Erica Stolman Dowdy has been an OG creator since before influencing and being a content creator was even a thing. Her blog Fashion Lush was born purely out of passion and a fun hobby. Her love of clothing, aesthetics, thrifting, cannabis, and funky home decor has garnered her an audience of intrigued followers who look forward to seeing what genius creative project she comes up with next. Her website Fashion Lush is filled with blog posts, outfit inspiration, and shoppable links.  We’re so excited for you guys to hear about Erica’s iconic backyard wedding (shot on film!), how she has continued to be more genuine and honest with her followers about her interests, and launching Fashion Kush with her mom, Linda.  
 MENTIONS: Fashion Lush - Erica’s Website Fashion Kush - Code ‘AlreadyFriends’ at Checkout for $ Off 
 GIVEAWAY: If you enjoyed this episode, we would really appreciate it if you left a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcast/Spotify. This helps us grow the show so that we can keep doing what we are doing! You’ll be entered into our giveaway as a thank-you. You could win a box of PR goodies (a full-sized YSL perfume, full-sized skincare/beauty products, and more) Reminder to enter before December 31st!  
 SPONSORS - 'ALREADYFRIENDS' FOR $ OFF: HigherDose - Infrared Sauna Blanket Almond Cow - Plant-Based Milk Maker LunaBlanket.com/AlreadyFriends - Weighted Blanket FightCamp.com/AlreadyFriends - Packages start at $99 
 SOCIAL LINKS: Already Friends Socials: Instagram, TikTok Allison's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Ceara's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Already Friends Patreon: $5 a Month for Bonus Episodes Let's be friends - join the Already Friends FB Group! To sponsor our show, email werealreadyfriends@gmail.com.

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* Check out Prose: prose.com/alreadyfriends
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Developing Your Own Style with Erica Stolman Dowdy, AKA Fashion Lush

a podcast for friends, by friends. listen weekly as besties-turned-co-hosts allison and ceara talk everything from self-help, their lives and careers, relationships, and more. new episodes every friday, so sit back and relax, because we’re already friends here! follow along on social @werealreadyfriends - for business inquiries, email werealreadyfriends@gmail.com

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Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Self-Improvement

Ep 175: In our catch up segment, we bond over shared crazy schedules. Ceara is in the final preparation stage for her upcoming wedding (this Sunday May 26th!) in Charleston. She just got back from a work trip with Visit California, so we get to hear a little about some of the experiences like visiting the Winchester Mystery House and hanging out at a llama farm.  
 Allison is in the process of closing down her current Airbnb and moving out of her apartment. She also shares a personal relationship update that involved hugs, tears and an amazing date night.  
 With summer just around the corner, we are currently in the process of planning trips ourselves so we thought it would be fun to share our favorite summer travel destinations with listeners and some places that are on our current bucketlist.  
 MENTIONS:  Winchester Mystery House in San Jose - Website The Green Room Hotel in Oceanside - Website 
 SPONSORS + DISCOUNTS:  Get Shopify Point of Sale for your business! Shopify.com/ALREADYFRIENDS to get your $1 a month trial!  
 SOCIAL LINKS: Already Friends Socials: Instagram, TikTok Allison's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Ceara's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Already Friends Patreon: $5 a Month for Bonus Episodes Let's be friends - join the Already Friends FB Group! If you enjoyed this episode, we would really really appreciate it if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcast / Spotify or share the show with a loved one. This helps us grow the show so that we can keep doing what we are doing! Thank you so much for the support!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Prose: prose.com/alreadyfriends
* Check out Shopify: shopify.com/alreadyfriends


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Our All-Time-Favorite Summer Travel Destinations

