Episode 170: The Power of a Mother's Love - How Zareefa Arije Turned Tragedy Into Triumph

Born to a Bangladeshi family, raised in NYC, Zareefa Arije was raised with the idea that self-love and self-care were one and the same. Growing up with a close relationship to her mother, Ammu, Zareefa’s earliest memories include seeing the world through her mother’s holistic healing and natural remedies for almost every ailment. Raised with the mentality that our bodies are our temples, natural remedies always resonated with her. After the sudden passing of her mother,  Ammu, Zareefa started her skincare line as a way of grieving, with it eventually turning into something extraordinary - Ammu Beauty. Channeling her mother’s expertise, and her father’s entrepreneurial spirit, Ammu Beauty became a way to bring Ammu’s recipes to life and share them with the rest of the world. All the love she still wants to give to her mother is now hand-poured into each and every product.

In this episode, you will learn the following:

1. How Zareefa Arije's mother's death inspired her to start Amo Beauty
2. What it was like for Zareefa to grieve her mother's death
3. How Zareefa used her mother's homemade cosmetics to launch her business

You can find Zareefa on Instagram and check out her business, Ammu Beauty.

Remarkable Quote:

“I grew up seeing my mom take care of herself. But also, I was always fed, my house was always clean, and my dad was always happy. So to see that she was able to do that and still take time for herself, I wanted women in this world and in this Western world to also feel that as a new mom.”

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Transcription:

 

[00:00:00]

Welcome back to your next stop. This is Juliet Han. In this episode, I speak with Zarifa a rege. She is the founder of a Moo Beauty. And you guys, this story I had chills literally multiple times.

 

[00:00:15]

It is a beautiful triumph story that out of tragedy. You can follow Zarifa on Instagram is where she mainly hangs out or the website which is A Moo Beauty.com and that is Am Mu Beauty.com and Instagram, it is a Moo Beauty brand. So AMU beauty brand her personal is zeearije. And again, this is a story that you do not want to miss. This beautiful beauty brand was founded out of tragedy and it's so amazing.

 

[00:00:55]

And Zarifa also gives if you guys are out there that you're thinking you want to create something, she gives some really good steps on what to do if you have an idea. So you don't want to miss this. Don't forget to follow me, Juliet Han on LinkedIn or on Facebook. And then I'm also at I am Juliette Han on the rest of the socials, literally every single one. You can find us and you can find your next stop on all of the podcast players.

 

[00:01:22]

My website is Imjuliettehon.com and I'm excited to share another story that is going to inspire you beyond belief. Have you ever been listening to your favorite podcast and that moment comes up and you think, oh my gosh, I need to share it? Well now you can with picked cherries. What I love about picked cherries so much is that when I'm listening to my favorite podcast and that moment comes up that I want to share, I can take a Snippet which is called the Pick Cherry and I can send that to my friends and family so they can get involved in the podcast that I love. It's almost like sending an IG or a Tik tok available now.

 

[00:01:58]

iOS and Android. If you're not picking cherries, are you really listening to podcasts?

 

[00:02:06]

Hello everyone. Welcome back to your next stop. You know, I say this every single time but truly, truly excited to share this next story. You're going to be inspired. So welcome to your next stop.

 

[00:02:19]

Zareefa Arije. Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be on here. I'm just so excited because my listeners know I listen to a little bit or I kind of do a little tiny bit of research because I like to know a little bit, but then I stop because it's really about the curious questions. So I can't wait to dive.

 

[00:02:38]

So Zarifa is the founder of Amo Beauty and the story behind it is so incredible and so inspiring. So I really can't wait for you to share how AMU Beauty became about. So if you can give us a little background of where you grew up a little bit, if you went to university and kind of how Amo Beauty came about, that would be wonderful. Yeah, so I went to a business school. It's called baruch.

 

[00:03:05]

It's part of the CUNY, New York City school system. And I graduated with my accounting degree, had a bunch of internships. And right then and there, I knew that accounting was not for me because it was so, like, in the box. You had to make sure everything was balanced, everything checked out, and I was the total opposite of that. I couldn't even add something with flavor or any sort of interesting things to my day to day.

