We had the good fortune of connecting with Alli + Kristen Blumquist and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alli + Kristen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Bloom With Us started with a need for more representation and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, especially with the current political climate. We wanted to share our story and experience as a gay couple living in North Texas, and show that being queer doesn’t have to look any certain way. We also wanted to provide a window into our relationship – both the high and low moments – as we navigate our engagement and upcoming wedding as well as start our lives and careers together. With both of us in school to be mental health counselors, we wanted to provide resources and support to people through building a community online. Our mission is to help people feel like they belong and are not alone in this world, and put a smile on their faces along the way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Our work is multi-faceted and always evolving. Currently, we run a blog on our website as well as on social media where we provide free mental health resources and share content about our relationship. In the future, as we grow our platform, we plan to offer one-on-one coaching, more resources, courses, and classes. Eventually, once Kristen obtains her LPC and Alli becomes an LCSW, we want to open our own private therapy practice together.

We both have a vast number of experiences that have gotten us to where we are now.

Alli founded and ran a nonprofit for two years, and attended Berklee College of Music. She played flute for Netflix, performed at Harvard and with the Fort Worth Symphony, and won an international competition at the Kennedy Center. She won Bass Hall’s award for the most promising young musician in DFW in 2019. After her chronic illness–Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome–worsened, she found herself unable to keep up with life as a professional flutist and began to work in community engagement and in the nonprofit space teaching therapeutic music and art for children. It was there she found her true passion for mental health and social justice. It lit her up in a way music never had, so she began to pursue a career in social work.

Kristen also grew up playing music, and was even a drummer in a small band in DFW. She always enjoyed working with the pediatric population and helping them develop new skills. She earned two associate’s degrees and began to work as a certified occupational therapy assistant in pediatrics. After meeting Alli and learning more about the mental health space, Kristen realized that a better fit for her and her passions would be play therapy. She loved helping little ones learn to deal with big emotions and explore more about the world and who they are, so she began to pursue her degree in mental health counseling.

We both have been overjoyed and excited by the community we have found since beginning to grow our platform. We love receiving messages from people who have come across our content and found it helpful and comforting. We’ve learned that above all, we have to stay true to our values of authenticity and want to continue to provide a warm and welcoming place for our audience to land. Even if we only help one person, it makes our work worth it to us. This way of thinking has brought us new friends and opportunities that we never could have dreamed of. We can’t wait to continue to grow and create more resources, and see how we can contribute to bringing about change and connection in our world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our favorite food is Thai food, and Too Thai Street Eats in Carrollton is a must for anyone who comes to visit us. We also love Velvet Taco for a late night taco treat. For a hike, we always recommend checking out Marion Sansom Park in Fort Worth or Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano for amazing views. The Fort Worth Botanic Gardens are a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature. We frequently go rock climbing at Summit Climbing, Yoga, and Fitness, and love taking our guests to try their hand at climbing at any of their locations in DFW.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We would like to give a shoutout to our fellow LGBTQ+ and allied Texans who have inspired us to share our journey and raise our voices to ignite change. Whether you’re out or not, questioning, or anywhere in between, you matter, and we are dedicating our work to you.

Website: https://www.alliandkristen.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliandkristen/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC12zkpLzdd7Iu-zOvT1OmHQ

Other: Email List Sign-Up: https://alliandkristen.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=30b14381dce50051f6f1d61be&id=7b1f12492f TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alliandkristen?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits
Abbi Reed, Reed Photography

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