Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Howell
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When Olivia was going through her divorce in 2019, she looked around her home with half of the stuff missing (that her ex-husband took), and among what was left, things she wanted to purge, like towels monogrammed with their married monogram; it was then that she realized this is when people need registries the most. Olivia took to google and found only articles asking why divorce registries didn’t exist. She journaled the idea and tabled it. It was only after Jenny ended her engagement in June 2021 that Olivia and Jenny sat down and made the company happen. Fresh Starts is the first and only divorce registry, and we believe that while people have quietly been making and buying items for divorced loved ones for longer than anyone can know, the growing trend is directly related to the permission Fresh Starts gives and the education we provide in rewriting the cultural narrative around divorce since we were founded. Fresh Starts was the first brand to turn the concept of divorce around and celebrate the brave decision that it is! Fresh Starts believes people are in a moment of awakening wherein they realize there is no path in life they must follow and that their responsibility is to find joy and share it with their people. Divorce registries are trending because we are giving people license to ask for what they need and encouraging their support systems to meet them where they are. We also believe that divorce registries are trending upward because more and more people are openly discussing their divorce. We have worked very hard to pull divorce from the shadows and give people the permission to talk about divorce as just another life change – there is nothing shameful about it. Divorce is not a dirty word.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As with building any startup, we are constantly iterating and thinking about the best ways we can support people going through life changes, as well as our Fresh Starts Experts. When we launched Fresh Starts, we knew we wanted t o have experts on the website, and we knew that we would charge them to be listed on the Expert Guide, but we wanted to make sure it was of high value for them to join Fresh Starts! After chatting with a friend who has known our career journey, she suggested we launch a membership to support our experts in their business development. And, we did! The Fresh Starts Expert Membership supports experts 5 days a week in business development, business coaching, public relations, and so much more. And, moving beyond that, there were people who wanted to join Fresh Starts because they were looking for a virtual community, accountability and networking. So, we recently launched two other membership options for people just looking for community, networking and accountability. Startups are hard! We are lucky that we have each other, as it’s definitely a rollercoaster.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, my first career was in education, and I think that set the tone for much of my life’s work. I was a middle school Latin, History, and Drama teacher for almost a decade – and the part of that that I loved so much was working with the students and supporting them in their educational and personal development. I left teaching in 2013 when my older son was born, and started my second career as a freelance writer and marketing expert. I founded March Lion Media, a marketing agency in 2013, and worked globally with clients managing social media and marketing, and influencers. I love social media and I love marketing – because it all relates to human connections! In 2020, my sister Jenny came to work with me at the marketing agency, and then we launched Fresh Starts in 2021, after my own divorce in 2019. I specialize in connecting people – it’s why I’m known as The Digital Yenta! I am super-connector because I am very intuitive and I can quickly read people and know what they need. I’m also a little bit delusional (it’s the ADHD), and truly believe that good people and kind hearts can change the world (and we are!).
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
When it comes to networking or finding a mentor or building a community, you need to take your ego out of it! It’s not about you, it’s about creating a safe space – even if that space is just the space between two people – and you have to give good to get good! Kindness always matters first. I like to say my best piece of advice when it comes to networking is just be a nice person. Kindness can take you to the top.
Pricing:
- Fresh Starts Expert Membership: $55/month
- Fresh Starts Collective Membership: $35/month
- A Fresh Start to the Week Group Membership: $10/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freshstartsregistry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreshStartsRegistry
- Twitter: https://x.com/thedigitalyenta
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKm1t6t-vLVK0zLaw1m8oig
- Other: A Fresh Story Podcast: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/podcast
Image Credits
Beach photos: Alexandria Mooney Photography
All other photos: Terrie Alfieri Photography