Podcasts about sashee chandran

In this episode of Women in Motion, we’re joined by three guests from the food and beverage industry: Rhonda Busnardo from Caesars, Jennifer Reynolds from Sauce Goddess Gourmet, and Sashee Chandran from Tea Drops. The guests share their experiences and challenges in the industry, discussing marketing strategies, distribution, and networking. They also talk about current […]

Sabine Josephs is the founder of All of Us Crayons. Her beeswax crayons are inspired by a world where all children embrace their skin color, and others, with kindness, acceptance and unity. All of Us crayons are hand-poured in Sabine's Brooklyn workshop using sustainable beeswax, sustainable palm wax and natural earth pigments. The All of Us team pride themselves on their commitment to our planet and to humanity. Learn more about Sabine. Learn more about The Passionistas Project.   Full Transcript: Passionistas: Hi, we're sisters, Amy and Nancy Harrington, the founders of The Passionistas Project Podcast, where we give women a platform to tell their own unfiltered stories. On every episode we discuss the unique ways in which each woman is following her passions, talk about how she defines success and explore her path to breaking down the barriers that women too often face.  Today we'll be talking with Sabine Josephs, the founder of All of Us Crayons. Sabine's beeswax crayons are inspired by a world where all children embrace their skin color, and others, with kindness, acceptance and unity. All of Us crayons are hand-poured in Sabine's Brooklyn workshop using sustainable beeswax, sustainable palm wax and natural earth pigments. The All of Us team pride themselves on their commitment to our planet and to humanity. So please welcome, Sabine Josephs. Sabine: Hi. What a beautiful intro. Thank you. I'm honored and grateful to be here. Passionistas: Well, you have a beautiful product and a beautiful mission, and we are thrilled to have you with us. What's the one thing that you are most passionate about? Sabine: I am most passionate about removing the barriers that prevent us from seeing how wonderful we are because I think when we pull back to our conditioning or, or our criticism and we really step into who we are and step into our gifts, we can change the world. There's so much to unlock and the whole world benefits from that. So that's, that's my passion. Passionistas: And how does that translate into the company that you've created? Sabine: It translates directly into All of Us crayons in removing that barrier of skin tone, shades to be available to all. I realized through our customer base and working closely with families that so much of what a child experiences is not spoken about and is not said. So, we really wouldn't even understand that they might have had these limiting beliefs about who they are. And so being able to present them with skin tone crayons to just allow them to see that everyone is special and everyone's perfect, and we have created a company to make sure you know that is okay is exactly how that translates to All of Us crayons. Passionistas: Let's take a step back. Tell us where you grew up, what your childhood was like, and what your beliefs were as a kid. Sabine: I grew up in New York City and I grew up in a predominantly white school in a predominantly white neighborhood. And being a black child, I knew that my skin tone was different from my peers around me, but I didn't know if that was important, if that mattered or, or what. And then I remember being introduced to “The Snowy Day” by Jack Keats, and that really blew me away because I was able to identify with that child in that book being a child of color. And then, growing up, really understanding how I then sought to look for books that children were represented that looked like me and how realizing how impactful that was in solidifying my worth and my importance in the world around me. Passionistas: Where did you go from there? Did you go to college? And if you did, what did you study? Sabine: Yes, I did. I went to college and studied economics with a concentration in business. And right after college, I went right into corporate America working as a financial analyst in the advertising agencies around New York City. So, I did that for 10 years and then was privileged with the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom and got to really see my child grow and be right there with her. And this is where we discovered the crayons when she asked to draw Grandma and we couldn't flip the skin tone crayons that we had. And so that was really a catalyst to what we've created. Passionistas: Tell us that story. How did you start the company? Sabine: We took out our well beeswax crayons and then my little Olivia asked to draw Grandma, and we didn't have that brown shade that Grandma was. And so, I quickly looked online and I didn't find anything. And I immediately just started taking a step back for a minute. I knew that was super important for us to have that. And so that's why it prompted me immediately to look for a company that did that, and I didn't find any. So, the next route was to see if I can find a crayon recipe online for our home. And I did that and thought that this would be really great for other people to have. And so, on my Instagram account, I posted it and asked if anyone would want these because I would like to give five sets away. And