This episode is part 2 of a mini-series with Faith Mabry. She is the owner of second-hand designer + vintage store Revive in Haarlem, The Netherlands! Allison and Faith originally connected over their mutual love for second-hand fashion and both own second-hand stores, and we’re lucky to have Faith on this week to share her expertise with entrepreneurship, circular fashion, marketing, running a business abroad, mental health while working for yourself and more!  Faith's shop, Revive, is a secondhand designer boutique. She has a brick and mortar store and does e-commerce. Her mission is to create a welcoming space for the local community, to REVIVE the life of previously loved fashion and provide clothes for everybody regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or lifestyle. Kudos if you wish Faith a happy one year of Revive as of May 15th ;) 
 TAKEAWAYS:Circular fashion is a growing trend in the fashion industryStarting a small business can be challenging and lonelyFinding a work-life balance is crucial for entrepreneursHustle culture is not sustainable in the long runBeing a small business owner comes with its own set of challengesBuilding a brand strategy and understanding your target market are crucial for successCommunity support and word-of-mouth promotion are essential for small businessesBeing flexible and adaptable is important in entrepreneurshipCreating a sustainable and inclusive shopping experienceListening and being there for others is what makes a good friend
 If you are interested in hearing how Faith was able to not just move abroad, but open a business in a foreign country, check out last week’s episode (part 1) where she shares information about visas, language barriers and expat life! 
 MENTIONS: Faith Mabry Personal Instagram Faith’s Shop - Revive Instagram, TikTok, Website 
 SPONSORS + DISCOUNTS:  Get Shopify Point of Sale for your business! Shopify.com/ALREADYFRIENDS to get your $1 a month trial!  
 SOCIAL LINKS: Already Friends Socials: Instagram, TikTok Allison's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Ceara's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Already Friends Patreon: $5 a Month for Bonus Episodes Let's be friends - join the Already Friends FB Group! If you enjoyed this episode, we would really really appreciate it if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcast / Spotify or share the show with a loved one. This helps us grow the show so that we can keep doing what we are doing! Thank you so much for the support! To sponsor our show, email hello@alreadyfriendspodcast.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Prose: prose.com/alreadyfriends
* Check out Shopify: shopify.com/alreadyfriends


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BTS of Owning A Secondhand Designer Clothing Store and the Importance of Circular Fashion with Faith Mabry

173: Allison interviews her friend Faith Mabry who she met on a trip to The Netherlands last fall. The two crossed paths at Faith’s second-hand designer store and immediately hit it off. They ended up going to dinner the next night and Allison stayed at Faith’s for a week in her spare bedroom.  We’ve been getting a lot of questions about moving abroad, making friends in a new city and how to take the leap so we thought it would be perfect to have Faith come on the show as she has been living abroad for almost a decade now! Faith shares her experience growing up in California and how her love for music inspired her to travel and attend various festivals. The venues, fashion and festival goers helped broaden her perspective which made her want to travel more. When the opportunity to study abroad in Europe in 2015 was presented, she jumped at it and has been living abroad since! Faith shares her love story of meeting her husband in Amsterdam, living in Australia and The Netherlands. While living abroad is a beautiful life-changing experience, we keep it real by discussing the challenges, including letting go of your old life and building a new one, not being able to come home for every family emergency and more. 
 TAKEAWAYS:Moving abroad can be a challenging but rewarding experienceLanguage barriers can be overcome with time and effortIntegrating into a new community requires openness and willingness to learnHobbies and interests can shape our experiences and help us connectBeing vulnerable can lead to unexpected love stories.Moving to a new country requires effort to integrate and learn the languageInviting people is key to building connections in a new placeMaking friends with locals can be challenging as they are settled in their livesEstablishing a home and roots in a new country takes time and investmentMaintaining relationships with people back home can be challengingLiving abroad means letting go of the old life and building a new one
 MENTIONS: Faith Mabry Personal Instagram Faith’s Shop - Revive Instagram, TikTok SPONSORS + DISCOUNTS:  Get Shopify Point of Sale for your business! Shopify.com/ALREADYFRIENDS to get your $1 a month trial!  
 SOCIAL LINKS: Already Friends Socials: Instagram, TikTok Allison's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Ceara's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Already Friends Patreon: $5 a Month for Bonus Episodes Let's be friends - join the Already Friends FB Group! If you enjoyed this episode, we would really really appreciate it if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcast / Spotify or share the show with a loved one. This helps us grow the show so that we can keep doing what we are doing! Thank you so much for the support! To sponsor our show, email hello@alreadyfriendspodcast.com. 


