Welcome to CitySoulSouthernHeart.com, a lifestyle blog written by Mattison Heatherly. Founded in 2016 as a creative outlet to showcase her passion for travel, local restaurants, and to connect with women all over the world with similar interests.
My Story
Born and raised in a small town in west Texas, I grew up longing to travel. As a competitive baton twirler from the age of 4, competitions around the country were my outlet for exploring and traveling with my mom. But it wasn’t until I went away to college at Baylor that the world was truly opened up to me.
Throughout these 4 years I met some of the most incredible people from all over the US. Weekend trips to Dallas, made me discover my love for food and exploring cities. I met my (now) husband on Spring Break in Florida. My first trip to New York City as an adult gave me a whole new outlook on life.
When I first started working in the corporate world, I hated it. I missed my freedom and my friends, wasn’t making much money, and had no idea what I was doing. I started traveling full time for my job as a software consultant for an IT company. Unfortunately it wasn’t anywhere exciting, but I got to explore new places, rack up some airline points and get to see Shane on the weekends while we were long distance. Being in the IT industry, it was hard to make female friends and no one I worked with seemed to have similar interests. I started my blog to write about my travels, network with women, and share pieces of my life along the way.
When Shane and I got engaged in 2016, I moved across the from TX to NC to officially start our life together after almost three years of long distance. During our engagement, Shane received a job offer for a new role in Charlotte, NC. We got married September 30, 2017 and moved to Columbia, SC for his job in 2018. If you follow my Instagram, you will often see our 7 year old dog, Champ, glimpses of our home life in Columbia and LOTS of good eats. We love to make cocktails and entertain friends so much that we recently updated our bonus room with an amazing bar and lounge area.
Through living in multiple cities and traveling often, I have realized my passion for promoting local communities and believe every city has something worth sharing. Last year, I started my own company, City Social, to help local hospitality brands improve their digital presence. Through my blog and my business, I help showcase restaurants, travel destinations and fun opportunities along the way.
Want to work together? Collaborations include travel getaways, restaurant coverage, food & drink recipes, and lifestyle content. Please contact me here.