 

[00:03:34]

So I absolutely hated it. I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I was really good at speaking with people, sharing stories, all of that. So I slowly transitioned into HR, and that kind of brought a little piece of a little fire out on me because I was able to bring my creativity into the workplace. I was able to speak with people. I could hear their stories, I could help them out as much as possible.

 

[00:04:00]

So it was great. And I kind of ran with that HR, I was in benefits, so I was really helping people with their families and all of that. So I do want to pause you for a second because I'm very curious. So what made you go into accounting? At first, because my father, whose first generation came to America, I'm actually first generation came to America, and he was like, this is the safest route.

 

[00:04:25]

We have uncles that are accountants, and they're like managing directors of, like, the big four. And it's going to be amazing. You're going to be successful. And for my father's, success was having a stable job and graduating college and having this big financial firm that I worked for. And so I did that for him.

 

[00:04:44]

And I slowly realized that inside of me, it was like, okay, I wanted to make my dad proud, but I also wanted something that had purpose in my life, so I still stuck with the corporate world. He was a little disappointed when I went into HR because he was just like, I don't understand. What is HR? Someone who has never been in corporate doesn't understand what HR is, right? So that was great.

 

[00:05:09]

I switched around from big banks to big banks, and I think at the end of the day, it still brought back. Like, I could not put my full flavor into the job. And I just felt like I had more purpose. I was dealing with a lot. So, like, I was dealing with infertility.

 

[00:05:29]

I was dealing with trying to have a baby, just being newly married, being super young, and it just brought a lot of things to question. At the time, my mom was living with me, she was like my absolute best friend. I would come home and she was still working at the time. And we would just spend so much time together with just us and really starting to love and know her as a woman as I was transitioning into wanting to be a mom and all of that. Fast forward a little bit.

 

[00:06:00]

To our surprise, we did get pregnant. We tried a lot of fertility things that just didn't work, a lot of money, spent a lot of years just like terrible, terrible, dark times. But we were like, you know what? It's in God's hands. We're going to stop trying.

 

[00:06:16]

And just it happened. I know a lot of people hear that story, but it really is true. We ended up having a baby, and that, again, just was another huge magnifying glass into my life. Like, what am I doing? How can I leave this, like, little baby at three months and go back to work?

 

[00:06:36]

And I just wasn't satisfied. I wasn't happy. And then, unfortunately, my mom, she actually went on vacation and passed away suddenly while on vacation, which was a huge shock to all of us. I think it was very gutwrenching where, like, brought everything into perspective, right? Like, this woman that really planned out her entire life and had so much more planned just could not happen.

 

[00:07:01]

It just didn't happen for her. And that really, really I mean, I completely started questioning everything I was doing. And I think something that traumatic when it happens to you, you start questioning the day to day things. And then what's crazy is we had the first baby, and then I ended up getting pregnant again while I was three months postpartum. So here I am with two kids under the age of one, basically.

 

[00:07:32]

And unfortunately, that's when my mom passed. I had a three month at home, I had a one year at home, and I really just could not even file them going back to work. So I gave my notice and I said, you know what? Life is too short. Even if we have to cut our expenses, and I have to stay home with my kids.

 

[00:07:49]

It's just something I have to do, right? And I'm going to pause you again. Thank you for sharing that, because I can't even fathom what that loss is as you're becoming a new mother and trying to raise your family, because a lot of my listeners are moms, and it is when you're close with your mom, and it's such a crazy time also when you're first having your kids. I mean, people always think, I knew I always wanted to be a mom. I babysat.

 

[00:08:18]

It was like, this is what I was meant to do for my life. This is what I know I want. And I even remember after my first being like, holy crap, this is a lot different than babysitting, which I knew it was going to be. But just how we change as women is kind of crazy. I mean, it's remarkable in a sense, because it's like, wow, I have this little person to take care of and really form, and I want to be the best mom that I can.

 

[00:08:50]

But you're feeling so out of your comfort zone. I always share that. I am a very confident person. I was pretty much very confident my whole life. And I think the first time that I was really insecure was when I had a brand new newborn because everything I did wasn't right for this baby.

