Meet Liv Cichocki-Bartlett | Mom, Social Media Influencer, & Sales Mogul

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liv Cichocki-Bartlett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liv, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I really think that to make life interesting and worthwhile, you’ve gotta take calculated risks! I do take my time in making decisions but my French teacher in high school shared this bit of advice with us and I try to follow it always: “Unless you feel unsafe, never say no!” It’s life changing to say yes. People often wait until they’ve got some kind of terminal illness and a “timeline” for their death to pursue whatever makes them happy but I think it makes more sense to pursue happiness always – and that includes risks – ESPECIALLY when you don’t know when your last moment will be.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I graduated high school in 2016 at number 36 in my class. I headed to UC Irvine a biology major and a shoo-in into their athletic training internship program. Back then, I thought my goal was med school – I wanted to be the first ever female team doctor for an NHL team! Then, I failed a summer school chemistry lab. I think that was the beginning of that season of my life’s end. I switched majors to psychology and social behavior because I knew that I did well in psychology and I was interested in the subject. I also just wanted the degree by then, haha.
I thought at that point my goal had changed to working as an athletic trainer in the future, especially after internships with the LA Rams during their training camps.
In 2019, something in my brain went awry. I ended up taking my spring quarter off to work on my mental health and realized… I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore. I was frustrated and lost.
I finally graduated in 2020, but of course right as I was due to take my final set of finals… The world shut down for the COVID pandemic. Thanks to a field study internship for my degree, I thought I wanted to work in group homes. I luckily got a job with a group home and youth/family assistance organization in California right out of the gate, though I did end up catching COVID from there, which ultimately set me back to unemployment.
In 2020 and 2021 I met my now fiancé, we had an amazing baby boy, we moved between CO and CA a few times…
So many different things happened in my personal life that I left my professional life totally neglected and found myself in a life I had no idea I’d ever be in with no clue what to do next.
At the end of last year I decided I wanted to go back to school for some professional inspiration, so I started an MBA program with dual concentrations in Accounting and Marketing, and I will graduate in February of 2024.
Now, here we are two days in to 2023. I’m a full time mother and student. I’m focused on growing my social media presence and representing to as many people as I can that just because you become a mom doesn’t mean that that has to be your whole life (though it’s definitely one of the best parts of mine).
I’ve had serious battles with my mental health over the last few years, and my goal is balance.
I’m also getting back into my favorite lifelong hobby – dancing – and excited to promote and share this awesome app that I’m an ambassador for called Peanut (it’s a social media app specifically for women, especially those in the pregnancy and first time mom stages, who could really use a village. Use my link https://peanut.app.link/iNs5UqX9ltb)! On Peanut, I coordinate a community I created called Blooming Mamas of Colorado and we have our first of many meetups coming up soon and I’m so excited! I’m also getting my son into modeling and brand repping because it’s fun and I think a lot of Boy Moms can use help/inspiration/representation when it comes to dressing our boys because it seems like it’s all relatively the same/boring (and it’s really not)!
I want to show other moms that Momming is SO MUCH FUN even though it’s so much work, and that even though it will forever be part of your identity, it doesn’t have to be your whole identity the way oftentimes society makes it seem.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live right downtown, and there’s honestly so much to do in Denver and the surrounding areas! We’d go to a Rockies game for sure, or a Nuggets or Avalanche game. I love how passionate this city is about their sports teams! I would absolutely take them to eat at Jackson’s on Wazee/20th, they have THE BEST burger! My fiancé is a huge fan of Thirsty Lion Gastropub, so we’d go there as well. Pho & Bar is another fantastic restaurant, so I think eating there would be a must for me, and CHinatown Bistro has the top tier Chinese food in Colorado.
I’d take them to the Denver Zoo because I just LOVE it there! It’s so interactive and our son is just fascinated by lions, so it’s awesome how close we can get. I’m big on animals, have always had a bunch of pets (still do, we have an Aussie named Beckett and a Malamute named Sunny!) and I loved going to the San Diego Wild Animal Park growing up, so I really hope to foster a love of animals and a passion for conservation in my son as well. We’d also visit the aquarium, it’s one of my favorite aquariums I have ever been to (and I’ve been to quite a few).
We’d definitely take a walk around City Park, and 16th Street Mall and once we get a babysitter, we’re dancing at Coyote Ugly and Grizzly Rose!! I’d also take them to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, they always have some pretty cool displays going on.
For some shopping, the Park Meadows Mall is gorgeous and definitely one of my favorites!
As far as places I haven’t been to in Denver yet but definitely want to check out, Meow Wolf and the Botanical Gardens top the list for me!
These two things aren’t in Denver, but need to be mentioned!
You can’t come to Colorado without visiting Manitou Springs. All of my family that has visited we have taken there, it’s just such a cute little place!! Finally, my fiance’s aunt Chelsia owns The Last Drop in Fountain, and we would HAVE to go grab their delicious coffee and breakfast burritos!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My son definitely changed my outlook on life! Everything I do is to give him a wonderful and happy life. I definitely want to thank my fiancé, Clay, and my parents, Mikki, Dave, Dan & Christina for their love and support.
A huge shoutout to all of my pre-k to grade 12 school teachers as well! Each one left important lessons and an even greater love of learning & never-ending thirst for knowledge within me.

Website: Www.sunnylillife.com

Instagram: Www.instagram.com/sunnyliltink

Other: TikTok: www.TikTok.com/@sunnyliltink Peanut: https://peanut.app.link/iNs5UqX9ltb