It’s clear that we’re all trying to stay healthy now more than ever, but with so many mixed messages and different products out there telling you what you should and shouldn’t do, what’s good for you and what isn’t – who should you choose to listen to?  Well, according to GoLive, why not listen to your gut? After all, gut health is the foundation of overall health and well-being. Read our Q&A with Emily. 

How did you first get into the health & wellness business? How did your involvement in GoLive come about?

Health and wellness have been a focus of my life for as long as I can remember. From a very early age, I was a competitive gymnast. As a matter of fact (humble brag alert), I shared a coach with Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman. While my success peaked when I was a Massachusetts State Champion, the impact of diet and nutrition to fuel performance and to maintain optimal health have stayed with me. My curiosity regarding the role of food as “medicine” developed further as I observed my family making changes to address my sister’s Type 1 diabetes.

It was primarily serendipity that led me to a career focused on health and wellness. While studying entrepreneurship and communications at Tufts University, I was an intern at a leading was advertising agency. After graduating, I joined a cause branding agency, partnering with a range of corporate and non-profit clients, including the American Heart Association, on strategic communications and marketing initiatives. I contacted a former colleague with whom I interned, and she suggested I speak with someone who was in the early stages of founding a company.

That “someone” was Tim McKeown, my co-founder and current colleague at GoLive. While neither of us previously had focused our careers on the health and wellness field, both of us were involved in non-profits focused on improvements in health treatments. Additionally, both of us were interested in the developments regarding the role of beneficial bacteria and a healthy microbiome on human health. Given the lack of efficacious product options available to consumers, we shared an eagerness to build a research-based company to develop innovative and efficacious products that would provide consumers exceptional benefit and value.

What makes you most proud of GoLive’s mission?

 We were founded on a commitment to stay at the leading-edge of research and development efforts in the emerging field of probiotics, prebiotics and the human microbiome. Since inception, our mission has been “To improve human health and well-being by addressing the foundation of the body’s digestive, metabolic and immune functions: the gastrointestinal tract (or the “gut”).” We have stayed true to our mission. GoLive products contain only clinically researched probiotic strains blended with the highest-quality ingredients. Doing so has allowed us to ensure the delivery of probiotics as nature intended: live and active at time of consumption.

Unfortunately, regardless of the category, many brands develop and market products simply and solely to capitalize on an opportunity to be on-trend. In doing so, brands often cut corners and make choices for short-term economic benefit, even when those choices are inconsistent with what is best for consumers. As a co-founder and member of the management team at GoLive, I am proud of our commitment and consistent efforts to ensure innovative, quality products that benefit our customers – and their health.

What has been a favorite or most rewarding aspect of co-founding GoLive?

 My favorite (and the most rewarding) aspect of my experience has been and continues to be the positive feedback we receive from our customers (consumers, clinicians, partners) who have been positively impacted by our products. Whether it be Amazon customer reviews, inbound emails or candid feedback during in-store product demonstrations, the “stories” never get old – or any less rewarding.

A close second is the process of taking a product from conceptualization (usually based on customer feedback) to shelf, and the ensuing customer adoption.

What makes it so easy and convenient to add GoLive products to a daily wellness routine?

 All GoLive products are individually packaged to ensure the probiotics remain in stasis until added to water or any other food or beverage. While many consumers add them to their morning wellness routine or drink throughout the day, they are perfectly portable to take wherever you go and to drink whenever you want.

In your own words, how does GoLive fit in the current climate of COVID-19?

The current climate of COVID-19 is having a dramatic impact on so many, and it does not appear that getting back to “normal” will be happening any time soon. For obvious reasons, consumers are accelerating the years-long shift in searching for better-for-you products. And whether specific to COVID-19 or not, consumers are hearing and reading a lot more about immunity and understanding conditions that may compromise one’s immunity and, in turn, increase susceptibility to the impact of a common flu virus or a novel virus like COVID-19.

Pre-COVID or now, GoLive products are an easy addition to a wellness routine. Though, not surprisingly, a product we introduced in January, GoLive Plus Immune Defense, is seeing a significant increase in demand. In addition to a synbiotic blend of clinically-tested probiotics and non-GMO prebiotic soluble fibers, Immune Defense is formulated with calcium, echinacea, l-glutamine, n-acetyl cysteine, manganese, potassium, sodium, vitamin C, vitamin D3 and zinc. It is a delicious, lightly-flavored, sugar-free way to boost your immunity.