Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellie Ellermann.
Kellie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Gosh, I’m not sure where to start! The road has not been a straight path but that’s what makes life more interesting, right? I grew up in the Midwest and then a suburb of Chicago, so I’m a Midwest girl at heart. I’ve been a city person since my college days at DePaul University, downtown Chicago. The city life led me to be independent and adventurous. A study abroad in Dublin and summer in Nantucket fueled my love of exploration and travel. Growing up in an incredibly supportive and tight-knit family, I was raised to believe that I have the power to create my own opportunities. So, in search of adventure and life experience, I left my family after college to move to Boston (going back to Chicago to visit them often).
I moved without a job and some savings in my bank account. What I lacked in money, I made up for in eagerness and a huge desire to learn and grow. Living on a tight budget definitely isn’t easy — I found a cheap apartment with four other girls (at one point I even shared a bedroom) whom I’m still close with to this day. My budget forced me to get creative with fashion choices and I loved that. I found it really exciting to search for deals and put together nice outfits that no one would guess were done on a very tight budget. Being able to “dress for the job I wanted” made me feel empowered and confident and helped me land my first job (where I had to wear a suit every day)! After working in a few different industries (hospitality & catering, events, marketing, and financial services), I eventually got a job at a national law firm.
I lived in Boston for 11 years — I love that city, it’s a tight-knit community, rich in history, walkable, and home to many of my lifelong friends. During those 11 years, I was lucky enough to travel to over ten countries. To this day, travel is a big part of my life. Towards the end of my time in Boston, I attended a work event in San Diego and fell in love with the weather (of course), sunsets and overall California lifestyle. I looked into potential opportunities through a contact I had made over the years, and by a sequence of coincidences and some hard work, I ended up taking a marketing & business development job in San Diego. I know it sounds cheesy, but it felt like the stars were aligning and I was meant to come out here. It felt in flow with what the universe had planned for me. That was six years ago, and I’ve been here ever since.
About two years ago, I decided to take a solo trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. I had always wanted to go and decided that I would try something new — traveling internationally alone for some much-needed reflection and life experience. Don’t they say the things that scare you most are usually the ones worth doing? Well, during that trip my life really shifted — I did a lot of adventuring, reading, soul searching and started to think about what I really wanted to do with my life rather than what I thought I “should” be doing. I loved every moment of that trip and will forever savor that experience — it left me feeling incredibly confident and empowered. Returning home, I wanted to share my passion for connection, adventure and fashion with the world — and I was inspired to take a risk and start a blog I had been thinking about doing for years. And in 2016, I launched my blog and lifestyle social accounts, TheBicoastalBeauty.com.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely has not been a ride without bumps. Two big things that have helped shape who I am today and my perspective on life are my sobriety (I just celebrated eight years in September) and the loss of my Dad in 2007.
Sobriety and recovery have transformed me and continue to positively affect me on a daily basis. Because of that, now I live a life full of gratitude. Through a lot of hard work (and still, every day is work), I’ve learned that we can use moments of struggle as lessons to grow stronger from. That we are more than our mistakes and have the power to make choices to help ourselves and others if we’re willing to put in the work. That life truly happens FOR us, not TO us. That when we take life one day at a time and come from a place of gratitude, anything is possible.
I also lost my dad when I was 28 years old. He was only 59 when he died from pancreatic cancer. He was my hero, my mentor, and my best friend. His death has shaped who I am today. He taught me that we will face hardships and uncertainty in life, and it’s our choice to either let our circumstances define us or use it to create opportunities to improve our lives and that of those around us. From this loss, I became passionate about creating awareness of this terrible disease and raising money to create a better future for those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I am an active member of PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network). I raised over 20k running the Chicago Marathon in 2007 and for the last two years, I’ve been the number one personal fundraiser for the San Diego Chapter’s annual PurpleStride event. Since my Dad’s passing, I’ve worked hard to proudly raise over $70,000 dollars to help work towards a cure.
I want people to know that you can get through situations that feel impossible. That when faced with loss, I hope you know you have the choice to create something impactful and beautiful, and in the process, find healing.
Today, I feel strong, happy and proud of the hard work I’ve put in (and still continue to). It’s my goal to create hope and inspiration for others so that they can find their happiness too. 🙂
My advice to women starting their journey would be, start where you are. Start today.
I know it can feel overwhelming sometimes with all of the responsibilities and
decisions and obligations. But, just make a decision to start. You don’t need to conquer the world yourself — accepting help isn’t a sign of weakness and different solutions can provide new solutions and ideas.
Network and join groups. When you see someone who has the kind of success you want, don’t be afraid to ask them for coffee to pick their brain!
Have an abundant mindset — there is enough love, success, and happiness to go around. And stay positive — don’t give up. I believe in you!
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
The mission of my Bicoastal Beauty account is to inspire people to have confidence in their fashion choices, create extraordinary travel adventures and cultivate happiness in their everyday lives. I use the blog to offer affordable fashion tips, bring readers along with me on my travel adventures, and provide helpful tips on how to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. I love having the opportunity to share my life experiences with others and connect with them on such an authentic level. I’ve recently started doing personal styling on the side, and it’s been such a rewarding experience to get to be part of a process where you can help people feel more confident and empowered.
I still work full-time at a national law firm, managing marketing and events. I love that I get to create experiences for clients and help contribute to business growth.
I also spend a lot of my time fundraising for PanCAN. I believe in the power of community and giving back, and I’m proud to be a member of that incredible organization.
I’m really proud of how my family and I have carried on my Dad’s legacy by raising awareness and funds in the fight against pancreatic cancer. I am proud that I’m eight years sober and every day I continue to work hard at my recovery and that I’ve been able to help others find sobriety and be a part of their journey too.
I’m proud that I had the courage to travel alone to Italy. That I am open to trying new things, even when they scare me.
I’m proud of building my Bicoastal Beauty brand and learning so much about owning a business. It takes a lot of work and it’s an incredible feeling when people reach out to say they’ve connected with something I’ve shared. I feel lucky to help other people by sharing my life lessons.
And mostly, I’m proud of where I am today and the people I surround myself with because they continuously challenge me to be the best version of myself possible.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
I believe women are well positioned to do anything they set their minds to, a lot of the limitations we experience are self-imposed, largely from fear. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges out there, I know there are. But we need to support each other, lift each other up and celebrate each other’s successes more often. Is there a woman you know who has the success you want? Seek her out. Ask her how she got to where she is today. Learn from her. Let’s be each other’s biggest cheerleaders and take ownership of our choices. And don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Believe that your voice matters, that you are important and worthy of everything you want for yourself and that you are a one-of-a-kind miracle here to make a difference. I believe in you!
Contact Info:
- Website: TheBicoastalBeauty.com
- Email: TheBicoastalBeauty@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebicoastalbeauty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebicoastalbeauty/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellieellermann
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/bicoastalbeauty/
Image Credit:
Nick Isabella, Lauren Radack, Johanna Kitzman, Gina Crawford, Becca Batista, John Onelio
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
