We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Morgan Thurman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Morgan below.

Morgan, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Starting my business and opening a brick and mortar was definitely a risk and a journey into unfamiliar territory. My name is Morgan Thurman and I’m a lover of fashion and outdoor adventure. I’m a wife with two small children and the owner of a lifestyle brand, MIVA. At 34 years old with a sociology degree and my own in home daycare, I decided to add a little side hobby to my plate. At this time my son was going through some health issues and we had been searching for years for a diagnosis. The unknowns for my son’s future left me struggling with depression and anxiety. I began searching for some type of creative outlet to help me get through this difficult time. A friend of mine who owned an adorable shop in our tiny Illinois town was looking for someone to help out part time. I thought this was a perfect opportunity for a little adult interaction and some type of distraction from what we were dealing with at home. I was beyond excited to spend time with my friend, mingle with the locals, and help out in my favorite shop in town. However, I never even had the opportunity of getting started. My friend’s husband had a job that was relocating their family to another state. When breaking the news to me that the store would be closing, my friend quickly followed up with “you should open your own shop”. I laughed in her face. What was she talking about? I knew NOTHING about running a brick and mortar. However, her encouragement and positivity was all I needed to light a fire underneath me. It set me in motion to step outside of my comfort zone, start believing in myself, and three months later I was celebrating my grand opening of MIVA. This is a true testament to the power of building each other up.

This decision was extremely risky for a few different reasons. One, I had no background in what I was about to dive into. I didn’t have a guide or a mentor. Everything had to be self taught during my free time as I was still running my in-home daycare. This was also risky because of all of the health issues my son was dealing with at the time. We were unsure what the future would hold. Would I realistically be able to juggle all of these endeavors AND care for my family? Would this take a toll on me and my mental health therefor not being the right move to make? I wasn’t sure of all of these answers but with the support of my loving husband, family, and friends I ultimately decided it was a risk worth taking.

From day one, I had a mission behind MIVA. I wanted to create a lifestyle brand that encouraged others to reconnect with nature and do their part in preserving the planet. I brought a new shop to town that featured styles that encourage individuality unlike anything my small town had seen before. I filled the shop with goods that are ethical, sustainable, made by other small businesses, and even made by locals. On top of that I started hosting local events to draw people together to learn about nature, sustainability, and overall health and wellness.

Fast forward nearly five years and my son is doing great and my business has grown. I ended up closing my in-home daycare to keep up with the day-to-day at MIVA. I’ve expanded into the online world and currently have a staff of 5. I’ve hosted countless fundraisers and community gatherings. In fact, the last community hike I put on had 75 people sign up to attend. MIVA still has a ton of growing to do in order to get the brand where I want it to be, but I’m confident it will get there. As I often tell my customers, life is not about perfection but about the journey. #fortherjourney

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 feel like I accidentally answered all of this in the first portion of this questionnaire but I will try to add a little extra. Please reach out if you are needing something different or more…

MIVA comes from the first letter of everyone’s name in my family. My name is Morgan, Imogen is my daughter, Vincent is my son, and Andy is my husband. I named the business after my family as there are sprinkles of all of us in MIVA and the lifestyle we are promoting is one that we live. We love the outdoors, adventure, and we are always looking for new ways to enrich our lives together while in nature. Since this is so important to us we are on a journey to learning new sustainable practices we can implement into our daily routines. We want to do our part in preserving the planet and encourage others to do the same through the products we carry and the events that we host.

When it comes to fashion, I love the hunt for the right pieces that allow me to dress as my authentic self and influence others to do the same. So, whether you’re shopping for your day-to-day, a night out on the town, or an afternoon exploring a trail, MIVA will help you express yourself through fashionable one of a kind pieces that leave you feeling like a true individual.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe what has helped me build my reputation amongst my community is my ability to be open, raw, and transparent. While I try to be a source of positivity I also don’t shy away from telling my own personal struggles. This has given others a person to relate to, rely on, and ultimately trust. Making genuine connection with my customers is my favorite part about owning a business and I believe my community feels that as well.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I’m still trying to unlearn is that the hustle and grind culture is not the answer. At a very young age I learned that in order to be accepted I needed to perform at a certain level. This level has only gotten higher and higher the older I’ve gotten which has led me to severe burnout. I’m actively learning how to listen to my needs over the needs of my business. This is NOT an easy task, but one I’m dedicated to for the sake of my own physical and mental health. I’m also trying to unlearn this so I can be an example for my children. It’s incredibly important to me that I teach them how to value their own happiness and not develop performance-based self-esteem. This is exceptionally challenging when my business falls into the fashion industry. The fashion industry is highly competitive, the hours are long, the workload is immense, and the pressure is always on! I try to counteract the burnout by creating daily space and time for myself outside. Even if it’s only 15 minutes, I’ve found it to be very powerful for me to ground myself in nature. Practicing meditation, yoga, journalling have all been great tools to teach me how to slow my thoughts and breathing so I can remember to trust that I have all that I need. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and the universe will always provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopmiva.com
• Instagram: @shopmiva
• Facebook: @shopmiva

Image Credits
@camrynphoto @milliekaye.photo @embracedbeautyphoto