Inspiring Women: Meet Natasha Sarah
In honor of International Women's Month, we thought it would only be appropriate to continue our inspiring women series and highlight another incredible woman - Natasha Sarah!
Natasha comes from an immigrant family and has a diverse background in biotech, event planning and now a fellow female founder. She amazes us with her continued drive, creativity, and balancing marriage, motherhood and her career.
So without further ado, please meet Natasha!
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do?
Yes, hi! Thanks for having me. I come from an immigrant family and was raised by a single working mom and my grandparents in the Bay Area.
Coming from a background of extremely strong and resilient women (my mom and grandma) and my grandfather who built a successful career from nothing after coming to this country, I was always taught to work hard, be independent, and maintain a stable and secure career in business.
I started my career in tech and went on to complete my MBA at Cornell University which led me into biotech. I met my husband during that time and after planning our wedding realized there was a gap in how event planners operate with their creative vendor teams.
I decided to start my own planning company on the side to get a better understanding of what challenges planners and suppliers were faced with while also pursing my passion to create and design events. I then partnered with my co-founder and took the leap into entrepreneurship.
We began building out what is now a solution for event planners to drive collaboration, centralize production docs, reduce time spent on administrative work, automate budget tracking, and streamline contract and change management.
Q: What were some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?
The last couple of years have been filled with very high highs and very low lows. After being a newlywed and expecting my first child, I found myself care taking for my husband who was diagnosed with a sever autoimmune illness.
Not only were we in the middle of covid with a newborn, but he was immunosuppressed from various treatments he was trying. I was also struggling through my own battle with post-partum depression after both pregnancies and during that time lost my grandfather, who was the father figure in my life.
Through it all, I clung to the joys of motherhood with my babies, surrounding myself with friends by planning my own events, and focusing on executing a vision to change the way events are planned today.
My love for bringing people together whether for my own events or for a client, stems from my love for seeing people happy and together in a space that feels good and that I created.
Over the past few years, so many of my friends have planned milestone events for either their weddings or other major life events. Every story about their planning experience is a negative one.
Planning an event should be exciting especially if you are investing in a planner. Planners should be equipped and empowered to show up for their clients and relieve that stress, they just need the tools to do so.
Q: As a successful woman in business, what advice would you give to other women?
Women need to work ten times harder to balance their professional and personal lives.
I have days where I kiss my productivity goodbye if the kids are sick or something goes unplanned. I just have to be ok with it. I have to know that in one given day I won’t be able to do it all.
Some days are less productive and more focused on the kids and other days I work overtime and spend less time with the kids.
The balance is never perfect day to day. I find pockets of time to work, even late into the night while the kids are sleeping, and have to optimize on any opportunity of time that I get to be productive.
I context switch all day long. Be forgiving of yourself if you can’t get it all done in a day and set realistic goals with wiggle room for unforeseen circumstances in your day.
Q: Do you have any tips for women on finding their purpose and calling in life?
My advice is don’t give up on your purpose and don’t settle in life for something that doesn’t feel fulfilling.
It is terrifying to make leaps and take risks, especially after you become a parent, but I truly believe that if you are resilient and persistent it will only lead to bigger and better outcomes.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work and what brings you joy?
First and foremost, I love spending time with my husband and my two kids.
Wellness is something I also prioritize. I am a pilates/barre junkie and being gluten free/dairy free, I am always hunting for restaurants or cafes that have healthy eats.
Lastly, music and dance has always been a huge part of my life and my perfect night out would include salsa dancing and an open mic.
Q: What’s your personal style? What makes you feel your best and most confident self?
My style is a mix of working-mom-casual-comfort on days that I am juggling work with pick-ups and glam-edgy- chic on days that I have time to get my groove back.
Q: What do you think of your new Joyasol Luna slippers?
I absolutely love them! They are the best work from home slippers and keep me feeling comfy and cozy all day long. I have been looking for the perfect slipper and feel like I have finally found it.
Q: Do you have anything else you’d like to share with the Joyasol community?
You can follow me @vidadowntheaisle and DM for event inquiries. For event planners and creatives you can learn more at www.planwithgia.com.
Thanks so much for sharing all this, Natasha! We love sharing women's stories from diverse backgrounds and amplifying their voices and all the amazing work they do.
Do you have someone you'd like to nominate for our inspiring women series? Send us an email at info@joyasolshoes.com. Selected women will receive a free pair of Joyasol shoes and their own feature on our blog and Instagram!