Brittany: Hi, friends. Welcome to the Life with Loverly podcast. I’m Brittany, a wife, mom, and lifestyle entrepreneur here to help you discover your best daily style and encourage you to try new things when getting dressed each day, I took a tiny following on social media and turned it into a community of over 1 million amazing women, and I am so glad you’re here. I’ll be sharing my heart with you beyond the 15 seconds on Instagram. So we’ll be diving into things like personal growth, friendships, motherhood, marriage, and of course the business of blogging. Really, this space is here to serve as your go-to resource to building a life you adore while sprinkling some kindness to others along the way. Grab an iced coffee and let’s do life together. I’m Brittany, and this is The Life with Loverly podcast.

Brittany: Hi friends. Welcome back to another episode of The Life with Loverly podcast. Today we are diving in with a creator that has taken her love for style and fashion and evolved that into a brand of her own. I am sitting down with Liz Joy, the lifestyle blogger behind the Pure Joy Home blog and owner of the Fashion Line, Marea. Now with over 400,000 followers and a storefront location in Fairfield, Connecticut, Liz is creating the brand of her dreams. In this conversation, we chat about how she trusts her gut to run her business, why she always knew the corporate route wasn’t for her, and what the ever elusive balance of running a business and raising a family Looks like. Liz is a real girl’s girl, and I can’t wait for you to tune in. Here’s my conversation with Liz Joy.

Brittany: Hi friends! Welcome back to today’s episode of The Life with Loverly podcast. I am so excited to be talking to Liz Joy today. Hi Liz, How are you?

Liz: Hi! I am so good. How are you?

Brittany: I am so good. I feel like I just want to come through the camera and give you a hug. It’s been a little while since I’ve seen you in person.

Liz: I know. Oh my gosh. How long has it been actually?

Brittany: I don’t know. I think it’s been before Marea.

Liz: Oh yeah. LTK Con maybe.

Brittany: Yeah, maybe a few years ago.

Liz: Wow. Goes so fast.

Brittany: It is so wild, and the kids are just growing up like crazy. I cannot handle William just getting bigger.

Liz: He’s so big and so cute and so funny.

Brittany: Really?

Liz: Oh my God, his personality is so cute. I think he’s just, because the age gap with him and my older two, he is just a sponge for everything. He recently started saying when something goes wrong, he’ll be like, oh, biscuits. And I’m like, where did you get that?

Brittany: It’s so cute though.

Liz: It’s so cute.

Brittany: What’s the age gap between Grace and Him?

Liz: They’re about four and a half years.

Brittany: Okay.

Liz: Yeah. And then he’s like six and a half, seven years between Brian.

Brittany: Yeah, so it’s My, yeah, Busy.

Liz: How are you?

Brittany: We’re good. We’re just the girls. Collins is in kindergarten this year and it’s just been so crazy. I’m like, how are you old enough to be writing sentences and reading to me and just truly a sponge, soaking everything up, but it’s been really sweet.

Liz: Cute. Is she liking it?

Brittany: She loves school and Hazel is just the sassiest little thing. There’s something about that second born sister that just, I’m like, who are you? And where did you come from?

Liz: Yeah, same with Grace.

Brittany: The stuff that she says, I’m just like, Chris and I are holding back laughter, but also somebody has to parent. What are we going to do?

Liz: Listen, grace is nine, and I’m still saying the same exact thing this morning. I was like, I don’t know how to handle this. This is above my pay grade.

Brittany: Right.

Liz: Yeah.

Brittany: And what do you do? Just, I don’t know.

Liz: I don’t know. I’m still Trying to figure it out.

Brittany: Well, I am really excited for this episode. I think our listeners are going to absolutely love just hearing from you. You’ve done so much over the years as a content creator, as a business owner, as a mom, and we’re going to kind of like dive into all of it today.

Liz: Okay.

Brittany: Okay. So let’s start back from the beginning. What inspired you to start creating content and building out your brand?

Liz: Since I found out I was doing this podcast, I’ve really been doing a lot of thinking and sometimes you’re just going so fast with emotion that you don’t stop to think about it. And so during my reflection when I was thinking about why did I start doing this so long, I started a blog in 2009, which is ancient in content creation terms.

Brittany: Right.

