Team

Maria Olson Goins, founder + chief blogger

 

i’m a love product of the Cold War. i was born a Russian- American quadrilingual bookworm in Tokyo, but am convinced that i’m secretly a descendent of a lost tribe of tropical beach dwelling avocado eaters. i grew up in Japan, Germany and New York, surviving German schools throughout, and graduated with a First Class Honours BA in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford (with a focus on Russian + German literature), and an MSc in International Relations at the London School of Economics.

 

i then spent several years at the conflict resolution non-profit International Alert, as a gender and security expert based in London, working with grassroots women’s groups on the ground in conflict zones around the world, and advocating to governments and policymakers (like the UN Security Council) to take the brutal realities of sexual and gender based violence into account.

 

my love of books and digital media led me to a career change and relocation to NYC, to work for Audible (Amazon), in content acquisition and business development. i eventually left to pursue my dream of being a writer and lifestyle entrepreneur.

 

i’m an eco feminist techgeek, digital media consultant, and foodie who lives in NY with her giant superhero husband and superbaby girl. i love teatime, chocolate, cashmere, cheese, print books + organic food. i have a strange accent, and like to bake, cook healthy comfort food, smell books, and watch telenovelas in spanish. email me at maria at livluna.com. follow me on Instagram at @livlunamasha