Previously known as “An Organic Kind of Love” on Instagram, Olivia and her boyfriend entered the platform in 2012, before it held the branding notoriety it does today. They began by creating Blogspot posts about their shared health/fitness journey and interests, mirroring the content on Instagram. As an early adopter of the social media platform, Olivia never really imagined the potential Instagram had for posting her journey for interested eyes. Soon after, Olivia noticed a shift in her mind… she wanted to make an individual blog dedicated to health. That idea bred the handle we know very well today: OrganicOlivia.
“I grew up in Yonkers… it’s not quite fancy-shmancy, fairly close to the Bronx. But everyone was down to earth… and everyone was different. That helped me learn to get along with everyone.” Olivia’s upbringing set her on an innovative path. Since she didn’t always have everything at her fingertips, she often found herself coming up with alternatives. This became especially crucial when her health issues arose. “I didn’t really grow up with money, and when I had problems with my health, I started getting frustrated since I didn’t really have access to all the top help… Then I started researching other options. Natural remedies, you know, things they don’t really teach you or tell you about.” This quickly grew into a passion as Olivia found that she wanted to make peoples’ lives easier on a budget.
Although she’s a prominent blogger and presence on social media, Olivia doesn’t consider herself “your usual content creator”; she hates calling her work “content,” doesn’t really plan posts, and certainly doesn’t work from a calendar. Get ready, her process is also quite interesting: she finds a topic that is personal to her (i.e. she experiences something, her friends are directly impacted, etc.) … and she lets the subject bubble up until she can’t hold it in and sits down to word vomit an entire post till it’s all out there. She feels that by doing so, she is at her most genuine. “I’m a Leo, so I’m very open with my thoughts… I also feel like what I have to say is important! But besides that, I honestly just got really fed up… and because of that, I really got comfortable with sharing the more vulnerable parts of my life.” Olivia’s long-form content lives both on her blog, as well as Instagram. Her YouTube channel also hosts a lot of her vlogging content, as well as videos in which she tackles health issues and different aspects of life that she’s had some sort of personal experience with.
Obviously, Olivia’s struggle didn’t come from launching her blogging career; it did however, appear when people started to notice. “I had all these eyes on me all of a sudden, and with that came added pressure. Do I have to censor myself? Change myself to be more likeable? These were the questions I was beginning to ask.” This changed when Olivia realized that people are going to have different opinions, have their opinions regardless of her actions, and that all she needed was to find her groove and let her genuine-self show.
Her career truly began to flourish once she realized that she didn’t have to be “scheme-y,” or anything of the sort; Olivia realized that she wanted to grow a business for people based on her passion, so that she’d be able to add products that she wanted to see in the market. Her website truly reflects that passion and her products revolve around researched and natural tinctures that assist in some aspect of one’s health. One of her favorite product lines is what Olivia calls, “Your Herbal First-Aid Kit,” which consists of some basic formulas that people should have at home: a blend that helps with digestion, an anxiety blend called “Peace Juice” (my personal favorite!), and many more, which you can check out on her website, organicolivia.com. “I also like to follow a wide-range of people… anything from beauty gurus, viners, money-motivational pages… it’s important and interesting to study others who are successful in their own niches, and see what works for them.”
As for hindsight, Olivia mentioned there were a few areas in her career that she would’ve tackled differently. “I thought it was so noble that I was doing every part of the process myself in the beginning, but if I could do it differently, I would’ve delegated some of the process earlier than I did.” Following that would be being able to not take her image so seriously, and instead push through by being genuine, instead of second-guessing herself when the eyes and pressure mounted early on.
Though if Olivia had opportunity to pursue another passion, “… Opera singer. I take lessons every week. Maybe in another life, though!”
Altogether, Olivia recognized early on why what she does today would succeed, “Right now it’s not just this traditional publishing where you need a vehicle behind you. Because of social media, I can write something heartfelt and important to me, and people will see and resonate with it because it’s genuine.” She believes that if you are truly passionate about something and you put the effort in, your voice will find eyes and ears willing to listen.
So let your heart speak your words or write them… let it play the melody, let it guide your camera… don’t second guess yourself in the face of a few squeaks of doubt, because ultimately, your creativity will shine best when it comes from your genuine passion.
To Olivia, that’s always been a part of her journey. “Vulnerability is your superpower. That’s my motto for my life and what I do in business. Honestly, just don’t be afraid to open up and be true to your heart.”
Enjoy the words from my mind's heart to yours; always remember to follow your passions.