Louise Cooney: 'There is so much more to people than just what you see online'

'The life lesson I would like to pass on is to just go for it.'

I grew up in Limerick. Both of my parents are from Tipperary, and I have two sisters and a brother, but I suppose my brother came along a little bit later, he’s eight years younger than me. So, it was me and my two sisters growing up and I remember us playing all the time.

We were in Tipperary every weekend. My granny and grandad had a farm, so we were up there, collecting the chickens’ eggs and feeding the calves and all that kind of stuff. We used to love it and my granny would feed us endless amounts of toast so that was always good.

We grew up in a different house to what I’m in now. We moved there when I was 11 but the house we were in, it was a three-bedroom semi-detached and I remember we had bunk beds and then a single bed, so me and my two sisters were in the same room. We used to play this game with Beanie Babies, just firing them around the room at each other. It’s funny having those memories of sharing a room with them.

I was in New York when Covid took off and then moved back to Limerick for what I thought would be a month, but it ended up being eight months. It was nice to be home again. For a while we were all home. It was a house of six which I don’t think it has been for probably more than ten years.

Louise Cooney pictured at the Platinum VIP Style Awards.

I think I was definitely meant to do something creative and something on my own path. I’m not really somebody who loves doing things by the book. I always like to do things a little bit differently and I like to work hard at things so I do think that I’m on the right career path, as unsettling as it can be sometimes to work for yourself. If I had the choice in the morning in terms of work, this is exactly what I would be doing.

The biggest challenges I have faced have been struggles within my own family. We lost my cousin to suicide three years ago and that was really, really difficult to deal with. Everyone is still dealing with it. I think mental health in general is such a tough thing for families to deal with. I’ve done a lot of work with Pieta House to try and raise awareness and raise money and try and do something with the platform that I have.

Back at the start of Covid, I along with my followers and various people who donated raised over €90,000 for Pieta House which is to this day, something I’m so proud of because that really helps people.

In relation to work, the biggest challenge I’ve faced is coming away from the influencing side of things and trying to carve a new path for myself. With my activewear (Cloo Active), I do all of that by myself. It’s been the biggest learning curve. We’re up and running eight months now and everything from the packaging to the filming, to the manufacturing, the designing — I do absolutely everything. It’s been really, really challenging to get my head around that. I don’t think I’ve ever been so busy but also, I feel really fulfilled from it. I think when you’re challenging yourself it’s a good thing. It’s when you’re learning.

It depends on what it is but for the most part, the person I turn to is my boyfriend, Mark or my best friends Dearbhla and Ellen. I go to them with everything. They kind of have to be Jack of all trades and wear every hat because it could be anything. It could be personal; it could be business and we work in very different industries and arenas, and we have different experiences, but I suppose that’s how you know they’re good. They’re there for you no matter what is going on.

I had a three-year visa for America, and I was only seven months in when Covid happened and there was a lot that could have been different had I stayed there. I met my boyfriend when I came home, and I started my business when I came home. I could have been living a very different life over there and I’m glad in a way that Covid gave me a blessing of coming home.

The life lesson I would like to pass on is to just go for it. When it comes to business anyway, you don’t always know what you’re doing but you can figure it out along the way and I think you would be surprised how many people would be willing to help you, especially women in business. Leave no stone unturned and if you have that urge to want to try something or do something, just do it and take the risk. That way, at least you won’t be wondering what if.

The greatest advice I’ve ever been given is not to let compliments get to your head and don’t let criticism get to your heart.

I would like to be remembered as somebody who stayed true to themselves and was very hard-working and I suppose I’d like to be thought of as somebody who constantly strived to better themselves. I think sometimes, especially with what I do, you can be put into a certain box. There is so much more to people than just what you see online, and I’d like to prove that to people. I’d like that to be what people remember me by.

• Louise Cooney’s Open book, a GoLoud Original podcast presented by Irish blogger and entrepreneur Louise Cooney is available now on the GoLoud app and on the GoLoud Player.