Liz: I had a day job. I was in HR and recruiting, hated my life. I hated my job so much, but I had to work, I had to make money. And I started a blog as just a creative outlet, never thinking that it would ever monetize. There was no such thing back then. And I kept blogging about just anything that inspired me, home fashion. And then I had kids and said, there is no way I’m going back to this job. I don’t care what I have to do. I will sell my soul before I walk back under those fluorescent lights. And I kind of just started figuring it out along the way. I did stationary. I was selling stationary and Etsy for a while, just because I had acquired graphic design skills from the blog. And then after I had Grace, my second kid, I was like, there’s no way I can keep dealing with brides. It was just too high maintenance to have kids at home. So I saw girls that were using their blogs and monetizing through selling outfits essentially. So I was like, okay, my motto is always, if she can do it, I can do it.

Liz: So I started just going to target buying clothes and taking pictures in my little janky floor mirror. And all of my friends and family were like, what is she doing now? This is ridiculous. Who is she sharing this ugly target outfit with? And slowly I started making some money doing that, and then I just kept on doing it. Just kept going.

Brittany: I know. It is so interesting. I feel like you start and then it’s kind of like, well, I can’t really turn back, but I can pivot. I can do some things. Was your family, what is she doing taking pictures of herself?

Liz: Yes. And you just have to accept that everyone is going to think you’re crazy and know that people are talking about you and you just have to, I don’t know. I kind of learned to that You just block it out and you just do your thing. I mean you know,

Brittany: Yeah, the same. I mean, I just think back to some of those early days and our pictures or outfits of stuff and I’m like, oh, how did anyone follow me? What. Now, the bad eyeliner, the super blonde hair. I mean, yeah

Liz: The shoot locations in the middle of my suburban street pretending I was walking in Paris. Where am I going? My next neighbor’s house. Oh my God.

Brittany: I know. And for whatever reason, back then there was a point it was like, well, I need to get outside and look like I actually wore these clothes out of my house.

Liz: Yes. What’s so funny is that my photographer back then in 2015 is actually my, she’s still with me, but she’s in a completely different role. But it’s so funny to think that we have so much history, 11 years of just, I don’t know, all the things.

Brittany: Were you nervous when you first started? I mean, what did you feel about the learning curve of showing your personality online, writing blogs, like editing? Do you remember how you kind of felt about all that at the beginning?

Liz: I honestly felt excited. I felt as soon as I got a little bit of an audience, I was like, okay, there’s a few people out there who actually care what I have to say. And I think I’m a natural born sharer. I remember my friends in college would always say like, okay, Liz, you’re so enthusiastic about this tank top. Relax. We’ll get it. Yeah. So I think I just was really excited to share in a way that could reach people that I didn’t even know. I definitely think there was nerves just because of that natural feeling. What are my friends going to think? Or what are my family going to think in the very beginning? But then as soon as you start to have a little bit of success, I feel like those nerves kind of die down a little bit.

Brittany: Thinking about people who might want to start some type of blog or online business, because I feel like anybody could start doing this literally anytime. Do you have any few pieces of advice that you would maybe would share with somebody who was kind of thinking about starting something now?

Liz: I would say that be very true to your own self, be true to your style because your unique perspective, you’re the only one who has that very unique perspective on whatever it is that you’re sharing. Fashion, cooking, mothering, no one else in the world is the same as you in that way. And I feel like that should quiet down any, I would say, insecurities about the market maybe being oversaturated because it, it’s not, Because no one else shares what you’re passionate about. So I would say that is your ticket to success is just being authentic in that way. And then also just not waiting until everything is perfect to start. Anything that you do right.

Brittany: Literally, it’s never going to be the perfect time.

Liz: Never. And you’re never going to have the right equipment. You’re never going to have everything planned out for the next month. You’re not going to have, you don’t need a business plan, you just have to start.

Brittany: Yeah. It’s such a learn as you learn as you go business, which I feel like can be hard for some people to truly take in, but you really do have to just start and then see what happens and then go from there and pivot and start

Liz: And be consistent. I think also tenacity. You just keep going. That’s what separates the ones who win and the ones who don’t. Right.

Brittany: So true. I still give that advice as if people are like, what’s something you would give advice on? And I’m like, consistency. That feels like such, oh, of course. Consistency. And I’m like, no, no, no. You have to show up for the people who came to consume what you’re sharing. They have to know. And it is, I don’t know anybody who’s ever been consistent and it hasn’t paid off.

