We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Dillon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, how does your business help the community?
Movement is a tool I keep in my back pocket for my darkest days. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder. As a way to cope, I found that getting my adrenaline going and moving my body helped me get through each day. Whether it was a long walk, or lifting heavy weights in the gym, movement made me feel strong and settled the storms in my mind. I began to share my movement experiences with the women around me. I learned quickly that anxiety and depression are so much more common than I knew. I also learned that movement didn’t always feel very accessible, mainly because it felt like something for athletes or for people trying to change the appearance of their bodies. It dawned on me that many women don’t make the connection between movement and mental wellness. This is the motivation behind the Live and Move brand.

Live and Move is a brand that presents movement as a tool to make women feel strong, confident and free enough to move more in their everyday lives. Our goal is to build movement communities around the world where women feel safe, seen and heard as they move their bodies and move through life. Ultimately, Live and Move exists because we believe that every woman deserves to be well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In January 2020, I had plans of finding a new job and settling into a new place. Little did I know, a pandemic would sweep the nation and leave us sick and often hopeless. I came home from living abroad to a hiring freeze that left me needing to pivot. I decided to start an online boutique. When I made this decision, I didn’t even know what I was going to sell. I prayed. I was led to create a brand that was the most natural extension of who I am.

Live + Move was birthed from a place of finding peace in what seemed like the most chaotic year the world has ever experienced. Everyday, finding peace was a FIGHT… a fight we lost so often. How do I stay sane? How do I find stability? How do I stay strong, physically and mentally, and sure myself up for when this is all over? I was searching.

In my searching, I began to examine the areas of my life that were consistent and that brought me joy. I noticed my habit of movement. Every morning, I’d pray, meditate and have a movement session. Movement for me was so many things. It was yoga, bike riding, long walks, jumping rope, dancing, stretching, lifting and so much more. I found that moving my body kept me calm, made me feel strong, improved my sleeping, and set the tone for each unexpected day in what seemed like our darkest times. I knew my online boutique needed to be the space to share this joy as a resource for women like me.

To be honest, that is what excites me the most. I look forward to Live and Move being a household name that brings joy through movement and community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Okay, so I’m a Brooklyn girl through and through. If my friends were visiting for the week, their itinerary would definitely include strolling across the Brooklyn bridge, brunch at Kokomo, and going dancing at Bembe in Williamsburg. Hopefully it’s the first week of the month, so we’d hit up Brooklyn Museum for first Saturdays, and then end the night rum-sipping at Rogers Garden. And you can’t come to Brooklyn without getting some authentic West Indian food and Brooklyn has so many restaurants to choose from so we’d have OPTIONS! I mean I can go on and on but these are a few must-haves.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So much of my success is due to the love, support, care and mentorship of black women. From learning how to start an e-commerce business from Jenelle of Start Your Boutique on down to getting my business trademarked by Kyona of Trademark My Stuff, black women have helped me every single step of the way.

For that, I want to give a huge shoutout to black women! As we continue to walk through life overcoming every barrier set before us, may continue to lift each other and our communities! May we find the joy, peace, love and REST we deserve.

Website: www.shopliveandmove.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/shopliveandmove

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopliveandmove

Image Credits
Photographer- Nneka Peters

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