Alma Matters with Riane Puno

Spotted: all over last week’s International Women’s Day event 👀 @ New York, New York

Cyndi Ramirez is the amazing self-made entrepreneur and chiller-in-chief behind Chillhouse, the go-to destination for all things self care. What started as a Lower East Side brick and mortar with a nail salon 💅, massage boutique 🧖🏽‍♀️and full service café 🍵 has evolved into a national wellness brand with a loyal following and its own editorial platform dubbed The Chill Times. This whole endeavor didn’t stem from the traditional path of college then maybe an MBA. Cyndi dropped out of college twice and spent that time on the ground, learning on the job until she and her now husband found a void in the wellness market and filled it with Chillhouse! Link in bio for our incredible conversation🌿

Start your week by being self-aware and self-critical. And let that push you forward.💡

Long weekend mood. Back to regular programming tomorrow 🌱

This is one of the most important pieces of advice that’s carried Adam Pally through his career. It made me think of Parks and Recreation - one of the all time greats 🐐- and something Ron Swanson said as Leslie was struggling with the balance of her full time hustles: “Never half ass two things; whole ass one thing.” I’m starting to realize how important that really is. 🌱

I truly garnered a lot of inspiration from this conversation with Minali, the Co-Founder and Head of Brand at Wild One 🐶, because her story is one I can identify with. Like me, she's from a different country, took the International Baccalaureate (IB kids, if you know you know), started her career at Bloomingdale's and is just a creative soul at heart. There's something special about finding a person who reflects your path and background and has achieved success. Look around for those people – they're there.

Back to Minali! After a stint at Bloomingdale's and then becoming one of the initial team members at Sweetgreen🥗, the healthy and modern fast casual chain that has taken the US by storm, she landed at Wild One. As a pet lover, I'm obsessed with the thoughtful design and community they've fostered through the brand and she's had a lot to do with that. Link in bio to listen to her story 🎙