Life & Work with Meghan Grant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Grant.

Hi Meghan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My website started out as a blog to keep in touch with a friend who had moved to California and then evolved into a creative outlet for my full-time job as a high school social studies teacher. My site went through a few iterations before I re-branded to “I’m Fixin’ To,” which I chose with the help of my dad. I started using this phrase when I was younger and he always teased me for it, so it felt like a natural fit.

When I decided on my rebrand, one of the goals was to focus on the hidden gems of North Carolina while also incorporating my love of history. I grew up in rural northeastern North Carolina before heading off to East Carolina University for undergrad where I was a History Education major and a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. While I was in college, I took full advantage of exploring new-to-me places as much as possible. My friends and I would take day trips to New Bern and spend our reading days down on the beach at Fort Macon before grabbing a late lunch in Beaufort. I worked at a boutique with my best friend on the waterfront in Washington. One of the perks of being a Teaching Fellow at ECU was that we took trips, so I had the opportunity to travel to Charleston, Washington DC, New York City, and Atlanta, which were all cities I had never visited prior to those trips and I caught the travel bug as a result. Those experiences and memories helped shape the direction I wanted to take my brand.

I thrive on experiencing new things, exploring new places, trying new places, and making connections to historical events. No matter the distance, I will never turn down an opportunity to travel somewhere that is new to me and share that experience with friends or my partner, David. I’m Fixin’ To has evolved to share those adventures and travel tips with the hope that people will find joy in trying new things that could be right down the road.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I pitched over 40 places for my first travel guide before anyone would take a chance on me. In retrospect, I completely understand as I had not yet built a portfolio for North Carolina travel experiences. I am eternally grateful to Susan Dosier (DK Communications) and Rick & Tom at Engadine Inn & Cabins for taking a chance on me for my first travel guide.

COVID definitely put a damper on certain aspects of travel and experiencing new things; however, it gave me an opportunity to think of new ways to see North Carolina. I set a goal to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina and share an article for each. That has been a lot of fun and a really interesting way to learn more about my home state!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I run a lifestyle and travel site, I’m Fixin’ to, where I focus on North Carolina travel. In addition to sharing about the best things to do across the state, I share other travel adventures, where I focus on unique hotels (bonus points if they are historic properties) and our itineraries with honest opinions. You will also find articles about home decor, our two rescue pups, Winston & Gizmo, and what I am eying for the season. I am most proud of highlighting parts of the state that may not get as much attention as some of the more notorious cities and regions.

My partner, David, is originally from Buffalo and has been in North Carolina now for 12 years. I have really enjoyed running I’m Fixin’ To with a lens on North Carolina travel so that we both get to explore parts of the state that are new to us. I am really proud of my home state and I enjoy being able to share these experiences with unique aspects, including historical components and locally owned businesses, especially those that are owned by women and minorities. Sharing those experiences while highlighting people’s stories around the state makes this a really special venture for me. Nothing is more gratifying than having people reach out to let me know that they went somewhere new, tried one of our recommendations, and had a positive experience.

So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
I strive to make I’m Fixin’ To an inclusive website with honest, informative reviews for readers. I want to encourage people to try something new and to support local businesses whenever possible. And, I hope that by sharing aspects of North Carolina, will contribute to a better South and a brighter future by helping to understand the past.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imfixintoblog.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfixintoblog/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imfixintoblog/

Image Credits
GloryRoze Photography