Jenn is a passionate wine aficionado, a healthy vegan lifestyle ambassador, and the lover of travel. We had a fun interview getting to know her and how to be a humble influencer. Check out the full interview below:
Jenn, let’s kick things off the old-fashioned way. Please tell us a little about yourself. Who you are and what do you do?
JC: My name is Jennifer Chiu. I am Taiwanese born and raised in Northern California. I currently live and work in San Francisco as a social media marketing manager. My passion is traveling, drinking wine, promoting self-love and spreading a compassionate lifestyle while blogging all about it on ThatJennGirl.com.
You are an entrepreneur behind Instagram’s @thatjennngirl, an account featuring healthy living, food, wine, and travel. Can you give our readers some info on that? How did the idea come about and what exactly is the Lifestyle about?
JC: @thatjennngirl is a lifestyle brand that encompasses healthy living by eating nourishing plant foods, compassion towards all living beings, and having fun in the sun with a glass of champagne. I was simply just living my life and sharing my experiences and knowledge on social media and people became inspired by my content. That’s when I decided to create a blog to have more of a voice.
Jenn I am sure you had the opportunity to travel to many places around the world and enjoy great food and wine. How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle while also trying to enjoy the culture, the libations and the food of the location? Can you give us some tips?
JC: I love finding vegan restaurants and festivals when I’m traveling. When I travel, I use an app called “Happy Cow” to find vegan restaurants or restaurants that offer vegan options. While vegan food is delicious, it’s not always the healthiest because foods can be fried or processed. If I’m traveling somewhere for over a week, I like to stay at a VRBO or hotel that has a kitchen so I can prepare healthy meals. I like to pick up fresh fruit and vegetables at the local grocery store instead of eating out 3 meals a day for 2 weeks, which can get very expensive and heavy on the body. Don’t get me wrong I definitely indulge in great food and wine anywhere I go, I just try to be more mindful of what I’m indulging in.
How do you overcome a workout rut?
JC: The best way to not get stuck in a rut is to mix it up! Try taking a group fitness class once a week or workout with a friend. I’ve even found really great workout videos on youtube and they’re perfect for when you’re short on time. I’m obsessed with podcasts right now, so I’m excited to get to the gym every morning to listen to a podcast during my workout.
What central message do you hope your audience to take away through following your adventures?
JC: I want to show everyone that eating a plant-based diet is so much more than just a diet, it’s a lifestyle. I love living a healthy lifestyle because it makes you feel good and look great plus it’s the best form of self-love you can give yourself. And that it’s totally doable while traveling the world! I find it more fun discovering new places to eat that every tourist doesn’t typically go to. Let’s all eat well, look good, feel great and travel the world.
What advice would you give to brands and marketers looking to work with influencers for sponsorships?
JC: Find an influencer that speaks well with your brand and their followers are your target customers. And most importantly make sure the influencer is creating engaging content that is authentic and doesn’t look like a sales pitch. When I collaborate with a brand that I genuinely love, I can speak authentically about the product and show everyone why I love the product or service.
We’d love to hear about how your passion for wine came about?
JC: I was raised in the beautiful Napa Valley. My family owns a Chinese restaurant (Golden Harvest) in the heart of the valley and I was lucky to work there for many years, getting to know a lot of winemakers and winery owners. I’ve always had great respect for all the love and hard work that goes into every bottle. My favorite moments about living in Napa is finding hidden gems during a spontaneous wine tasting weekends, birthdays and girls day out was always celebrated with wine tasting so I’ve found a passion with wine from visiting amazing wineries throughout the valley and now I love finding wineries when I travel.
Tip: If you’re ever in Napa, don’t go to more than 3 wineries in one day. Find small wineries off the main highway because they are a smaller production which makes the wine more special and the experience more intimate.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential for success?
JC: Drive. Hard work. Perseverance. I feel like these qualities aren’t common nowadays. I have hard-working parents. I learned at an early age what hard work is and I am very proud to have parents who taught me to work hard for what I want in life.
What is your favorite travel destination and why?
JC: My favorite so far, is the Maldives. It took 2 days to get there but it was so worth it! The water was clear and blue, the people were so kind, the food was amazing and this was the trip that my boyfriend and I both decided to go vegan. The Maldives was special because we communicated about why we wanted to be more mindful of what we were putting in our body, to live a long and healthy life together and have compassion towards animals and the environment. Plus, it was so hard to leave the island because the staff made us feel like family. I can’t wait to go back!
Do you take the photos on your own or do you have assistance from someone else?
JC: My boyfriend Ben is the ultimate Instagram boyfriend. He knows all my angles and positions me perfectly in the frame to get that shot. #doitforthegram
What equipment do you use (Camera/software/editing apps)?
JC: I like to keep it simple, I shoot most my photos on my iphone X. I also have a Sony A5100 with a few different lenses. I edit my photos on Lightroom CC. I’ve made amazing travel videos on a DJI Mavic Pro Drone. I have a youtube channel with a few of my travel videos. https://www.youtube.com/thatjenngirl
How has your experience been working with brands? On that note, what are some of your favorite collaborations and why?
JC: I am very picky with my collaborations because I don’t want to mislead anyone into purchasing a product or service that I only kind of like. My favorite collaborations so far are with the MylkGuys, which is a online all vegan grocery store. I am all about supporting anything that brings the world closer to a compassionate lifestyle.
What are some dream brands you would love to work with?
JC: Well, If I’m dreaming…
Six Senses hotel resorts – I stayed at Six Senses Lamuu in the Maldives and it was magical. They have over 14 hotels all over the world and would love to visit all of them one day.
Stella McCartney – Stella herself is vegan and is a vegan fashion icon. I love all her designs because they are animal free and cruelty free.
Hey Stella if you read this…. DM me!
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
JC: Please check out my blog ThatJennGirl.com for my travel diaries and for great health and wellness inspiration. And give my instagram a follow @thatjennngirl. Thank you for reading and thank you Taste the Dram for giving me this opportunity to share my story!
