This is the biggest news I’ve shared about the blog in years. We’re growing, changing and shifting, as we expand. But the one thing that will remain the same? Our dedication to helping you choose the best for you and your family. Keep reading for the good news!

By: Lisa Fennessy

IN THIS POST:

• Over the past 7 years, I’ve realized a few things
• What does this all mean?
• Introducing The New Knew
• What to expect next
• Looking forward

When I started this blog in December 2015, I wanted to create an outlet to talk about the corruption, lies and the BS that make up our food system, our healthcare system and those that take advantage of our health with their own pockets in mind. 

I wanted to highlight the importance of choosing organic food, the power of natural remedies and the impact of reducing our everyday toxic load. It was all new to me and I was excited to spread the good word. 

So I set up a website, leaned on my journalism degree and started grinding it out. I was so out of my element, I remember my very first blog post took me 29 hours to write. 

Thankfully, I’ve come a long way since then, adding team members to support this mission AND honing our craft so that we can give you, our readers, a trustworthy, reliable resource to help us all live our biggest life. But it wasn’t without a few lessons along the way. 

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Over the past 7 years, I’ve realized a few things 

1. We need less pessimism and more optimism. I want to bring joy, empowerment and light to our world. I really enjoy sharing ideas and solutions that have a positive impact rather than getting on my soapbox and bitching about everything and everyone who has done us dirty dog wrong.

2. I don’t want to do this alone. Running a website is no joke. I did it myself for the first few years, but then the blog got too big and my task lists got too long and I lost practically all quality of life because of it. Then I asked for help and things got a lot better, really good in fact. I want to be here online as a resource for you FOR A LONG TIME and with a great team, together we can do that. 

3. I don’t want to be the only voice here. There is value in perspective, collaboration, learning from others and getting insight from experts. One of my favorite times of the week is our team meeting when we come together and exchange ideas, faves and brainstorm together. I also personally love reading our contributing writers’ pieces and I always learn so much.

4. Our most popular content isn’t what I thought it would be. I started out trying to spread the good word about why it’s so important to choose pastured chicken over conventional chicken, but everyone is skipping past those posts and reading about gray hair, the best nontoxic candles and my top picks for healthy face cream. Your readership has helped us pivot in a way I never anticipated and I’M HERE FOR IT. 

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What does this all mean? 

We are excited to continue the conversation around making informed decisions when it comes to beauty and lifestyle. Not much will change there. But I’m also excited to expand in new ways. Making informed decisions isn’t limited to personal care alone. If we talk about living our most expansive life, it’s what we do with our time, how we manage our thoughts, it’s being open to new ideas, it’s staying curious, it’s being brave. 

I want to support you (AND ME!) through this.

So, you will continue to see more voices here on the blog. Right now we have steady contributions from Hayley Wood, a licensed esthetician, nutritional therapy practitioner, and founder of Therapeutic Skin Coach; Dr. Cassie Wilder, a registered Naturopathic Doctor (NMD); and clean beauty connoisseurs Nicolle Mackinnon, a content creator with more than 10 years experience in the wellness and beauty industry; and Emily Barth Isler, a sustainability/beauty journalist and novelist (and yours truly, ofc). 

And my dream is to expand to even more. Let’s talk about mental health, relationships, (pro)aging. Let’s talk about taking back the narrative, owning our experience and working to change that for the next generation too. 

*Or if you skip past those blogs and connect with other topics, we’ll lean into those instead!😜😘 

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Introducing The New Knew 

Taking all of this into consideration, our old name started to sit wrong with me. It started to feel like putting on a favorite sweater that had shrunk in the wash. Like, I used to love this, but now I suddenly hate it, lol.

It didn’t fit anymore because it was singular and that’s no longer how we operate. We’re stronger and better together and we need a name that reflects our collectiveness. 

It also started to not fit because the USDA organic certification really only applies to food and agricultural products. But we talk about SO MUCH MORE than that.

And the word “girl” is binary and exclusive in a way we do not want to be or support (not to mention a misnomer as I’m approaching my 45th birthday).

So, welcome to The New Knew. 🎉 Bwah-buh-buh-BWAAAAHHHH! 

I’m so excited to announce that going forward we will be known as The New Knew! I fell in love with this name as it truly encompases what we are trying to do: support a new way of thinking and a new way of living. It’s saying no to life on auto-pilot and saying yes to being your own number one advocate. 

It’s staying curious, seeking better and being brave. It’s helping to shift the conversation and the industry (beauty and beyond) to create with our health and the health of the planet at the forefront. It’s being able to choose with confidence what is right for our own selves whether or not that lives up to another’s standards or not. It’s us defining our experience instead of others defining it for us. 

And I would be remiss not to mention that I also love the double meaning. Not only are we excited to bring you the new knew, but we are also excited to continue to bring you the new new from our favorite brands and brands we have yet to discover. It’s one of the things we love most. 

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What to expect next

Thanks for your patience this week as we work on updating our email addresses, social handles, blog language, etc. (it’s kind of a lot and you’ll see things shift on a rolling basis, from our new logo and website look, to fresh, updated colors and MORE). Our goal is to get everything turned over by next Monday, Oct. 24, but there may be a couple days leading up to that where you see an email from The New Knew, but the blog still says the former. 

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Looking forward

Change can be scary, BUT it also feels really good to me (look at me seeking better and being brave!) and I hope it feels good to you too. I am excited to be here for you in the same ways you’ve always known me. Always real. Always fun. No B.S., just joined by more voices and a bigger vision.