One day, years ago, Lauren Garcia’s husband JJ began calling her Lola. The nickname stuck, with his family affectionately adopting the nickname as well.
Fast-forward to 2011. The couple was living in San Francisco and Garcia decided to start a blog. Coming up with a name for it? That was easy—What Lola Likes Lola Shares (she shortened it to What Lola Likes when she moved to Phoenix).
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Today, Garcia is a force to be reckoned with. What began as a blog has grown into a brand, with more than 342K followers on Instagram alone (she’s also on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter). She touches on topics ranging from family and motherhood to philanthropy, self-care to fashion, shopping to traveling, Arizona, and more.
“It’s evolved over the years,” she explains of her focus. “I started when I was in San Francisco. Then, it was more just photos I liked, home décor, and inspiration. Then when I got married, I wrote about learning how to cook, running half marathons, and clean eating. When I moved to Phoenix, it evolved to more lifestyle—what I was wearing, where I was going, etc. I didn’t consider myself a person of fashion nor did I take that aspect very serious; it was just a way to showcase my personal style. There were a lot of fashion bloggers at this time, so I wanted to do something a little different.”
As it evolved, she did her best to make that happen.
She talks about places she goes and outfits she wears, yes, but also shares stories about her fears on raising children, self-confidence, why she and JJ are stopping at having just two children, and why marriage is work.
“It’s just real,” she explains. “Just real talk conversation. Not everything is as picture-perfect as social media makes it out to be. I just talk about everything there.”
Not only is Garcia known for being real, but she also uses her platform to be a positive force and help others. Having two rescue dogs, she decided to partner with local rescues in Arizona, and in so in some photos, instead of holding a handbag, she’d hold a dog that needed to be rescued, giving it exposure to potential families.
And in 2018 when she was pregnant with Alice (daughter number two—she and JJ also welcomed Vivienne in 2016), she realized they had most of what she needed but still wanted to celebrate their soon-to-be-daughter, while helping others who didn’t have what she had at the same time. So, she partnered with nonprofit Maggie’s Place to hold an event for moms who needed items, held at The Scott Resort, with companies donating products.
When the pandemic hit, she designated Mondays as the day when she would buy a $50 gift card from a local business and then give it away to a follower in order to help support local shops.
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“My whole thing from the start was that if I ever had a platform, I wanted to do something positive with it,” she says.
Recently, she created What Baby Likes, a group on Facebook that helps women connect to donate their gently used baby clothes and accessories to other expecting or new moms in need.
Parenting
In addition to growing her brand, she and JJ are busy raising their two daughters. The pair, who originally met in San Diego and were together for about a year before becoming engaged, revels in parenthood.
“I just love them; that unconditional love,” Garcia shares. “You don’t really know that feeling until you have children. I actually feel like I became myself again after I had kids. I felt like before I was becoming more serious. And the kids brought that silly, singing person back out of me. They made me like a kid again.”
“You feel accomplished seeing this little person become a person,” JJ adds. “They just bring so much light into our lives. They’re just awesome.”
The couple say they complement each other, navigating life and work and parenting by communicating well.
“We do have different views on different things, but we’ll talk about them and navigate through it,” JJ explains. “Going through life with her is great.”
“We share a calendar together, which makes our life a lot easier! We’re always learning as we go. I’m a little bit more of a researcher, as far as the next stage of parenting, and he’s more go-with-the-flow, but we listen and learn from each other and do our best,” she shares.
Right now, Vivienne loves to dance and swim, and is beginning to get into make believe and pretending to be various characters. She also likes softball. Alice is starting to talk, and although she has always been very calm and sweet, is beginning to discover her sassy side.
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Reality TV and a New Business
On top of Garcia’s What Lola Likes brand and raising two daughters, the couple were cast members on Total Bellas. JJ is Nikki and Brie Bella’s brother, and they appeared in several episodes.
“We have enjoyed being a part of it, work with our family, and given the opportunity to travel.”
Now, JJ is adding another venture into the mix. He—along with three business partners—are launching a digital coupon platform, which showcases coupons from locales across Arizona. It’s free for the merchant, while the consumer pays a yearly membership fee to be part of the site.
“I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so it’s always been in my blood,” he explains.
The platform, which is launching this summer, can be found at GetFeylx.com.
And continuing the Garcias’ theme of giving back, a portion of the company’s revenue will be donated to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
“So, whenever we make money, they make money,” JJ says.
It’s a journey, they say, working, parenting, and giving back, and one they truly enjoy—and enjoy being on together.
Says Garcia, “We just really enjoy each other. We motivate each other, we laugh together, and we get along well for work. We navigate life together and we just like to have fun together.”
Source: https://t-tees.com
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