Day: April 3, 2022

Female Founders: Niha Amin & Shanzey Al-Amin of Zeyl Beauty On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Learn something new every day. We like to reflect each night and come up with something new we learned each day. As a founder, there is no shortage of daily lessons! Learning a new skill or information helps us sharpen our brains and use our knowledge to improve future situations.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Niha Amin and Shanzey Al-Amin.

Founded by Niha Amin and Shanzey Al-Amin, the Canadian-based skincare brand Bridal Glow by Zeyl Beauty, combined 15 years of experience and Mother’s Nature’s finest ingredients from Ayurvedic remedies to create high quality products. After a mutual obsession with beauty, Niha and Shanzeyl honed earth’s simplest ingredients to detox, nourish, and treat skin for an instant glow. The gals behind the glow share their best kept beauty secrets with the intent to provide exceptional plant-based skincare for everyone — no matter your age or skin type.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

Shanzey: My education is in medical aesthetics and dermal science, which gave me a deep understanding of what makes our skin look and feel its healthiest. Additionally, I was the National Director for Anastasia Beverly Hills for ten years, where I got to apply my corporate knowledge to all things skin, makeup, and beauty.

Niha: For me, my love of skincare was refined by working with brands including Estée Lauder, Saje, Kiehl’s, and Morphe. Over the years, I have honed in on the importance of healthy skin and how it can transform any makeup look. Most of all, I have fallen in love with holistic wellness and the incredible benefits of using elements from the earth to treat all skin types and needs.

As sisters and first-generation immigrants, we developed a deep appreciation for all-natural remedies. With 15 years of combined experience in the industry, Shanzey and I had the opportunity to study skin health from all angles and become skincare enthusiasts.

Our shared experience is what makes Bridal Glow by Zeyl Beauty one-of-a-kind. It is not simply about what goes into our products. It is the fact that healthy, glowing skin can change a person’s life — and we’re committed to crafting products that give every woman that feeling, regardless of their skin color.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

It is hard to pick the most interesting story as we truly believe we have learned something new every day since starting our business!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One of the first renditions of the Bridal Glow Masque is one of our favorite moments. During the heart of COVID, we were working with our lab remotely and were very excited to receive our product samples. When the masque arrived, it looked a lot yellower than we remembered. There was way more turmeric in it than the amount we agreed on and when we applied it to our faces, we looked like the minions from Despicable Me!

This issue was remedied promptly and is something we look back and laugh at regularly with our team whenever we see the minions. We learned that some work is best done in person. Since then, we have made it a top priority to visit our lab to oversee and finalize our products before production.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Shanzey: Having worked closely with Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, I had close exposure to her entrepreneurial spirit and journey. This experience taught me what it takes to create and successfully execute a thriving business by always persevering and being solution-oriented.

Niha: My legal statistics professor has played an integral role in my ability to persevere through difficult situations. While taking his course, I struggled with the course material and was very overextended through my extracurriculars as a resident advisor and sorority leader. His office hours turned more into life coaching sessions where we worked through prioritization skills and problem-solving. I still use his tips and advice in our business and personal life.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience, what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

Creating a business is very risky, and women tend to be more risk-averse than men in financial decision-making. This risk aversion leads to women choosing more traditionally stable and secure career options. Women also often have lower financial literacy compared to men because men tend to specialize in making household financial decisions and acquire financial education, whereas women tend to specialize in other household functions. Common in the South Asian community, women are responsible for the household even if both partners work. Since owning a business can be more time consuming than a traditional job, this can be an obstacle when pursuing business ownership. Often reinforced by societal pressure, working more is believed to be connected with ignoring your gender enforced household responsibilities. Additionally, it is rare to see women-owned businesses in the mainstream, making it hard for other women to see this as a viable career path.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

Women business owners get nearly 50% less funding than their male counterparts, which is a major obstacle we must remedy in our society. Studies have shown that for every dollar invested into businesses, those founded by women generate almost twice as much revenue than businesses started by men. While this should result in better funding for women, it doesn’t due to gender biases. The majority of funding platforms are led by men who are less likely to understand the creative visions of women-owned businesses; however, most consumers are women who are more likely to align with women-owned businesses.

Providing better funding options for women-owned businesses will go a long way towards helping more women create their businesses, which should be a top priority for banks and government organizations to reduce the misogyny seen in current financing options.

Additionally, greater access to mentorship options by women and for women would be integral in helping women start their businesses and succeed in a male-dominated career path.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

Entrepreneurship has allowed us to materialize our creative visions, achieve self-sufficiency, and improve the well-being of others through glowing, confident skin. Additionally, we can help give back to our communities. Our advice to women interested in creating their businesses is to “feel the fear and do it anyway.” If you have a great idea, build a supportive team to get started. The world needs more extraordinary women doing extraordinary things that will change the world!

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

The biggest myth about being a founder has to be that it is easy. From the outside looking in, being a founder often looks easy as you get to create your work schedule and determine what your work looks like. As a founder, we work more hours than we ever have compared to our previous careers. These hours are often all over the place as we have to work through odd hours to account for the different time zones of our global team.

Another myth about being a founder is that you are on your own. While this is true, this experience can often feel lonely. However, help is always available should you seek it — all you have to do is ask. Other founders are always willing to lend a helping hand or listening ear as they can best understand the unique situation and experiences one goes through when creating a business.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder, and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

This career path provides freedom but requires hard work and dedication to sustain it. To become a founder, you have to be self-sufficient, a self-starter and disciplined to work independently without any instructions. As founders, we had to embrace being Jack of All Trades and juggle multiple hats. Each day brings forth a completely different experience and a new role that we must achieve to succeed. Founders need high-level leadership skills to inspire and encourage those who work with them. Above all, you need to be passionate about your business. As long as you have this passion, you can learn new skills daily and make your business an absolute success while doing what you love.

The ultimate difference between being a founder and having a regular job is the ability to leave work at the office and not take it home — work-life balance is often hard to manage as a founder. Regular jobs are also fantastic because it provides financial security, stability, and structure. As founders, we are responsible for the success of our business and the well-being and success of our team members and customers.

Above all, we believe that everyone should do what they love, whether running their own business or working for someone who does. As long as you love what you do, you can overcome any obstacle and live a fulfilling life.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Learn something new every day. We like to reflect each night and come up with something new we learned each day. As a founder, there is no shortage of daily lessons! Learning a new skill or information helps us sharpen our brains and use our knowledge to improve future situations.
2. Learn from the experiences of others. As founders, your efforts directly impact your business and your success. Learning through the successes and mistakes of others helps manage your risks and improves your chances of success, as there are many transferable lessons you can take from the experience of others.
3. Have a strong support system. Being a founder can often feel lonely. We transitioned from a large team to a pair, and now we work as a small team. Initially, it was difficult not having many people to rely on, and it felt very isolating. However, no woman is an island, and finding a great support system has helped us immensely, as we now have others to reach out to for help and advice.
4. Success is a direct result of perseverance. You often hear stories about how success happens overnight, but this is not the case in most situations. Your ability to persevere through difficult situations and see them through will bring you success, as climbing the ladder to success is done one step at a time.
5. Take breaks often and find a hobby to energize and engage your mind. Initially, we were so focused on the business that we even dreamt about work! Overworking can be mentally exhausting. We had to learn the importance of taking much-needed breaks. Busying our minds with things outside of work has allowed us the opportunity to recharge and come back to work clear-minded with creative ideas.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Giving back and building communities is crucial to us at Zeyl Beauty. Our motto is “Glowing for Good” and a portion of all proceeds goes towards helping those in need. Zeyl Beauty is skincare with purpose.

