Meet Ellen Hockley | Founder & CEO of Evergreen Activewear

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ellen Hockley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ellen, how do you think about risk?
I think risk taking is relative, most people would say, starting a business from the ground up with no background in the industry is a huge risk, yet that’s never how I thought about it. I think that risk is often surrounded by a negative connotation but taking a leap of faith for something that you’re passionate about, whether or succeeds or fails should be praised. Failure only happens when you try, and if you don’t try you’ll never know if you can succeed. I think about risk vs reward daily as I work on growing my business and know that sometimes it will be great and other times it will be fantastic learning experience, but may also feel like a giant failure, and that’s ok too.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career has had a lot of twists and turns over the years. I’m a two time entrepreneur, working on my second business now. Both are in the sustainability space, but are VERY different from one another. It may sound weird, but I honestly fell into both my businesses, I saw a need to be filled and I did it. I don’t have a background in either, my first was sustainable/eco-conscious event planning, I’d worked in catering and events for nearly a decade before I founded my business, but it’s not at all what I studied in college or graduate school. That said, I loved it, it filled my cup and I was thrilled to be making a difference. Once the pandemic hit, I had to rethink my options, financially, professionally, and personally. I was pregnant at the time and I’d planned to take a maternity leave and had absolutely no idea how the pandemic was going to affect events long term. I tried diving into planning virtual events, and honestly, I hated it. I love the person to person interaction of events, and so I mostly closed our doors (eventually rebuilding and selling in Sept 2021).

During my “retirement” I realized that I was falling into a pretty deep dark space and didn’t know how to get out, my husband suggested I find a hobby or something else that might bring me joy. I realized, I had been neglecting my movement practice, so I dove in head first. I’ve always needed movement for my physical and mental health and it was everything I needed in that moment. That said, as I started to get more and more pregnant I realized I was uncomfortable and struggled to find maternity activewear that supported high impact movement. I didn’t initially set out to change the maternity activewear space, I just wanted to know what was out there, but as I dove deeper and deeper into the market, I realized a major gap that I knew needed to be filled. When I started Evergreen Activewear, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, starting an apparel business in the middle of the pandemic, when the supply chain was a disaster was tough. I have learned more along the way than I can even begin to articulate. Some days, feel like smooth sailing and others feel like I’m pushing a boulder up a mountain, but I love knowing that I’m creating an innovative, sustainable, community focused brand that supports women, mothers and birthing folks. I am committed to bringing people together through movement, supporting healthy and strong pregnancies with both the clothing and the emotional tools and resources that not everyone has access to. There are so many ways that the US is failing mothers, parents and caregivers and anything we can do as a brand to ease that we will!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, and my mom crew. I wouldn’t be where I am without you all supporting me through the crazy ups and downs of life. I don’t even know where to begin thanking folks, but just know nearly everyone who has touched my life has somehow shaped my path and my brand.

Website: www.evergreenactivewear.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evergreenactivewear/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenhockley/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evergreenactivewear

Image Credits
All photos were taken by Carley Storm Photo: https://www.instagram.com/carley.storm.brandingco/