From YouTube to Blogging: How Joyful Yessi is Building Both Platforms with Balance
Building a blogging business takes passion, persistence, and a whole lot of planning, and no one embodies that better than today’s guest, Yessi, the creator of Joyful Yessi. What started as a YouTube channel has grown into both a thriving blog and a business, all while balancing her roles as a teacher, homeschooling mom, and wife.
We had the joy of chatting with Yessi on The Ultimate Blog Podcast about her journey from YouTube to blogging, and how she’s intentionally growing both platforms with balance.
Meet Joyful Yessi
Yessi is a wife, homeschooling mom, educator, and content creator who blends faith, family, and culture in everything she does. With her faith firmly rooted in the Lord, she inspires others to approach motherhood, homeschooling, and work with joy and intentionality. She also shares traditional yet simple Puerto Rican recipes that celebrate culture while keeping things easy for busy families.
Finding Joy Through Content Creation
Yessi’s brand, Joyful Yessi, is built on her belief that joy can be found in everyday life. Her content focuses on traditional Puerto Rican recipes simplified for busy families, homeschooling tips and encouragement, and everyday lifestyle inspiration centered on living joyfully.
Her joyful perspective shines through everything she creates, and it’s what has attracted both YouTube subscribers and blog readers alike.
From YouTube Beginnings to a Business
Yessi started her YouTube channel about four years ago, initially sharing vlogs and recipes. Over time, her recipes gained traction, and as her homeschooling journey began, she added that content too.
To her surprise, her channel became monetized, and soon after, she landed her first brand deal. That moment shifted her mindset.
“I had to put my personal name on the paperwork, and I realized, I should probably treat this like a business,” she shared.
That led to forming an LLC, and soon after, the realization that she needed something she truly owned: a website.
Why Blogging Became Essential
Like many creators, Yessi noticed a trend of YouTubers losing access to their channels, whether through hacks or platform changes. The thought of losing years of work pushed her to build her blog as a safeguard.
“I wanted to make sure my content had a safe place and a home that I truly owned,” she said.
After finding The Ultimate Blog Podcast and joining our community, she committed to learning the blogging process, even while recovering from a medical emergency. She created a plan, used school breaks to batch content, and launched her blog in January 2024.
Balancing YouTube, Blogging, and Life
Adding a blog to her already full plate required strategy. Yessi leaned on her teaching philosophy: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Here’s how she made it work:
- She reduced YouTube videos from 2 per week to 1, dedicating that extra time to blogging
- She started with video first, then repurposed the transcript into a blog post
- She batch created content during school breaks to stay ahead
- She adjusted her content creation rhythms by season, focusing on recipes during the school year and homeschooling content during breaks
She also encourages creators to inventory their time before diving into a new platform.
“In our minds, we think we can get so much done. But realistically, it takes longer. You have to be honest with your time and build your plan around that.” We couldn’t agree more!
Blending Passions Into One Brand
One of Yessi’s biggest challenges has been balancing multiple content pillars, recipes and homeschooling. At times, she wondered if combining them would confuse her audience. But to her surprise, her followers often appreciate both.
Some find her through a recipe and stay for her homeschooling insights. Others discover her homeschooling advice and then enjoy her simple Puerto Rican meals.
She recently launched a second YouTube channel to keep her cooking and homeschooling content more distinct, but on her blog, she loves weaving them together.
And now, she’s even created her first digital product, a freebie that combines Puerto Rican recipes with homeschool lesson plans.
Taking One Step at a Time
Yessi admits her journey hasn’t always been easy. Like many of us, she has moments where it feels tempting to compare herself to others in her niche. But she’s learned that the best way to stay encouraged is to look at her own growth.
“The biggest drainer of joy and energy is comparing yourself to somebody else,” she shared. “If you’re going to compare yourself to anyone, compare yourself to the version of you from last year. Look at how far you’ve come.”
By focusing on her own progress and learning, growing, and building new skills, she’s able to stay grounded and enjoy the process instead of rushing to the finish line.
In this episode, we covered:
- How Joyful Yessi grew from a YouTube Channel to a blog
- Why blogging was essential for Yessi
- How Yessi balances blogging, YouTube, and homeschooling
- How Yessi incorporates different topics in her brand
- Yessi’s encouragement to bloggers
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Yessi on her blog, Instagram, and YouTube Channels (Joyful Yessi and Joyful Journeys with Yessi)
- Get Yessi’s Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling Freebie
- Sabor y Sabiduría – Yessi’s Puerto Rican Food & Study Guide Freebie
- Check out last week’s episode on how to create a weekly blog workflow that works with your life!
We hope you loved this episode with Joyful Yessi on building a thriving YouTube channel and blog! Please leave us a comment and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode!