Each quarter, we choose a cause close to our hearts. Our mission is to support education and diversity, eliminate famine, empower females, and build communities. Therefore, formulating skincare products that are good for you and those around you is of great importance to us! In addition, creating collaborative campaigns to support our vision for philanthropy is a core focus for everyone involved at Zeyl Beauty. We want to make a difference that radiates and resonates with those in need!

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

“Glowing for Good” is an integral part of Zeyl Beauty, and we believe in giving back to our communities and those in need. We would love nothing more than to encourage others to follow these principles. No matter how big or small your donation, every amount makes a huge difference, and it is the act of giving and the kindness that we show to others that makes this world a wonderful place full of love and compassion.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Our answer would without a doubt be Oprah! We grew up watching The Oprah Show after school and we love her energy and all she continues to do for others. Her story is a huge inspiration and reminder for us that success comes from hard work and perseverance. It is also a great reminder to give back from your success to pass the baton.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this

Female Founders: Niha Amin & Shanzey Al-Amin of Zeyl Beauty On The Five Things You Need To Thrive… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Lorna Hawthorne Of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

SUPPORT-: To succeed in any venture a support system is imperative. That support can come in a plethora of ways- mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, or physically. Your support system is similar to beams on a house- they are pillars that hold you up and aid you in establishing a solid foundation. I have learned to garner support from family and friends along my life’s journey. It is always important to remember that support is a perpetual necessity. The old adage that no man (or woman!) is an island, still reigns true today.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lorna Hawthorne, Co-Founder of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, Co Founder of LLHOMD.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

My career began in the restaurant and food manufacturing industry. My late husband and I co-founded Golden Krust, which grew to be the largest Caribbean Franchisor in the United States. After he passed away in 2017, I wanted to start my own path and pursue another passion, self and beauty care. I am an avid user of these products, but constantly struggled to find skin and hair products that fit my goals, which I felt were quite simple- I wanted my skin products to keep me looking youthful and healthy. I wanted hair products that made my hair soft and strong: with an ability to hold up in the harsh environments of a hardworking, everyday woman.

The lack of satisfactory results coupled with the high cost of these products would often leave me frustrated. I also realized that these products were much more available and affordable, for non-minority women. I felt other women with my skin tone must be going through the same frustrations, which is the reason why I created this brand. I spoke to my sons about the idea and they supported it 100%. Just like that, LLHOMD Beauty Care was born.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

Most of the brands within the niche of African American women’s beauty care focus on one or two beauty categories. This strategy leaves us (women of color) having to purchase products from several brands to complete a full beautification regimen. LLHOMD endeavors to be an affordable one-stop shop for skin, hair care, and makeup (coming soon).

We are an affordable luxury beauty brand, our products deliver quality with exotic ingredients like; aloe, argan oil, prickly pear, date fruit extract, Tahitian gardenia, chamomile, peppermint, lemongrass, castor oil, and shea butter, without the exorbitant prices being charged in the current market.

Our focus was delivering a high-quality product to every day women of color without them breaking the bank! A woman should never have to choose between sacrificing her beautification or providing for her family. With LLHOMD, women can enjoy top-quality products at an affordable price.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

One lesson we learned, is with high standards, comes a lot of work. The R & D process was grueling; adjustments, changes, samples back and forth, gaining consensus from the team, the entire collaborative process. There were debates, discussions, and varying opinions, but out of that process came some great products that I love and I want to share them with my fellow women of color. They can all be found at LLHOMD.com

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

I have been very fortunate in my life to be graced with a myriad of support. That support has come from my children, family members, business associates, and friends. The most notable person of them all is my amazing and supportive Mother, who continues to be a pillar in my life. She has supported me through my educational, familial, and business decisions for my entire life. Her love, light, encouragement, and passion provide me with the energy I need to tackle any venture, including this one.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

Disrupting an industry is using innovation and ingenuity to think outside of the box and retool some or all parts of how offerings, products, or services are made to interact with consumers. Oftentimes, disrupters go against the grain of what is normal within a particular industry, in an attempt to change it, forever.

Our intention in launching LLHOMD was to deliver an affordable luxury beauty line with high-end ingredients, but consumers can purchase the products for less than half the costs. We were very intentional about how the products were developed- quality first, always. After we perfected the quality, our next focus was to have optionality for consumers, for a low cost.

We decided early on that we did not want to fall into the fray of being another high-priced beauty brand with a limited and narrow offering.

Now, not all disruptors are beneficial to the industry. Some enter an industry and provide inferior offerings under the guise of value. Those disruptors actually damage other brands across the industry, and can negatively impact consumer sentiment about an industry, as a whole.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

OPPORTUNITY: Opportunity is one of the greatest tools that a person can grasp. I fully support the old saying that “Opportunity knocks, but once.” The trajectory of the beauty industry is changing, especially now, when women of color have a greater voice. The last two years of staying indoors have given all of us the opportunity to rethink how we want to live our best lives. It has allowed us to focus on ourselves and fully understand what we want and need out of certain facets of our life. This is also a part of the reason why I started LLHOMD.

DETERMINATION-: Success is impossible without determination. I have juggled being a wife, mother, entrepreneur, and student, at the same time. However, I was determined to be the best version of myself in each one of those roles- failure was not an option.

SUPPORT-: To succeed in any venture a support system is imperative. That support can come in a plethora of ways- mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, or physically. Your support system is similar to beams on a house- they are pillars that hold you up and aid you in establishing a solid foundation. I have learned to garner support from family and friends along my life’s journey. It is always important to remember that support is a perpetual necessity. The old adage that no man (or woman!) is an island, still reigns true today.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

Our number one focus right now is to complete our product offerings of LLHOMD with our makeup line. After we launch this line we will truly be a one-stop-shop for beauty care made for women of color. You know we can’t spill everything at once, but stay tuned !!

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

I would submit that women, as a general matter, face bigger challenges than males when it comes to business. It is not only reserved for those attempting to disrupt a particular space. The proverbial glass ceiling is a clear example of the incremental challenges that are more specific to women. Men typically hold the most influential and high-powered jobs in this country. Moreover, women are still fighting for simple things like equal pay for equal work. These inequalities are not just limited to disruptors, but one can imagine the additional skepticism that a woman disruptor would face, based on women’s current status.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?

My favorite story is that of Madam C.J Walker — a trailblazer, who faced harsh adversity, but found the courage, the grit, the tenacity, and determination to produce the first products for women of color. Our ancestors had the courage to take action to advance women of color, and I am looking forward to building on that progress.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I’ll give you two:

I believe women’s self-care is paramount. As I mentioned earlier, women often put themselves last when it comes to care. It is important for women, more now than ever, to ensure that self-care is at the center of their existence. This is one of the things that inspired me to launch LLHOMD.

Second: My late husband and I have always been passionate about education. He became well known for his saying that “ a positive community is everybody’s business, and through education, we can uplift all people ‘’. I created the Lowell F. Hawthorne Foundation to honor his love of education. The foundation will award scholarships to minority students. 10% of all LLHOMD sales will go to this foundation.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

In life we encounter many situations; some that are great and some that are not so great. However, there is a lesson in all of these encounters. We each have the ability to take steps towards our goals and ultimately do our parts in shaping the world we want to see. I live by an acronym, LLHOMD, and I encourage other women to also follow this train of thought:

L- Love Yourself; L- Live your best life with laughter; H- Create your own happiness; O- Be optimistic; M- Be Motivated; D- Be determined.