they were hundreds of comments that said, “I want these, please sell them to me. Don't give them. I will pay you.” And so, as a stay-at-home mom, I had no intention of creating a crayon brand. So, I ignored all of those comments and weeks went by. And then, people were private messaging me saying,” I didn't forget about those crayons. Can I have them please?” And I quickly put one up on Etsy at like, it was like 11:00 PM at night. I told no one about it and someone bought it like immediately after. And she happened to have like 30,000 followers on Instagram and she loved it and posted about it. And so, I posted that I launched about 45 as a pre-order and that sold out in half an hour. And then I did a next, like 125. And that sold out in like 45 minutes. And so, I thought, okay, we're making crayons. And so, I knew I had something that was so impactful to people. And although I never intend intended on starting a crayon company. I don't think I wouldn't trade it for the world because of the impact that it had on families and in children's lives to be able to draw themselves and to be able to draw their family and their neighbors just as they are. It is an honor for me to do this work. Passionistas: What was that early trepidation? Why didn't you want to sell them at first and why didn't you tell anybody that you were putting them up? Sabine: I think it was fear. I don't know what it would take to start a crayon company. I came from finance. I don't know how to scale a crayon business and I wasn't sure how to begin. And so really like, kind of putting my toe in the water and seeing what happened allowed me to kind of see the importance of it and see the impact of it in out in the world, and that really was a catalyst to really getting it going. Passionistas: Tell us about that process of growing it from these initial pre-orders to the company that you have today. Sabine: Gosh, a lot of Googling. A lot of figuring out. I remember the early days just working on my stove top and melting wax and kind of just getting orders out. I remember like really working until like 2:00 AM trying to just get it when I like finished putting my daughter to bed and having my nighttime of work figuring out the exact ratio of all the waxes and pigments to make sure we get like richly colored pigments in each crayon and really being mindful of representing as wide range as we can in in eight crayons. I think that was really important too. And also, the packaging. The packaging, how that looked, that was really important to me. And also, being sustainable. That was a big piece. So, I took a lot of work in sourcing wax and making sure that they were sourced from apiaries that cared about the importance of bees and their pollinators around our world and making sure that that was a real big part of how we grew our company. And didn't want to skimp there at all. And so, a lot of trial and error growing. And now we have a team in our open warehouse, and we made Oprah's Favorite Things last holiday season, which was incredible. And so, seeing where I've started in my kitchen to now then be able to meet the demand of being on Oprah's Favorite Things list and really executing that to scale has been quite incredible. Passionistas: Your daughter was the inspiration for this. What's been her reaction to seeing you grow this company and what it's become?   Sabine: She has no idea what's happening. She is four now and just sees that mama has crayons everywhere. But I think that is the really special thing about it. So, having skin tone, crayons is a normal part of her life now. So, when she goes to a friend's house that doesn't have crayons like this, she is then the one to say, “Hey, you're missing the skin tone, crayons.” And so I think that's the most beautiful thing to see is, is her non-reaction because it's so normal and she knows how important it is to always have this available to her. So, I think that that has really been really special for me to see. Passionistas: And what's the reaction and the feedback from the people who are buying your crayons? Sabine: Gosh, I remember quite vividly an email that I received from a mom and she said that she had just finished crying and wiping her tears because her child just put a photo in front of her and said, “Look, Mama, I can draw me.” And she had no idea that her child had that urge to draw themselves or cared. And so she then realized, wow, like this is being a be for my child to be able to identify with themselves around this world is so important. And so that really unlocked something within her. And so she's been a lot more conscious about presenting a diverse community of diverse representation for her child. And that's been so amazing to see stories like that come across, across my world. Passionistas: We're Amy and Nancy Harrington and you're listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Sabine Josephs. To learn more about her skin tone beeswax crayons visit All of Us Crayons dot com. Now here's more of our interview with Sabine Josephs. Do you have a plan to expand the colors in any way? What's the future of the company? Sabine: So, I would love to be able to expand in different art mediums, so different art products such as watercolor and oil pastels. That's where we see the company growing in the future. Passionistas: We heard about you because we saw you on Amazon's promotional campaign for