 

[00:09:09]

And I just remember being like, I thought this was going to be like, I know kids. I've been around kids my entire life. Why child? What is going on? And it really was a moment, as you said, that you really question everything.

 

[00:09:22]

So the fact that you're going through this and then you lose your mom who you're extremely close with, that just had to be just so tragic. I just appreciate you sharing that because I know it's still I mean, it was right before Covet. If I'm not it's like before COVID even was Covet and like, I think in March, so she passed away in February. It was in March that borders were being shut, travel was being closed off, and so we had no idea. And she's in this, like, third world country.

 

[00:09:56]

So, yeah, it was just when I think back at that, and it's really sad to say, but I don't even remember, like, raising my son because I was in such a traumatic time in my life. I've never had anyone pass away that was that close to me, right? And I guess a part of me is very lucky because it took me 30 years to experience this traumatic loss. But it also like, I'm so grateful that my mom did leave in such a great, happy life. She really did enjoy her time to the fullest, given her circumstances.

 

[00:10:36]

And she was always like, I always laugh about this, but she coined the term yolo before yolo was even a thing. She was just like, I'm going to go out my friends. I have work at 06:00 a.m., but that's fine. And she was like, I don't know at the time, like, 55. And she was like, I'm going to go this party and I'm going to go with this friends and I'm going to go to dinner and take a picture of me in this outfit.

 

[00:10:57]

And she was just like, I'll deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes. And for someone that had that type of energy to just literally within a second be gone and be so far away that I felt like exactly what you said, I had confidence, I had control over my life. How could I started questioning, why did I let her go? Why did I let her go to the servo country with her friend and not with me, who didn't do enough to keep her here? And no matter how many of these questions that I had, it just always brought it back to, this is what fate is, right?

 

[00:11:36]

Like, she lived a wonderful life and I believe in the afterlife. And I think that for someone that was as beautiful as her inside and out, she's living a miraculous life after death. And I don't ever want her to feel like, man, I should have been there for my daughter, right? I don't want her to ever feel like she's missing out because I think that journey for her was just amazing and she deserves to be in that peaceful place that she is now, right? Because I want to go where this tragic event then brought this amazing, beautiful life and this beautiful company that you created.

 

[00:12:19]

But can you just take a little bit back? She went on a vacation with a friend and had an accident, am I correct there? So she went with her sister and her friends to Bangladesh and she was going for a reunion, like a college reunion. And what's incredible is the night that she passed away, she gave a speech at the reunion and she said, I don't think I'm ever going to come back to Bangladesh, but I just need everyone to just pray for my family. My daughter just had a baby.

 

[00:12:52]

I want everyone to pray for her and just know that every one of my friends here has made my life so worth living. And what's crazy is we have all this on video, right? This is just a couple of hours before she passed away. And after the party was done, she basically went back to the resort and she was having trouble breathing. And this was not only in a third world country, but in the village of a third world country.

 

[00:13:21]

So if there's anything worse than a third world country, that's exactly where she was. It took her like 3 hours to even get to a place where there was an oxygen tank and unfortunately, she passed away enroute to a main hospital. But, you know, like, I always analyze everything that happened before she passed and it just all made sense. As crazy as that sounds like something about her knew she was going and. That brings peace to me and it totally should.

 

[00:13:52]

I mean, I believe whether you believe in the God of the universe, I do believe that we all had a path and it sounded like your mom, that God needed her there, but she knew that she gave you everything. She was there when you were trying to have your babies. That's really, if you think about it, that had them in such a hard time. But to have your mom there with that through that and then the fact that you get to see a speech that she made as tragic as her passing was, especially because you weren't there, I mean, right? All those emotions that you have, I can't even fathom it because it's never happened to me and I pray that it never does, but that is just it brings so many different thoughts, as you said, right?

 

[00:14:35]

Should she have gone. She should have. But the fact that you can be now where you are, and it's like, Mom, I know that this was meant probably helps you move forward, remembering her in the way that you want to, the smiles and all of that. But the fact that you didn't know where she was, I mean, all of that just has to be so gut wrenching. Yeah, for sure.

