During the first few weeks of my editorial residency at Women of Cincy, I had the opportunity to work on a few stories from the Questioning the American Dream series. I quickly became impressed by the woman behind most of the interviews of the series: Kristyn Bridges. I was fortunate enough to sit down and chat with Kristyn on a chilly Sunday at her son’s favorite park.

As a life-long writer, Kristyn has always had a knack for storytelling. Her writing background eventually led her to Women of Cincy, where she has been a writer for nearly four years. Since joining the team, Kristyn has used her aptitude for writing to help others share their stories and speak their truths. She has also used her editing skills to become the founder and entrepreneur of Krystal Clear Editing LLC.

During our interview, Kristyn’s energy and passion for what she loves shined as she talked about the evolution of her writing, how she relies on her inner voice, and the importance of being empathetic with others and yourself.

Interview by Natalie Galle. Photography by Karly Nemeth.

Tell me a little bit about your background. What first inspired you to become a writer?

I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota – I was born and raised there. I am a mom of one; my son is four. Love brought me to Cincinnati. My fiancé and I have been together for a long time. We were long-distance for a while, while I was in college, and then after I graduated, I decided to move here. So, that was eight and a half years ago.

I started writing when I was young. I would say I started really writing when I was in fourth grade. I always had a knack for writing, but then I’d say that fourth grade is where I started getting into it. I was somewhere between fourth and fifth grade when I started writing poetry, so that’s where I started my consistent writing. And then, I wrote a few children’s books at the time; then, I wrote an adult fiction book in the fifth grade. It continued to move forward. Then in high school, I was hooked on poetry and doing spoken word.

I hit a writer’s block going into college and kind of fell off of poetry, but then I was still an English lit major, so I was still heavily into writing, reading, and all of that. When I graduated, it felt like I unintentionally moved away from writing.

In 2017, when I became a stay-at-home mom, I was like, “Okay, I still want to do something. I really want to dive back into writing.” It was literally as soon as that thought came to mind that Emerald Sparks, a past interviewee of Women of Cincy, reached out to me and said that if I was still looking into getting back into writing, Women of Cincy was looking for an intern. I contacted Women of Cincy, and I was like, “Hey, I’m interested in being an intern,” and Kiersten Wones [co-founder of Women of Cincy] responded and was like, “How about you just join our team?” And I’m like, “Oh, all right!” So, we met, and that’s where I started with the journalism style. I had never done that before.

It has been very, very interesting. Over time, my writing has morphed in different ways, but it’s still something that’s always been a part of my life.

What made you want to stay involved with Women of Cincy?

The thing that I love about Women of Cincy – number one is the team members. Everyone’s so great and so supportive. It’s been great to work with everyone. And then doing the interviews is one of my favorite parts because it’s getting to talk to people and asking these questions. I get so inspired by the people I interview.

So, it’s just been a really nice experience. And, even when my personal life gets hard and I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know if I can maintain this commitment.” I always do because I can’t let go of this; it’s just so amazing to work with everyone and do the interviews.

As a writer, what does storytelling mean to you?

The first thing that comes to mind is just truth. It allows people to speak their truth. Being able to help with that is just amazing. I think everyone has a story. Everyone has something that can bring some enlightenment to other people through telling their truth.

It really can spark a lot of things. It can spark change; it can spark influence; it can spark just so many different things. It helps the person telling the story, and it also helps other people who are hearing the story.

One of the largest parts of Women of Cincy’s mission is creating more empathy. What does it mean to you to be empathetic?

A piece of being empathetic to me is knowing that we are all human. We all have struggles. Everyone has something that they’ve gone through. I don't like when society puts things on a scale, like “This isn’t that bad.” Everybody deals with something.

I feel like a lot of the struggles that many Black women go through are invisible to a lot of people because they don't have to deal with it. Because they don't have to deal with it, they shut off from it.

I feel like being empathetic is understanding that fact – that everyone goes through something. We’re all trying our best, whatever level we’re at. I feel like it’s so important to keep that in mind. You may not fully understand someone’s walk on their path because you’re not in their shoes. But just believing them, believing the things they say, that they’re struggling with is so important because we can all end up in any situation.

You’re the founder and owner of Krystal Clear Editing L.L.C, what is your business and what made you want to begin the journey of becoming an entrepreneur?

