Ivey Leidy is a wellness educator and entrepreneur who transformed personal experience into a mission of accessible health guidance. Her Coconut Grove store, Living with Ivey, offers a curated selection of high-quality products that meet the “Living with Ivey Standard,” clean, non-toxic ingredients carefully selected to help families live healthier lifestyles. Her journey began with motherhood, when she became deeply conscious of what we put in our bodies and expose ourselves to daily. Over the past decade, she’s built her expertise into an approach that’s refreshingly honest. Ivey is a guide helping people make better choices in a realistic, relatable way. Since opening doors in Coconut Grove last year, she has built a community around transparency and practical wellness advice.
What inspired you to launch Living with Ivey?
I really came from a place of wanting to help people truly understand health and wellness, which can be overwhelming at times. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. My main goal was to make information digestible and relatable. It started from an educational place, and then the brick-and-mortar stores came.
What does the “Living with Ivey standard” mean to you?*
For every product I choose or make, I want it to be in its most natural yet effective state as possible. That means no harmful synthetics, no petroleum-based products, nothing that’s going to harm our bodies or environment. This includes avoiding phthalates, synthetic fragrances, parabens, and anything endocrine-disrupting. I focus on high-quality products that perform beautifully without being harmful.
How did your personal journey inform this mission?
When I had my first child, I became quite conscious of what we’re putting in our bodies and what we’re exposing ourselves to. The store is a reflection of how to live a healthier lifestyle through all kinds of changes, from filtering your water to choosing safer lip gloss. I lead with knowledge based on my experience in the industry.
What do you look for when curating products?
They must align with my ethos: transparency and efficacy without harmful ingredients. I look for plant-derived ingredients, effective surfactants that are coconut-derived versus petroleum-derived, fragrances from essential oils instead of synthetic ones. Flamingo Estate is a brand that aligns well with these values. And we actually just launched a collaboration with them, an Ivey x Flamingo Estate candle available in stores and online.
You’ve launched your own line of products. Tell us a more about that.
Yes! We launched with an active body oil called Glow that contains vitamin C, and then a fragrance oil, both completely natural and plant-based. We’re expanding the line with a body scrub, body wash, body cream, and we’re working on our own line of cleaning products. I’m honest and transparent, that’s why customers trust me. When I bring a product to market, they know it’s going to be carefully crafted.
What makes Coconut Grove an ideal fit for Living with Ivey?
Coconut Grove is a melting pot of cultures and different walks of life. It’s a wonderful environment with variety in our customer base. The authenticity of the Grove, its legacy, the neighborhood feel, it’s understated but sophisticated. Plus, it’s a health-conscious community with running groups, an outdoor lifestyle, ocean access, the farmers market. It aligns perfectly with what we’re doing.
How do you collaborate with other Grove BID businesses?
Though we’re still relatively new to the Grove, we’ve developed some meaningful relationships with other businesses in the area. Fuzzbee’s is our neighbor, we’ve done events together and we love their healthy smoothies. We’re also working with Avo on an activation for King Mango Strut with smoothies and other treats in front of our store.
What’s one simple wellness tip you wish everyone would try?
Avoiding plastics. Plastic bottles, plastic food containers, they get microplastics into everything. Also, installing shower filters. Chlorine is pretty prevalent in Florida water, and it’s vaporized in the shower, you breathe it in and it’s absorbed into your bloodstream. The Jolie showerhead we sell helps with everything from hair and skin to overall health.
In what ways do you hope you make a positive impact on the community?
I feel like I’ve succeeded if I’ve shared something with a customer that has changed the way they think, whether it’s about products they use, foods they eat, the water they drink, or ditching the use of plastics in their lifestyle. It’s not necessarily about making a purchase, it’s about sharing knowledge that makes a difference.
Lastly, what’s your passion in life?
Honestly, it’s really helping people. I find such joy in being able to give and to help. And I try to keep it realistic and relatable, it’s about making better choices where you can, not being perfect or completely non-toxic, which isn’t realistic. Our bodies are very good at detoxifying. If we can diminish exposure and minimize overload, that’s what matters.
CONTACT
Living with Ivey is located at 3444 Main Hwy #5, Coconut Grove, FL 33133. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call 786-391-3812 or visit livingwithivey.com.