How many identities do you have?
Veronique:
1. Wife and mother the three bright sparks: Grace (10.5) Oscar (9) and Sophie (7).
2. WAPAA trained classical singer.
3. Model
4. Owner of Willing Coffee – a brand new caffeine spot in Guilford.
5. Coffee lover, wine lover, love to cook for friends, nature lover, shoe enthusiast, Pilates and yoga lover, lover of interior design and architecture. Lover of a general good time!
Zoe:
1. Mother & Wife: My family is tiny but mighty! Serendipitous would be the word for meeting my husband and we are the smug parents of the little bright spark that is 4.5 years old Araminta (Minty).
2. Web Designer – I love nothing more than creating really beautiful content in the digital space.
3. Recovering Influencer – (not an identity so much as an indicator of my personality!) In my day, we didn’t even use the term influencer! Jokes aside, I unwittingly rode the wave of being a blogger right from the outset. Before Instagram, it was about writing a point of view brands were immediately thirsty for this new form of democratised media. It was pretty wild, and big brands and PR companies were really keen to bring the new guard into their world. Because of that, my identities ranged from being involved in being a publicist/PR/Brand strategist-hybrid!
Please tell us the story behind the LVZ and your goals and visions?
The LVZ is a love letter to Western Australia and how lucky we feel to from here. After spending so much time away, little things happen that remind me of why we are incredibly lucky to be from here. Instead of moaning, we should celebrate it. To do that, we started with just an Instagram account that reflects our interpretation of living a stylish west coast life. This will manifest into more as we grow, but right now we are evolving gradually.
What has been the biggest life lesson you have learnt so far?
Zoe: Listen. If I had listened more, things would be different. I also think naivety can be a good thing too. You need a little bit of naivety in your 20s to do the really scary things!
Veronique: The more you do the more you can do! Just start and things will work out how they are supposed to be.
How do you feel women have been affected by stereotypes?
Absolutely. But, there is no point in playing into that narrative. If Veronique or myself listened to the stereotypes about LVZ, we wouldn’t have done anything. All you can do is continue with the vision you started with and try to not let the outside noise come in.
Just because things have been a certain way for hundreds of years, doesn’t make it right, or that it should stay the same way. Be a part of the change and I think the way we can change as women is by showing up. Show up to your life, put yourself out there. Don’t apologise for wanting a seat at the table. Stop saying sorry!
What do you believe your secret to success is, in balancing your many passions and pursuits?
Zoe: Does anyone feel successful? It could be really dangerous to sit back and feel like all the ’work’ is done. It’s never done. Getting comfortable with the notion that ‘having it all’ means that you are always striving for something and that’s not a bad thing. Perhaps this is the secret?!
Veronique: Doing the things that make me happy, trying to exercise daily, not letting others insecurities get to you, not take things too seriously, laugh lots and have fun.
What advice would you give to other women out there who want to start their own business but don’t know where to start?
Veronique: Talk to people who you admire who have been successful, start a business that makes you happy and that is something you are passionate about, not just something that is a trend.
Zoe: My biggest successes have come from when I just started. Something without dithering around. Just getting started is 80% of the battle.