 

[00:14:58]

And during that time, the way I was grieving was through all of her memories. Like, what did she leave behind in the house? And so we were going through her stuff, and then she had this, like little it's not really a book. It's like a notepad. And I remember growing up, she would always take care of herself.

 

[00:15:18]

She would take care of her skin. She would make these concoctions. She would, like, mash up bananas and lemon and papaya and yogurt and just smother it on her face. Or she would use ashwagandha and sandalwood, and I would smell all of these smells literally every weekend since the beginning of time, since I could just remember. And I would come downstairs and I would see that she would have a face full of whatever it was on her, on her.

 

[00:15:43]

And she would say, like, a little bit for me. And at the time, I was just like, oh, mom, like, I don't want to put this on. Like, I'm going to smell like, I don't want to do this. But she would always insist. She was like, Trust me, you're going to want to be preventative instead of reacting to whatever is happening.

 

[00:15:58]

So to make her happy, I always put it on my face, right? And so I found this book with all of her recipes, right? So it was like, oh, if your skin is peeling after the sun, put this and this and this. Okay, if you're having a breakout and it's because of hormones, put this, put this, put this. If you're breaking out because you put something that you weren't supposed to put on your face, do this and do that.

 

[00:16:20]

And so just to bring her energy back, I thought, okay, let me just make some of these. And when I tell you, I just felt like she was reborn, and I was just making it in my home just for myself. It brought so much peace to my life that I felt like she was right there with me. I never even felt like she was gone. And the biggest stride that I took during grieving her was this.

 

[00:16:53]

And I basically brought her soul somewhere, somehow back onto Earth. That's amazing. I have literally the chills. It's such an incredible story. I have a very good friend that lost her mom and is grieving terribly.

 

[00:17:10]

And I said to her today, we had a workout this morning. And I said, I have an interview today, and I think it's something that you're going to need to listen to, because it is exactly what you're going through. And I shouldn't say exactly, because everyone's experience is different, but it is similar to what you're going through. And she, right now is trying to create that. Like, how can I create something to remember my mom?

 

[00:17:34]

And she has gone through her stuff and found things, and she actually is creating something. It's not in the beauty line, but it is something that her and her mom always did since she was little. And so I think that's such a beautiful way. And then you know that your mom is up there just jumping up and down. I don't know your mom, but I could just see, like, as you described her, jumping up and down and going, yes, this is exactly what I've been, you know, have been doing, and this is what I've been wanting you to do.

 

[00:18:01]

And it's such a beautiful tribute to your mother. So I absolutely love I mean, I literally was, like, ready to cry, ready to laugh, because it's such a beautiful story. It truly is a beautiful story. So you started making these at home? Yeah.

 

[00:18:17]

And the best part is not even that they were, like, so potent that they worked for whatever concoction I was making. It soothe the skin. It, like, reversed signs of aging. It was great. Right.

 

[00:18:32]

The main thing I wanted to do was bring the selfcare back into this Western world and taking the time for yourself back into the Western world. Because my fondest memories of my mom was that she always took care of herself. In my culture, as women, as mothers, as wives, we have to take care of the kids, the house, your husband. And then maybe if you have time, with that little time, you still take care of your family. Like, you don't even put it to yourself.

 

[00:19:01]

But some way, somehow, my mom always found a way to take care of herself, but still have everything downpacked with the family. And I grew up seeing my mom take care of herself. But also, I was always fed, my house was always clean, and my dad was always happy. Right. So to see that she was able to do that and still take time for herself, I wanted women in this world and in this Western world to also feel that as a new mom.

 

[00:19:32]

I had terrible mom's guilt. Even before I had kids, I always felt like I had to take care of my husband, I had to take care of my home. And the little time I had, I would just rush through my self love routine, and that's kind of what really drove for the company to come alive. It was more so taking the time for yourself, because what we have, our products, it's not like you squeeze it out of the tube, you splash it on your face, you multitask, and you do all of these things. It's okay.

 

[00:20:03]

Let's pour the powder out. Let's add a little bit of water. Maybe you want to add some yogurt. Let's mix it up. Let's make this luxurious, mud like paste, and let's put it on our face.

