The Basics
Well I am 29 years old, born and raised in middle Tennessee. My husband, Zach and I now live in Franklin, TN with our son Maverick! We absolutely love this town and this part of the country. Zach and I are the perfect match, I love to cook, and he loves to eat, ha! But seriously we have a great time together chasing our dreams, sometimes getting ahead of ourselves, and just enjoying our life as a family of three.
My Cooking Story
I developed a passion for cooking during my last couple of years in college through experimenting and attempting recipes I had seen on Food Network. After receiving my degree in broadcast journalism I went on to become a finalist in a nationwide recipe video contest sponsored by Philadelphia cream cheese and Paula Deen. This event jump started my cooking career, once I returned home, I got to work on starting my own food blog and trying to learn how to make my TV cooking dreams come true. I appeared on all of the Nashville news stations for cooking demonstrations, and I even made an appearance cooking on the TODAY Show.
In 2011, I became a sales and marketing rep for a gourmet fresh pasta company in Nashville. It was a year of learning and gaining experience in the professional world. I was able to travel and meet with some of the most highly regarded Chefs in the South. But as time went on I kept feeling a pull back to my love of cooking, writing, performing, and creating recipes. It wasn’t long before I had some new opportunities arise, one of which was a contest win leading me back to New York City to cook on Better TV with Food Network Star Claire Robinson. Since then, I have been creating cooking videos, regularly appearing on News Channel 4’s More at Midday, writing for The Murfreesboro Post and At Home TN Magazine, and performing cooking demonstrations. It has been a blast!
What is this “20,000 Words” podcast about?
2016 was a strange year, I spent almost half of the year dealing with an undiagnosed illness and extreme anxiety. My priorities shifted. I began to re-evaluate what I really wanted to pursue and spend my time on aside from my roles as a wife, mom, and part time real estate agent. Zach loves to joke with me about getting in my “words for the day.” In case you didn’t know, women use around 20,000 words per day, while men only use about 7,000, hence the name of the podcast.
I love talking and discussing matters of the heart, I’m a total verbal processor. Learning from people, hearing their stories, and unique perspectives is simply my thing. So, that’s exactly what I get to do on the “20,000 Words” podcast! Every other week I interview women who challenge me and inspire me. We get some of our words in for the day and have a great time discussing real life stuff. Join us! You can subscribe on iTunes to keep up with new episodes. If you or someone you know would like to join me on the podcast, email me at April@aprilmckinney.com.