How can our readers follow you online?

www.LLHOMD.com

https://www.instagram.com/llhomdbeauty/

https://www.facebook.com/Llhomd/

https://twitter.com/LLhomdbeauty

https://www.pinterest.com/Llhomdbeauty/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Female Disruptors: Lorna Hawthorne Of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill On The Three Things You… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Founders: Ananda Saba of Nua Swim On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

You will probably never sleep again. From late nights to early mornings, to not being able to fall asleep because you have an endless to-do list on your mind. So yeah, starting a business is like having a baby. Especially in the early stages where you have to be very hands-on and wear many hats.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ananda Saba.

Nua Swim Founder, Ananda Saba, is a mom, business-owner, and influencer now residing in Florida. When creating Nua Swim Ananda wanted to captivate the sensuality and beachside glamour of her Brazilian upbringing and hertiage alongside her love of fashion. Nua, meaning ‘naked’ in Portuguese, produces swimwear that stands out from the crowd. All pieces are made in the USA with eco-friendly and recycled fabrics along with only ethical factories and manufacturing sites. A portion of all sales is donated to the Brazil Foundation’s Amazon Fund. With fans including Alessandra Ambrosio, Nua Swim will help you to feel effortlessly glamourous the next time you step on to the beach.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I was born in Miami, FL to Brazilian parents and grew up in São Paulo, Brazil. My early years spent in the beautiful country of Brazil only fed and nourished my connection with the beach. For as long as I can remember, many weekends and mostly every holiday was spent on the sandy, packed, and beautiful beaches of Brazil

So needless to say, bikinis have been a thing for me, for a long time. My college days led me to New York City, where I grew an even stronger passion for fashion when I got to work at a few fashion powerhouses and magazines while living in the city.

The idea of creating my swim brand had been at the forefront of my mind for a very long time. So after settling down, having kids, and seeing myself with the time and opportunity to do so — I had to jump on it! Creating Nua Swim allowed me to feed my passion for fashion, for my country, my entrepreneurial side, and my unending love for the beach (and tiny bikinis)!

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I think for our brand the most memorable moment so far has been seeing Alessandra Ambrosio wearing our Valentina top and bottom. That was a true “fall off the chair” moment for me. I couldn’t believe my eyes and my heart was racing. She has been an icon and muse for many of the creations of Nua Swim so to see her wearing one of my pieces was truly special!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

A funny mistake that could have led to a disaster! I accidentally ALMOST ordered 5x the amount of fabric I needed for my collection. Thankfully I caught myself within minutes of sending the email and was able to correct it. So the lesson was — do your math, many times, before ordering and pressing that send button!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My husband has been by far the most important person and mentor when it comes to Nua Swim. As an avid entrepreneur himself, he has guided me in an endless amount of ways. That’s not to say that I always listen to him, he’s my husband after all! But it has truly been an amazing and much more productive experience to have his knowledge and expertise along this journey.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

I think as women we find ourselves many times trying to wear 1000 hats, and that is even more vivid if you are a mother. The guilt of juggling and balancing family vs work is real! This is why I believe as women we need to empower each other to constantly chase our dreams and go after what makes us happy. After all, a happy woman is a better mom, wife, daughter, friend, sister. So if being your own boss and chasing your crazy dreams is what makes you happy, then I feel that the ones around you should try to support that as much as possible.

Nua Swim represents my support for all women. Our current team is made up of myself plus 5 amazing women, my manufacturing company is women-owned and so is the media production company we work with. We are a true women-run business and I am very proud of that!

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

I believe as individuals, supporting and empowering each other is the most important thing we can do. Being mentally and emotionally present to your team, understanding their needs, and helping them achieve their individual goals can surely facilitate the overcoming of obstacles. Something truly magical happens when women come together to support and empower each other, I think it’s the most beautiful thing to witness and amazing accomplishments can — and do happen!

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

It is a challenge to be the founder of anything as there are many mental obstacles, especially when juggling family life. However, I do believe in the voice, strength, and uniqueness that women possess and how we see business from a different viewpoint. So many times I hear women tell me how I made bikinis the “right way” — that’s because I understand women’s bodies and what we want a bikini experience to feel like. A lot of times men-led companies creating products targeted towards women miss that mark and special touch that could only come from a woman’s perspective.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean? Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

I think social media these days paints a very beautiful picture of what things look like. You see a company’s founder on social media with a growing business receiving praise and admiration from followers. However, many people are clueless about what goes on in the background and what has taken them to be where they are: many late nights, super early mornings, high stress, and therapy sessions! It is so rewarding, but you have to be super passionate about what it is that you are doing to be able to face those challenges.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. You will probably never sleep again. From late nights to early mornings, to not being able to fall asleep because you have an endless to-do list on your mind. So yeah, starting a business is like having a baby. Especially in the early stages where you have to be very hands-on and wear many hats.
2. However long you think it will take to launch your business, it will take much longer — When I started developing Nua Swim, I intended to launch the brand at the beginning of the Summer of 2021. Long story short, I ended up launching at the end of Fall 2021 (not ideal by any means). But with production delays, samples having to be redone over and over until we got it right and everything in between, the process took much longer than expected.
3. Whatever budget you have to start your brand, double it. Just like renovating a house always ends up costing more than you planned, the same goes for starting a business. There is always an extra cost, charge, fee, a setback that you didn’t expect or accounted for in the planning stages.
4. You will start making money on day 1. Now that is such a myth! Just because you launched your business doesn’t mean there will be a flood of people visiting your website or walking through your door buying all your products (unless you are a Kardashian, of course). But for us regular people, it takes time, marketing, PR, and a lot of push to get seen by your customers.
5. Being a founder sounds glamorous, but it’s not always the case. And it’s truly not, especially in the beginning stages. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve been buried in boxes, driving back and forth to UPS, sweating at Ikea furniture for my packaging facility, and building it all. Being a founder is not always glamorous and it is most definitely not just sitting pretty on the computer all day drinking my matcha as one may think!

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Giving back has been an important aspect of my brand since day 1. We manufacture all our swim ethically in LA and work with mostly sustainable and eco-friendly materials. We also partnered with the Brazil Foundation, where a percentage of all sales are donated to the Amazon Fund which contributes to the sustainable livelihoods of people in the Brazilian Amazon by investing in biodiversity conservation and local, socio-economic development.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I believe that if every business gave back in some capacity, it would be a great start! Whether it is hiring minorities, donating a percentage of sales to an organization they admire, a cause they support, or simply making ethical decisions when it comes to the production and manufacturing of their products. Small steps can make a big difference, especially if we all jump on board to committing ourselves to leave this world a better place.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I’ve always admired and loved Eva Chen, and actually had the amazing opportunity of running into her during a family vacation in the Bahamas not too long ago. We spoke for a bit and she gave me some incredible advice in the short time we engaged, but it wasn’t enough! I would absolutely love to be able to have a one-on-one moment with someone so knowledgeable and influential as she is. Especially as a minority woman who made it so incredibly big as she did! Alessandra Ambrosio wearing our brand was amazing, but It would be a dream to have Eva Chen as a mentor and supporter of Nua Swim!

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this!

Female Founders: Ananda Saba of Nua Swim On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Jeannie Lymath Of Sole Care Healing On the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Always set a part of your day that is just for YOU — half an hour of reading, an undisturbed bath, meditation, a nature walk. This gives you quiet time to reflect or prepare for your day.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeannie Lymath.

