We recently had the chance to connect with Marsha McDougal and have shared our conversation below.
Marsha, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now I start my days by getting my girls off to school each morning. Then I check my emails, my website analytics, and go over my recipe calendar to see what recipes I have coming up for the week. I will go to the grocery store if needed or just jump right into recipe development, photographing, filming, and editing. The afternoons are when I do my school pickups and therapy appointments for my daughter who has autism. My evenings are pretty busy and full of cooking, light cleaning, and bedtime routines (shoutout to my husband who is a huge help in this area). I’m still working on trying to squeeze in more self-care time during the day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey y’all, I’m Marsha! I’m a recipe developer, food photographer, and the founder of the food blog, Maple Jubilee. I create and share easy dinner recipes and side dishes primarily on my website, maplejubilee.com, and on all social media platforms.
I started blogging in 2020 after leaving a 13-year career in Corporate America. I left my traditional 9-5 job to provide extra care for my autistic daughter. Once my daughter was diagnosed with autism and I started down the long path of raising a child with special needs, I knew I would have to find a new job or career that was flexible for our family’s schedule and for my own sanity.
I always had a passion for cooking and I was already sharing cooking videos on YouTube just for fun. So I decided to step out on faith and turn my passion into a business and become a full-time food blogger. What started off as a hobby has now grown into a 6-figure career and for that I am truly truly grateful.
I’m also married to my high-school sweetheart, a mom of three kiddos, a Nashville native, and a breast cancer survivor!
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One of the biggest moments in my life that really shaped how I see the world was when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was only 32 years old, married with a 4 year old son, and a 3 month old daughter. I was doing very well climbing the corporate ladder, as they say, and had never faced anything as difficult as cancer.
Between all the treatments, doctor visits, medical bills, and overall stress, I began to re-examine my purpose in life and what was most important to me. And for me that was God, my family, and good health. I still wanted a meaningful career, but I did not want to compromise my health and my happiness. This led me down a path of focusing more on how I could truly give back to the world. I eventually became a certified yoga instructor and then started my food blog.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
Honestly it was this year. When I first started my business 5 years ago there was a huge learning curve. I was taking lots of courses, reading articles, and watching videos trying to learn everything I could about making money from blogging. After 3 years of not making a huge profit, I decided to go back to work outside the house and work on my business in my spare time.
Luckily I got an awesome job working in the blogging industry and it was flexible for my crazy schedule. I spent the last two years working for another company during the day and working on my personal food blog at night. But around March 2025, I made the decision to step back out on my own and go full-time again with my business.
It was an important decision because I really depended on the extra income I was brining in from having a stable job. But to my surprise, the moment I made that decision and invested my time back into my own business, things started to change. My traffic and income shot up and God started blessing my business.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
It’s honestly funny to think about it now, but I use to think that working in Corporate America was the best thing since sliced bread. The dream job! Oh, I was so naive. But at the time when I was in school, getting a traditional job was pushed heavily and often glamorized. And entrepreneurship seemed too difficult, unstable, and unpredictable.
Now that I have over a decade of experience working in Corporate America and have dealt with all of the politics that are involved, I realize now that I was very wrong. Every career has it’s pros and cons and you have to pick the right path for you.
And it’s important to know that at any time you can change your mind, change fields, learn something new, and do something different. That’s what life is all about…learning and evolving over time.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
This is an easy one. I feel most at peace in prayer, at the end of a good yoga workout, during the holidays with my family, or when I’m on vacations with my husband. You gotta take those vacations!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maplejubilee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maplejubilee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maplejubilee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maplejubilee
Image Credits
Marsha McDougal
