Inspiring Interviews Series 1: Brandie Gilliam of Thoughtfully Magazine

Hello, my name is Brandie Gilliam. I am the founder, creative director and many hat-wearer of Thoughtfully Magazine, an indie publication sold on national newsstands  in the U.S. and Canada that seeks to inspire wellness in women one print issue at a time. We are now based in Los Angeles, CA.

I absolutely love magazines and have always been fascinated with print since I was a young girl. As I began to immerse myself into the world of clean beauty and wellness in 2001, I slowly began to feel disconnected with the content in most of the magazines on newsstands over the years. I also observed that many of the health magazines still showed toxic beauty products on their pages and were not well researched in that area at all. Fast forward to August of 2014 after a relocation to the Gulf Coast of Florida with my husband’s job, I no longer had the demands of a busy corporate career and wanted to create something that I needed personally. It all happened so fast and I never ever thought about starting a magazine but it’s been a beautiful journey since we launched in January of 2015.

A green lifestyle is one that is thoughtful, compassionate and considerate. It comes from a place of love, care and concern for self, others and the environment, including our animals. It’s stepping back and asking questions like “What’s in the products I’m putting on my skin? Are they good for me and the planet? Is this food I’m putting in my body real, whole food or is it processed? What’s the impact of all this plastic I’m consuming? Who’s making my clothes?” It’s going through life with intention.

Organic coconut oil, cleanser for my combination/highly acne prone skin (I rotate my skincare with the seasons), facial serum, detox mask and leave-in conditioner for my 3c naturally curly hair.

Never take a risk that you can’t recover from. Be intentional, researched, knowledgeable and clear on why you’re doing what you’re doing and how you want to do it. So many times we leap without calculating the cost. Don’t just think about what could go right but also what could go wrong and have a plan of action in place for both. There’s a solution to every problem, we just have to find it and trust. The rest sorts itself out along the way.

Each issue is special for different reasons. I absolutely loved shooting with FullyRaw Kristina for Issue 6 in our hometown at the time of Santa Rosa Beach, FL and creating magic with Candace Cameron Bure in the Santa Monica Mountains for Issue 5. I could go on. I’m in love with the artwork that Meera Lee Patel created for our current Issue 7 with Deepak Chopra and Kimberly Snyder.

I enjoy practicing yoga, spending time with my husband and family, connecting with close friends, hikes, listening to music, walks along the beach, volunteering in my community, self-care, curling up with a good book and cuddling with my little Lhasa Apso dog named Angel…she’s the cutest and sweetest pup ever!

This has changed for me since we first launched. I used to be focused on having a certain person featured but now I just want to create with authentic people that I meet and am inspired by.

Live passionately, beautifully and thoughtfully every day.

Check out Thoughtfully‘s newest Issue 7 and since it’s their 2nd birthday, we’ve hooked you up with promo code HULLOSAM to receive a FREE digital issue of Thoughtfully Mag now through the end of this month 1/31/17. Be inspired, and happy reading!