In June 2026 I had the pleasure of hosting Elly James and Lily Mae Bell for a week of work experience with La Vida Liverpool. The girls were amazing and learnt a great deal about the media, marketing and PR during their time with me, as well as writing their own articles and co-presenting the radio show. Their final task was to write about what they learnt and experienced and here’s what they had to say….
ELLY: “Reputation and time management are your most important commodities in running your own business” is the key message that has been instilled into us this week by Justin, owner of La Vida Liverpool. Lily and I have been lucky enough to spend a week getting experience in the world or the media and running a magazine, marketing and PR business.
Along with the importance of hard work, this week has taught me that while many fight for the maximum amount of money in their profession, the most important thing in reality is being a good person who is good at what they do, as respect opens far more doors. This kindness also makes it possible to take the maximum number of opportunities, as you never know where you will find the story you’re looking for.
While making money is obviously something that must be taken into account, Justin always prioritises his clients as, for him, the best thing to do is to support as many people as possible and help to keep their dream and livelihood a reality. Without this, clients become no more than customers of the business, relationships are never formed and life lacks all the human connections of gratitude and friendship.
Overall, this week has helped me gain confidence in myself and my ability to connect with other people, along with discovering interesting stories and different points of view. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to not only write articles about these incredible stories, but also try my hand at live radio and everything else that we’ve had the chance to do this week!
LILY MAE: Over the past week, each day, we have had new and improved experiences. We have learnt communication skills, punctuality and what to expect when entering the workplace. Throughout the week, I have stepped out of comfort zones, became more sociable and overall gained confidence when engaging with others.
This week has also taught us that passion is key to success and not money. While being here, friendships have been built and a great knowledge of journalism has been instilled. It has been a big step in the right direction for mine and Elly’s futures when considering the possibilities of journalism and radio. It has helped towards our CVs and we are now one step ahead in terms of knowing the structure of articles, stories and content.
I take a great deal of pride hosting students — teaching them not just about media, marketing and PR, but about business and life in general. To read their words about what they have learnt whilst on work experience is truly heartwarming and to think that it has further instilled good ethics and values into them fills me with pride. I have every confidence that they will be successful in both their careers and life.