Jeannie Lymath is a mum-of-two from Portsmouth, UK, who runs a reflexology and healing business, SoleCare Healing. She is a former forensic scientist and NHS worker, who switched careers to follow her passion 10 years ago alongside raising two children under the age of two. Her aim is to create a community, to help people look after their mental health and practice mindfulness — something she feels a lot of people need to focus on during lockdown, with added anxiety and stresses often creeping in heavily. She hopes to make people feel stronger, sleep better, reduce anxiety and chronic pain, feel more content and give them a stronger sense of wellbeing.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

I started my holistic journey when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. I was in and out of hospital with false labour and extremely anxious that my pregnancy would end in premature labour and NICU like my previous pregnancy. A midwife suggested reflexology and I began visiting reflexologist weekly. I had never experienced such relaxation and I truly believe this holistic therapy calmed my whole being down so that my daughter was born 5 days late and twice the size of my first born. This sowed the seed for wanting to help others and make a difference. It began with Reflexology and has evolved into crystal healing and moon cycles.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

When my mother was seriously ill and admitted to the high dependency unit, I honestly thought she was going to die. I went home and created a crystal mandala to invoke healing, I called all my angels, guides, guardians and ancestors to help. I went to the hospital and taped healing sigils I had created on the back of photos of me, my sisters and grandchildren and I brought crystals for my mother to hold in her hand. I read healing stories about goddesses, ascended masters and anything that would help her believe in miracles and the power of healing. Three weeks later at the absolute disbelief that she had survived my mother, my Superhero was discharged and swears it was this continual healing that gave her the will to live.

You do not have to be an expert or a master within your passion, but you do need clear intent and the belief that you can make a difference. Never think you are not enough to make miracles happen!

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I think every businesswoman will have made their share of small mistakes from advertising, renting rooms and collaborations. I haven’t made a huge mistake as I like to say yes to as many opportunities as possible but if they do not work out it is part of the learning curve and my journey.

Mistakes are the best way to learn!

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

The world we live in wants us to believe success is big houses, fancy cars and exotic holidays. My work is focused on what brings you happiness and creating a sustainable world around that, there are crystal meditations that will take you to every inch of the universe on the back of dragons. Deep relaxation is the first step to quietening your mind so that your soul can speak, understanding what YOU truly want and using crystals to empower these changes or beliefs. I hope that each person I reach can step forward confidently in their life away from societal expectations so that it inspires others to make that move to a more spiritual way of living.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

1. Always set a part of your day that is just for YOU — half an hour of reading, an undisturbed bath, meditation, a nature walk. This gives you quiet time to reflect or prepare for your day.

2. Train your brain to pick up on the negative words you say about yourself and your life. Learn to reword what you are saying to yourself. You are what you say.

3. Journal as much as you can — subconscious writing is a simple tool that exposes your deepest fears and desires — all of it needs to be unearthed to heal.

4. Life is not meant to be easy, there will always be challenges and heartbreak — the key is always finding the positive and reminding yourself how to be grateful.

5. Do not expect someone else to make you happy — you are responsible for your own happiness — buy your own flowers, jewellery, weekends away, spa days. Nourish yourself with unconditional love!

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

A free collective that is available for every gender, colour, age, sexuality that explores spirituality openly throughout the country and the world, from crystal healing to chanting, where there are funds available for study and self-improvement.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. Time is an illusion; it does not matter if everything happens in 5 weeks or 5 years — the key is to keep going and believe in yourself.

2. Patience is required.

3. To swap saying “I don’t have enough time” with “what are my priorities today” — that mantra is a game changer.

4. Being self-employed can be lonely, so find your work tribe for support.

5. To be kinder to myself and understand there are good days and bad days.

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

Mental health has always been a huge part of my life surrounded by people who suffer daily; there is not enough support that is available quickly enough and I have lost friends who have not felt they could be any more of this world.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

Instagram — @solecarehealing

Facebook Group — Solecare Healing Community — https://www.facebook.com/groups/solecarehealingcommunity

Website — www.solecare.org

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this!

Women In Wellness: Jeannie Lymath Of Sole Care Healing On the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Laura Erlich of Mother Nurture Wellness On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Take care of your heart and maintain good boundaries. Life is hard, and relationships can be even harder. Keeping your lines of communication with loved ones open and clear, and taking care of yourself through having good boundaries is key to managing your emotional wellbeing.

As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Erlich.

Laura began her career in holistic wellness after studying Traditional Chinese Medicine with an emphasis on fertility and obstetric care. After graduating summa cum laude from Emperor’s College, she founded Mother Nurture Wellness, a Los Angeles-based women’s health practice specializing in fertility optimization, pregnancy, and postpartum care. As an integrative health professional for over 20 years, Laura has helped thousands of families grow by creating a custom roadmap that targets each individual’s needs from nutrition, supplementation, herbal medicine, acupuncture, meditation, mentorship, and beyond. In 2015, Laura co-authored Feed Your Fertility, A Guide to Cultivating a Healthy Pregnancy with Chinese Medicine, Real Food and Healthy Living.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?

My career working with women in the realm of holistic health dates back to the days of yore, the late 1990’s, when I hung out my shingle as a prenatal massage therapist in New York City. About a year later, I moved back to my hometown of Los Angeles and began my career as a doula and prenatal massage therapist. Wanting even more tools to work with, I got a masters degree in Chinese medicine and started bringing all of my skills together in my private practice, going on to co-author a book, Feed Your Fertility, and found a wellness center, Mother Nurture Wellness. Lately, I’ve pivoted to do more teaching and online coaching, which I truly am enjoying.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?

Years of witnessing incredible women give birth makes it almost impossible to narrow it down to one amazing story. A few awe inspiring moments include watching a mom go from early labor to pushing her baby out in under 5 minutes, after stimulation from one acupuncture needle! Another powerful badass mom labored for 5 days straight, others had emergency c-sections and I held their hand while their partner attended to the new baby. As an acupuncturist and herbalist, I’ve witnessed the magic of seeing people who struggle to become pregnant finally realize their dreams of parenthood. I’ve witnessed couples walk away and choose a childless life. Every day in my career is interesting, heart opening and inspiring, because of the pure grace, grit and resilience I witness.

Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

This is a hard one to answer. I think my biggest mistake was choosing to go into a business partnership with a friend. We were both very green, and we were functioning more on a series of leaps of faith than a solid business plan. We ended up parting ways, and I’d honestly rather have skipped the partnership and kept the friendship, when all was said and done.

The lessons I learned from this were some of the hardest of my life. Most notably, to be very thoughtful about entering into business arrangements with friends, and to be crystal clear about how you set up a business structure with someone you have a personal relationship with. I am grateful to have moved on and recovered both personally and professionally, but the relationships I lost in the process were a steep price to pay.

Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?

Working as an integrative fertility and obstetric specialist has afforded me the incredible privilege of supporting women to achieve pregnancy, and to bring their babies earthside as peacefully as possible, as well as helping them ease their shift into the postpartum phase. Throughout my career, I have applied the same philosophy to supporting my patients who are trying to conceive, by supporting their heart and emotional health with as much concern as I have for optimizing their physical wellness. Chinese medical philosophy opines that we are microcosms of the greater macrocosm- the world around us, which means that we are only as healthy as our environment. Through my work, I seek to educate as many people as I can about the importance of living clean, through nutrition, lifestyle, and our carbon footprint. Mothering means caring about the planet as much as our individual selves, and I seek to share that message whenever possible.

Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.

1. Eat whole foods as much as possible. Eating processed foods increases your carbon footprint and taxes your body. Eating foods that have been altered as little as possible is a major component of better health. I have seen women’s cycles regulate, moods stabilize and pregnancy nausea vanish when real food is the mainstay.
2. Meal-plan! In order to achieve the goal of eating real, taking the time to plan and prepare meals for the week is an invaluable tool. Cut your veggies, marinate your proteins, think about what you are going to prepare and make it as easy for yourself as possible when you’re staring down making a weeknight dinner! One of my favorite things to do is to make a “salad bar in the fridge,” so all I have to do is mix and match veggies and protein for a quick meal.
3. Get enough sleep. In order to give your body adequate time to detoxify and repair, sleeping a minimum of 7–8 hours a night is really important
4. Make sure your digestive system is working properly. That means ensuring enough veggies and fluids and movement to ensure a daily bowel movement. It also means managing your tendency to worry and overthink, which can damage digestion (think nervous stomach) and lead to IBS-like symptoms.
5. Take care of your heart and maintain good boundaries. Life is hard, and relationships can be even harder. Keeping your lines of communication with loved ones open and clear, and taking care of yourself through having good boundaries is key to managing your emotional wellbeing.

