When I decided to start The Life Actually Company™ I wanted to be very careful not to make it all about me telling you what to do in order to appreciate your present life. Sure, I provide tips (including this handy and FREE guide—hint, hint) and some advice, but let’s not even pretend I have all the answers.

But what I lack in answers I more than make up for in stories.  And that is where this entire company began to come together.  In our own unique stories and perspectives.  

When I was single, unhappy, and questioning everything about my life choices up to that point the only articles I could find were about how to find the perfect guy, what you’re doing wrong when it comes to relationships, and why you’re still single.

And guess what?  None of them helped me at all.  

I didn’t entirely realize it at the time but what I really needed was to know I wasn’t alone.  To know that other women were out there with the same concerns, fears, anxieties, and insecurities.  I needed to know that my lack of a boyfriend at age 35 was not unique to me.  And that we all worry we’re lacking something at pretty much every age.

There has never been a how-to guide to living your perfect life, no matter the generation.  But, let’s be honest.  When women had far fewer choices in terms of their roles in society, the how-to was basically implied: find a man, get married, have babies, clean the house and cook dinner.

And we’ve all seen how that looks to some degree.  What many of us haven’t seen is what our life could look like according to a wide variety of timelines.  For example, I grew up with parents who encouraged me to be anyone and anything I wanted and that I didn’t have to follow any set timeline.  But they met at the age of 20, were married at 23 and 24, and had me at 27.  That is the visual example I saw everyday.  As I set off to make a career for myself, I had no idea how it should look once I passed 30 and was still single.

So, when we decided to throw a launch event to introduce TheLife Actually Company™ we knew it had to be more than just a party.  It had to be an experience.

Part of that experience wasn’t just telling women they aren’t alone but showing them.  All of those stories I so badly wanted to share? This felt like as good of a time as any.

In the next couple months I’ll be starting a podcast that’s all about those stories.  It will feature women from all backgrounds as they tell their experiences and share their fears and successes. 

But why wait until then?

So, I grabbed my wish list of podcast guests who were local to NYC and put together one kick-ass panel of amazing and inspiring women to share their stories at the launch party. Luckily for me, none of them even hesitated to join us.  I’m forever grateful to them for that!

From a body-positive single entrepreneur in CeCe Olisa, to a fitness enthusiast who lives life on her terms in Aly Teich, to an LGBTQ+ advocate who encourages inclusivity for everyone in Ivanka Dekoning, to a married soon-to-be mom of two and business owner who has truly charted her own timeline in Jenny Goodman, to a mom of an amazing five-year-old who is doing it all on her own in Lauren Glassberg, this panel was everything I could have asked for and more.

I knew it could be powerful, but I didn’t realize the extent of that power.  We could have kept the conversation going for hours and I don’t think anyone would have minded.  There were women in the audience who were brought to tears and not because of sadness. They were the kind of tears that come with realizing how much you can relate to a complete stranger.

My only regret in this whole idea of a panel was that more people wouldn’t be able to experience this much needed conversation.  But thanks to an awesome videographer in Lin Pernille, that isn’t a regret anymore!

Below you will find the panel portion of the TLAC launch party in its entirety.  I hope you find it as inspiring and enlightening as we did in person.

Five women from all different types of backgrounds who are unapologetically owning their timelines.

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Video by Lin Perneille

Photos by Brittany Sturrett