Founded in 2013 by Joanna Fowler, Nesting Story is a world renowned lifestyle, wellness and parenting blog and YouTube channel with an amazing community built from a very raw and honest place. Joanna shares everything from fashion, home and decluttering, to food, wellness, beauty and womanhood, especially work-life balance and finding yourself again after having kids all through her lens. We are so glad you are here, and hope you pour yourself your favourite drink and stay a while.

2013

Nesting Story began back in 2013, when Joanna had two kids and had just left her Interior Design job to start her own children’s space interior design, and mural painting company. Joanna’s blog at the time was a little corner on her website that she used as a creative outlet.

But in late 2013 Joanna had to put everything on hold when she found out she was expecting twins. Her job was to focus on growing babies. It was during Joanna’s isolating and difficult twin pregnancy, when she was logging many hours on the sofa, with a pillow in between her knees, trying to parent her older kids as best as she could, that Joanna craved the connection with other moms going through something similar.

Joanna began scouring the Internet for blogs with moms who had multiples and many kids, who were both honest and inspirational. Every single blog she found she worked her way through, and devoured every word, always craving more details about their journey.

It was there, on that sofa that Joanna decided once the dust had settled after having her twins, that she would switch Nesting Story over to a personal blog.

2014

After Joanna’s twins were born in July of 2014 , she began to prepare to share her journey. In late 2014 Nesting Story, the personal blog was relaunched.

2015

In January 2015, with a six-year-old, a four-year-old and six-month-old twins, Joanna continued to share her journey and the blog began connecting with moms and a community was born.

In March 2015, Joanna’s post “What four kids (including twins) has done to my body and my confidence” went viral, while breaking down barriers and normalizing the postpartum body. A media storm followed, and Nesting Story was featured in Cosmopolitan, People Magazine, Fit Pregnancy, Today Show, Woman’s Day, and on major Canadian television networks among many others, which you can find on Nesting Story’s press page.

2016

Joanna spent the next year sharing every detail of life with four kids, including twins, but in spring 2016 she was itching for a new challenge and a way that she could connect with her community in a more dynamic way, especially as Joanna was moving out of the baby stage.

Joanna decided to shift some of the focus to YouTube and begin creating special videos to share her stories, tips lifestyle, wellness, fashion and home.

2017

Almost immediately Nesting Story, the YouTube channel grew, connecting with people all over the world. and in 2017, Nesting Story’s YouTube Channel was named Creator on the Rise by YouTube.

2018

Throughout 2018 Joanna continued to grow Nesting Story as both an outlet and to connect with other women like her, but also as a full-time career, often speaking at conferences all over North America.

In early 2018 Joanna and her family adopted Oliver, a rescue pup from St. Lucia. He quickly became Joanna’s sidekick and a very special friend to her kids.

2019

In mid 2019 Joanna’s world as she knew it came crashing down. Her marriage ended and Joanna had to figure out what life was going to look like as a single mom to four kids often times feeling out of body and completely lost.

As she navigated this new phase she made the conscious decision to privately and quietly problem solve her way through a divorce and what what co-parenting would look like for her family. She continued Nesting Story with the sole focus being lifestyle and home.

2020

Just as Joanna was getting her bearings as a solo mom with her kids almost full-time, managing a house as well as running her business, her family, along with the world was hit with another blow, the pandemic.

Although 2020 had it’s dark moments and Joanna was now wearing many more hats including teacher as her kids stayed home, mid way through the year a shift was about to happen…

In mid 2020, Joanna met Ben, a father to a beautiful daughter and her now long time partner and a grounding, bright presence in her life.

2021

In 2021, while her family was still adjusting to this new chapter of life, Joanna decided to step back from Nesting Story a little to focus on her family, her relationship and most importantly herself.

During this time Joanna also decided to move herself and her kids to Burlington, Ontario, near Ben and to have a fresh start with her kids while everyone healed from the turmoil from the previous years.

In late 2021, during her hiatus from Nesting Story, Joanna, together with her partner Ben, Founded their Branding and Social Media Management business called The Water Cooler. 

2022

Joanna continued to focus on growing The Water Cooler which continues to be a thriving company with an incredible team.

During this time her kids settled into their new town, their new schools and how life looks post pandemic and going between two households. Although Joanna continued creating content, she made the conscious decision to not include her kids on social media (or very minimally) as they were thriving, growing and entering the teenage years with their own lives.

2023

This brings us 2023, the return of Nesting Story. Although Joanna contemplated and dabbled in bringing on a team and opening up Nesting Story to be a collective, in the end she realized that this space was created for women looking to connect with her.

While now the focus may be less on young kids, babies, pregnancy and twins, the lifestyle, home and womanhood element is still prevalent.

Now in her forties, Joanna knows that this space needs to be where topics that would be brought up among friends at dinner, or with moms at school pickup need to be discussed. Whether it’s our careers, feeling spread thin, aging and our bodies, creating a beautiful home or showing up for our kids and in our relationships authentically while not losing ourselves.

Joanna feels it’s important to share aspects of divorce, co-parenting, a new relationship and figuring life out solo from time-to-time, but now values the importance of keeping some privacy more than ever.

It’s been 10 years since Nesting Story was launched, and although a lot has changed, one thing continues… we are discussing real and honest topics, while inspiring and above all ensuring that none of us feel alone as we create our story and design a life we love.