If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Given the moment we are in, the movement that would bring the most wellness to the most people would be to wean ourselves off of fossil fuels, which are the drivers of pollution, climate change, and political upheaval in our world. If we devoted as much energy to clean energy as we do to war, we would all be much healthier, and so would our planet. I wish I could start a movement that compelled humans to think more about the impact of their actions on the future, rather than choosing short term convenience.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. Plan for a pandemic.
2. Never have just one revenue stream
3. Business ownership is not for the faint of heart, be prepared to work!
4. Combining being a mom with owning a business is a lifelong balancing act that you’ll always be striving to get right
5. Keep strong boundaries in everything you do

Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?

A through line in my work is the relationship we have to our environments, and working with people to make small daily changes to help their values line up more with their actions. While this definitely falls under the umbrella of climate change, I think it actually encompasses all of these hot button issues. Veganism is often an effort to be kinder to animals and the planet, our mental health is frayed from living in a sick world, and our climate is affected to a degree that stands to cause us great harm. As humans, we will only make it if we find our way back to what matters most, bringing health to our world through bringing health to ourselves.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

www.mothernurturela.com and @mothernurturewellness on Instagram

Thank you for these fantastic insights!

Women In Wellness: Laura Erlich of Mother Nurture Wellness On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Wisdom From The Women Leading The Cannabis Industry, With Brooke Morgan Westlake of Women in Cannabis Expo

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Education: Educate yourself on the cannabis industry, the entire market, your state, city and county. What are the dos and don’ts, what are the important laws you need to know and who is in the industry in your state, city or county? Can you connect with them? What is it you want to do in the industry? Is it being done? If it is, what do you like that is currently being done? Where do you see you can provide changes? Lastly, more education is needed for the cannabis industry. School education, college education, consumption education is needed for the public. Doctor, nurse and physician assistant education is needed for all patients that wish to consume.

As a part of my series about strong women leaders in the cannabis industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brooke Morgan Westlake.

Brooke Westlake: Owner, Founder, Business Engineer. The Women in Cannabis Expo, Ganja Garden Goddesses, Neon Nite Apparel & ADA Lake Labs were all developed in 2020 & 2021. Brooke took a direct career change from healthcare after 20 years into the cannabis industry. Through the building of her four companies, she realized that it wasn’t just about having successful business, but it was also about being a big voice within an industry that was illegal for far too long. She is proud of her entrepreneur spirit that shines through her businesses. The importance of cannabis and health presented itself as a critical life measure after she had life-saving emergency surgery in August of 2020. With the help of cannabis she is fighting off nausea, malnourishment and pain.

Education being a special interest & first time generation college graduate, Brooke holds three degrees, including a Bachelor’s degree & Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has served on state commission boards, serving two full terms for Nevada Commission for Women, and currently sits on the Board of Examiners for Long-Term Care Facility Administrator & The Northern Nevada Disciplinary Bar Board. Being appointed by former Nevada Governor Sandoval, and current Nevada Governor Sisolak.

Brooke is also a single mother of two sons, loves to spend time at Lake Tahoe and enjoys creating art through photography, painting and jewelry. She also loves to give back to the Alzheimer’s community.

The Women in Cannabis Expo for 2022: March 31-New Jersey, June 30-Denver, September 30-Las Vegas, December 2-San Francisco. WomenInCannabisexpo.com/

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the cannabis industry?

I haven’t decided if what brought me to the cannabis industry is funny, unusual or both. Honestly, what is helping keep me in the cannabis industry is that cannabis is now literally helping save my own life (I will share more on that later). In 2018, after working for a private medical manufacturing company for 10 years, we closed our doors. I decided it was time to further my education and gain my master’s degree. I graduated my 2-year master’s program in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Reno, in a year and half and gave birth to my second son.

As the master’s program ended, I reached out to my mentor. I was considering investing and opening a fingerprint/drug franchise business. But what my mentor said to me blew my mind. “You should open a cannabis testing lab.” I said, “I don’t know anything about cannabis.” His suggestion: “Do some research and get back to me.” The research told me this was a viable business opportunity for me, so it was up to me to educate myself on the rules and regulations of the industry as well as get a solid business plan together. I quickly learned that I could not get a bank account or additional bank/lending funding. However, this was not a detouring factor for me.

While I continued to put my business plan, I attended three cannabis expos to meet my potential vendors for the lab while gaining continued knowledge for the industry. One of the expo’s happened to have a lady’s night on the schedule. I thought that would be a wonderful way to network with women in the cannabis industry. See what is working or isn’t working. Understand why they went into the industry.

We were placed in a large room with tables, chairs, and drinks. There was no keynote speaker, which I thought was odd, as I had traveled and participated in trade shows for over a decade in the last 10 years of my medical career. Soon after this expo my family and I went on a vacation. I began searching the internet for expos within the cannabis industry that was geared towards women. I couldn’t find anything. The light bulb went on and the Women in Cannabis Expo was created.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I think the fact that I launched the Women in Cannabis Expo January of 2020, but could not host our first event; and really worked hard on putting it together for over a year and nine months during COVID was really the first interesting thing that took place.

The second most interesting thing that kept coming up over and over, when I spoke with potential vendors, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers on a daily basis was that they all kept saying the same thing. “This needed to happen,” “Thank you for doing this,” and “This is going to be amazing!”

The life lesson for me was right in front of my eyes. I was creating a company on my terms, and it was new, exciting and scary all at once. But what I was creating as an entrepreneur, business woman is bigger than who I am. That in itself, understanding that it is bigger than me is the biggest life lesson of all.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I don’t believe there are mistakes, but there are first moments that are funny ones, and I have a funny story and life lesson I can share. At the Women in Cannabis Expo in 2021 we had a networking mixer that included food, drinks, awards, scholarships and raffle prizes. During the awards ceremony, one of the awards we decided to give out, we named the Brooke & Jelena Business award. This award was created to highlight a group of women who were working together in the cannabis industry, and it was decided that this award should go to Sam & Lisa, co-founders of Tokeativity. After announcing this award and the winners, Lisa came to the stage to accept because Sam had to travel back home to Oregon earlier that day. As Lisa was walking up to the stage, Jelena mentioned to the audience that the award itself, with our names on it, had the initials “BJ.” This did give the audience a good laugh. But, what was even funnier was that Lisa then asked if she could say something on stage. I handed her the mic, and she said, “What is even funnier is that I am totally a Lesbian.” The crowd laughed harder. But don’t worry, it gets even funnier. Once the awards were done being handed out, we were then able to move onto raffle tickets and prizes. As I drew a raffle winner for the vagina suppositories, I looked at the raffle ticket to see it had a name written on the back of it. I let out a little chuckle, because the name I had drawn, I knew this business associate. I said “David! Get up here, you’re the proud winner of vaginal suppositories”. Again, the crowd roared with laughter. The life lesson was this, earlier that day the keynote speaker had canceled (last minute). I was concerned because I am a person of my word but felt really bummed like I was going to disappoint everyone by letting them know the keynote speaker was not going to make it. But the honest funny pure moments that happened were organic and were meant to happen. That included lots of laughs. I just can’t make this stuff up. It is life, and the lesson here is sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Everything works out the way it should or better!

