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Margot Lee Is Reclaiming the Art of Self-Expression One Journal Prompt at a Time

The content creator’s brand No Particular Order is disrupting perfectionist self-help culture with its playful, pressure-free approach.

Ananya Panchal

Margot Lee
Margot Lee / Brett Warren/Courtesy of Margot Lee

Margot Lee has long been a calming presence online. A creator, writer and podcast host with a loyal digital following, the 26-year-old has spent years sharing her reflections on adulthood, creativity and the complexities of growing up on the internet. Now, she’s channeling that same thoughtful energy into something tangible: No Particular Order, a journaling brand built on the idea that self-expression shouldn’t come with pressure.

Margot Lee
Margot Lee / Ursula Vasquez/Courtesy of Margot Lee

Launched in 2023 at the tail end of the pandemic, the company began as a TikTok series of guided prompts and evolved into a line of products designed to help people reconnect with themselves, offline.

“It feels like so much of our world is obsessed with optimization and self-improvement,” Lee tells SI Swimsuit. “But I look at journaling not as a tool to make you become someone better, but to meet yourself where you are in that exact moment.”

With a lineup of three distinct items—a flagship journal, a reflective travel companion and a set of conversational coasters—No Particular Order trades structure for spaciousness. It’s journaling, reimagined: curious, kind and free of rules.

From prompts to product: building NoPO

No Particular Order started as a series of thoughtful questions Lee shared on TikTok during the early days of the pandemic. When she realized the content was resonating but doing everything online felt too distracting and defeated the purpose of journaling as a form of unplugging, she began exploring a more grounded, analog alternative.

The Connecticut native spent the next year developing Volume 1, a 200-prompt hardcover journal designed to be explored in no particular order. The notebook was everything Lee wanted in a reflective tool; it was open-ended and flexible.

“It’s been so gratifying to create something that invites people offline to reconnect with themselves,” Lee says.

Her background as a content creator helped shape the brand’s voice and visual identity. She carefully considered every detail, from the paper-textured matte finish to the dotted pages and minimalist cover, ensuring the journal felt just as calming to hold as it did to use.

It’s also why No Particular Order’s Instagram feels more like a mood board–meets–group chat than a brand feed—equal parts aesthetic, inviting and promotional, with questions that make you want to stop scrolling and reflect.

“I’ve been so lucky to have a community full of so many incredible women who found me through my YouTube channel years ago,” the J.Crew model explains. “Through sharing my own experiences, I’ve learned that so many of us are going through a lot of the same things at the same time, so the best service I can offer is being vulnerable and sharing the advice and tools I’ve been lucky to learn from my own mentors and experiences. That’s really what has shaped the direction we’re taking with No Particular Order, creating prompted journals for pivotal moments in people’s lives.”

Lee also spent months workshopping prompts with her community, gathering feedback and drawing inspiration from her own habits. What emerged was a tool created to slow down, and it somehow felt so personal yet also universal.

Designing for curiosity, not perfection

Unlike traditional self-help tools that often hinge on rigid structure or daily commitments, No Particular Order takes a more fluid approach. The guided entries are meant to spark reflection, not track progress. They’re written to meet you exactly where you are—whether that’s grateful or overwhelmed or unsure.

“99% of the prompts that make it into No Particular Order journals are questions I’ve asked myself in my own journals or which came about through insightful conversations with my friends,” says Lee, who also loves blogging in her free time and regularly curates standout gift guides on her website.

Margot Lee
Margot Lee / Ursula Vasquez/Courtesy of Margot Lee

That balance of introspection and intimacy gives the brand its distinct and honest voice. The Working Title podcast host doesn’t position herself as a wellness expert, but as someone learning out loud—sharing the tools and language that have helped her along the way.

“I’ve become conscious of staying curious IRL,” Lee adds. “The most helpful type of journal I can create is one that helps our audience reflect on their life as it’s happening.”

The NYC and London-based creator also teases a new notebook launching this summer, “created to basically feel like you’re having a conversation with a fun mentor, who’s asking the right questions at the right time.”

Slowing down, together

Though No Particular Order was born online, Lee has always envisioned it as something that exists beyond the screen. That vision came to life this spring, when she hosted her first-ever pop-up in New York City. The Montauk General Store in SoHo was designed to showcase the products, but also create room for real conversation, mirroring the brand’s mission in physical form.

“If the whole purpose of creating NoPO was to get people offline and into the present, there is nothing more powerful than gathering IRL,” she says.

The two-day event drew longtime followers, new journalers and curious passersby—all of whom stepped into a world that felt both inviting and intentional. Visitors could flip through sample prompts, reflect in cozy corners and connect with others who had also been quietly navigating big questions.

I had the chance to stop by the event and meet Lee in person, and she was exactly what her social media presence suggests: warm, generous, comforting and deeply thoughtful. We talked about community, storytelling and the surprising intimacy that comes with putting your feelings on paper. In a world of constant updates, she makes you want to slow down.

For Lee, journaling started as something small—just a way to find stillness amid the noise of college life at Syracuse and a growing online presence. “That routine really helped me to stay balanced, manage my to-do lists and carve out an ‘inner life,’” she shares. “At that point, I was posting regularly on YouTube and building a public-facing image, so it was nice to have something that was just for me. Keeping journals has also been a fun way to log my life.”

Now, she’s inviting others to slow down and find their own rhythm in writing.

Female Founder Q&A

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

My mentor advised me to host focus groups before writing Off the Grid, our travel journal, to better understand how and why people interact with their journals. Those conversations completely reshaped how I go about writing prompts.

What do you wish you knew before starting your brand?

How to be a better decision maker. I still struggle with this!

What was your “I made it” moment?

I’m not sure I feel that way quite yet, but the closest I’ve come was seeing our brand in the hands of New Yorkers walking down Broadway. We partnered with Blank Street Coffee last spring to create limited-edition prompted coffee sleeves for afternoon reflection. That was pretty great.

What has been the most unexpected challenge of running your business?

The physical labor! I’m constantly lugging boxes filled with journals from place to place. It’s very sweaty and unglamorous.

What’s your favorite memory from starting the brand?

The most surreal day was when I moved fulfillment out of my basement and into my 3PL (shipping facility). Seeing the journals on shelves next to these huge brands I know and love was a massive pinch-me moment.

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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