Create & Cultivate 100: Health + Wellness: Lo Bosworth
Lo Bosworth is a true example of what it means to use your platform for good.
The 32-year-old former Laguna Beach and The Hills star is the founder of Love Wellness, an inclusive feminine health brand that ditches body shame and archaic packaging for a female-first voice. She founded the brand after experiencing her own health scares, and she aims to empower women everywhere to take charge and feel good about their personal health.
Below, Lo shares her best moments of 2018, her thoughts on social media, and why she won’t be appearing on The Hills reboot this year.
You’ve been busy! In addition to your site, TheLoDown, you host a podcast (LadyLovin) and run a health and hygiene company, Love Wellness. What inspired your journey into the women’s wellness space?
Running Love Wellness is my first priority and has been for the past year. I was inspired to make this move in my life after a personal wellness journey that I chronicled on TheLoDown. It's been nice to move into Love Wellness full-time as it's a space where I can have a greater, or more tangible impact on women's lives. I personally felt there was a lack of an open self-care culture for women in the United States when I was experiencing health issues a few years ago and through Love Wellness we're actively working to cultivate these body positive conversations and culture through natural and safe products that directly support that mission.
Tell us more about Love Wellness. You offer beautifully-packaged period and vaginal health products—did you feel like that was previously missing from the market?
When I started Love Wellness what I felt was most lacking from the feminine care category, ironically, was a true female voice. It's no secret that the majority of the traditional personal care products for women you know have been conjured up by men in a boardroom. The proof of that is in the anti-feminist undertones of the messaging used to market these products to women, teaching young girls and women through subliminal images and words that our bodies and genitals are dirty, shameful, and private. Ask any woman you know about the emotional experience of buying tampons or anti-fungal cream and generally speaking, it's not a positive one.
At its core, Love Wellness aims to solve that problem. Our products are more than their packaging (though the packaging is lovely). Our products give women their power back by giving them a choice. Most women, when presented with the options, will go with a modern, female-founded brand that understands that a body-positive message is as important as effectiveness and packaging. We want women to feel good about their personal care choices. We make products that do that.
You recently gave a resounding “no” when asked if you’d be appearing on The Hills reboot. What about reality TV is unappealing to you at this point in your career?
I run a women's personal care company that is about positivity for all women and nothing less. Reality television programming, inherently, is about conflict. You need conflict for any type of programming to be remotely interesting. If I participated I can guarantee that a decision would be made by the powers that be to pit me against another woman on the show in order to feed that conflict. As the owner of a business for women by women, it's unconscionable to think that I would agree to submit myself to potential vilification of that nature that could de-base another woman's feelings, reputation, or worldview.
What about your job makes you feel the most fulfilled?
It's the women of Love Wellness that make me feel the most fulfilled: our customers and my team. It's so encouraging to receive notes of support from a woman whose life has been changed by using our products, and I love that we've been able to attract women to work alongside me that are powerful, smart, and inspired to be a part of the positivity and awareness we're spreading.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you find new roads + switch gears to find success?
I consider bumps in the road to be the greatest measures of success. It's how you deal with problems that defines your character and strength. There is a solution to every problem if you're willing to discover what it is. I thrive on the solutions.
In a world where likes and follower counts are so coveted, how do you stay authentic and true to yourself/your brand?
The honest answer is that I'm exhausted by social media; it's just something I deal with at this point. Authenticity here is important for two reasons: my authentic self is a kind and straight-forward person and I want people to know me for who I am. The second reason is that I believe social media is eating away at the core values of our society and so if I have to send out any message at all, it better be one that's positive. If we can at least consume positivity, we have a shot.
What’s been the biggest surprise or highlight of your career to date?
Hiring full-time employees at Love Wellness in 2018 has been the highlight of my career to date, hands down.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
It's not meat ‘til it's in your mouth - meaning, that until the contract is signed and the money is in your account, keep working at it.
What are you most excited for in 2019?
I'm hoping to have a year that's steady: with work, with friendship, family, romantic relationships, and home. The past few years have been ones of turmoil, lessons learned and rebuilding and I'm ready for 12 months of calm seas and clear skies.