Liz: Agree. I also think that even as of a month ago, I wasn’t showing up and sharing outfits every day. And I noticed my Instagram following was going down just because I lost a little bit of that consistency. I think that’s okay once you’re established. But since I’ve gotten back to being consistent, there she is, she’s back and the numbers are going and the opportunities are coming back. So that consistency really is everything.

Brittany: You have such an identifiable sense of style that is classic and timeless, but still very interesting. Where has most of your style influence come from and how would you suggest other people find their own style?

Liz: Oh wow. I definitely think my style has kind of evolved. I was born and raised in Connecticut, which is New England, which is traditionally a very preppy area of the country, I would say. So I think my style has always kind of been a little bit preppy, but I put my own feminine spin on it in whatever phase I’m in, whatever is inspiring me at the time. And then I think just dressing with what makes you feel confident and what makes you feel good, how does it look on your body? How does it feel on your body? So I feel like just staying true to that. Again, it’s that unique perspective that makes your style your own.

Brittany: Yeah. One thing I was thinking about the other day, I was kind of styling some outfits just for myself and just putting some things together. I was like, I really think everybody should, if it was possible to give yourself half of the day and just go through your closet and try your clothes on and put outfits together, I feel like everybody moves at such a fast pace all the time, and it’s either like, bye bye bye, because I see it on other people. And then you get it in and you don’t really know how to wear it, and then it just sits in the back of your closet. But imagine if every beginning of every season people just try it on all their clothes, set up some staple outfits, all of those pieces where you’re like, I don’t know what I’m going to wear. You pull from the section of your closet how confident you would feel and every outfit you were actually putting on if you knew it was something that would work for you. But it’s so hard when, I mean you have to desire that, but to get some of that sense of style and kind of finding your own style, you have to do some trial and error.

Liz: Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Trying on what’s in your closet and looking in the mirror. I love how this looks on my, I love how this shirt looks on me. This is a keeper, or eh, this isn’t great. I’m going to donate it. Working with less is so much easier than working with so much. I feel like there’s sometimes decision paralysis if you’re looking at too many options.

Brittany: Yes. I personally kind of feel that for myself right now, and I’m like, how can I just get rid of everything and start over? Which that’s also not the answer, but it’s so true. How less really is more.

Liz: Yes, a hundred percent. And I feel like we go through, I go through phases. I mean, now that I have my own brand, of course I’m basically only shopping for myself. I can shop for shoes, so I feel like I go crazy in my area, but I love working with fewer pieces.

Brittany: Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so let’s talk about Marea. This is, I’m just genuinely so happy and excited for you.

Liz: Thank you.

Brittany: It’s just so cool to see you follow this dream and it becomes something so amazing. I remember the first time I saw Marea on Shopbop, I was like, oh my gosh, she’s got this on shopbop. I am so proud of her. I mean, it’s just so amazing. So how did you decide to make the jump from you know and start a brand?

Liz: So first of all, you’re going to have to start your own brand soon.

Brittany: I know.

Liz: I’m waiting for it. I can’t wait for it.

Brittany: We’ll see.

Liz: Yeah,

Brittany: I need you to give me a test. I’m going to come up there for a week and be like, what do I do? I feel like, I don’t even know.

Liz: You would crush it.

Brittany: Well, you’re kind.

Liz: You would crush it and I would help you.

Brittany: Okay. Well just saying, everybody write that down behind the scenes.

Liz: Okay, so why did I start it? Okay. I feel like I’m a person who, one, I would say I am a little impulsive. If I have an idea, I am on it. And I would also say that I never accept things as they are. So when I was working in corporate for instance, there’s always this piece of me that’s like, this is not the only way. I know there’s another way for me to live, and I’m going to find out what that is. And I started to feel that with influencing and content creation, as you very well know, it can kind of feel like a hamster wheel sometimes where it’s like you’re just chugging, chugging, chugging, chugging. And if you stop for a week, it kind of stops when you stop going. So I wanted to create something that I could eventually stop that could keep running for me, and also something that I could pass down to my kids or have it become this family business. And I also had success with sharing clothes. And as an influencer, you’re making 10, 15%.