Do you have a funny story about how someone you knew reacted when they first heard you were getting into the cannabis industry?

It was very shocking for most of my family and friends. Because I grew up in the era of being a D.A.R.E. kid and I took my oath and pledge seriously to the “Just Say No” to drugs. If you are not sure what D.A.R.E. is — google it. It will be a shocking, bizarre read of what we were teaching our children at the time. In my teen years, I was a straight A student, varsity cheerleader, church going, choir singing, girl that didn’t party. I was headed to medical school after high school. I had tried cannabis one time as a senior in high school and had a massive panic attack. After working in healthcare for twenty years to shift over to opening businesses within the cannabis industry was a big shock to all my friends and family. But they were all supportive. No one really thought it was funny or more ironic than I did myself.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I have a male mentor/dad figure that came into my life when I was 29 years old. He really guided me in the world of business, real estate, friendship, truly taking me under his wing. Showing me how to make hard decisions, teaching me how to be the businessperson he knew I was capable of being. He was also the one person that told me to open a cannabis testing lab. He was also the first person I called to discuss the idea of the Women in Cannabis Expo, and that I couldn’t find anything in the current cannabis expo industry, his response was “You have to do it!” He continues to be one of my biggest fans, supporters and advocates. He gave me away when I got married and his wife and he hosted my wedding ceremony at their house. The moments we have shared together with him as my teacher and mentor I hold close to my mind and heart and draw from his voice daily. I will think to myself “How would he handle this situation? What would he do? What would he say?” I have so many awesome stories about the life lessons that I have learned from him, I joke that I need to write a book about it. I can say that without him and his wife, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I am forever grateful to them both.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am working on three different new and exciting projects that tie right into my current companies. This includes creating the Women in Cannabis Expo chapters, the cannabis business connection community, and creation and launching of an e-Commerce website for the cannabis industry and consumer for men and women that include apparel, jewelry, art and CBD products. Each of them will help people in their own way.

1. WICE Chapters Coming Soon: I kept getting asked by multiple women daily regarding them having their own Women in Cannabis Expo chapter. I knew this was something I couldn’t put aside anymore. Right now, I am building out the business plan and hoping to have a minimum of 10 Women in Cannabis Expo Chapters throughout the US, Canada or Europe by the end of 2022. I think this will help continue to bring women together by allowing them to connect locally and nationally. Having our expos all over the country is great, but also women need to connect with other local women too. I believe that this furthers our community reach and goals as a company. This will help by bringing women together in communities all around the world. Women can then have a close network to call on day-to-day.

2. The Cannabis Business Community Connections through WICE Website: We have added a landing page to our Women in Cannabis Expo website, called the Cannabis Business Connection Community whereby companies can partner with WICE to be listed on our Cannabis Business Connection page as a resource for those (mostly women) seeking out cannabis business connections. I get sent emails daily asking about accountants, lawyers, education, medical doctors, hiring agencies, etc. This felt like this was a great fit. We offer discounts to those companies that list with us that can verify they are women owned. This will help people because I get asked all the time for recommendations or referrals for cannabis companies, especially woman owned ones. Many people want to support women-owned cannabis companies.

3. E-Commerce here we come: I am in the process of launching an e-Commerce website for apparel, jewelry and a CBD line. The apparel and jewelry are all one-of-a-kind designs that I have created. The CBD that we are using in the products is USDA certified organic. This is important because the consumer isn’t entirely educated yet on USDA certified organic CBD. The CBD in our products can be trace recalled and verified for testing. Right now, on the internet and in stores, CBD products are being sold that do not contain what they say they do on the label and there lacks a transparency of standards for the CBD market that hasn’t been developed yet by laws state-to-state, city-to-city. Eventually laws will be created so that this isn’t as big of an issue as it is now. However, in the meantime, anyone who purchases a CBD product online or through a retailer, needs to do their research. Can they verify what the label is telling them? Was the product lab tested? Because right now the CBD market is really a “Buyer beware” market. The other reason why this is an issue is because I am also aware that there are dispensaries out in the current marketplace that are currently purchasing cheap CBD products just for the sake of having a bigger markup for generating revenue. I believe what is in the CBD product is very important and having it being trace recalled and USDA organic sets the bar of standards high. This puts our consumers on notice that when they purchase from us, they will be getting top-of-the-line CBD. To me quality is better than quantity. This will help people because we are bringing to the market true, pure, certified USDA organic CBD.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. According to this report in Entrepreneur, less than 25 percent of cannabis businesses are run by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support greater gender parity moving forward?

I am so happy to be asked this question.

The lack of women in the cannabis industry to me is a critical topic that should be at the top of the list as a priority to bring change into the current cannabis industry. I have read reports and find it alarming at the low rates of women who are in this industry. But along with the lack of women within the cannabis industry is also the lack of minorities and those with disabilities. I have read lots of different reports that many states have implemented or are implementing ways for women, minorities, and those with disabilities to have access to funding so that they can go into the cannabis industry. But I have yet to read about these individuals getting access to these funds. I have heard of more red tape issues for these folks. States and cities could and should publish reports by showcasing if in fact these funds were dispersed to who they said they were dispersed too. Transparency is desperately needed just on this social equity funding…

Let’s talk about the three points you have on this issue which are, individuals, companies, and society.

1. Individuals- People must speak up. We must be loud voices and cannot stop speaking up if one door is closed. We must address this on a state-to-state, city-to-city level. We need strong women, minorities and those with disabilities to stand up to help see through the changes that desperately need to happen and that this pattern goes away.
2. Companies-Need to look at who they are hiring. Are they getting a diverse candidate pool? Are they seeking to hire women, minorities, and those with disabilities? They should have that as part of their goals, objectives, and implementations. The other issue that companies are currently facing in this regard has to do with COVID and lack of current workforce. Part of this is due to laws being generated regarding COVID vaccines that are mandating that individuals be vaccinated. This does and is affecting the hiring pool for companies. Also companies may need to or should adapt to bringing in new candidates on board that are trainable. They can do this by looking outside of the box. Companies need to reach further then just to the same candidate pool. There are many people willing to or are looking at going into the cannabis industry. Look at the candidate’s professional background and experience, while it might not be within the cannabis industry yet, these new potential candidates from other industries could bring fresh eyes and approaches to a cannabis company. Companies are going to have to seek out a balance act on this.
3. Society to support great gender parity moving forward- Society also has the job of speaking up when it comes to supporting the initiatives of women, minorities, and those with disabilities to be hired for jobs within the cannabis industry. Society can set the standards and right now the standard is businessmen. Society could adopt that more businessmen step back and look at investing into women, minorities and those with disabilities with companies in the cannabis industry. Instead of taking over the cannabis industry. Society can and should be a loud voice for changing this in the cannabis industry.

You are a “Cannabis Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the cannabis industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each.

The song, “If I Knew Then What I Know Now” by Kenny Rogers comes to mind when I read this questions. Now, as a “Cannabis Insider” there is a lot to share when providing advice to anyone who wants to be successful in the cannabis industry.

