Meet Hannah Lee (aka @SimplyHal)

For those of you who follow my YouTube channel, you know that I am a huge fan of this lady (check out our collab here to see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3X3gy2BenM). Hannah Lee (also know as @simplyhal) is an influencer that I have admired for such a long time now! I genuinely feel like the world needs more people like her, more idols like her. But besides all of her amazing characteristics, she also has quite the YouTube and Instagram following! With all of that said, I have been very curious to tap into her knowledge and ask her these questions. She seems so wise and I know that she will provide some valuable inspiration in this interview. Here we go....

Firstly, I want to know a little background about you. What was life like for “littler” Hannah? What did you like to do, where are you from? Basically, how did you end up where you are today?

I've been born and raised in North East Fl. I had an amazing childhood, with a very close family. I have lots of memories of playing with my siblings, parents and friends. I remember playing outside a lot. My parents always gave me big birthday parties, we were always going to the beach, zoo, park etc.

I've always had a passion for horses. I started horse back riding lessons when I was 6 and I've been riding ever since. As a little girl I always dreamed of having a farm. I have a lot of childhood memories that I'll always treasure.

When I was about 8 or 9 my family and I began to go through some very difficult times. That alone could be a very long story. But, long story short... my mom became deathly ill. We had to leave our home. My mom spent the next couple years battling her health issues, while we lived with my Aunt and Uncle. After a couple of years and multiple surgeries my mom was finally well. My family and I (there's 6 of us) moved onto my grandparent's property and lived in a small camper until we were able to get our own home again.

Within the couple of years we were staying in the camper, my grandmother (my mom's mom) became very ill and almost died. She was living with and taking care of my Great Grandmother at the time. We stayed with my Great Grandmother for 7 months, to help take care of her and spend time with her. My grandmother was in the hospital for about 3 months and was finally able to go home. A year later my great grandmother became sick, and without thinking twice my mom jumped in and started caring for her. We lost my great grandmother a few months before I turned 16.

A few weeks before I turned 14 we were finally able to get a house again. Moving into our current home was one of the happiest days of my life. We were all so happy to finally be in our home again. We were so happy to have an actual running toilet, as in the camper we didn't have one. When I was about 15 my mom became ill again with the same thing she had when I was 9-10 and on top of that she got cancer. I'll be 17 next month and these health issues are still something she's having to battle. She just had another surgery, and still has a long road ahead. She's so strong through it all and she's such an inspiration.

We're keeping our faith up, I know she'll get through this soon. I'm thankful for the rough times we had to go through, as I feel like those times have a lot to do with the person that I am today. I definitely wish my mom didn't have to go through so many health issues. But, I know we really appreciate little things that most people take for granted or don't even think about.

Even though we went through difficult times my mom made sure we still felt at home no matter where we were. She made sure we were still able to make amazing memories being in the situation we were in. I'm so thankful for my family, I don't know where I would be without them.

If you could tell that younger self one thing, what would it be?

If I could go back and tell my younger self something, I would say that everything is going to be okay. Always pray about everything, keep your faith up and stay close in your relationship with the Lord. Everything happens for a reason.

One of my favorite reasons to follow you is because you have the cutest animals. Tell me about your home farm, how many animals do you have? What is the upkeep like? Are you the sole caretaker? etc.

A lot of our animals we rescued or adopted. We have 7 dogs, 5 cats, 5 horses, 4 rabbits, 8 ducks, 30ish chickens and 2 pot belly pigs.

I own 2 of the dogs. The cats, horses, rabbits, ducks, chickens and pigs are my responsibility. My family is always willing to help, but as far as the daily care and feeding is something that I normally do and my little sister will help me. Before my mom got sick she would always help me a lot, and still does help me when she's able to.

What inspired you to start your YouTube channel and what are your goals with that?

I started my YouTube channel when I was 12, when I got my first horse (Bluejeans.) I started it for fun, I never thought it would grow to be as big as it is. As I've been making videos and talking to so many different people that follow and support me, it's really inspired me. A big goal of mine is to inspire others, help people with their animals, and help people believe in themselves. It makes my heart so happy when I receive a message saying that I helped or inspired someone.

What are you current goals and aspirations (outside of YouTube and social media)?

I have a lot of different goals that I'm trying to work towards. A big goal would be to eventually purchase a big piece of land. I want my entire family to be able to live on the same property, so it's really important to me that we're able to get more land one day.

When we're able to get more land, I would like to start a family business off of our property. I'm getting into breeding and selling rare chickens. I'm planning on selling hatchlings next spring. Some of my smaller goals that are in the near future, I would like to be known around my town for being a reliable person to get good hatchlings from. I absolutely love dealing with baby chicks and ducklings, and learning about the incubation process, care etc.

I would like to work on becoming a better rider, guitar player/singer, learning how to write music, working on starting a career for myself, making more memories with my family and friends, working on my truck, and just working on me, trying to better myself as a person.

What does a typical day in the life of Hannah look like?

On a typical day, I feed every morning and evening, during the early afternoon I'll normally be working on schoolwork. I typically work on learning guitar on a daily basis, and in the late afternoons and evenings I'll normally be cleaning up after the animals, training/working horses etc.

Who is your role model/inspiration? Why?

A big role model for me is my Mama. She's such an amazing, smart, kind hearted person, who never meets a stranger. She's so strong, and she's such an inspiration to so many. I hope I'm able to be as an amazing friend, wife, daughter and mother as her.

How do you stay motivated to keep consistent with everything that you do?

The lifestyle that I have is such a dream come true for me. I truly have a passion for the things that I do, so I feel like that makes a big difference. Anytime I feel overwhelmed, I try to break things down and just focus on little tasks at a time. I also try to look back at all of the things I've accomplished and where I started.

What would your advice be for people who want to pursue their own dreams?

My advice for people that are wanting to pursue their dreams would be to never limit yourself. You can do absolutely anything when you put your mind and hard work to it. When you receive something that you worked so hard for it feels so much better and means so much more than it just being handed to you. Always surround yourself with people that support and motivate you. I promise you can accomplish anything, no matter your age, situation etc.

I always end the interview with a random question, so here’s yours:

If you could dis-invent one thing, what would it be?

If I could dis-invent one thing it would probably be for people to use glass bottles for products like people used to use, instead of plastic. I guess that's dis-inventing something haha

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How can you not just love her? I personally did not know about everything that Hannah has been through with her family, and have so much more respect (as if that was possible) for the young lady she is today. I say she should be your next idol because she is a perfect example of a strong, dedicated, motivated, real, and genuine person. There's no fake news or fake photos or fake senses of reality when it comes to her content. I hope you plan on checking her out! If so, here's where you can find her....

p.s. thank you so much Hannah for taking the time to answer all of my questions, I'm your #1 fan btw!!! 

Instagram: @simplyhal (www.instagram.com/simplyhal)

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChS9csF0SyUvNoiy_hSAlmA