I am not my business …
Today is Sip & Sonder’s 6th birthday! After a looooong construction journey—filled with stops and gos, working full-time and tryna stretch 24 hours, scammers (yes, we got scammed), never ending dust, and permits, permits, permits—we officially opened the doors of our flagship location on April 1, 2019.
I’ll be honest—today was a tough day for me personally, I’m going through some thangs … But knowing that Sip & Sonder is thriving and that I am surrounded by people that I love doing what I love brings me immense JOY.
It took a while for me to really realize and accept that me and Sip & Sonder have 2 different identities. Yes, it was born from my and my co-founder’s minds and reflects a lot of who we are individually and collectively. But the truth remains: I am not my business. My identity for the longest was so tied up with Sip & Sonder’s identity. Everything I did was about Sip & Sonder and I had no personal life or sense of boundaries between us.
When I hit a really low point in my life in 2023, it dawned on me that Sip & Sonder was doing just fine and yet here I was, suffering. I had poured every ounce of myself into the business and was left struggling, emotionally, mentally, and financially.
It became crystal clear to me: I am not my business. Okay. So, who AM I? This realization and question were the starting points of the next chapter of my life. From that moment forward, everything changed. Then began the slowwww turn around. The healing. The perspective shifts. The journey back to self. I’m still on that journey.
When people ask me what’s a piece of advice I’d have given myself when starting out, one thing I oftentimes say is “You are not your business. Learn boundaries. Learn you own identity and nurture it.”
Sip & Sonder is its own living, breathing thing. People have their own relationships with Sip & Sonder, some of which I have been blessed to hear and many of which I will never know. And that is a beautiful thing. I pray Sip & Sonder continues to be a sanctuary where people find joy, experience true quality, and feel safe, loved, and valued. May it always be a place where voices are heard, hearts are recognized, and souls are uplifted. I hope it inspires, empowers, and nurtures all who cross its path—not just for today, but for years to come. The journey is just getting started, and the best is yet to unfold!
Cheers!