1. Red Tape: There is a lot of red tape in the cannabis industry, and it can get really frustrating very fast. If you believe you have a product or service that fits well within the cannabis industry, don’t get frustrated or give up! Don’t get discouraged, don’t let someone talk you out of it because they don’t see your vision. Take a break. Seek out business advice or help. Do online research. Connect with others, bounce ideas off business leaders that you’re close with. Red tape is that, its red and its tape. Tape can be cut and removed. Don’t let it limit you.
2. Banking: Be prepared to have lots of issues finding banking. Sadly, this is really part of the norm in this industry so far. This is because cannabis is still federally illegal in the United States. It doesn’t even matter that one of my companies isn’t even handling cannabis, at all. Period. Because the word “cannabis” was in the title of the company name (The Women in Cannabis Expo), I was rejected multiple times by large and small banks! Just remember when one door closes another one opens. But be prepared for a lot of “No’s!” before you get to the “Yes!” on this.
3. Education: Educate yourself on the cannabis industry, the entire market, your state, city and county. What are the dos and don’ts, what are the important laws you need to know and who is in the industry in your state, city or county? Can you connect with them? What is it you want to do in the industry? Is it being done? If it is, what do you like that is currently being done? Where do you see you can provide changes? Lastly, more education is needed for the cannabis industry. School education, college education, consumption education is needed for the public. Doctor, nurse and physician assistant education is needed for all patients that wish to consume.
4. Lending: Lending is close to almost impossible. There is no bank funding at this time for the cannabis industry in the United States. I know of more companies within the cannabis industry that are family funded, self-funded, or investor funded to get them started. Don’t give up on lending and funding, but understand that it comes with red tape, higher loan rates and other significant challenges. Also align yourself with lenders that you feel comfortable working with every day. These same rules apply for investors.
5. Laws/Standards: Cannabis is still federally illegal in the United States. The medical and recreational legalization has come from individual states and its voters. Those states have then created laws and quality standards. These will continue to adapt with what is and isn’t working state-to-state, and city-to-city. Stay up to date on laws and standards where you live or where you want to open your cannabis business.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the cannabis industry?

The three things that excite me about the cannabis industry are infancy, market space and women in business. Let me explain.

1. Infancy: The cannabis industry is in its infancy stage which means there is ample opportunity for all. And I do mean ALL. What is needed and what is yet to come are new creative innovative ideas, products and services. For the person that has an entrepreneur spirit, this could be an industry that is fitting for them. In my view the sky’s the limit for the cannabis industry.
2. Market Space: The market rules and regulations are new and changing. Meaning, a lot of things are and are not set in stone. There is a lot of trial and error happening each day. There is room for growth and change in the market space. The market space will continue to adapt overtime, so keep an eye out on this.
3. Women/woman: Being that cannabis is a female plant, I guess you could say I am biased that I really believe the future of cannabis is female. There is a lot of room for many women to be in this industry. I say come one and come all. My hope is that if this is an industry you were interested in being a part of, that you come join us! Don’t forget to do some research with your business or business ideas to see where you could fit in or do better.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

I can provide a much longer list than three things that do in fact concern me deeply about the cannabis industry, but I will keep it to the top three things that I think about daily.

1. Women/woman: It concerns me that we have seen and continue to see a decline in the number of women that are in the cannabis industry. This won’t change unless we crack down on this and make sure that we implement mandates that women should be in this industry. I mentioned transparency previously in this interview. How this could help is that if states are provided funding to be set aside for women, minorities and those with disabilities, then the states should have no problem following up with reports on just who in fact those funds went to. The other item here is that women need to be supportive of women in this industry. It doesn’t matter if someone has been in cannabis for 20 years or if they are new to cannabis. We need to all welcome each other to the table and help encourage and support one another with each of our initiatives. The bottom line is, everyone is welcome in this space. We just need to figure out how to get more women into this industry.
2. Red Tape: The amount of red tape in this industry is exhausting. Seriously, I am not entirely surprised to see that a lot of women have left the cannabis industry because part of it has to do with red tape. There needs to be some balance here. But the balance will be hard to implement until cannabis is federally legal. Once cannabis is federally legal, it will come with other challenges, but my hope is that it will mitigate the huge amounts of red tape. Also maybe it will inspire more women to go into the industry once it is federally legal, because there still is a deep stigma surrounding cannabis.
3. Federal Legalization/Prison Reform: I am not sure why this still hasn’t happened within the United States. I know that this is going to happen in the future, but when? Because cannabis has been federally illegal for so long, it also concerns me the amount of time, money, and resources that were wasted on placing individuals in prison for consuming or selling cannabis. Along with federal legalization we must look at prison reform and release those who have been locked up for cannabis charges. It concerns me that there are roughly 40,000 individuals still locked up for cannabis charges (Forbes, 2020) With 40,000 Americans Incarcerated For Marijuana Offenses, The Cannabis Industry Needs To Step Up, Activists Said This Week (forbes.com) 45.9% of individuals in prison is due to drug offenses as well as the results of mandatory sentencing laws. Treatment versus punishment is needed to treat those that have addictions, and this goes for all substances. Prisons should be reserved for those who have committed violent offenses. The United States maintains the highest prison population in the world of roughly 2.1 million people as of July 2021. PragerU: Why Are So Many Americans in Prison? | Manhattan Institute (manhattan-institute.org)

There are only 18 states out of the 50 US states that have full legalization of cannabis use. We have to get more states on board and lastly…As of December 15, 2021, the Federal Reserves announced that interest rates for 2022 will be raised and this will make it harder for cannabis companies to raise capital for future growth.

What are your thoughts about federal legalization of cannabis? If you could speak to your Senator, what would be your most persuasive argument regarding why they should or should not pursue federal legalization?

This is a fantastic question. I live in Nevada and my two senators are Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. Thankfully both of my state senators supported the SAFE Banking Act. Rosen led the bipartisan effort on this bill. However my conversation with them would follow the following key points.

• Support an effort for Federal legalization and why it is important
• Provide the data on money spent locking up people in Nevada on cannabis related charges
• Provide the data on cannabis tax revenue brought into the state of Nevada since inception recreational legalization of cannabis that was approved by votes November 2016, but adopted into law and effect July of 2017.
• Provide information on the continued struggles on the lack of women, minorities and those with disabilities in the cannabis industry.
• Provide data on how cannabis is projected to be
• Provide educational programs that can be accessed and provided throughout the United States on Cannabis use, safety and consumption.

Today, cigarettes are legal, but they are heavily regulated, highly taxed, and they are somewhat socially marginalized. Would you like cannabis to have a similar status to cigarettes or different? Can you explain?

I have mixed opinions on this question. The medical side of me, reminds me that smoking is never good for the human lungs, and no doctor, nurse or healthcare worker is going to tell you to light up and smoke… While cannabis can be smoked, it can also be ingested and enjoyed in other ways that include tinctures, topicals, tablets, gummies, edibles, & drinks. Mentally I push cannabis into a different category away from cigarettes. But at the end of the day, people are going to do what they want to do and smoking of cigarettes or cannabis will never go away entirely.

The term social marginalized really means a group of people that are less able to gain access to a basic service or opportunity, but are today’s cigarette smokers really part of this term? Not really. What has happened is that people who chose to smoke tobacco have a harder time finding places to smoke. Most employers have adopted a no smoking on campus policy and that has almost been adopted as a norm for hotels, casinos, restaurants, malls, planes, trains, rental cars, sports venues, etc. People still have access to cigarettes; even higher taxes have not deterred those who wish to smoke and let’s not forget that vaping is the new form of smoking.