Liz: And so if you’re making your own product, you’re obviously getting a much higher return on your time investment. So just those ideas were just becoming stronger and stronger within me. And I just started trying to find out how I could do this, how I can make this happen. And when I look back to what I started doing, it’s embarrassing. I mean, I’m happy to share, but I’m like, oh, did I really put that out in the world? And I was really proud of it.

Brittany: Yeah. Okay. Did you know, I mean, when you were like, okay, we’re going to start a clothing brand, what were kind of your first thoughts or just steps or what did you go from there?

Liz: So I always loved black printed dresses.

Liz: It’s always been one of my favorite styles, I guess. And believe it or not, I went on Etsy and found all these Indian men selling block printed dresses. So I sent 10 or 20 messages one day and I was just like, hi, I love your printing. I love the dresses that you have. Would you ever work on a custom silhouette with a custom print? And I could order, I dunno, say a hundred. And of course you’re like, yes, of course. And that’s kind of how it started. And I just did a lot of inspiration and mood boarding and the worst sketches imaginable and sent them to them. And that’s how it started.

Brittany: I mean, some of the first Marea dresses are ones I still have in my closet.

Liz: Really?

Brittany: Yeah!

Brittany: It’s so funny just to look back at those and be like, this is crazy that that’s what was the start of.

Liz: Yeah, I didn’t even have tags. I was selling them without a Marea label in them.

Brittany: Hey, you got to start somewhere. I mean, think about it. I think what the beauty is, and so many people who I feel like even for me, the thought of potentially starting something like a brand of some sort, I’m, I just feel like there’s too many things I don’t know or too many questions, or I don’t even know where to go to answer the question. And so then it’s like, that’s scary. That’s what makes me back down a little bit, but you just got to push through it.

Liz: Yeah, I mean, I think I’ve always been kind of a scrappy person too, so I feel like you would just do whatever you would figure it out, look what you’ve figured out with everything that you’re doing. Amazing.

Brittany: It’s true. Yeah, I know. It’s just interesting. I feel like you just have to have this trust in yourself. So much of that, what, when you brought this idea to Brian, was he like, okay, here we go.

Liz: Oh God, I’m trying to remember how he reacted. He was probably just like, okay, another one of Liz’s ideas.

Brittany: He’s probably used to it at this point.

Liz: Yes, definitely. And I think that’s one of the reasons that I am successful in a way, is just because I have him who’s like, he’s my cheerleader. He says, he tells me I can do anything and he believes in me and he makes the journey just more fun.

Brittany: Yeah, that is so nice to have your partner being your biggest cheerleader too. That’s really important. Okay, so if someone had a dream to run their own clothing business, how would you suggest for them to start a personal brand first?

Liz: Okay. There’s a lot of different, I mean, there’s sourcing shows. So you can go to the Javit Center in New York for instance. They have fabric shows and they have shows where vendors from all over the world come and display essentially what they can do. So you could go to those shows, you could find people on Etsy and see if they’ll make a product for you. There’s also Alibaba, which is basically, I don’t know if you’re familiar with it, but it’s this huge website where vendors from all over the world are sharing their goods. Probably the same vendors that are there are also going to these shows. And you just start messaging back and forth with people and telling them what you want to make and seeing if they can make you a sample essentially.

Brittany: Yeah,

Liz: I feel like it’s not as hard as people think it’s going to take a long time, but you’re in the driver’s seat. And I mean with global access now, I know it’s so much easier, I think then than it was a while back.

Brittany: When you first started, did you have, obviously you loved the block print dress, but did you have certain silhouettes that you were like, I really want to start here, and then obviously your product development has developed over time, and were you the one kind of saying, let’s modify and upgrade this dress, or were people on your team, let’s make this better here, there everywhere.

Liz: So I would say for the first year and a half, it was just me. And that’s definitely reflective in the pieces. Not proud of everything that went out there, but over time I started building a team and now I have a designer who obviously is holding my hand through every single silhouette that we put out there. And I mean, I think also just having tried on clothes for so long, first of all, you know what you love. You have a very intimate relationship with clothing. If you are working with it as closely as even, and I do, then you also have a great market insight because all those analytics that we get when we share a shirt, did she love this? Did she love this shirt? Great. This is a silhouette that she loves. What can I do to this silhouette to make it my own? So I think that that combination is just killer if you’re going to start a brand.

Brittany: Like having that insight is, and I think that’s one reason you’ll see a lot of creators or influencers start something of their own because they have seen what is working and it’s like how to make this probably exactly what got you into starting your own brand.

Liz: Yeah, totally. And when you look at those insights, you’re like, wow, I drove a thousand people to buy that pair of jeans. You’re building these other brands. And that goes back to when I was like, I think I can build something for myself.

Brittany: Totally. So obviously running your own business is a lot of hard work and a lot of just everything. Was there ever a moment that you almost closed down the whole operation? And if so, what got you back on track?

Liz: Yes. I would say about a year and a half ago, I went through a little something in the business that was a shift, and it was very uncomfortable, and I just kind of wondered. It was very, very uncomfortable and I wondered, should I keep going with this or should I just go back to doing what I was doing before? This is a lot of work, and I was just questioning, is it worth it? I kind of felt like I was killing myself working so many hours, making really expensive mistakes. And we were on vacation, we were in Harbor Island, and I looked at Brian and I was crying and I was like, I don’t think I should do this anymore. And he was like, alright. He’s like, we’re on vacation. Let’s try to enjoy it. Let’s talk about this when we get back. So I got back and then I went back to the studio and I had my team there, and they’re looking to me one for employment and two, just like I am essentially their leader. And so when I went back and saw them, I was like, all right, we’re going to make this work. How could I tell them, nevermind closing down the ship.

Liz: So I felt like there was this sisterhood that I had kind of built within my team, and I have a responsibility. And I was like, okay, we’re going to do it. We’re going to keep going. And slowly after that time, it was funny how the universe just started planting people in my lap who we’re really good at the different channels that I had to build within the business. And it ended up, the business blew up right after that moment. So it was kind of like the low and then the high.

Brittany: Yeah. Well, and it’s so interesting how if you have a good solid team around you, how there’s times where I’m down or I’m like, I just can’t anymore, and a new perspective, somebody else being like, okay, hold on. You don’t have to carry this all on your own. We are here to help you. I think that is one such a good reason to hire people to have help in wherever you are in your business, but also just hiring people who truly care about your vision and what you’re doing, and they can help keep you on track. It doesn’t have to be a solo show, which for so long, and the creator and influencer space, it is all about me, all about you as pure joy home. And so it gets hard sometimes to feel like, oh wait, hold on. I can accept help. I can accept other opinions. This isn’t all just me. But I think hiring, has that been something that has been easy for you or how would you, I guess also talking the person who might be listening, who is wanting to hire. Any advice for that listener?

Liz: Yeah, I would say when you meet someone, I think if you are in tune with your own energy as a person, you’ll feel like if there’s an energy connection or it might feel like there’s just not a connection. And I think if you meet someone who has a very good energy and connects with you, you also have to, you’re going to be sitting across the table from this person every single day. So I think first and foremost, it’s that ability factor with that other person. And then depending on the level you’re hiring for, so much can be taught, but that connection cannot be forced. So I would say number one is that gut reaction you have to that person’s energy. And then two, knowing that skills can be taught. And then sometimes there’s, I would say, people that you just have to hire who know a lot more than you about a certain area. And that’s so huge for you because it lets you focus on what you’re good at, and it lets them take what you’re not so great at off your plate completely.

Brittany: Oh my gosh. Literally, I made a hire last year for somebody who, and I’m like, I wish I would’ve hired for this years ago because it just took so much off of my plate. I was able to focus on things I wanted to do. And it’s so tough as a creator, as a small business owner to feel like, okay, I can invest in somebody else. I can’t do it all. Okay, if somebody else comes on and helps me. But I love your points about just the energy. That is so true. I mean, I think about people who have come in the door that I’m like, okay, feeling good. And then I’m like, am I feeling good if I would’ve hired them or I have made the wrong decision in hiring and then they’re not here anymore. But yeah,

Liz: that’s the worst.

Brittany: Yeah, that is one hiring and firing. And it’s a hard addition to a business

Liz: Yes

Brittany: You don’t always want to be part of, but you have to be.

Liz: I know. So when you have to really put on those big girl pants, it’s so hard.

Brittany: I know.

Brittany: Have you felt ever just scared to release control to any of your employees?

Liz: I would say when it comes to design, I am so particular. It’s brutal. If something is an eighth of an inch off, I feel like I can spot it. So, and I have such a talented team of designers. I have a technical designer who just understands garments. It’s a different brain. I can’t think the way she does. And then my lead designer is so great creatively and she executes my vision so well. But I would say in every fitting I have to be there watching the garment go on the fit model and adjusting little things. So that is an area where I have to be a part of it. I can’t give up all the control

Brittany: Right but it’s like you have trusted those hires to be really good at their job. So when you come in, it’s like, okay, this is where I am still in charge. This is where I’m still connected here. And I think that’s still a really good balance of healthiness, and it’s finding that balance of healthiness, I would say.

Liz: Yeah, absolutely. It’s a good dynamic because we’re all very visual, but we all bring a little something different and then it creates the masterpiece.

Brittany: Yeah. So yeah, it’s very exciting.

Brittany: Where do you think your confidence comes from to trust yourself so much?

Liz: That’s a great question. I think age, I think as the older we get, the more in tune we are with what makes us feel good and what doesn’t make us feel good. And I just think really tuning everyone else out and listening to yourself. I’ve learned that over the years, tuning out that outside influence of this person telling me, this is going to make you feel good, or this is what you should be doing. It’s like, no, I know I am the knower.

Brittany: Right. this is my thing. It’s funny. I feel like sometimes just in our day and the way that the world is now, it’s like everything is an influence. Everywhere you look is like, do this, buy this, look this way, whatever. And I’ve found even just shutting all of that out and really being in touch with who you are, what brings you joy, leaning really into those things also helps you be the truest version of yourself, like you said, without the noise. And just trusting that, trusting that you’re making the right decision.

Liz: And also being the gatekeeper of what you’re letting enter your orbit. Right.

Brittany: Yeah.

Liz: I feel like I’m in a season right now where I’m just working so hard and my outside free time, I need to dedicate to my family.

Brittany: Totally.

Liz: So I feel like it’s kind of nice because I’m not worried about being here or there. I’m just really with the people who I love the most and working on what I love the most

Brittany: And being confident in that. I feel like you are confident in that. So you’re not even worried about what other people are thinking or why isn’t she coming around? I think about that just when you’re so confident in a decision that you’ve made that way it doesn’t matter what other people are thinking

Liz: A hundred percent.

Brittany: And I want to live in that zone all the time. Obviously that’s not, I wish that was how it was, but I don’t know. I just feel like that’s the desired place to be.

Liz: I mean, with fashion week coming up, you could be here, you could be there, you could be at this party, you could be, but at the end of the day, is that going to fill your cup? I imagine myself at that party. And then taking a train home and being tired and not showing up the next day and with energy, and I need that energy, right.

Brittany: And it’s kind of like we’re at this place where you get to decide what is going to serve you well, what is going to serve your family well? And I feel like that in itself is such a gift too.

Liz: I agree.

Brittany: Trusting in yourself to know what that means,

Liz: But don’t you think that also comes with experience in age, right?

Brittany: Comes with experience, comes with trial and error, failing, knowing what doesn’t work. I mean, I think there’s so much beauty and failure because you know what didn’t work for you, but you could do something a little bit different next time and that could work. But being okay with those messy times because everybody has that.

Liz: Somebody at work says, I like how she refers to it, failing forward.

Brittany: That’s really good. Love that.

Liz: Yeah.

Brittany: Okay. I have a question about time management and setting up your time expectations. Do you feel like there’s anything that you have done with your family or set up any specific blocks where you’re like, I’m going to be offline from this time to this time every day to spend time with kids? Or how do you find that really good balance?

Liz: Again, it’s like that sliding scale. Some weeks are terrible. Some weeks are great with balance, but I try to keep pretty conventional working hours. So I try to meet with my kids in the morning when they’re getting off to school, just being very present with them. Once they’re all off is when I just work. And I work usually from about nine to 5, 5:30, then home and doing the whole dinnertime, bedtime, spending time with the fam. And then sometimes I have to work after they go to bed, and then it’s a new day. I will say one thing that we’ve actually started doing this year is, we go to kind of a country house, a ski house on the weekends. And I found that because I would work on weekends a lot, but getting myself out of the situation, I realize that’s a gift and a privilege, but just being outside in nature with them, it just forces you to be present. So I’m really leaning into that currently. Yeah. But some weeks it’s not as balanced and you just have to, I feel like I just give myself a lot of grace in those times.

Brittany: It’s interesting because with our jobs, I feel like we can work all the time. It’s just at our fingertips and where we grew up in this age where our parents didn’t have cell phones. And I think our generation is so interesting because we grew up like that, but we had a little bit of access to cell phones as we were getting into high school or whatever. And then now our kids have just seen a phone in our hands their whole life, which I hate.

Liz: Same.

Brittany: I’m like, how can I teach them the way I was taught? Because I feel like there was something that worked with that. But I’ve been trying to just leave my phone down, even just making that conscious decision to intentionally move it over when I’m in that present time with them. And even that is so hard sometimes.

Liz: I know

Liz: Why?

Brittany: Yeah,

Liz: It’s awful.

Brittany: And we’re just addicted to, oh, let me just have it close in case somebody needs me.

Liz: I know.

Brittany: You know. I mean, just trying to be very intentional. It’s hard.

Liz: It’s really hard, especially when you know what you can do. If you pick this up, you could be super productive and make a sale.

Brittany: Totally. And then you know what that is in the long run going to do. But then it’s like they just see you on your phone all the time. They don’t realize, oh, this is going to pay for you to go to college. This is great for your future. Just why are you on your phone all the time?

Liz: Do you tell them? I mean, I am always like, this is work guys. I’m not just on here to play a game.

Brittany: I do tell ’em it’s work. And then they’re kind of like, you work all the time. And I’m like, okay, let’s have a balance. But I feel like them not seeing me on my phone at times has been super important. And then of course, like you said, just being outside with them and showing them the beauty of being outside. I mean, because almost an anomaly nowadays, just how the internet sucks you in all different areas and ages. You got to fight against it.

Liz: You do. It’s like a constant fight. I know. I mean, I feel like we kind of make decisions weirdly based around that. Going to Vermont on the weekends is our way to escape. It’s our way to keep our little family together for that weekend and not have to go to this birthday party or doing all the extras. All the extras.

Brittany: It’s funny, my parents had a lake house when I was growing up, and we would go up there on the weekends or all throughout the summer, and up until probably five years ago, my parents didn’t have internet up there. And there really wasn’t good cell service. So you knew you got up there and you don’t know what’s happening at home. You are at the lake. And now I’m like, what a gift. I would love for the internet to go out to where I’m forced to just be.

Liz: I know. Don’t you love when there’s an Instagram outage and you’re like, oh well!

Brittany: I know. It’s so funny. I feel like years ago I would’ve been like, oh my gosh, everything is falling apart! And now I’m like, man, what I would give to.

Liz: I know.

Brittany: Just you got to find that balance, which is hard to do. And it looks different for everybody and for everybody in different stages of their business. But I feel like there has to be some healthy balance or you will get burned out

Liz: 100%. And don’t you feel it sometimes if you’re on your phone too much, you just feel like ugh

Brittany: You’re just hunchy. I’m like, I need to go for a walk and see something, get some vitamin D.

Liz: And they talk about brain rot. It’s like a real thing if you’re on your phone too much.

Brittany: One term I’ve heard a lot lately that has been just so interesting to me, and I kind of actively think about it when I’m just scrolling, is called Doom Scrolling. And how so many people, you go on to just be on social and next thing you know you’re like rotting. You’re just doom and it’s negative and you get to this place on the internet you didn’t want to be. And so I’m always like, okay, am I scrolling for a purpose right now or am I going to get in that scroll down? But the doom scroll has really kind of made me be like, I don’t want to do that.

Liz: Yeah

Brittany: Just feels icky.

Liz: I know.

Liz: It feels so icky. And I feel like sometimes because it’s our job to create content, I’m almost, I don’t know the word, it’s enamored with it. I don’t know. I guess because we do it for a living,

Brittany: So I feel like I can stop myself so much easier. Like, okay, I’ve done enough of this today, but I totally see how somebody who just is, I just want an hour on my phone to go to another place. How that can actually not be good for you.

Liz: And what’s also interesting, I was watching when you watch a show, for instance, I feel like it’s such a different form of relaxation than when you’re scrolling on your phone. I feel like you can really relax and get into a show versus scrolling on your phone and it brings up all these personal feelings when you’re scrolling.

Brittany: Totally.

Liz: When you’re watching a show, you’re transported into this other world and it’s like a break.

Brittany: It’s so true. And as a creator, sometimes I feel like if I’m just scrolling, I’m like, oh, I should have done that. Oh, that’s a good idea. Or dang it. And then all of a sudden you’re like, well, now I got to keep up with the Joneses. And it’s like, that is not even why I got on here to feel those feelings,

Liz: I know. So if we’re feeling like that, can you imagine how other people are feeling when they’re watching this perfect person’s life?

Brittany: Yeah, I know.

Liz: It’s really,

Brittany: it’s scary.

Liz: I’m scared. It is.

Brittany: Okay!

Liz: That went downhill fast

Brittany: Okay, I have another question about Marea, and then we’re going to wrap this up. What is your current favorite piece that you guys have? Or is there anything coming up that you’re like, I cannot wait for this to like, get this into people’s hands?

Liz: So we just finished doing our fall 25 line adoption, which is basically when you take all of your samples and you make the collections essentially. And I feel like fall, fall has become my favorite season to design for because I love designing the layers. So I’m so excited for fall, we have a bunch of new categories launching. I know we have this beautiful blazer that we’re putting out there and really amazing prints. Outerwear is so fun and cool. So I’m really, really excited for the fall and spring and summer too.

Brittany: Yeah. One of my friends, she has the brown kind of fuzzier barn jacket, the zipper. And the other day she was wearing it and I was like, is that Marea? And she was like, yeah, I got this for Christmas. My mom gave it to me. I love it. And I was just like, oh my gosh, I’m so excited to see this piece in the wild on just a friend. And I was like, I know the owner and designer. And she was like, no way. That’s so cool. But it was just, I have loved seeing some of the outerwear and just other pieces that have come to life, like the sweaters. I mean, last year I loved that blue and white with the collar so good.

Liz: That was cute.

Brittany: I loved that one.

Liz: I love sweaters.

Brittany: Yeah, I feel like very Connecticut. You guys wear sweaters all year round. Really?

Liz: Yeah. Yeah, we really do. And it’s a category that’s taken off like crazy. I didn’t think we started just doing dresses. And as we’ve added other categories, it’s just so fun to see our people love those too.

Brittany: Totally. Okay, I have one last question, and this is a question that I asked to everybody. Wrapping up episodes of the podcast. What was the most meaningful act of kindness that someone has extended to you recently that has had an impact on your life?

Liz: I love this question. I would say it’s hard to pick one thing. I feel like I just, I’m around kindness so much. I feel like grateful every single day for people that I have in my life. But my team did something really sweet for me. They, for my 40th birthday. I was in the city with Brian that day, so I wasn’t in the office. And then when I came back, they had decorated my office with tons of pictures of my family.

Brittany: Oh, that’s special.

Liz: And I thought it was just so sweet. They just know how much I love my family, and it was just the most thoughtful, kind gesture. They worked with an interior designer to make it really pretty. And I dunno, I was just so touched by that.

Brittany: That is really sweet.

Liz: Yeah.

Brittany: That’s great.

Liz: I know.

Brittany: Well, I am so happy that you joined us on the podcast today. I feel like there was just great for our listeners to get to know a little bit more about your journey. You gave some great business advice. I feel like there’s just going to be a lot of takeaways that our listeners are going to love from this episode. I would love if you could share where our listeners can find you.

Liz: So on Instagram, I’m at @ElizabethlJoy, and then my brand is on Instagram as @mareathebrand. And you can also shop on shopbop or my website, shopmarea.com.

Brittany: And we will leave all of those links in the show notes. So if you’re listening and want to pop over to Marea or Liz’s Instagram, you can do that by clicking the links below. Liz, thank you so much for spending the afternoon with us. I’ve loved this.

Liz: Thank you. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for having me. This was my first podcast.

Brittany: Really? You did a great job!

Liz: Yeah!

Liz: I love talking to you.

Brittany: Yeah, I know. We need to just get a time where we can see each other and hang out in person. It’s been too long.

Liz: too long. I would love that.

Brittany: Alright, friends. Well, until next time. Thank you.

Brittany: Hi friend. If you’re loving the show, will you go find that follow button on your podcast app? This will ensure that you won’t miss a single episode. I love having you in this community. Until next time!

Brittany: This season of life with Loverly is produced by Elizabeth Evans Media Productions.