Women's History Month, where Diane von Furstenberg, the famous designer, chose you to sit with her and our own Passionista founder of Tea Drops, Sashee Chandran. So, tell us what it meant to be included in that and what that experience was like. Sabine: Oh gosh, that was so incredible. To be able to sit with such an iconic woman who really paved a way for other women, it was really, really incredible. And what a gift it was to gain her wisdom to talk to her about her, the women that she looked up to and really see the impact that we can bring to the world by just being ourselves and just really hone into our passions and how inspiring that is for other women to see. So it was, it was such an incredible experience. Passionistas: How important is it for you to have other female founders to connect with? Sabine: I feel like it's been my saving grace on really hard days to be able to have a female founder to just text and say, “Hey, what's happening with you this month and what are your challenges and how can I help you? And how can we leverage each other's strengths to make the journey a little easier?” And even the connections, the being able to pick somebody's brain that has like no bias and could tell you things, how it is without like that deep emotion that founders usually have on their brand. And to be able to share experiences, I think that is the biggest impact that I've gained to find a community and not feel alone has been really, really impactful. Passionistas: What advice would you give to your younger self? Sabine: You are perfect. You are perfect as you are. And there is so much conditioning happening in the world around us that makes us believe that we're not. But we are perfect, and our flaws are our gifts. And if we lean into that, we can create magic. Passionistas: Is there a particular trait you have that you think has helped you with your success? Sabine: I would have to say that I have a kind of an engineering architectural mindset. So, I'm very easily able to see the big picture and connect each and every step that we need to get to that big picture and all, and outline all the obstacles and the challenges and really iron that out to get to that big picture has been, I think, my biggest strength in this endeavor. Because as a founder, there are so many challenges that come into our world that we can't plan for. And to be able to keep an eye on that big picture and say, “Okay, this isn't the plan, but let's see how we can keep on going” has been a great influencer on how successful the company has been. I think also for me, really keeping a close eye on why I started the brand that has been really important for me because as we grow and we scale, it's so easy for sales numbers and revenue numbers and forecasts to really be the driver on a lot of the decisions. But keeping a close reminder, if you are doing this as a passion and really knowing how you want to change the world, people see that, and they gravitate towards that. And sometimes when you don't have to do much work, and it happens that way. And so yes, the sales and revenue and forecasting numbers are very important, but also really coming back to and having that also be a really big important factor in where we go in the future has been a really big mover for me to keep on going. Passionistas: What's been your biggest professional challenge and how did you overcome it? Sabine: Knowing when to scale, I think that is the biggest challenge. And then trusting my gut, that is also a biggest challenge. Because I remember after we were announced as one of Oprah's Favorite Things kind of behind the scenes, I had a decision of whether to get a bigger production space and so much fear set in. Do we need a bigger space? Can we afford a bigger production space? And so, my gut kept on saying, “Yes, you do. Just do it.” And so, I remember just doing it and just getting a bigger space. And now looking back at it, I don't think we would've executed that as flawlessly as we did without that bigger production space. So, giving my gut a voice and really allowing the fear of scaling to subside and really trusting myself and trusting the process and just trusting. I think that that is the biggest challenge. Passionistas: What's the biggest sacrifice you've had to make? Sabine: Time, time is the biggest sacrifice. Time away from my daughter has been the biggest one. Really kind of juggling of growing the business, but also wanting to spend time with her and enjoy making dinner and making cupcakes together and really doing it in a conscious way. And so really sitting with her and being present instead of thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow on my to-do list tomorrow. And so, really being present and allocating my time has been, I think, yeah, the biggest challenge. Passionistas: When you were a girl, what lessons did your mother teach you about women's roles in society and what are you passing on to your daughter? Sabine: So my mom is from Haiti. And in Haiti, I think a lot of cultural norm is kind of the woman should do a lot of the household work and to kind of navigate her life around marriage and raising children. And I hope to pass along that yes, we can do those things, but we can also run businesses and really step into our own passions while having that balance of doing what I guess is the cultural norms of a woman's role. I think if we choose to do