I do feel like this term of social marginalized strongly applies to cannabis since cannabis is not federally legalized yet. There are only 18 states out of the 50 US states that have cannabis legally both medical and recreationally. Making access to all not access to all yet. Individuals that could be using cannabis for the medical benefits are socially marginalized. Should cannabis be heavily regulated and highly taxed. No. But unfortunately, I am a realist and I know that it will be, unfortunately I do not see a work around to that. However, cannabis should be in an entirely different category than cigarettes. This category for cannabis should have an entire section dedicated to education, health and wellness as there are so many good things that cannabis can bring to people. Individuals do not have to solely smoke or vape cannabis. They are able to cook with THC infused oils, eat edibles, drink THC infused drinks, enjoy tinctures and gummies.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I see different quotes every day that inspire me and tell me daily about life and each lesson. But if I had to nail it down to one life lesson quote. There is one that I have lived by since a young age and it pertains to being a business entrepreneur/engineer. “What is the worst thing anyone can tell you?” The answer is “No.” Why is this significant? Because most people don’t make it past step one, which is, “ask”. Ask the question, ask the investor, ask your family and friends. Simply, ask. Oftentimes people don’t ask because of the fear of hearing “No.” Psychology what they are fearing is verbal rejection. What someone should hear, if they ask and they are told “no” is that “rejection is really redirection.” What is the life lesson? Ask the question. Get the answer and move forward. If you continue to live in fear because you’re afraid of being told “no,” then you may never do the things you want to do, build the company you have a vision for.

This is relevant to my life, because had I not ask the question I would not be in business today. I have been told and have conquered the “no’s” and I choose to focus on the “yes’” In any case, I have never feared the “no” It just allowed me to refine a business plan, redo my business speech, realize that my vision and company didn’t align with that particular investor, etc. If I had the fear of the word “no” I would not be where I am today. I am forever grateful for this life lesson quote that I live by, and I hope it sticks with you after you read my interview.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I love those words — influence and movement. I believe those two words go hand-in-hand in the cannabis industry. These words I can relate to for my companies within the cannabis industry. I believe that the Women in Cannabis Expo will continue to bring women together from all over the world. Our company is an event company, but our goals include bringing women together. Our expos provide education, friendship, community, business ideas and more.

On the Women in Cannabis Expo website, there are three words that are at the forefront. They are: connect, inspire and learn. Because that is part of who we are as a company. I continue to connect women behind the scenes daily. I hope that what I do with my companies inspires all, and I believe that we can all learn together and learn independently.

I am honored to be deemed influential. It’s magical to feel the creation of the movement that has been created for women with the cannabis space. This so far is the most powerful thing I have done in my life. But for the greatest amount of good to be brought to the people, that would not come from just being influential or a movement, that will come together once cannabis is federally legalized whereby everyone has access to cannabis. I can only hope that my influence, movement and good will generate ideas that turn into actions and companies that help benefit individuals around the world within the cannabis industry.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Wisdom From The Women Leading The Cannabis Industry, With Brooke Morgan Westlake of Women in… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Women In Wellness: Yalile Fajer of Zion Health on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing

An Interview With Candice Georgiadis

Exercise often. I don’t mean gym membership and hardcore weights lifting when I say exercise. It’s good if you do, but I mean a 30-minute walk. Yoga is always good for the body and mind. Take the stairs when possible.

As a part of our series about “5 Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Yalile Fajer.

Yalile has been at Zion Health since 2020 and is also a Yoga instructor, having gained her certificate in 2018. She is a huge animal lover and enjoys outdoor activities, which was a massive reason she joined Zion Health as she is a proponent of clean beauty products. Yalile practices a plant-based diet 80% of the time and has volunteered for Tap for Humanity, building affordable houses for families in Las Vegas.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the story about how you first got involved in fitness and wellness?

I’ve always been active and enjoyed working out. One day, my left eye was twitching, and it worsened throughout the day. I started worrying since my dear friend just had her face paralyzed due to stress. I started practicing breathing and doing yoga more often until I pursued my teaching certificate. I never imagined I would be teaching, I did it more for myself, but now I can say I genuinely enjoy teaching and providing my knowledge to others.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

When the pandemic started, I kept hearing how stressed people were and how everyone was drinking more and exercising less, so I started teaching yoga online to friends and family. To bring us back together as a community and for at least 60 minutes not paying attention to the outside world. I received so much good feedback and was told by others how helpful it was. Even people who were not into yoga found it a way to distract themselves and became regulars.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

I tend to be shy, even though people don’t believe that when I say it. I probably hide it well. But when I started to teach yoga online, I created a page on Facebook and streamed my first class. I thought I was streaming the class to the people on my page, only to find out I streamed it to everyone on my personal Facebook. I was so embarrassed, I don’t know why, but I felt exposed. [laughs] Later, I realized that was the little push I needed to do other things and be more confident with my marketing and yoga skills.

Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority in the fitness and wellness field? In your opinion, what is your unique contribution to the world of wellness?

[laughs] I don’t know if I consider myself an authority, but I think my contribution to the world is teaching what I’ve learned in terms of yoga, clean eating, and now clean products application.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I would say my husband. He is always supporting my crazy dreams. He is not a big yoga fan, but he practiced every time I taught online as a support for a whole year. We never knew if people were going to show up or not, so he said if I’m the only student, then at least you have one person to teach.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, exercise more, and get better sleep etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the 3 main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?

• The first one is to accept that it is a lifestyle choice, not a month-long thing.
• Being consistent and persistent. It takes 28 days to create a habit, but it takes even longer to notice the benefits, so my advice is don’t give up within the first 3 months.
• And lastly, be creative while you are on this journey. You need to enjoy it to continue with it.

Can you please share your “5 Non-Intuitive Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Dramatically Improve One’s Wellbeing”? (Please share a story or an example for each, and feel free to share ideas for mental, emotional and physical health.)

1. Meditating for 2–5 minutes each day. It is hard, but it calms your mind and helps you focus better. We run run run, and we don’t take the time to slow down and breathe.
2. Exercise often. I don’t mean gym membership and hardcore weights lifting when I say exercise. It’s good if you do, but I mean a 30-minute walk. Yoga is always good for the body and mind. Take the stairs when possible.
3. Outdoors activity. Being in contact with nature stimulates all your senses, not mentioning the vitamin D level goes up and impacts the brain positively.
4. Give yourself “Me Time.” We all need time for ourselves. Schedule a time to do something you enjoy.
5. And lastly, see a friend often. The benefits of engaging in a friendly conversation with a friend are endless. We all seem too busy, but we all watch TV for hours, maybe use some of that time to call a friend, heat their voice, get involved in their lives.

As an expert, this might be obvious to you, but I think it would be instructive to articulate this for the public. Aside from weight loss, what are 3 benefits of daily exercise? Can you explain?

1. It improves your mood and self-esteem by releasing endorphins. Just ask my husband. [Laughs]
2. It combats health conditions like heart disease, stroke, depression, you name it.
3. It promotes better sleep. A lot of our chronic diseases are related to this matter as well. Not having a restful night affects your brain, thyroid, testosterone levels, etc.

For someone who is looking to add exercise to their daily routine, which 3 exercises would you recommend that are absolutely critical?

• If this is for someone who has never been active, don’t start with complicated exercises and gym commitments. A walk around the block in the morning or afternoon is a good start.
• Our body is tense all-day. A 5–10 minute stretch is also good.
• And lastly, 10 squats daily help our muscles to continue strong. We stop moving because the older we get, the less strength we have.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?

The Miracle Morning. It highlights the importance of being consistent in life and understanding what matters to you.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amounts of good to the most amounts of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

That’s a good question. I think something that has been on my mind for several years now is why can’t we see beyond skin color or race? That would be my movement, see beyond the obvious and love people for who they are.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“Life is better in pairs” I consider myself family-oriented and enjoy time with my husband and my 3 1/2-year-old. They are my engine, my motivation in life, and I’m happy and thankful every day I have them.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Michelle Obama, I loved her book, and I think she is funny and intelligent. Having a cup of coffee with her must be delightful.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

People can find me on IG as @yogawithyalile or LinkedIn as Yalile Fajer. I like to connect with people and connect them with others.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Women In Wellness: Yalile Fajer of Zion Health on the Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.