Our Sponsors:
* Check out Prose: prose.com/alreadyfriends
* Check out Shopify: shopify.com/alreadyfriends


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Lessons Learned Living Abroad for 10 Years: Visas, Language Barriers and Letting Go with Faith Mabry

The girls are back this week with a new episode format called “Opinionated AF”, where Allison and Ceara give their opinions on the internets’ opinions.  Some internet drama and opinions they cover:the importance of asking for small favors and relying on communitywomen are single but choice but men aren’ta falling out between friends over a hand chain bracelet and the importance of communication in friendship
 Allison and Ceara also catch up on Ceara reconstructing her mom’s wedding dress, their experiences with social media comments, their recent trips to New York and Colombia, and more. 
 LINKS:  Lovell Faye Bridal - Wedding Dress Redesigner/Reconstruction  Day In The Life of a Wedding Dress Designer TikTok  Almost 30 ‘Clearing Conversation’ Episode 
 Opinionated Videos Featured:  Video #1: Is It Okay to Ask for Small Favors? Video #2: Men Aren’t Single By Choice Video #3: How I Lost a Friend Over a Piece of Jewelry 
  SPONSORS + DISCOUNTS:  Get Shopify Point of Sale for your business! Shopify.com/ALREADYFRIENDS to get your $1 a month trial!  
 SOCIAL LINKS: Already Friends Socials: Instagram, TikTok Allison's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Ceara's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Already Friends Patreon: $5 a Month for Bonus Episodes Let's be friends - join the Already Friends FB Group! If you enjoyed this episode, we would really really appreciate it if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcast / Spotify or share the show with a loved one. This helps us grow the show so that we can keep doing what we are doing! Thank you so much for the support! To sponsor our show, email hello@alreadyfriendspodcast.com.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Prose: prose.com/alreadyfriends
* Check out Shopify: shopify.com/alreadyfriends


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

OPINIONATED AF: Asking for Favors, Being Single by Choice  and Losing a Friend Over a Bracelet

It’s the last Friday of the month, so you know what that means - a new WWYBD?! episode, where we answer listener submitted questions. Listeners can submit questions any time via our website, and then we pull questions to fit a specific theme. The girls give a proper catch up. Allison shares surprising (or is it not surprising at all?) updates about her extended time in Colombia! Ceara is planning her upcoming trip to New York for a fun wedding-related partnership.  
 Questions Answered:Tips on how to stop having a victim mentality?I hate my job and want to move to Hawaii. None of my friends will move with me. Is it too risky to move alone? I think it’s badass.I just found out one of my best friends from uni has moved to a new country without telling me - I know we drifted apart after uni, but I would have liked to say goodbye... My fiancé’s friend group has been leaving us off invites to events the last few months. I woke up this morning, saw all their stories, started crying about it and I feel like such a loser. It just hurts to feel like this and be in a literal group chat with them when they’re super mean. What should I do?
 Mentions: Megan Foutch’s Brand - Fait Par Foutch  Episode #11 with Megan from 2021 - Listen Here Ceara’s Dress Designer Friend: Lovell Faye  Lovell Faye Bridal on Instagram and Inquiry Form 
 SPONSORS + DISCOUNTS:  Get Shopify Point of Sale for your business! Shopify.com/ALREADYFRIENDS to get your $1 a month trial!  One size fits none - try Prose today and get 50% off your first subscription order at prose.com/ALREADYFRIENDS! 
 SOCIAL LINKS: Already Friends Socials: Instagram, TikTok Allison's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Ceara's Socials: Instagram, TikTok Already Friends Patreon: $5 a Month for Bonus Episodes Let's be friends - join the Already Friends FB Group! If you enjoyed this episode, we would really really appreciate it if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcast / Spotify or share the show with a loved one. This helps us grow the show so that we can keep doing what we are doing! Thank you so much for the support! To sponsor our show, email hello@alreadyfriendspodcast.com. 


Our Sponsors:
* Check out Prose: prose.com/alreadyfriends
* Check out Shopify: shopify.com/alreadyfriends


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Developing Your Own Style with Erica Stolman Dowdy, AKA Fashion Lush

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