So, Krystal Clear Editing is a sole proprietorship; it’s just me. I officially started it in 2017, like I actually got my L.L.C. I’ve been around other entrepreneurs for a long time, and I was at a job that I thought was perfect for me. It was something that I needed at that time, but it hit a point where I was just like, I want something more. This is not fulfilling, so what could I do? I just started exploring different things that I could do. I had already done some editing for people, not professionally. It was just something that I was pretty good at and had a knack for, and my writing background helped.

Talking to my fiancé, we were discussing things and other people encouraged me like, “Well, maybe you should do editing.” And it's funny because in school I hated it. I hated that part. But I realized now it's because I had my writer's hat on, and now I have my editor's hat. To me, those are completely separate. So, it's hard for me to edit my own stuff. I can, but I don't like doing that.

I was looking for something to be more fulfilling and something that I could be in control of. And literally, as soon as I was like, “You know what, I may give it a shot,” I just so happened to meet someone who was looking for an editor. And she was just like, “I need an editor. I have this book ready, and I heard you're an editor. Just tell me what your price is, and let's go.”

Then leading up to 2017, I was pregnant, and I just knew I wanted to do something. We thought that I would stay home with my son, but I wanted to do something on the side as well. And I was like, “Let me take this seriously.” Then, I went ahead and got my L.L.C.

I knew entrepreneurship was not easy, but you don’t realize it's this whole other thing until you actually experience it. Different challenges come up, and you just can't really prepare for them. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as an entrepreneur is staying consistent and moving forward while dealing with doubts and imposter syndrome. Those things can really paralyze you.

What do you like best about what you do?

I love the process. I love reading someone's written work, and I'm like, “Okay, we can do this with that.” But my absolute favorite and treasured part is when we're done with the editing process, the author goes on to get the book together. They do the book signing, or they just release it and to see them light up from that is one of the most amazing feelings – to know that I was a part of that process and helping them get there and get their book out. It's amazing. There’s no feeling like it.

But also with the writing, I think it is the same thing. Like once I get everything out in our release – for me, it’s done. And to see people's reactions and interactions with it, that's a highlight for me as well. I think how it impacts other people is my favorite part.

How do you balance your work while also taking care of yourself?

I'll say the ways that I'm helping myself right now – I have a counselor. It helps me a lot. Therapy is amazing. You don't have to wait until you're going through a crisis to be in therapy. That consistency of having therapy in my life for the past couple of years has helped immensely – especially because I've gone through a lot of transitions since going to college. Every time I think I'm stable, something else comes up and it’s another transition in my life. Therapy really helps me navigate this.

I'm at a place now where I’m more strongly listening to that inner voice in myself, and it has been an amazing journey to get to that place.

One thing that I've been working on is to find things that bring me joy. That's something that I feel like I've neglected for quite a while. I’ve been trying to dedicate myself to doing things like that, even if it's not daily, at least weekly.

Also, having empathy for myself. That's a big one. Just knowing that this is hard. It's hard to be a mom. I was a stay-at-home mom – that was hard. Now, I recently got a full-time job again. So that's been a hard transition to get back into and not be so rigid on me and saying, “Well, you gotta get it together. You gotta be on point.” It's just important to have more empathy moments like, “Hey, this is hard. And it's okay.”

You wrote a majority of the articles in the “Questioning the American Dream” series. When you were interviewing and writing about those powerful women, what did you want the audience to take away from the series?

That time and time again, Black women are so misrepresented – so misrepresented. And I feel they are often misunderstood. And that generally speaking – I’m not saying everyone – there’s not much empathy and not a lot of understanding. I feel like many of the struggles that many Black women go through are invisible to a lot of people because they don't have to deal with them. Because they don't have to deal with it, they shut off from that. And I just really felt that this series was very powerful in highlighting those struggles.

I was so excited about the series because I just feel like these issues need a platform. They need to be highlighted. And I feel like a lot of times, it gets swept under the rug, and they get dismissed, they get looked over. It’s not fair, and it’s an issue that needs to be addressed, like the gap in wealth – the fact that many, many Black women are in the labor workforce and don't get the benefits that they deserve. Many women struggle with homelessness because of these circumstances, and I feel like all these things needed to be highlighted. It is so important to hear these women's stories. It was amazing to talk to them and really get their perspective and get their experience. I mean, this is firsthand experience. It was so important to write about that and talk to these women about it and get their voices out there.

