It started with a love
of great content.
In 2009, I launched a glossy print magazine called LUSH life — a women's lifestyle magazine covering beauty, fashion, and the kind of content I genuinely wanted to read. I was distributing it across Lincolnshire myself, my dad helping me load and deliver boxes every month. Most places were sold out before we even got home. The demand was absolutely there.
Then, only a few months in, a company with the same name decided that an independent magazine didn't deserve to exist alongside them. Legal action was threatened. I had two choices: give up, or start over.
"I named the new magazine after my mum's bridal business — the one she ran when I was growing up — and after mine and my sister's middle names. Anne Louise felt like mine in a way nothing else could."
The magazine kept growing. I had a small team of guest feature writers — including my neighbour Ayshea Brough, the Hollywood actress and presenter best known for UFO and Lift Off with Ayshea. Our Chihuahuas were best friends. Bonnie (white) was Ayshea's & Tiggy was my little fur baby.
Going digital kept Anne Louise alive, but it hasn't always been easy. I've lost my .com to Chinese bot drivers (I forgot to renew it — I waited and waited and eventually got it back). I've had the entire site hacked and lost every single article I'd ever published. I rebuilt it from scratch. Honestly? The new site was better.
Every obstacle has made me more determined. Over the years Anne Louise has become a genuine labour of love — interviewing musicians, collaborating with brands, covering everything from beauty to business. And somewhere along the way, a thread kept emerging: the women who were building something of their own.
The more I featured female entrepreneurs, the more I realised they needed more than an article. They needed each other. So I founded Female Entrepreneurs HQ — a membership community built on connection over competition. I published the Female Entrepreneur Book (Issue One sold out). And Issue Two is coming in September 2026. The lifestyle magazine I built for love turned into something I'm even more proud of.
