products that elevate everyday essentials for life on the move.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I graduated from West Point in 2013 and got to my first duty station a few months later, where I quickly realized I needed a creative outlet outside of the Army. At the time, there was this little app called Instagram that was starting to gain some buzz, so I created an IG profile and followed some bloggers. After a few weeks, I fell in love with the concept of blogging and knew this was the creative outlet I was looking for. I haven’t looked back since, and I’ve been proudly creating content for over 10 years.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?
There have been a few interesting stories, but one of them happened right when I decided I wanted to become a blogger. I made the decision to start blogging in October 2013, but there was one problem- I was deploying to Afghanistan in 6 months. Not exactly the most ideal time to decide to become a fashion blogger! During my deployment, I packed all the books I could find about blogging, including “Blogging For Dummies”, “Photography 101”, etc., and used my limited free time to learn how to buy a domain name, what type of camera equipment I needed, and even started setting up my website. By the time I deployed back home, my blog launched two months later!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I made so many mistakes when I first started, but those mistakes were huge learning lessons for me. One of the biggest mistakes I made was comparing myself to other, more established bloggers at the time. I was comparing my chapter 1 to their chapter 15. This caused me to get easily discouraged at the beginning, instead of enjoying the beginning stages of the journey I started.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
My best piece of advice would be to just start! You don’t need to know all the answers right away, and you will figure things out as you continue down the path of creating content. Someone who fails and gets back up is stronger than the person who never tried.
Ok super. Let’s now jump to the core focus of our interview. Can you describe to our readers how you are using your platform to make a significant social impact?
I would like to think my platform inspires people to elevate their everyday lives with the affordable finds I share on my social media platforms. When I get messages or emails from women saying they love their new organization, or a cleaning item I shared cuts their cleaning time in half, or a meal prep gadget makes meal prep that week a little more fun- that’s truly why I do what I do. I love seeing the small impacts my videos can have to elevate an individual’s day to day!
Was there a tipping point that made you decide to focus on this particular area? Can you share a story about that?
It was during COVID when the world shut down. I saw a video on TikTok of someone sharing Amazon finds for their home, and it was a light bulb moment for me. I was almost exclusively shopping on Amazon, and thought I could share a video like that too to help my audience elevate their everyday with affordable Amazon finds. That first video went viral, and I’ve been creating content like that ever since!
Why do you think social media in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Social media is such a powerful tool and where millions of people tune into everyday.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
1. Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s. I learned this lesson the hard way when I first started blogging and creating content. When I did, it took away a lot of the joy I had in creating content, when in reality, I am on no one else’s journey but my own.
2. You don’t need the most expensive camera or equipment to get started, or even to be successful. Work with what you have! When I first started, I didn’t have the budget for a fancy camera or video equipment. I used my phone and free editing apps available through the App Store. Even 10 years later, I am still using my phone and free editing apps!
3. You don’t need to have all the answers to start creating content- just start creating and you’ll learn as you continue creating! The influencer/ content creator space is constantly evolving, whether that’s algorithm changes or new features available on the app. I had no idea what I was doing when I first started. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was passionate about creating content online. That’s really all you need!
4. You don’t need to post every day to be successful. Find a cadence that works best with your lifestyle and that you can be consistent with! Consistency is the most important thing when starting your journey as a content creator.
5. Find a niche you can create lots of content about and that you’re truly passionate about! It’s also totally ok if that niche evolves over time. I started out sharing fashion and fashion blogging. Over the past 10 years, I’ve evolved my niche and don’t even show my face in my content anymore!
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a power lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to meet Taylor Swift! I’ve been a fan of hers since her debut album, and it’s been so fun watching her success continue to grow. I’m in awe of her as an artist and would love to learn about her creative process for writing her songs.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow me at @julianna_claire on Instagram and TikTok, and my blog is juliannaclaire.com
This was very meaningful. Thank you so much!
About the Interviewer: Stanley Bronstein is an attorney, CPA, and author of more than 20 books. However, he doesn’t consider any of those his greatest achievement. His most significant accomplishment was permanently losing 225 pounds and developing the personal growth system that made it possible — The Way of Excellence. As a catalyst for change, he has dedicated his life to helping others maximize their potential, transform their lives, and achieve optimal health. To learn more, you can download a free PDF copy of his latest book, The Way of Excellence Journal, at https:// TheWayOfExcellence.com.
Social Media Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Julianna Christensen Of ROAME Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.