I started following Jenn Todryk, aka The Rambling Redhead, when I was super pregnant and she was super SUPER pregnant — so much so that the first Insta Story I saw was her in labor on the way to the hospital. Even in the chaos that is having a baby, she let her followers in on her journey. I was dying laughing when she asked everyone to pray for her cervix to dilate, and I’ve been hooked on The Rambling Redhead since.
So what has attracted over 400k followers to @TheRamblingReadhead? I’ll tell you why I’m a fan:
She’s positive.
“Good morning good MORNIIIINNNNGGGGGG!!!!”
She greets her followers every morning (or sometimes later afternoon, but she’s a busy lady) with a catchy salutation that — I kid you not — my preschooler now knows. If he hears her voice on Stories when I sneak a peek during the day, he requests to hear “that good morning lady.”
Listen, I know this sounds like a cult and we’re a bunch of blind sheep just following the pretty lady who’s says nice things to us. But I SWEAR Jenn just has this effervescent personality — she’s engaging, authentic, with just enough quirk to make things interesting and funny.
I don’t recall ever hearing her bash a person, product or company (other than her web hosting company after her website crashed but it’s also my current web hosting company so I’ll just move along…)
Basically, all good vibes.
She is legit frugal.
Her budget for home decor (and basically everything else) is approximately 10 times my budget. Her home is impeccably decorated and I’m pretty sure she owns like 50 pairs of New Balance sneakers alone. But the if you pay attention to her Insta Stories (which is where all the action is), you’ll know her shoes are all from Joe’s New Balance Outlet. She shops at Walmart instead of Nordstrom. She’s allll about the sales and discount codes. And above and beyond discounts, she buys open box sales (and apparently a discounted show model mattress, if my memory serves me correctly.)
She’s spoken before in Insta Story Q&As about living below their means and saving a ton. What an incredibly valuable virtue, especially on a platform that constantly shows beautiful homes/outfits/experiences and conveniently links how to buy them all.
As she recently described herself: “She cheap.”
She invests locally.
Jenn and her husband, Mike, bought a coffee shop — recently referred to as her “fourth child”, but officially known as Village Coffee. They are working on renovating and rebranding it as Armor Coffee, and it makes frequent appearances in Jenn’s stories.
It’s awesome to see an Instagrammer out of their online bubble plugging their earnings into a passion project. I give her major props for investing locally in employment and building (offline) community.
She’s unashamedly open.
This is probably her most talked about feature and I’d guess what has drawn so many people to her. She has almost no shame, sharing all sorts of things that are easily relatable, typically hilarious, and slightly personal without crossing a “that’s too awkward” line. A delicate balance, and she walks the tightrope.
She bounces from gross (an entire series about her moldy breadbox with fly larvae?!) to refreshingly honest (wearing plaid shirts tied around her waist to hide “granny panty lines.”) She doesn’t gloss over real life struggles, taking most hurdles in stride and with humor. She posted about staying home from church one week with her youngest because of nap times, at a time when I was also struggling with getting back into the swing of things… like church with a new baby in tow. Knowing you aren’t alone in life is a powerful thing, especially with the struggles of a SAHM.
This isn’t amateur hour either. She has a knack for letting folks in, but not being messy. There’s something to be said for good camera work, and you can tell she puts (at least a little) thought into her shot composition so things don’t get too sloppy and hard to follow.
She gives actually useful recommendations
(Aka she’s not a shill!)
I’ve *never seen a sponsored post from her*, which automatically ranks her as one of my favorite Instagrammers. Obviously affiliate links are her main income source, but I’ve never had the sense that anything that feels fake or pushy. It’s legit just her, living her life (or some basic extension of it, because that’s a loooooot of Old Navy try-ons for one person.)
Many home decor or fashion Instagram accounts attempt to give some realness behind the constant rotation of all-too-similar outfits and interiors. And then there’s Jenn, who mopped her kids’ bathroom on Instagram stories to show everyone how awesome her new steam mop was.
I bought a pair of (the aforementioned) New Balance sneakers from Joe’s New Balance Outlet when I was trudging through some post-partum anxiety issues, and finally got out to run in my neighborhood. I bought a Haakaa breast pump after she mentioned it, and it’s been a lifesaver. (Did I also buy her favorite magnetic eyelashes and look like a fool? Yes. You can’t win them all.)
While my life and style doesn’t totally line up with her content, the things that have piqued my interest have always been helpful. I’m constantly adding things to my Amazon Wishlist from her Stories.
(To note, I’ve noticed lately she’s been getting some items sent to her for free, but they are both companies I already use and love — Kyte Baby and Grove Collaborative. My only takeaway from this is I’m clearly squarely in her target audience, hah!)
She’s basically created her own daily TV show right in Instagram Stories, and has proven her life is something folks will tune into. Jenn recently announced she’s getting a TV show and WHAT IS THIS WORLD?!? Congrats Jenn, can’t wait to keep watching!
