I first met Liv McClymont when she reached out about fundraising for one of her documentaries. She shared her earlier work on consent - a powerful film exploring how young people understand and experience the idea of consent. More recently, she’s produced The Sender, a sharp and funny teen comedy series made to watch on social media that tackles online image abuse and digital safety with courage and wit - giving young audiences an accessible way to talk about issues too often left in the dark.
Beyond her creative work, Liv has long been a Videris woman - a customer and supporter who connected with our brand well before we connected personally. Her career and her voice reflect exactly what The Unwired is here to celebrate: women who choose differently, create space for dialogue, and remind us of the power of living in alignment with ourselves.
Tell us a little about yourself - who you are and what you do.
Kia ora! I'm Liv McClymont. I'm a film director, writer, and creative producer hailing from
tautahi, who now calls Tamaki Makaurau home. I love cooking with friends, travelling to warm and delicious places, and above all, telling stories through film.
tautahi, who now calls Tamaki Makaurau home. I love cooking with friends, travelling to warm and delicious places, and above all, telling stories through film.
I'm drawn to stories that dissect what it means to be a woman - gender roles, sexuality, sex itself, and all the taboos we're supposed to politely ignore. I'm fascinated by relationships in all their forms: familial, romantic, sexual - the messy, beautiful, complicated ways we connect.
Something I love about film is its power to shine light on things we need to talk about but often don't. That's what really drives me as a filmmaker. I've explored a variety of important issues through documentary, drama, comedy and even commercials - always experimenting with styles and genres to make tough topics feel empowering, rather than scary.
What’s lighting you up at the moment?
I'm feeling lit up by water! I'm a Pisces, a true water-baby, and I've realised that immersing myself in water is where I feel the most calm and creative. I always come up with the best ideas in the shower!
This winter, that means long, meditative candle-lit baths and swimming laps at the pool with friends. Such a simple thing that does wonders for calming my overactive brain. There's something almost ritualistic about it - like I'm washing away chaos and making space for inspiration to flow in.
What does feeling aligned mean to you right now?
Aligned is another way of saying balanced, and I feel most balanced when I'm filling up all my cups equally: time with friends and family, achieving in my craft, time alone to recenter and decompress. That’s hard in an industry as demanding as film...but a girl's gotta try, right?
How does comfort play a role in your everyday life?
Comfort is absolutely key to my work. Being comfortable in myself and what I'm wearing means I'm empowered to do my best - to roll around on the floor blocking scenes, pitch wild ideas confidently, be present when directing actors.
Being comfortable means I can be fully myself, which is essential when asking others to be vulnerable in their craft. If I'm physically uncomfortable or self-conscious, I'm not giving my full attention to the story we're trying to tell.
And at the end of the day... I love love LOVE putting on my comfiest tracksuit and getting snuggled up on the couch.
What does it mean to “unwire” from something - a belief, a pattern, a pressure?
Unwiring means disconnecting from expectations that don't serve you - the ones you've been carrying like heavy baggage without realising it.
For me, it's been unwiring from the idea that I need to shrink myself to be palatable, that my worth is tied to productivity, or that showing emotion makes me weak as a leader. I'm still unwiring from the idea that I can't be a creative person, which seems weird now that directing is my livelihood. Unwiring takes time, but oooooh it feels great once you've done it!
Do you have a favourite Videris colour or style - and why?
Ooh I love them all! For ages, I tried to wear "real bras" with underwires because I thought that's what grown women were supposed to do! But honestly, my itty bitty titties really don't need that architectural support. Those bras just dug into me and made weird shapes under my tops.
I love how simple and feminine Videris is. I wear an astounding amount of white and cream, so I adore all the white sets. I have the Sarah bra with the embroidered flowers, which makes me feel like a cute country milkmaid living my best cottagecore life.
What do you most love about your body?
What I love most is how brilliantly my body serves me. I love my tush that keeps me comfy on cold, hard chairs, my long legs that get me places fast, and my well-trained hands that can quickly find silk amongst polyester in thrift shops. I love my eyes that connect with others and my busy brain that's always imagining and considering and getting shit done.
I also love that my body is resilient. It's been through chronic pain, medical procedures, long days on set - but it keeps showing up for me. I've learned to prioritise my health and wellbeing whenever I can, and it truly gives back tenfold.
What’s something you’ve learned from another woman that’s shaped who you are?
I have endometriosis, which took ages to be diagnosed - as per usual in New Zealand! For a long time, I felt angry at my body for causing me immense pain, embarrassed that it made me seem weak, and frustrated that it impacted my romantic relationships and work.
I was referred to a pain psychologist who helped me unwrap the psychological pain tangled around the physical. She helped me realise it wasn't my body's fault - a lot of my emotional pain was really anger at the medical system's lack of care and culture of minimising women's pain.
Meanwhile, my body was just trying to tell me something was wrong.
She taught me to be curious about my pain instead of angry at it, to sympathise with my body and listen to what it was trying to tell me. This completely shifted my mentality and led to me advocating for myself, finally getting the surgery, care and diagnosis I needed.
She taught me to be curious about my pain instead of angry at it, to sympathise with my body and listen to what it was trying to tell me. This completely shifted my mentality and led to me advocating for myself, finally getting the surgery, care and diagnosis I needed.
That woman helped me understand how intricately connected our bodies and minds are, and how being genuinely kind to yourself can transform your entire quality of life.