We recently connected with Tadzia Lee and have shared our conversation below.

Tadzia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for Well-Lived stems from my childhood and a personal journey with mental health and self-expression. When I was in middle school, life felt overwhelming. After a significant move, being one of the few minorities in my classes, and navigating challenging family events, I struggled to understand and communicate my emotions. One day, my mom and I started something that was so simple but made a big impact; writing notes to each other on torn notebook paper. We would slip the notes under the door or drop it off on each other’s beds and it created a safe space for me to share what was on my mind. This small act of connection became the foundation for my journaling journey and opened the door to understanding the importance of mental health.

Fast forward to December 2023, when I officially launched Well-Lived. By then, I had a vision to create something bigger than a product line—I wanted to build a safe space for people to feel seen and heard while providing tools to support them on their healing and mental health journey.

Well-Lived was never just about selling journals, but helping people thrive within their mind, body, and soul. Rather than solely focusing on the mental benefits journaling can bring, we are addressing the person as a whole. Early on, I realized that journals alone weren’t resonating with everyone. So, I listened. I pivoted and expanded into offering products like candles and other tools designed to create well-lived moments. This shift was guided by a core principle: Well-Lived isn’t about what I want to create—it’s about what people need to nurture their well-being.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m the founder of Well-Lived, a wellness-focused brand dedicated to helping people nurture their mind, body, and soul. My journey into this space started with my personal struggles to navigate emotions as a child, where journaling became my lifeline. Over the years, I realized how transformative small acts of self-care can be, and I wanted to share that with others, most importantly with women.

I come from a background of digital marketing but have always been passionate about and put mental health and wellness in the forefront. At Well-Lived, we offer tools like guided journals and hand-poured candles based on scent psychology and aromatherapy. Within the next year, we are hoping to expand our products, which will be very exciting. Unlike most brands that sell journals or candles, we like to focus on a person’s overall well-being. That includes the mind, body, and soul, not just one. I believe this holistic approach is what will set us apart as we continue to grow and learn what ways we can better help our target audience.

I’m most proud of how much I have been listening to intuition and moving forward with it. Starting and growing a business is not an easy thing to do, but I knew that after years of dreaming, if I did not go for it when I did, it may not have happened at all. Along with that, so many opportunities have come into play, like winning grants, pivoting our product focus, and even changing our names. None of them were easy things to do, but there were moments when I had to sit with myself and make big changes that got us to where we are today. Including doing this interview with you all! One thing I am very grateful to have done was tune into my inner child, that 12-year-old version of me, and get back on YouTube. It’s been a great platform for me to share my journey as a business owner, connect with others, and learn so much. I may or may not have private videos from 2013 of me getting ready for the day or sharing DIY room decor ideas. Getting back into YouTube has been somewhat fulfilling.

Throughout this journey of starting, learning, and growing my business, I learned that I am really a hands-on girl. I knew it before, but to decide one day that I would get up and start making small batches of candles…that’s crazy. There are some other products I am starting to research and plan now that require me to handmake them, and I absolutely love the process. The only thing I do not make myself is the journals. Those, I have manufactured, and when they were being drop shipped, I felt completely out of the loop. As if I had no connection with customers, and I didn’t. Now, everything is packed with love and personalization. One of my favorite parts is writing custom thank-you cards to each person because I genuinely appreciate their support and truly hope it helps them mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I currently use Shopify for my ecommerce platform. Places like Etsy are not off the table, but because of the previous experiences I have had and feedback from others, I opted to not go for a third-party yet. Recently, I was accepted to join Faire for wholesale selling and hope to start generating more sales from there as well.

Pro of using Shopify: You keep all of your money. Outside of the subscription, you are setting the price, and receiving all of that price. Whereas some third-party sites, like Etsy, may have a ton of fees. With fees you will either have to raise your price, or accept not making as much as you would like.

Con of using Shopify: You need to make sure your website is 101% SEO optimized, and there is a lot of work behind that. Not too long ago, I learned about Google Search Console and I am not the biggest fan of what is going on there because I have so much to work on with my website, but I know it will be worth it once everything is fixed.

While I have an ecommerce business, I have been prioritizing selling in person and pop-up market events. In those cases, you are able to increase brand awareness and get feedback on your business instantly.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am a sucker for podcasts and tend to over consume them sometimes but I always walk away with so much helpful information. Here are a few of my go-to podcasts that have helped my entrepreneurial journey:

– Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal
– Life with Marianna
– Shopify Masters
– The Journey with Morgan DeBaun
– Working Hard, Hardly Working

One resource that it is complete gem is the Verizon Digital Ready Program. I found the most helpful mentor through their free program they have for business owners. Plus there is a plethora of courses and videos on anything you could imagine when it comes to entrepreneurship.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wearewelllived.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tadzialee
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tadzia-lee
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@welllivedwt
• Other: https://www.threads.net/@tadzialee

Image Credits

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