Amber Love Bond thinks you should ditch your crappy job
She left corporate America with $211 in her bank account and hasn't looked back
Happy Tuesday, Substack readers! I hope you hit the ground running this week and you’re off to a productive start!
I have loved sharing my ideas about the writing industry with you over the past several weeks—but I’m only one writer in a legion of talented people in the media industry. I thought you all might like to learn about some of the other folks out there—their back story, what they do, how they got to where they are and advice they have for other writers.
I picked Amber Love Bond as my first profile—we met last year on a press trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and I was taken by her energy, her bubbly personality, and how she’s overcome a lot of personal challenges to put herself in the driver’s seat of living her best life. Read on to hear Amber’s story!
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Name: Amber Love Bond
Location: Miami 🌴Born in Baltimore, but moved to Miami when I was 6 months old — I’m a Miami girl through and through!
Education: I went to Florida International University and studied Criminal Justice and Psychology — I really wanted to be in the FBI as part of the behavioral analysis unit!
Career history: At 17 — the summer between junior and senior year — I got an internship with the Securities and Exchange Commission (fully went through federal background checks and had some level of government clearance!) and at the end of the summer they asked me to stay. Since I was ahead in my high school credits, I was able to leave school everyday at noon and go to work. I was there for five years and then I got a job with a global consulting firm that did best practices. I did admin and auditing for them. At this point I knew I wasn’t chasing the FBI dream anymore (I was worried it would affect my personal life too much), and I was running a baking business on the side making massive, very detailed cakes for weddings and birthdays and things.
Social Handle: @amber__love on IG
Pronouns: She/Her
How did you start your career as a freelance food and travel writer? So, I had over a decade of experience in the corporate world, and I had no idea other opportunities were out there, but I did know there was a lot more fun to be had in my social life. I’ve lived in Miami my entire life, and grew up in total suburbia and since my job was in the heart of the city I was starting to get a taste of what that had to offer. My friends weren’t on board at all, so I knew if I wanted a more fun social life, then I had to find more fun people. I was super shy — like wouldn’t eat alone in a fast food restaurant shy — but I knew that had to change.
During Art Basel 2015 I decided I would go to as many (free and easy to get into) events as I could with a goal of complimenting at least three people per event in hopes to make new friends. I got SUPER lucky and one of the very first people I chatted with happened to run a popular food blog that I was an avid reader of. We connected and a few weeks later she was looking for new contributors. I didn’t have writing experience, per say, but I did help other students with their research papers in college, so I knew I could do it. Since I had a decade of baking professionally under my belt, I asked if I could write about desserts. My first ever story was about the best desserts in Miami and it was a hit and out-performed anything that had ever been published on the site. My editor instantly gave me a column called Saturday Sweets where I got to cover everything from dessert trends, to interviewing pastry chefs, to sharing my own recipes.
I loved it so much that she quickly started assigning savory stories and openings to me. At this point my friends still didn’t have any interest in joining — so I’d sit at the bar and chat up the bartenders (who no one was really writing about locally) and I started getting really into the bar and beverage scene and from there it really skyrocketed. I quit my corporate job ten months after my first published article. It’s been 8 years and I’ve never looked back!
What are some of the projects you've been most proud of so far and publications you've been most excited to work with? Oh man, there’s so many! My first big print gig was contributing to the now defunct American Way magazine and there’s nothing cooler than seeing your name in print every time you get on an airplane — I miss that so much! I’ve also loved that I’ve updated the last two editions of the Fodor’s Travel Guide books for South Florida and I wrote my own book called “Drink Like A Local: Miami” all about Miami’s bar scene which was a big accomplishment.
What have been your favorite travel destinations? I didn’t grow up traveling, so I feel like I’m making up for lost time and even though I’ve been on hundreds of press trips at this point, there’s so much more of the world I can’t wait to see! Domestically, I loveeee Jackson Hole, Nashville, and New Orleans. In the Caribbean, I’d say Nevis and Belize (which is in Central America geographically, but identifies as Caribbean), and I loved Croatia and Singapore last year and hope to get back to both (and more of Asia) soon! I’m headed to Lake Como at the end of this month and I can’t freaking wait!
Tell me about your new Substack! Ahh, it’s so fun! Since my name is Amber Love, my Substack is called Amber Loved and it’s a weekly round up of things I loved that week. It could be an aspect of a trip I’ve recently been on, a product that was sent to me, something I discovered, a person I met. Literally anything and everything that brought me joy in the last week — and I’ll feature 5 to 7 things each week!
What projects are you working on coming up that you're excited to share? I’m currently pitching a story about my recent ayahuasca experience in Costa Rica at the world’s only medically licensed ayahuasca center. It was a really amazing experience and I learned so much about myself and worked through a ton of stored trauma. I’m excited to write about it!
What is one of the most challenging things you've overcome in your freelance career? Surviving 😅 While I have no regrets, it’s tough making a living as a freelancer these days. There’s no plan B or financial support system backing me — in fact, I quit my corporate job with $211 in my bank account and just a lot of trust in myself that I’d make it work. I’ve definitely had my ups and downs (this summer was a doozy), but I’m so happy with the life I’ve created for myself. I’ve got a fun social life, that also pays my bills, and SO many awesome friends — like you!! — all over the world, and that’s really all I ever wanted!
What advice would you give to writers who are just breaking into freelancing? Work hard to make meaningful relationships! I know it sounds insane to most people, but I answer every single email I get, even if I can’t use it — because those relationships are so important and you never know where people will move around to and who will remember your name in what rooms.
What are three tips from Amber Love Bond?
Always be super authentic to who you are! That’s what makes you shine!
Put an airtag in your luggage even if you aren’t planning on checking it (I’m team carry-on for life, but I will always track my bag even if it’s in my hand)
Just be freaking nice… it goes a long long way and it’s so much easier than being a jerk.
Did You Catch Me On The Media in Minutes Podcast?
In January, I was a guest on the Media in Minutes podcast hosted by Angela Tuell. We talked about how I got into freelance writing, how PR professionals can best work with writers, how to become a successful freelance writing, and my coaching sessions.
Check it out on the Media in Minutes site or on Spotify (below)
So so fun!!! Thank you for featuring me!! <33