I was sitting on my bed one afternoon, replaying the same thought over and over:
How do I actually help my teenage daughter?
She's strong-willed, fiery, stubborn, and absolutely certain of her opinions. When she decides something, that's it — she's doing it. But some of those decisions she's making are not great choices.
I know teenagers test limits and push boundaries, but everything felt like it was happening too fast. She had only just started high school! Then almost instantly we were navigating situations neither of us were prepared for. It didn't sit well with me, and no matter how she imagined things would go, real life choices came with real life consequences... and that did not go down well!
That's when I found myself thinking back to my own teenage years.
My parents used to buy me this magazine that had everything in it; friendships, crushes, school, celebrities, real-life dilemmas, advice columns, posters, EVERYTHING! It was a whole world I could escape into... and then the idea hit me:
Why don't I create something like that?
Of course, the little voice in my head tried to shut it down:
"You can't."
"It's too big."
"You don't know anything about magazines."
"You'll fail."
I decided to ignore that... and now here we are.
GIRLSONLY is for every girl navigating her teenage years — the messy, confusing, exciting, overwhelming parts, and a place to just escape into.
We gather real stories from real teens, seek expert advice, share experiences, and remind every reader that they are never alone in what they're feeling.
And just so you know — I wasn't exactly a model teenager myself. I often felt like the black sheep of my family. But that magazine I loved helped me feel not so alone. I started to understand that my experiences weren't that different from others.
So if GIRLSONLY can offer even a fraction of that comfort, guidance, or connection to someone else, then every bit of this journey has been worth it.
Welcome to the magazine. Welcome to the community. Welcome to GIRLSONLY.