We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alison (Ali) Whitlock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alison (Ali), appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Living HappAli was born from my own journey as a teacher experiencing burnout, when the constant hustle was draining me mentally, physically, and stealing my joy.
At my lowest point, the stress became so overwhelming that it impacted my health. I experienced panic attacks that led to vision loss and aura migraines that would knock me out for days. That was my wake-up call. Living HappAli grew out of that moment as my reminder to slow down, care for myself, and choose joy daily.
I wanted to create a space that encouraged slowing down, embracing self-care, and finding alignment with what truly matters. The name Living HappAli reflects my belief that living happily begins with living authentically as yourself.
My mission is to inspire busy women, especially teachers, moms, and caregivers, to create simple rituals of peace, joy, and balance in their everyday lives. It’s meaningful to me because I know firsthand what it feels like to give everything to others and have nothing left for yourself. Living HappAli is my reminder, and now my mission, to help others reclaim their happiness and live a life aligned with their soul.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Alison (Ali) Whitlock, an authentic living, little-people-teaching, coastal enthusiast, and the founder of Living HappAli, a lifestyle and wellness brand inspired by my personal journey through burnout. For years, I poured everything into my classroom and my students, then spent summers working nonstop, until the hustle drained me mentally, physically, and emotionally. When stress began to affect my health, I knew I had to find a new way forward. Living HappAli was created as both a personal reminder and a mission to slow down, embrace self-care, and live in alignment with what truly matters.
At Living HappAli, I share blogs, journaling tools, digital resources, and lifestyle content that blend together self-care, mindset, and coastal-inspired living. My goal is to support busy women- especially teachers, moms, and caregivers- who give so much of themselves to others but often forget to nurture their own well-being. Through practical tools, creative inspiration, and gentle reminders, I help women create small daily rituals that bring peace, joy, and balance back into their lives.
What sets Living HappAli apart is its heart… it’s not about perfection or chasing an unrealistic ideal of wellness. It is about authenticity, slowing down, and creating space for joy even in the busiest seasons of life. Alongside digital content, I also founded the Meet Me on the Boards community, which gathers people on the Ocean City boardwalk to walk, connect, and embrace mindful moments by the ocean. It’s become a way to translate online inspiration into real-life community and connection.
I’m most proud of the community that has begun forming around Living HappAli, women who resonate with the message of choosing happiness, healing from burnout, and embracing authenticity. I want people to know that Living HappAli is a movement toward living more fully, intentionally, and joyfully. Whether it’s through a blog post, a journaling prompt, or a morning walk by the ocean, my mission is to remind women they are strong, capable, and worthy of living a life that feels aligned with their soul.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My journey into creating Living HappAli is deeply tied to resilience. For years, I poured everything into teaching during the school year and worked almost every day in the summer, convinced that if I just worked harder, I’d be more successful and eventually “earn” the life I wanted. I bought into the hustle mindset that more hours meant more worth and more pay. Instead, it slowly drained me mentally, physically, and emotionally.
At my lowest point, the stress became a frightening wake-up call. Panic attacks led to vision loss and aura migraines so severe they took me to eye specialists and brain MRIs to rule out more serious conditions. Thankfully this forced me to face the reality that I couldn’t keep living on autopilot or hustling my way into burnout.
From that season, it took time to heal, but in the process I realized I wasn’t alone. Others needed this message too. That’s when Living HappAli was born, not just as a brand but as my reminder and mission: to slow down, embrace self-care, and live in alignment with what truly matters. What once felt like the hardest season of my life became the foundation for helping busy people, especially teachers, moms, and caregivers, to unlearn the hustle mentality and instead create small rituals of peace, joy, and balance in their everyday lives.
Resilience, to me, isn’t about pushing through at all costs. It is about honoring your limits, listening to your body, and creating a new way forward. That’s the heart of Living HappAli, and the reason I continue this work today.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
When I started Living HappAli, I knew I wasn’t aiming for overnight success, I was aiming for authentic connection. Right now, my Instagram community is small, just over 200 followers, but what I’ve learned is that numbers don’t tell the whole story. Even with a small audience, I’ve had women reach out and share how my blogs or posts helped them slow down or make time for themselves. That impact means more to me than chasing quick growth.
I’m also learning as I go, drawing inspiration and strategies from other accounts and adapting what works for me in a way that feels authentic to my brand. For me, building an audience has been about storytelling, showing up as myself, and consistency (sometimes consistency varies with the season of life). I share honestly about burnout, self-care, and the small rituals that help me live in alignment with my values. I also make it a point to engage directly with people in the comments and DMs, and even beyond social media with Meet Me on the Boards, where women can gather offline to walk and connect by the ocean.
One perspective that really shifted things for me came from Jen Gottlieb, who says: if you have 50 followers, imagine standing in front of a room with 50 people who chose to hear your message. That mindset has helped me see the value of nurturing my current community instead of chasing numbers.
My advice to anyone just starting out is: don’t get caught up in follower counts. Focus on building trust, being consistent, and creating content that truly serves the people who are already showing up. A small, engaged, authentic community is the best foundation for long-term growth!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://LivingHappAli.com
- Instagram: LivingHappAli
- Other: TikTok: LivingHappAli
Image Credits
TM Films