 

[00:20:12]

And then we're going to wait 15 minutes. And right after we wash off, we're going to see that, wow, okay. This 15 minutes not only brought brighter, more beautiful, youthful skin, I also took 15 minutes to reflect on my day, reflect on my week, reflect on whatever it is I need to reflect on. And I think once women started seeing the changes in their skin, it just automatically brings this sense of, oh, my God, I only put in 15 minutes a week for myself. Imagine if I put in an hour a week.

 

[00:20:44]

Imagine if I put in an hour a day for myself. And it just compounds, and it makes you just, like, feel invincible to me. All of these little things added up, and it's been two years since my mom passed, and I feel like I'm stronger. I feel like I'm just more of the person that I was always supposed to be. I just devoted more time to myself and indirectly was just following my mom's.

 

[00:21:10]

Path, which is such a beautiful message. And it is again, because I know when I have little kids so I have three, they're teens now, and they were two years apart, or they are two years apart. And when they were little, I mean, I did not take care of myself, and I played two sports in college. I was always athletic, and I remember walking the dogs with the babies attached to me at some point was how I worked out. And it is such a I mean, I love that that's what your message is, because really, when you have little kids is really when you should be extra taking care of yourself.

 

[00:21:44]

Not that as the kids get older, but you do have a little bit more time, like when they're at school and those kind of things. When they're teens, it's a whole, whole different WorldCast, but when they're little, it is. It's that time that you really do, because how can you pour into other cups if your cup is you're tired? It's so crazy. The other day, I had a terrible night's sleep.

 

[00:22:10]

Our boxer I'm a huge animal lover, and our dog had ACL surgery. And so it's been like it's been insane. And I didn't anticipate the lack of sleep for a couple of days. And when I got that lack of sleep, I was like, oh, my gosh, it is so bad. And I don't remember.

 

[00:22:28]

I feel like I was going on adrenaline for years. I mean, years and years and years, and it just kind of was like what it was. But I got that little edge, that little grumpy edge, and I was like, oh. And then I got guilty because I was like, oh, I had that little edge. I know when the kids were little, and it was my heart because I stayed home with them.

 

[00:22:46]

And then you get that. So the fact that you're offering women and giving that message, just take care of yourself 15 minutes and see what it does is so beautiful. It's so beautiful. And what a testament to your mom that that's what you remember, and that's what the legacy that she left for you is now that you're going to be leaving it for so many women. And it is one of those things that it's her passing.

 

[00:23:09]

Would you have done this if she didn't pass? And not saying, I'm sure you would change it in 2 seconds, but the fact that she did and then you took an opportunity to say, you know what, mom? I hear you. I see that. I found this book because I believe you found the book for a reason.

 

[00:23:24]

Your mom was like, okay, this is your next stop, right? This is your next stop in life, and this is what I want for you to spread my message that I was giving you. You're going to spread it to the world. And I just think that's so beautiful. Thank you.

 

[00:23:40]

I mean, it really is so special. So tell people where they can find you. I mean, I know you have your website, which is a mute, and I'm going to spell it because I know everyone's like, especially my Dyslexic listeners, they're like, well, come on, you got to spell this. It's A-M-U beauty. And that's also amubeauty.com.

 

[00:24:01]

Exactly. And my instagram is AMU beauty brand. And then my personal instagram is Z-E-E rij A-R-I-J-E-I love that. So tell me, what is your like? If someone was like, okay, I want to try a product, what would you recommend the listeners, the number one thing that you're like, try this first, and then you're going to fall in love with everything.

 

[00:24:26]

Yeah, I would say the glow getter. So the Glow Getter is our it was the first formula that I actually created, and it's this, like, nutrientdense super hydrating face mask. The seasons are changing here in New York, and so we need that deep, deep hydration more than just, like, on the skin level, and that will completely transform your skin. So it's not only going to brighten your skin, it's going to deeply moisturize it. It's going to start your collagen production.

 

[00:24:56]

So it's going to be great. So I think the first product that you should or anyone should start with is the Glow getter. For sure. Okay, perfect. And so my next question, since I do have teenagers, so I have two boys and a girl, the boys are kind of out of their acne, and my daughter really actually did not she's 13, but she didn't really get acne.

