Ask our Founders

AAPI Heritage Month is an opportunity to listen and learn about the diversity within the AAPI communities. We close out our celebration with inspiration from our co-founder, Ann.

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Hi Friends,

Natasha here with this month’s “Ask Our Founders.”

When I think of the challenges, fears, and conflicts that show up in my life, I am learning that the core of my work is not better communication, protecting my energy, or finding the lesson. I’ve gained valuable tools and guidance on how to use my voice, practice boundaries, and untangle emotions, but in this past month, I recognize that to continue to be open to healing and transformation, I am required to focus on the seed of self-love.

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Happy New Year!

Ann here with this month’s Ask Our Founders.

As I let go of 2020 and look towards 2021 with optimism, one of my goals for the new year has been around how I help myself create happiness despite the challenges that life throws at me (ahem pandemic!). 

Research has shown that most of our ability to be happy is based on genes. Yes – that perky friend/co-worker/neighbor is just naturally happier. However, that same research also suggests that 40% of people’s happiness comes from the choices that they make. Hence, this month’s Founders Letter musing is all about the 40% that does lie in our control.

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Hi Friends,

Danielle here with this month’s "Ask Our Founders".

At the beginning of 2020, I worked as a retail consultant traveling every week. Before Noon had just launched, and my mind was split between the job that paid the bills and the job that filled me up. I had recently let go of my apartment in San Francisco, CA and decided to live with my parents in Portland, OR as part of a meticulous plan that would allow me to finally leave corporate and transition into Before Noon full-time.

I had grand visions of what focusing fully on Before Noon would look like, the largest being a vision of stability. I would finally be in one city for more than one week. I would build a community I could regularly hang out with in-person. And, I would create my own routine so that I could feel refreshed, energized, and inspired to tackle each day. 

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Hi Friends,

Natasha here with this month’s Ask Our Founders.

Some of you may know me from when I co-owned a store called Seldom Seen in Hayes Valley in SF. And for those who don’t, here’s a bit of context. My business partner and I closed our store last October, prior to COVID. And though we were grateful for the timing of our close, that didn’t allow me to escape the grieving process. It instead led me to this month’s theme, discovery.

Looking back, I had become one with my business causing the sudden detachment to feel abrupt and foreign. I was experiencing a loss and feeling unclear about who I was without my business. My business’s survival, the community, and the busy lifestyle it provided me gave me purpose. I had become codependent on my business in that my identity and worth was wrapped in it needing me. 

With the guidance and support of alternative healing and determination to create my new dream, I discovered that I am not what I do, what I say, or even what I think. 

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Hi Everyone,

It’s Ann coming at you this month.

As we flip the page on another month and another season, we thought that September was a good month to step back and reflect on transitions.  

For many, September signifies the transition into a new phase or the start of a new school year. In France, there's even a greeting acknowledging this transition, “Bonne rentrée à vous!” literally translated as "Good return to you!" Although it's typically used to wish students well, adults use it, too, to recognize the end of the summer holidays and a transition back to everyday life.

Help me kick off September by joining me this Saturday, September 12^th at 10am PST for a Panel Series hosted by Slow Sustain Magazine. Before Noon is featured in the 2^nd issue of Slow Sustain Magazine and I will be participating as a panel member talking about Entrepreneurship.

With that, Bonne rentrée à vous!

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Hello Everyone,

Danielle from Before Noon here - 

Ann, Tash, and I thought we would try something new and kick-off a monthly message called "Ask Our Founders." The concept of Before Noon was born out of the desire to share the power of alternative healing. We each found solace and strength in alternative healing, and after sharing our stories of discontent, heartbreak, and anxiety, realized that our individual challenges were not unique. We started to rely on each other for guidance, connection, and support. 

Enter "Ask Our Founders":

"Ask Our Founders" is our place to vulnerably share what's happening in our lives, what themes we are tackling, and what self-care practices we are focusing on across mind, body, and spirit. We are grateful and honored to share our innermost thoughts in the hope that they will create more dialogue around your own personal growth and development.