One Year of Live Lively: Where We've Been and How We Got Here

Let’s celebrate! Live Lively is officially one year old! Check out the blog post below reviewing our best moments from the past year and some of our greatest learnings.

This day, one year ago, my mum and I officially clicked the button and launched this website and blog. It’s crazy to think that an entire year has gone by since that day and I think reaching this milestone is a great way to encourage us to reflect on where we’ve been and how we’ve got here.


Firstly, I wanted to share a little bit about why we wanted to launch this blog and website in the first place. When I was 13, I made my first planner. It was from a scrapbook binder set from the Warehouse which I’d personalised and made my own. I had designed all the individual pages on my laptop and printed out each page onto card and cut it out. I didn’t care how inefficient or time consuming the entire process was, I just loved being able to plan my time and I loved having something that was entirely personalised for me. Kids in my class at school loved my planner, even just simply flicking through the pages and seeing what I’d come up with. I knew from that young age of 13 that I wanted to make planners for other people. Believe it or not, I always dreamed that a version of this planner would be my first product for Live Lively - this is still a long term dream.

​Check out a slideshow of the original Lively Planner below!

During my teen years, I threw myself into personal writing. It stemmed from a fear of forgetting my teenage years and the experiences which I knew would shape me as a person. Something about those years felt so important and so life-changing that I couldn’t bear letting them slip between the cracks of my mind. I’ve never had a great memory, so writing became my method. I wrote about everything from my friendships, to traumatic events and experiences. I always hoped that if anything ever happened to me that my closest family members would be able to read my writing and feel closer to me than they’d ever been before. I began to understand how written words can connect people and share such important life lessons.


I’d always wanted to share a lot about self-help and self-care. Tough times when I was 16 helped me realise that some of the biggest things we feel like we’re missing in our lives actually have to come from ourselves. Self care and empowerment became a large topic for me and I really wanted to be able to use my writing to help connect with other young girls and share stories which we only saved for our closest friends.


I remember the day when I spoke to my mum about starting something. I wasn’t quite sure what yet, whether it would be a blog or a platform, but I wanted something that would allow me to explore connecting with others through words but also giving me the option to pursue my passion for planning and designing. I remember the exact moment when I was driving with mum and I told her that whatever I did it would be called ‘Live Lively’. “Live a life that’s lively,” I said to her. “That’s the message I’ll spread.”

Being the typical over-planner I am, I threw myself into mood boards and colour palettes. My perfectionist streak came out in full as I experimented with logos and fonts. I created my own fonts by writing out individual letters and scanning them into the computer. I was determined to make this project the best of what I could offer.


When my mum chose to launch The Pilates Room, we decided to launch it under the umbrella brand of Live Lively. We felt like we could both bring to the table what we truly believe is most important for a ‘lively life’. Movement, awareness of your future self through planning and building connections through community.


Since moving to Cambridge, mum and I have been enveloped into an amazing community of strong, passionate women. We wanted to create a platform where we could showcase these amazing women doing inspiring things while also providing blog posts which help us learn about how to becoming better people and live better lives.


I began designing our website from scratch. All of a sudden, mum and I were at our first official photoshoot and before we knew it we were launching a website and blog. The whirlwind of finishing and launching Live Lively was a crazy, unexpected process - which involved a lot of ‘going with the flow’ despite my tendency to plan every single detail.

I think that’s probably my greatest life lesson over the past year - hardly anything will go completely to plan. I’m learning to be okay with this. I’m also learning that sometimes things not going to plan can create the most amazing and unforgettable experiences.


I always thought that launching something like Live Lively would be the first spark in a trail of success. I had this idea in my head that building a brand would be easy and that it would be easy to find people willing to get behind the cause. It’s hard not to believe that when you’re so passionate about what you do.


However, this first year hasn’t gone to plan at all:

• I haven’t grown my readership like I hoped to
• Live Lively hasn’t made me a profit (let alone completely covered its costs)
• My social media accounts haven’t shot to stardom
• My readers aren’t typically young women my age (19)
• I haven’t even come close to designing the planner of my dreams

I’m not ashamed to admit defeat in these areas. In fact, I think it’s super important to be open and honest about how hard running a business can be. I know that all of the pressure I feel is from me and only me. No one is going to really care if I don’t put a blog post out once or twice a week!


The fact is, writing and designing has always been something I’ve just done for me. That isn’t entirely different now that I have a functioning website. However, I do now have the ability and the platform to share what I’m passionate about with other people more easily.


This year has thrown some successes my way too:

• mum has grown her client base for The Pilates Room amazingly!
• I’ve created and designed my own collection of PDF Printables
• I’ve collaborated with some fantastic locals sharing their passions and talents with our community
• I’ve connected more with the inspiring women in my community and I’ve gained the courage to reach out and learn from them
• I’ve learnt more about managing myself and how to life a lively life than I ever thought possible
• I’ve shared my story of endometriosis and I’ve connected with other young women with the condition in my community
• I’ve learnt more about being a young mum and the challenges motherhood throws at you
• and finally, I’ve learnt that success doesn’t automatically come because you’re passionate about something. Success comes through a process of failing and learning and improving.

Believe me, I’ve thought many a time what it would be like to let it all go - to just not worry about writing blog posts or reading all these books. But I quickly realise that I’m only ever writing about topics I want to know and understand more about for myself anyway. One of my favourite blog posts this past year was our open letter to new or expecting mother’s from existing mothers. We were lucky enough to feature some of my favourite and most influential mother figures in our community - not to mention our special guest Toni Street. I can’t wait to go back and review this blog post when I eventually have children.


I’m grateful for having a place when I can express, share and explore topics which are so important to me (and of course are hopefully important to you). My understanding about how to live a lively life is constantly growing and changing. I know I’ll never have all the answers. However, I love having a place where I can reflect on how my perspectives have changed.


Thank you for sharing this space with me. Thank you for collaborating with me or just conversing with me. Even if you have just liked us on Facebook or commented on an Instagram post, thank you for showing your support.


This year has been full of surprises, I take both the good and the bad with a heart full of gratitude and I’m so excited for the years to come.


From our home to yours,