Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaylee Newcomb.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi everyone! My name is Kaylee Newcomb and you’ll find me around town networking, at our girl’s night out events, or finding the best vegan foods and drinks around Orlando. Originally from Richmond, VA, I recently moved to Orlando in February after spending the last four years in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area. Like most, I was furloughed during the pandemic. My lease also ended on my apartment, so I decided it was time for a big move. I knew I didn’t want to leave Florida, and honestly, I drove up once a month just to go to Disney, so Orlando was an easy choice.
When I moved to Fort Lauderdale, I had found a networking group called the Housewives in the City that introduced me to new friends, connections, and restaurants around town. I reached out to the SWFL leader and asked about events here in Orlando, and she explained there was no active director. She then offered me to take over as Director of Marketing and Events for Orlando. I was thrilled! Not only would my new city resume their monthly Girls Night Out themed networking events, but I would get to play a vital role in helping our community come together.
To me, this is the best ‘job’ one could have when moving to a new city! I get to connect, network, support, and bring together women and businesses in the community. I also love finding all of the best vegan foods + drinks around town and sharing with my community, friends, and family.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
To be honest, life is always going to have it’s struggles. Specifically, there were struggles moving to a new city like acquainting to the area, finding my closest Target, and driving regularly in I4 traffic. I was lucky to find work and a good/safe place to live early on, and I’ve had really great luck meeting some amazing people along the way!
I think the hardest part at first was making friends in a new city during a pandemic… people don’t go out like they used to, so I turned to Instagram to make friends and connections online. Luckily things are opening up and I have gotten to meet some of these amazing people in person.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I host Orlando’s Girls Night Out monthly themed networking event, help promote local businesses, and showcase + taste Orlando’s best vegan foods + drinks! Housewives Orlando is part of the national organization Housewives in the City, which is active in over 30 cities in the US. Our goal is to help connect women and businesses in the community through in-person events, our online forum, and social media.
Think of GNO as the most relaxed, fun networking event you’ve ever been to. Each event is themed; during happy hour, the first 25 ladies always receive a swag bag of goodies from local businesses, and we do fun raffles and giveaways at the end. Each event also has 2-5 featured local businesses that showcase vendor tables during the event and are highlighted on the event recap on our blog. This also gives different companies the opportunity to show + tell what they do with other women in the community. I love being a part of such a fun, diverse, strong, empowering group of boss ladies here in Orlando!
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Oh, I like this question. There’s the old saying “no risk, no reward” that immediately comes to mind. I firmly believe that one can be happy without taking risks, but in my opinion, it would be a very boring life. Sure, you’ll never get hurt from falling off a bike if you always stay inside, but you’ll never get the thrill of the wind in your hair and sunshine on your face.
I learned at early age that the more risks I took, the more rewards I got. Even if I got a few no’s, I would get more yes’s the more I tried. This was a valuable life lesson that has helped me embrace my independence and free spirit as an adult. Taking risks has allowed me to run businesses and find success in the workplace. Taking risks allowed me to position myself in a happier place than I could even imagine. If someone had told me four years ago that I would be living in Orlando in 2021, I would have laughed. Choosing my life path, taking those risks has allowed me to find my true happiness.
Contact Info:
- Email: orlando@housewivesinthecity.com
- Website: orlando.housewivesinthecity.com
- Instagram: hitcorlando
- Facebook: hitcorlando
- Twitter: hitcorlando
Image Credits
@HerBrandMedia Abby Craft