Do you have any strategies to deal with writer’s block?

Oh God, if you have some strategies, let me know [Laughs]. I feel like I'm always trying to figure that out. I’ve gone through phases of different things; I even tried meditating. It may seem like it's unrelated, but to me, meditation helps because it really clears my mind out.

Another thing is to do something totally different, like do something that has nothing to do with writing. So, it could be, do a quick drawing or something like that. I’ll just do anything except writing.

Or I try morning pages where it's like an exercise of writing for five minutes. You just write whatever, like don't even think about structure. Don't think about what you're writing. You're just getting notes and words down on the page. That's something to get the juices flowing. But I know for me, one thing is to put writing back into practice, like a daily practice, because that's something that I've been struggling with. Speaking to other writers, I know that it helps to put it into practice because you carve out that time every day to write. It doesn't matter if it’s only five minutes – just to dedicate yourself to writing a little something every day.

What brings you joy in your everyday life?

One thing that brings me joy in everyday life is seeing my son and enjoying those sweet moments that he has where he gives me a hug and a kiss. We say I love you every day. Also, spending time with my little family, just the three of us. That's always a highlight, to just do things together.

On a personal note of what brings me joy – really good music. My favorite place to listen to music is in the car. I also enjoy good food. And candles – I’m a big candle person. And I always enjoy catching up with people that I’m close with. That’s always joyful for me to do.

I could say so much more, but those are the things that came to mind. Oh, and Target – Target brings me joy [Laughs].

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would say trust your instincts and listen to your intuition. I feel like I'm at a place now where I’m more strongly listening to that inner voice in myself, and it has been an amazing journey to get to that place. I feel like there were so many times where I knew for myself what the right move was, but then I’d let other people's voices get in my head. Then, I was steered into a different direction or getting into a mode of a lot of self-doubts. So, I would tell my younger self to stick with your intuition and listen to that inner voice.

Also, I think I’d tell my younger self to just enjoy yourself more. I was more of the responsible kid, the older sister. There were many times when I had a hard time letting loose and just, you know, enjoy being young. So, I would tell myself those things: to trust your intuition, your inner voice, your inner wisdom, and enjoy the process along the way.

What are some stories that aren’t currently being told that you would like to spotlight in the future?

The first thing that comes to mind – and this is just from personal experience – is parenthood.

But specifically, stay-at-home moms to this day don’t get the understanding they should. I feel like there have been plenty of times where I would get a question like, “Well, what else do you do? What do you do during the day?” And I'm like, “I'm with the baby all day.” It’s just that lack of understanding; it can be frustrating.

And along with that, just parenting in general – it's normal to struggle with parenting, but it's not normalized. I feel like it's just not talked about enough from a more empathetic standing.

Maternity leave should also be widely improved. Paid time off, resources, understanding, and support are essential and should be universally available to women across the board. Dads need support during that transition as well. Parenting is hard!

Who is an influential woman in your life?

I've been blessed with so many impactful women in my life. Of course, I got to give it to my mom, my grandmas, my stepmom, and my mother-in-law. They all have really influenced me and taught me what resilience looks like. They taught me what caring for other people and being there for people looks like. They taught me a lot – caring for others, caring for family, and doing what you have to do. All of those things are just so essential to life, and they really taught me that.

I'd be remiss if I didn’t mention my core group of friends from college. They have taught me how to let loose more, how to enjoy life more, how not to settle – settle in the sense of not going after what you really want. They have taught me a lot of lessons about how to be freer in my life. They're amazing.

Also, the women I've met since being in Cincinnati. I have a handful of women that have really influenced me. Kiersten and Chelsie Walter [executive director of Women of Cincy], being two people and other women on our team, have greatly influenced me. I'm blessed to meet and develop a relationship with a lot of just amazing women that influence me every day.

And my interviewees – they are amazing. Hearing their stories and talking to them and seeing all these women out here with their businesses and going after what they want – that is just amazing to see and amazing to be a part of.

Community Mix is our monthly hodge-podge of content from the voices of a hodge-podge of beautiful Cincinnatians. This is “Meet the Team,” where our residents get to help us celebrate the amazing volunteers that make this mission work. Are you human identifying? Join the team.

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Meet the Women of Cincy Team: Kristyn Bridges