It doesn’t matter when you do it. It matters that you do it

Participate. Don’t just observe

I’m Every Woman

BeYOUtiful

~and~

Dream Out Loud!

Live Life Out Loud!

"The Liv’n Out Loud website is unique and spectacular," said Kristine Fichera. "The interactive ‘heartbeat’ of the site is found
in the Lifestyle pages - where people can read real stories from others across the country, or share their own Liv’n Out Loud story," Fichera continued. "This portion of the Web site is meant to serve as inspiration to others - those who are looking to take on the attitude that will enable them to live life to the fullest, to defy mediocrity, to not be afraid of feeling restricted by
self-imposed limitations. It encourages people to actually participate in their dreams."

”Live a gutsy, self-aware life. Ignite the spark in your soul and lay down the tracks to the songs in your heart. Define your reason for being; go deep, soak up your essence, then honor your authentic self. Break the chains that bind you. Free yourself from your self-imposed restrictions and be courageous towards all that you dread. Don’t let the fear of judgment quell your spirit. Proudly flaunt your humanity, with all its exquisite imperfections. Experience the edge of life. Make mistakes. Color outside the lines. Go to the brim of what is familiar and jump off. After all, a vibrant life is filled with stops, starts and stumbles. Participate in your dreams and have faith. You are standing on the edge of bliss. Do it. Do that next big thing. Become your own hero.” So says the copy on the Lifestyle page on their web site www.livnoutloud.com.

When Alyson Bruu almost died following routine surgery, near tragedy became a rally cry to create a line of
over-the-top comfortable clothing with messages of inspiration and courage. Before long, the Liv’n Out Loud! Clothing Company was conceived by Bruu and business partner Kristine Fichera.

“I underwent routine surgery a year ago that caused severe internal bleeding,” Bruu said. “Less than 24 hours later, and after 5 blood transfusions, I was rushed back into a second surgery to find the source of the bleeding. After 3 very long hours for my family, who were waiting outside of ICU at midnight, the surgeon finally came out to inform them that they found and repaired the source of the bleeding.”

“It was one of the longest nights of my life”, said Fichera, Bruu’s partner of 12 years. “You really can’t imagine how, in a single moment, everything you know in life, all of its comfort and security can change” she said. “For three long hours, her mother and I couldn’t speak. We didn’t dare share the thoughts that we were both thinking: that if this surgery wasn’t successful, Alyson would die. The wait was so painful, we felt so helpless and all we could do was pray”. Bruu made a full recovery.

Within the months that followed, Alyson and Kristine waxed philosophic. They talked endlessly about the meaning of life and made a priority out of living each day to the fullest.

They also shared an intense desire to create a small business that would encourage others to do the same; to live an
inspired, authentic life. After a trip to the White Mountains in December, where Alyson bought a wildly comfortable and cozy pigment-dyed sweatshirt, they were struck with the one-of-a-kind idea of creating a clothing company that embodies the “Liv’n Out Loud! mentality.

Changes came quickly. Pieces came together fast. Bruu already worked from home running her ad agency
December Marketing (www.decembermarketing.com). Fichera, however, made the most dramatic change in day
to day life. She abruptly left her job as a National Business Development manager with a local manufacturer.
“Leaving was the best decision I’ve ever made”, said Fichera. “I realized that I was working just to pay the bills.
I wasn’t excited about my job anymore and I didn’t feel appreciated for my efforts”, she said. “I needed more in life;
and I knew it was time for a change’, she continued. “Sure, it was scary at first, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t, but
how can we encourage others to live out loud if we don’t do a little of it ourselves?” Bruu leveraged her 28 years of
experience in marketing and advertising, and Fichera used her 18 years of experience in sales to launch Liv’n Out Loud!

The two women firmly believe that this unique concept will reach and affect people who want to make similar changes in their own lives.

“Our palette includes over 50 sun-washed colors. We have 11 different styles of t-shirts and sweatshirts, three baseball hat styles, beaded jewelry and tote bags," said Fichera. “We just debuted our line of infant onesies, which include such sayings
as “drool’n out loud”, “burp’n out loud” and “poop’n out loud”, and we’re about to launch a new line of long sleeve tees for women with the words like “Compassion”, “Empowered”, “Gutsy”, “Fabulous” and “I’m Every Woman” printed down the sleeve. We expect these to fly off the shelves”.

Last weekend Liv’n Out Loud! had a booth at Sandown’s Old Home days. “It was incredible” said Bruu. “It’s amazing how, when people see the saying “Liv’n Out Loud”, people will stop and share with you their Liv’n Out Loud experiences in their own lives. When two women stop by our booth to admire the line, they ended up purchasing two hooded sweatshirts on a 90 degree day! They proceeded to share with us that they’ve been on a road trip since June, traveling from their home state of Florida up through Canada and back through the Midwest. They plan to return home in October! Talk about Liv’n Out Loud!” continued Bruu. “Because they ARE living out loud, they wanted to have something of ours, and they figured
that a hoodie would get them through the cool evenings”.

Fichera excitedly added, “We sold one of our “Defy Mediocrity” tees to a woman who was going on her first white water rafting trip the following day. She was so excited about her adventure”, she said. “She promised to send us a picture of herself while on her trip so we can post it in our “Loud Croud” photo gallery. It’s just so thrilling for us to talk to people
who identify with our message and want to spread the good vibes”.

And spreading they are. Liv’n OutLoud! Has customers from New York to Georgia, from Florida to California. “Our growth has been incredible. And yes, we want to sell cozy clothing, but we also want the ‘lifestlye’ component to catch on. That is what makes all of this hard work worthwhile”, states Bruu.

While Liv’n Out Loud! Clothing is sold primarily online, it can be found in several retailers such as The Pillbox, Past and Presents (Hampstead) Department 34 ( Newburyport, MA) and Absolutely New Hampshire ( Nashua). More retail outlets
will be added. Theweb site can be found at www.livnoutloud.com.