Please let us introduce you to Bethany Livingstone. Bethany is the first ever Pretty and Smart Co. featured entrepreneur following our contributor series. Bethany is an Ottawa based photographer. She runs a business called Marley Imaging and specializes in lifestyle, wedding and small business branding photography. In addition to being a hard working entrepreneur, Bethany has totally been bitten by the travel bug and has a love for adventure. You can check out her work here and get to know her in the interview below. Without further ado meet Bethany.
Name or nickname if you have one:
My name is Bethany. My nickname is Beth – but only a couple people can call me this – it feels very personal and I get uncomfortable if other people call me this. But in highschool my fav nickname was cpl. Klinger. (any other M.A.S.H. fans out there?)
Zodiac sign:
Leo however being born July 23 I’m on the cusp of Cancer as well, and sometimes I feel more like a cancer than a leo. But for the most part this is true. This past week I did a deep dive to the planet and star alignment the moment of my birth – although I didn’t end up with the answers to why relationships don’t always work I did learn some things about myself!
Where do you live and what do you do?
Ottawa for the last 6 years! Wild! It’s the longest I have been in one place since graduating highschool and backpacking for 5 years. I am a photographer – mostly with lifestyle products and branding photography – and published author! (It’s a short collection of poetry that I wrote when working through a lot of heartbreak and loss while also falling in love again. Life is contrast and that book walks through the eb and flows)
What is your dream career/career goal or ambition?
Honestly you have no idea how happy taking pictures makes me!!!!! Is it my life calling? I think my life calling is to be happy and bring happiness to others – and clean water. – Which is why I love the partnerships that CopperRootCollective and I have been able to do.
What is it like being an entrepreneur?
Oh man – I used to think it was about super early mornings and really late nights and the hustle. I have since changed my business model around and learned that we can be successful when working from a place of ‘alignment’ I don’t love that that has become such a buzz word lately. But in the last year I have learned that alignment to me feels when I work within my own boundaries, only take clients that I vibe with and the energy within me feels really good! I have been SO much more productive and busier than ever! So what does being an Entrepreneur mean to me? Figuring out your flow and what works for you and not listening to everyone’s opinions around you. If you’re an entrepreneur you’re not wanting to swim with all the other goldfish anyway.
How did you get to know P&S Co.?
I’ve known Brooklyn for many years now, we used to have breakfast dates together in each other’s offices. I’ve seen it grow from the first founders to the great collective of strong women it is now!
What makes you feel pretty and smart/what does it mean to you?
Eating good foods honestly. In the past year besides taking the biggest business strides, health has become top priority as well. I have taken the holistic and natural approach and completely switched to a whole foods non processed diet and it really works for me! I feel so much better than I think I ever have and that makes me feel capable – because I don’t have the brain fog and have so much more energy!! I’ve been able to shoot more in a day, edit faster and keep on top of the back end work more than normal.
Also Meditating daily. Every morning my day starts with 40 minutes of meditating, and this really fuels my soul and fills my heart. There is so many lies that women are fed continually about what they need to be doing to attain perfection. Starting my day before socials or anything else tuning into truth and the vibrations I want for the day keep me centered to feeling my very best, and feeling the most pretty and smart!
One piece of advice to a younger Bethany:
Ask more questions, so I can think and analyze everything, it’s ok to take time to figure out myself, and the years away from conventional time frame really did help me figure out myself! Question your parents, question what you believe, question everything and figure out what your values are, it’s ok that my teachers didn’t want to answer my questions – keep asking so I understand. Because when I understand something I am smarter for it!
(also SO SO SO HUGE is speak to yourself with kindness I know it said one thing but these are the two biggest things that would have changed years of my life)
Who would you say is your biggest role model or icon (fashion, career, fitness, personal or otherwise):
ALLIE FREAKING BECKWITH!!! A total artist boss!! As well as real estate investor, she is a total vibe Canadian East Coast ocean side living soul – we have matching wine glasses… I know I know
On a different level – James Laurence, the Iron Cowboy, he recently completed 100 full distance triathlons in 100 consecutive days – and did a victory lap for day 101 for good measure. He kept saying, we can do hard things. And it’s true, we can. He was fighting for slaves stuck in human trafficking and daily put himself through so much pain to raise money and awareness to people who are stuck in a very dark side of humanity. If he could do hard things every day with toenails falling off and the absolute determination that it takes to show up to a full triathlon every single day…. I can also show up for my business, do that yoga class, not eat that terrible food whatever it is. We can do hard things too.