 

[00:25:12]

But I know when we change because I'm in New York as well, we all get really dry skin, I should say. My one doesn't he's a little bit more oily. Is this something that you also recommend for teenagers? Like, is this something everyone can use? And does it matter if you have combination skin?

 

[00:25:29]

Can you give us a little bit of information there? Yeah. So this is incredible for teenagers, especially on the market now. There's so many products that are disrupting to our hormones, especially being a teenager and going through these changes, hormonal changes. You want to use products that are not going to interfere with what your body is naturally doing.

 

[00:25:52]

And so these products, we have three different masks, and my favorite thing to do is mix all three masks together because it brings you whatever your skin actually needs. Your skin is a lot smarter than a lot of people think, and they start to gravitate towards things that they need. So in order for us to create, like, the perfect mask, it's called the Trifecta, and it's all three of them put together. You said one of your son's skin is oily. So a lot of the time in the Western world, we want to strip that oil out, but that in turn, just leaves your skin even more oily because your skin thinks, oh, there's not enough oil because it just keeps running out.

 

[00:26:30]

So I'm going to make more and more oil. Our products basically bring your skin back to the basics and is like, okay, I have oily skin. Let me put this mask on. It's going to make my skin believe there's enough oil, and in the long term, there won't be extra sebum or extra oil. So I think our products is more like geared towards what does your skin need, and your skin is going to pull exactly what it needs from our products to give it that balanced, beautiful, bright, young skin.

 

[00:27:01]

I love that. And I can't wait to share with the kids because they're always like, mom. And I am all about natural. Like, anything that I use is naturally organic as much as I can. As you said, in this world, it's really hard.

 

[00:27:13]

And when you have teens and they, well, this is what my friends using. And I'm like, yeah, that's like a dermatologist. No, that's terrible. I'm not letting you use that. That's going to hurt your kidneys and all these other things.

 

[00:27:25]

You are my soul sister. Me and my kids, they sometimes will make fun of me. They're like, mom, but the his skin, I'm like, I don't care. You're not using it. And so I love that.

 

[00:27:37]

And so when I started reading a little bit about your products and that's one of the other reasons why on Your Next Stop, my listeners know anything that anyone that I have on it's because I truly believe in their product and their story. You know, their story and product have to go hand in hand. I love a story. That connects people, because people are going to listen to this, and they're going to want to try your product products, but the reason they're going to want to try it at first is because of your story, and that's what's so beautiful. And then they're going to hear how they're natural and everything you just said, which is like, completely who I am.

 

[00:28:13]

They're going to say, oh, wait, well, now I really need to go try these, right? I really now and now I want to share this and share that. So I love that this all came about. So can you give a little bit? Because I know there's people out there that have ideas, right?

 

[00:28:27]

They have ideas, but they don't know where to start. They don't have the inspiration. They don't have the motivation. They have the fear. They have the nerves.

 

[00:28:34]

When you found your mother's notebook and said, this is what I'm going to do, what kind of path did you have to take? Did you just start mixing in your house? Like, who did you have to go talk to now that you have a company? You had to find packaging, I'm sure, and do all of that. I know that's a very long story, and I was going to tell you this after we got off camera, but I would love to have you on the live show because we have an hour and we can really talk about different really dive into more of this.

 

[00:29:03]

But if you can just kind of give us a top line like, okay, you had the idea and you're like, okay, this is what I did, and this is what I would recommend. Yeah. So that's a really good question. So at first we started making them in our house, and I was actually just making it for myself, and then I was sharing it with my friends because that's what my mum did. My mom would make these concoctions and share it with all of her friends.

 

[00:29:25]

And all of my friends were like, I don't know what this is, but within two days, whatever problem I have is done. You need to put this out in the world. And to me, I was like, okay, I'm so good in this corporate life. Everything is like, if you need A, go to B. If you need B, you go to C.

 

[00:29:43]

I don't know how to start a business. So I had to start from scratch. We had to oh, my God. It took, like, months of just research. On what certifications do I need?

 

[00:29:54]

How is the FDA going to approve this? These are things that were normal in the Eastern world, but absolutely not normal in the Western world. And so just getting the groundwork of what does your state, the FDA, what is okay to have drill down on? Like, what does the packaging need to say? What is legal to say, what is illegal to say?

 

[00:30:17]

Take as many classes as you possibly can, classes in if you want to start a beauty brand, cosmetology classes in mentorship. We spent a lot of money on just classes, and I think that's the greatest investment you can make because in the beginning, you're really not going to make that much. But if you're investing in yourself and just learning the ropes as you're going, that's basically what I did. I'm still learning some things. I'm just like, oh, my God, I can't believe I said that two months ago.

 

[00:30:47]

I'm not even allowed to say that, so I have to retract. But that's the beauty of entrepreneurship.

 

[00:30:55]

On the other side of that, fear of that hurt is like this magical place, right? For me, I always think of my mom's death as like a fire, and the more I ran towards that fire, it hurt. But on the other side of that, so much magic was created that I can't even begin to tell you that. Oh, because you were scared. I was 1ft in, 1ft out.

 

[00:31:22]

Just jump for it. If you mess up, you're an entrepreneur. You are your own boss. You're not going to fire yourself. You just keep going and yeah, look at, look at, you know, just do a lot of research, that's all I can say.

 

[00:31:34]

And things will fall into place. You'll take these classes, they'll tell you, okay, the next step is to get someone to do your packaging and design something. The next step is to how do you get into retail? That's what we're trying to do now. We're direct to consumer.

 

[00:31:49]

Because I just felt like I had more control over my brand, but maybe that's something you don't want to do. Maybe you want to go into retail, into wholesale. And what's really incredible is the closer you get to what you want to do, the more doors that will kind of creak open for you. And then you go to the next level and you go to the next level, and it's a beautiful thing. I love that.

 

[00:32:10]

And the reason why I have the silliest smile on my face, I have this giant smile, is because it's everything that I preach about in this podcast. It's everything that I share. I literally say that all the time. When you find your path and what you're meant to do, the doors just keep opening. They just keep going.

 

[00:32:26]

And if you just keep pushing forward and don't let fear you're going to keep going. And I always say sometimes you'll turn left and it's going to be like, nope, that door is going to shut. But don't stop. So turn right instead or go straight. Try all of it.

 

[00:32:40]

Because what happens is when you try all of it, something gorgeous is going to come about. And so I just say thank you so much for joining your next stop and sharing your story. It is an absolute beautiful one, and I am just excited to share with so many people because I can't wait for everyone to try their amazing products. Thank you so much, Julia. It was such an honor.

 

[00:33:01]

I mean, when we first booked, I was like, oh, my God, no way. So it's just a dream for me to be here. So I appreciate exactly like what you're doing, what you're preaching, all of the guests you've had, it's just been incredible, and I'm so honored to be here. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

 

[00:33:17]

And you also heard that we're going to have Zarifa on the live show, and we'll let you know when that happens. I'm going to talk to her, offset so we can find out when that is going to be, but it will probably be whether it's going to be in the new year. It's going to be exciting because we're going to dive even into the deeper kind of process of this. So any of you that are out there that are listening, that are like, you know what? I want to start something.

 

[00:33:39]

I want to do a beauty bear. And I have all these ideas. She's going to kind of take you through it and really and give you some, and we'll be able to have audience interaction, all this amazing stuff. So you guys know what to do, like share, rate and review and what do I say every single time? You might have listened to this and been like, that's great.

 

[00:33:55]

I'm inspired. But you don't know who needs to hear this. Your neighbor, your mom, your sister, your aunt, your uncle. Someone out there needs this inspiration. They need to hear this story.

 

[00:34:03]

Maybe they lost someone close to them and they're kind of flailing and don't know what to do. Maybe they have something that they want to start. Maybe they're stuck in life. And this is the exact story. So please share with as many people as you can and we will see you this week with another episode of Your Next Stop.

 

[00:34:19]

I hope you liked this episode of your next stop. Please subscribe to my channel, share with your friends and join in each week.