Community Highlights: Meet Kimberly Thomas of Mount Juliet Lifestyle Magazine / Kimberlee Brooke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Thomas. 

Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
After I graduated college with a BA degree in PR, I knew I wanted to put it to use but really did not know how that would transpire. I got married a few weeks after graduating and two months later we got pregnant with our first child. I had been offered a very lucrative job as the primary wedding planner at a high-end wedding venue in Northern California where I grew up. I turned it down because my gut told me that the timing was not right for me. I knew I would be having that baby at the peak of wedding season and also knew that the level of responsibility wasn’t something I was willing to risk in having to choose my health and family over career. I was frustrated after that because it was such a dream job and not having any success finding a job that worked for my lifestyle. Family has always come first and with my husband being in the music industry, I had to choose something that fit us and our life. That is when I decided to create my own work/business. I come from family who owned and run many different kinds of businesses from growing farms, owning grocery stores, hotels to auto/parts stores. So, I did not really flinch at the idea of starting something completely on my own and had my husband’s total support also coming from family businesses. I started blogging before blogging was a thing. I picked up a passion (photography) I always had so I could create content that was eye-catching for my readers. I became obsessed with learning new tricks with my camera and overly passionate about sharing our life. Shortly after I started practicing my skills on some of my friends, I was asked how much I charged for family photos. One thing led to the next and I eventually became a full-blown wedding/lifestyle photographer. Fast forward 10 years and our move to Nashville I evolved a lot over time, developed a workshop and started working with a handful of small business owner clients that I was coaching on creating their own content. Last year I am positive that is why City Lifestyle fell in my lap. It aligned in so many ways with our life and lifestyle that I could not have dreamed up a better transition than owning/publishing my own community magazine. I was already working a lot with small businesses and this was such a perfect match. Not to mention getting even more connected to our new home town was such a dream come true. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a business owner is never a smooth road for many reasons. In one word it is humbling. I had to learn a lot about myself through my clients, especially in the beginning. Criticism is hard to take when you’re on a high from one client and then completely humbled by the next. However, I started to crave the hard customers. Over time I was looking for the people that were willing to challenge me and even those that were sometimes unfair and dishonest because that made me a better business owner and person. I learned how to navigate all the curves and control my emotions. I have gained the wisdom for when it’s very important to stand in my convictions and also when it’s really important to let things go. I have also had to learn the hard way, that I am not for everyone and that is totally okay. I have been so thankful for family and close friends that have always supported me and cheered me on because there are also people that don’t really understand how hard it is to sustain a business. Some of the other struggles have been life-work balance and choosing where you allocate time for your family and genuine friendships. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mount Juliet Lifestyle Magazine /Kimberlee Brooke, LLC?
I am an entrepreneur and own a few different businesses. I started my photography company in 2010 which led to small business consulting in 2020. I also purchased and launched a new franchise with City Lifestyle (Mount Juliet) in 2020/2021. I am the franchise owner/Publisher of Mount Juliet Lifestyle Magazine and I am still a freelance photographer/consultant. I don’t really think about what sets me apart from others, but what I can say is I always lead with service in everything I do and always will. I am creative and artistic but I also think that there is an art to every industry and definitely an art in serving people and sustaining a business. I am proud of the fact that I have continued to follow the same path that I set out to follow 12 years ago and have evolved with my services as I’ve grown. 

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I really love so many things about Nashville. The first time my husband and I traveled here 10 years ago, it brought me to tears. I have a lot of family roots in the south and just felt so at home here, I couldn’t even describe it. Every time we would travel here (multiple times a year), the desire to move here got stronger. When we finally did move 4 years ago, it felt so right. Every time we come home from visiting family in California, we feel even stronger about making this our new hometown. I love the people of Mount Juliet. So humble, down-to-earth, and diverse. We have made so many friends and our girls love that we truly have all the seasons. What I love least is that of course, it’s very far from our hometown and definitely not nearly as close to the ocean as we use to be. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @mountjulietlifestyle

Image Credits
Ashlee Vallet
LOFT Photography Studios
Kimberlee Brooke
High Gravity Photography