What you’re reading/watching/listening to:
Oh I am SO glad you asked. Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich. WOW.
Also anything The Skinny Confidential – but also the episode with David Meltzer (AMAZING) where they also talk about how think and grow rich changed their lives.
-when you read or listen to these DM me on instagram or send me a text at 613-875-4146 I would LOVE to hear what you think and what your experience has been from it. Because I KNOW it will be radical.
Favourite thing in your closet right now?
A grey t-shirt dress my girlfriend gave me a couple days ago, it’s the perfect mockneck with a slit that makes my leg look like I’m one of the warriors from Wonder Woman’s island. Safe to say it’s the dress of summer.
Next place you hope to travel to near or far?
I’ll be checking out Bali this winter, but most likely getting back to the East Coast a couple times this summer before that happens. Gotta get those lobster rolls!
Where is your favourite place to be in the world?
Oh man, people ask me this all the time. In 5 years of backpacking I covered a lot of territory. Every place I have been has taken a different part of me for different reasons. Guangzhou – I LOVE the after dinner strolling along the river. Christchurch – to live out the rest of my days eventually. PEI – it will always be home. London will always be my favourite city. Iceland for the adventure and striking landscape. Honestly it’s not a question I can answer.
What would you tell younger women looking to become entrepreneurs, that you might not have followed yourself?
Hire a business coach. Seriously. Save yourself years of trying to figure something out by yourself and streamline a whole awful lot! Do an intro call with them and make SURE that you vibe with them. Doesn’t matter if they are super famous or just starting their business if you are a vibrational match magic will happen.
Best word to describe you and why?
Loving. Because I go into everything with my whole heart and all the feelings. I get way into movie characters, I cry and get so sad every time celebrity couples break up that I’ve been rooting for. I care about strangers right away. My heart is poured into my work. I published the poetry book because even though it is incredibly personal information in there I wanted to help people process their hurt faster so they wouldn’t feel that earth shattering pain for as long. Because I loved people I hadn’t met yet. At my book signings in Chapters there were so many people that held their stomachs and their hearts while they cried finally letting go of some of their pain.
On a positive note if I love you -be if family, friends or my partner I’m going to move mountains for you if you need it. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for the people I love.
Favourite quote?
“We followed the stars to freedom”
I liked it so much I got it tattooed on my body. Hahahaha obviously there is a very long story there so it wasn’t some drunken night thing but yeah, it’s cool.
What are your summer 2021 food and drinks of choice?
Bubbly (soda) water with half a fresh squeezed lemon. It is such a treat every.single.sip.
Food? Mhmm good question I’ve got to think about this one. Asparagus for sure, really on an asparagus kick right now and fresh salmon.
Where can people find you online? What is your handle?
So many places to reach me!
Bethany Livingstone
My website www.marleyimaging.com
IG: Marley Imaging
Email: Bethany@marleyimaging.com
Cell: 613 875 4146
What is one thing I didn’t ask but you want people to know about you?
That tomatoes are probably my favourite food and I can’t really eat them anymore, and I can’t actually tell you how sad that makes me. Because tomatoes on everything, fried tomatoes with eggs, pasta sauce, toasted tomato sandwiches, blistered cherry tomatoes in a brown rice noodle with bok choi oh hello yes please!!!!!!!!! Fresh tomatoes with ground pepper and some salt. I mean are they the most versatile food ever? Yeah, like move over cauliflower…… am I sad every day they hurt my belly? Oh so much so. What a note to end on. HAHAHAHA luckily there is that bubbly with fresh lemon to bring the sun out again!
If you have any other questions for Bethany that we didn’t get to please feel free to contact her or to drop them in the comments below.
