We’ve been up and running for nearly a month!  Four weeks ago today we launched The LifeActually Company™ and celebrated with a party you may have heard about… Likely because all I have been doing is talking about it!

When I first decided to do a launch event I immediately reached out to my friend, Sam Vaccaro, who has so many side hustles right now I can’t even keep count!  She and her adorable labradoodle, Poppy (find them on IG @poppy.thedoodle) are always planning dog-friendly events in San Francisco and I knew her expertise would come in handy for my project because she is actually quite skilled in all-human events as well!  Luckily for me she immediately hopped on board as my party planning partner.

Right away Sam and I knew we didn’t just want this to be a party.  We wanted it to be an experience.  That meant bringing in other inspiring women with which we could share the evening.  The panel was a huge part of the plan, but we wanted even more ways for our guests to connect.

That’s when we decided to make it a completely female-driven night.  The guest list was women only(other than Marc, of course!), and we brought in some totally kickass female-founded brands and partners to round out the evening.

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I will never be able to thank these amazing brands and partners enough.  They didn’t even hesitate to jump on board, despite the fact that this new company was a complete unknown.  But what The LifeActually Company™ lacks in experience it makes up for in relatability.  Just start talking to successful women about timelines and following their own unique life path and suddenly everyone has a story to tell.  When these brands agreed to participate so willingly, I knew this company could be successful.

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce (or reacquaint) you with the brands and people who truly made this party a night to remember.

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B Floral

Oh my goodness, there are no words to describe my love for Bronwen Smith and her amazing team at B Floral. Luckily, their gorgeous floral work does so much talking on its own.  Just look at that flower wall!  As Sam said that night, there are Pinterest flower walls, and then there is this flower wall.

It was truly amazing! And the flower wall was just the beginning.  B Floral brought the entire space to life, sticking with TLAC’s neutral color palette and turning little corners and ledges into works of art.

If you ever need flowers and styling for an event, make B Floral your fist call.  Seriously.  I mean, I still have dreams about that flower wall…

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Lonna & Lilly

This was the brand to whom I first reached out.  I was a little scared and not sure how to pitch this event that was still a huge unknown to me, but I didn’t have to do any convincing at all.  Lonna & Lilly was the first brand to commit to the event, and I’m so happy we had some of their jewelry, as well as the actual jewelry designer, Lonna Enriquez, at the party.

Lonna & Lilly is a fun and affordable jewelry line designed by a woman and “inspired by the women in our lives for the women in our lives”.  Each piece is relatable and easy to wear—perfect for summer!

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Modern Picnic

This brand has been on my mind since the second I saw their bags for the first time.  The vegan leather structured pieces are so classic and on trend that you’ll want to carry them all the time. But guess what?  They’re actually lunch boxes.

It is such a great concept and filled a huge gap in the market when Ali Kaminetsky launched her company, Modern Picnic last year.  And get this, she graduated from college in 2016.  This woman is a total inspiration and it was such a thrill to have her and her brand as part of this launch event.

Now, don’t be surprised if you start seeing me running around NYC with one of these lunchboxes as a handbag. Seriously, they’re that cute!

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Yellowbird Luxury Boutique

Holly Hoekstra was already a successful business woman, but less than a year ago she decided to take a risk and follow her passion.  A life-long fashion lover, Holly saw an opportunity when one of her favorite stores in San Francisco was closing.  She bought out their inventory and with that Yellowbird Luxury Boutique was born.

Holly’s carefully curated items are available online and at the occasional popup shop, typically in California.  But we were lucky enough to get her to move east as she brought racks of gorgeous clothes to share with our guests—all the way from San Francisco!

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The Owl’s Brew

Do you know how hard it is to find female-founded brands in the beer and alcohol world?  Yeah, it’s pretty hard!  Which is just one of the reasons why The Owl’s Brew is such a great brand and story.  The other reason?  It just tastes good!

Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield turned their mutual love of tea into a successful business, tearing down gender stereotypes in the process.  The Owl’s Brew has everything from delicious tea-infused mixers, to boozy tea cocktails.

At the launch party The Owl’s Brew personally taught the bartenders how to make their signature watermelon margarita, using the WatermelonMargarita mixer.  It was the perfect summery cocktail!  Find the recipe here.

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Smith Story Wine Cellars

Much like in the liquor industry, it’s not easy to find female winemakers.  But Alison Smith-Story is one of them.  Along with her husband, Eric, Ali founded Smith Story Wine Cellars in 2013 at the age of 41.

Not only is a female at the helm of this wine company, but the actual wine is pretty darn amazing, making it so obvious that we had to have Smith Story at our launch event. Our guests were able to sip rosé and sauvignon blanc and there was pretty much a constant line for refills.

Plus, Ali and Eric have an adorable Golden Doodle who also plays a role in the winery.  His name is LordSandwich, and it’s actually his Sauvignon Blanc.  Adorable, right?  He, along with Ali created his non-profit, Socks for Sandwich, that donates new socks to those in need.

AND his picture is on the bottle.  

See why I love this winery so much??

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Winn Clark Coaching

I can not say enough about Winn Clark.  When I started realizing I wanted bigger things for myself and my business I had no idea how to begin.  I had zero experience in business and zero interest in going to business school. What I needed was a coach. Thankfully I found Winn.

Winn’s own story is inspiring.  She has always followed her own timeline and while in her 40s she left her safe corporate 9-5 job in order to follow her passion and start her own coaching business.  Her business experience and life experience have been invaluable to me.

After spending 16 years covering sports, you would think I should have realized much sooner the importance of having a strong coach.  Well, better a little late than never!

Winn is based in California but happily flew across the country to sponsor and attend our TLAC launch party.  If there is even a little part of you that’s ready to make a change, or make improvements, or realize more of your own potential, I can’t recommend reaching out to Winn enough.  And if you have any questions about her or the process, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email for more information.

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So, there you have it! Our The Life Actually Company™ launch party experience!  Each of these women, along with our five panelists further proved to me the importance of female connections.  When we help and support each other we actually help and support ourselves.  There is so much we can learn from one another.

And that, in a nutshell, is The Life Actually Company™.

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Photos by Brittany Sturrett