#ThirdLoveStories: Amy Richardson-Golia

As a company that’s by women, for women, we’re constantly seeking new ways to spotlight stellar females who inspire us. This series is an opportunity to celebrate the ThirdLove community and share their incredible stories.

Meet Amy Richardson-Golia, CEO of kids’ apparel brand June & January and CM(other)O of the Golia household. Read on to find out how she started her business, when she feels most confident, and more ahead!

What inspired you to do what you’re doing now?

I started a “business” at my kitchen table, in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn while I was on maternity leave with a 6 week old. I opened an Etsy shop with one simple goal to “someday be able to quit my job” (I had a 9 to 5, well-paying hustle for a publishing company in Times Square). I was obsessed with my new baby and hated being apart from him for any moment of the day, and wanted to live a life of flexibility as a mother. I quit my job before his first birthday. Now he’s nearly 8 years old, has a 4-year-old sister, and I run a multi-million dollar company that has allowed me a life I never could have dreamt up.

When do you feel most confident in your skin?

When I’m working out! It’s easy to forget what your body is capable of until you’re asking it to push harder, move faster, lift heavier.

Did you have any insecurities growing up?

I was a severely overweight kid, and really through most of my adult life. I was always best friends with “the hot girl” and even had male friends tell me that it was great dating her because she was hot, but I was funny and fun, so it was the best of both worlds.

Even though I was incredibly self-conscious about my body, I went to a very small school and was well-liked and fairly popular. I was funny, ambitious, started multiple businesses in high school (like selling funny thrift store tee shirts on eBay). I really leaned in to being “weird” and making a spectacle of myself and dyed my hair pink or blue, and wore crazy tutus and leopard coats. I was the first kid in high school to get a tattoo. Basically, anything I could do to present myself as something other than “the fat girl.” I lost nearly 100lbs before my son was born and have been able to live a much healthier lifestyle ever since.

Who/what has shaped you to be the person you are today?

I owe a lot of credit to my son, not only did he inspire me to start a business but he’s made me a more empathetic, patient, kinder person. Both my children have pushed me to be better versions of myself and to constantly stretch my goals.

What are your proudest accomplishments?

I love being able to say that I scaled a company 10,000 times over.

What impact do you want to leave on the world?

I hope that I can be an inspiration for women who want to take major, ridiculous risks and not even consider “it might not work” as an option.

What’s next for you?

Adjusting to our second cross-country move in five years. We moved from Brooklyn to Utah, and just three years later are moving from Utah to Texas. It’s an exciting opportunity for our family and I’m so grateful for a husband who supports me unconditionally, even when I make rash and impulsive decisions.

How do you stay balanced?

I’m a firm believer in quality versus quantity, especially when it comes to my family and work life. I know balance is nonsense, and that there are seasons in life where you cannot prioritize more than one thing. I do know that for my brain to work wholly that I need to be physically active every single day, so working out is my number one must-do every day for myself.

What’s your favorite ThirdLove bra and why?

24/7 Wireless! A few months ago, I got a breast lift and augmentation (best money I ever spent on myself), and love having an option that is insanely comfortable for my new boobs but also makes me feel sexy.

Tell us your ThirdLove story.

I took the Fit Finder quiz and pretty much realized immediately that I’ve been buying the wrong size bra my entire life. When the first one I ordered arrived, I thought “no freaking way is this going to work” but it did and it was sooo good.