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Instagram's latest breakout star? A yoga-loving mom of two

Are your selfies compelling enough to garner hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers?One yoga-loving New Jersey mom of two didn’t really think hers would have any kind of major sticking power when she began posting photos of herself in various poses. Laura Kasperzak, 36, fired up an account in March 2012 on the suggestion of her niece — who requested a follow from auntie — and figured s
Instagram user LauraSykora
Instagram
New Jersey mom of two Laura Kasperzak had no expectations when she created her Instagram account – but today has 700,000+ followers.
New Jersey mom of two Laura Kasperzak had no expectations when she created her Instagram account – but today has 700,000+ followers.Today

Are your selfies compelling enough to garner hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers?

One yoga-loving New Jersey mom of two didn’t really think hers would have any kind of major sticking power when she began posting photos of herself in various poses. Laura Kasperzak, 36, fired up an account in March 2012 on the suggestion of her niece — who requested a follow from auntie — and figured she’d collect a few “likes.”

About a year later, her artful photos of herself and her kids, an 8-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, in perfect form and in beautiful settings, were getting major attention. And now, Kasperzak has more than 700,000 engaged followers and estimates she posts as many as 40 images per week.

Kasperzak says she has no help in shooting the images for her feed. “Photography is my other hobby and passion so I really take a lot of pride that I shoot my own stuff,” she told TODAY.com. “I use an interval timer on my Nikon.”

To date, her most engaged post is a sweet image with her daughter, who mimics her mom’s impeccable backbend. It’s garnered more than 60,000 likes. 


As for her own favorite shot? She has a few, “although they all tend to be the ones with my kids and my husband. We have such a fun time taking the pics, that it’s hard for those to not be my faves.” 

On the strength of her following, Kasperzak launched the yoga and fitness business Two Fit Moms as a collaboration with high school bestie Masumi Goldman this fall. “It’s been a lifelong dream for the both of us to create a business with a good friend. We wanted to use it as a platform to spread health and wellness to everyone, especially moms,” Kasperzak said, adding that they’re committed to making yoga affordable, teaching $5 classes in Lodi, N. J.  

Oh, and did we mention that Kasperzak also holds a full-time job with a software company? The workload is challenging, but Kasperzak says she remains committed to her loyal social media followers. “As my Instagram account grows and the Two Fit Moms business grows, it becomes a juggling act. But I am enjoying every single minute of it.”

And it’s not just mom who’s loving the life of Internet celebrity mixed with fitness and fun. “My kids think it’s funny, though I don’t think they grasp the magnitude of it yet,” she said. “My nieces and nephews, who are slightly older, think it’s cool to have a famous aunt."

See some of her greatest hits here:






Alesandra Dubin is a Los Angeles-based writer and the founder of home and travel blog Homebody in Motion. Follow her on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter