THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
Health Entreprenuer – Owner and Founder of Thrive Media and Thrive Magazine
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
As a small business owner, my days vary greatly. Thrive magazine is published quarterly, so, if you catch me when we have an issue due to publish I will be organising editorial, working with my designers and making sure that all of the articles we have are from expert, trusted sources.
Day-to-day I work with healthy, ethical brands, helping them to grow their audience online. So, digital marketing, social media, finding speaking opportunities and more. Generally making sure that the brands of the future in food, health and wellness, are those that have the health of people and the planet at their core.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND WHAT CHANGED?
I wanted to be a designer, always and I did that. I followed my passion for art and went to university to study design. I jumped into a corporate world and in 2013 I escaped a managerial role and went free-range to launch THRIVE. Thrive came about due to my own struggle with health, and it kick started my investigation into food, the food industry and I delved deep into what ingredients went into our food. I was hooked! I re-trained to get a diploma in nutrition and launched Thrive Magazine – to share all of the information I have discovered about food.
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
BA Hons in Design Communication and a Diploma in Nutrition. Learning should be a lifetime thing!
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
Skate to where the puck will be not where it is now! It means, know your industry and find the next thing that people will need, don’t look at now – look at the future needs.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
Brené Brown – the honestly in her writing is so inspirational. She has a softness in telling it like it is and her work inspires me daily. There are others too, amazing people in my day-to-day life, people who are leading the way in the food and health industry too; Kris Carr, Gabrielle Bernstein. The list goes on. Inspiration comes from all around you, you just need to be open to seeing it.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
Freedom, learning and people.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
Being an entrepreneur can be lonely on times. Having a strong network of people to support and inspire you is crucial. If I could launch a Worldwide network of amazing entrepreneurs who meet at a local level – weekly. That’s a future project.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
Running Thrive and working with more amazing start-up and bigger brands in health, food and wellness. Working from any location that works for me, my family at that time. Being a speaker and instigator for the future of healthy food.
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
Yes, these days being authentic is so key. You have to be you – everyone else is taken! Be genuine, be helpful and the people who are supposed to be around you will find you.
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
Yes absolutely, diversity is just a way of life, we’re all different and have different ideas and perspectives to offer to any situation.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
Hmmm, sometimes great and sometimes not so. I think it’s an element of being a business owner, when the work is on the table then it’s about focusing and finishing it to the highest level. When there’s space and time; for me, it’s all about self-care and having fun.
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
Being a business owner and entrepreneur requires tenacity, determination, patience and a drive and passion to make something better; be it a product, a service or a bigger cause.
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
There has never been a better time to launch an idea or to start a business, the online opportunities that are open to anyone who has an internet connection are vast. If you believe in something and have a drive and passion to help others or make this world better – go do it!
“Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”