that, we can. If we choose not to do that, that is okay too. And I think that is what I'm passing on, the flexibility to do what you wish to do in your life and having a support system around that to be able to really navigate your life to your own desires and wishes. Passionistas: What's your dream for your daughter, Olivia? Sabine: My dream is for her to really be unafraid to step into who she is and to be unafraid to take risks. To step into challenges and to understand or try to understand if it's fear or am I just faced with a challenge that might be hard, but I want to tackle it. And I think with those tools, it opens up a world of possibilities to what she wants to achieve in her life. And so, if she wants to go to college, sure. She doesn't, sure. Let's see where you can lead your life in the happiest way that you thrive as an individual. Passionistas: What's your dream for women in general? Sabine: To know how powerful they are, to know how important they are in our world and to really understand so much of our world has conditioned us to think a certain way and to look a certain way and to act a certain way and really see how incredible we are. And we don't need all of that conditioning. We just need to be, and that truly is enough. And with just being, I think so much is unlocked. There are so many things that you might not have seen comes into focus, and then the courage of stepping into that, I think it unlocks so much courage, so much power, and we, we can change the world. We truly can. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project and our interview with Sabine Josephs. To learn more about her skin tone beeswax crayons visit All of Us Crayons dot com. And be sure to visit ThePassionistasProject.com to sign up for our mailing list, find all the ways you can follow us on social media and join our worldwide community of women working together to level the playing field for us all. We'll be back next week with another Passionista who is defining success on her own terms and breaking down the barriers for herself and women everywhere. Until then. Stay well and stay passionate.

Sashee Chandran is the founder and CEO of Tea Drops. Being born to a Chinese mother and Sri Lankan father (who was actually born on a tea estate), Sashee grew up with a strong love and appreciation for tea, and it was actually her own tea drinking that inspired her to rethink the way we consume tea. She was looking for an environmentally friendly, convenient, yet high-quality tea experience that simply didn't exist, so she decided to create it herself. Tea Drops are organic whole leaf teas shaped into fun drops that melt into finely ground plant fiber. By making an assortment of bagless, organic, whole leaf teas, Tea Drops sheds 15% less waste than traditional tea bags. During this live interview with Sashee, she tells us more about her background and the process of creating Tea Drops. She tells us more about her fair-trade and organic supply chain, along with Tea Drops' partnership with the Thirst Project to provide clean water to people in need. Remember to follow womendotcom on instagram and subscribe to The Women.com Podcast for more exclusive interviews.

I'm thrilled and honored to introduce you all to Sashee Chandran, the founder and CEO of Tea Drops! In this episode, we focus on something we love talking about on the show: how Sashee took inspiration from her Chinese Sri-Lanka upbringing and innovated something that she can share with the modern world.Other topics we explore are roles in relationships, how to balance entrepreneurship and relationships, the importance of connection, “boss babe” culture, and core values.WANT TO KNOW THE REAL STORY?If you want in on the story behind the story, join us over on Twitter! Over there, you can dive deeper into this topic with our community and ask whatever (literally) you want to know more about. Or, buy our team an ice cream by making a donation here. Thank you for your support!ARE YOU ENJOYING THE PODCAST?If so, I'd love your review on Apple Podcasts! It helps our message get in front of more people. And the best part? It only takes a minute:Step 1: Go to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1554330617Step 2: Click “View on Apple Podcasts”Step 3: Click “Ratings and Reviews”Step 4: Click to rate and leave a short review!Bonus step: Subscribe if you're not already to get notified when an episode drops every Tuesday!A huge thank you for listening to the show and sharing it with your tribe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sit down and have a cup of tea with us as I introduce the founder of Tea Drops, Sashee Chandran!Tea Drops are a creative new way to consume tea. They are organic, ground leaf teas that are pressed into fun shapes. You can ditch the bag because they melt in water — like a bath bomb!In addition to creating a fun and convenient way to have tea anywhere, they are also a partner of Thirst Project. Thirst Project, a non-profit focused on youth, education about the water crisis, and building global water wells. With every online order, Tea Drops donates an ENTIRE YEAR of clean water to someone in need.Show notes:www.snackimpactpodcast.com/episodesTea Drops:www.myteadrop.com

Prakash Chandran (@prakawesome) is a podcast host, serial entrepreneur and currently the co-founder of Xano, the fastest no code backend development platform. If his last name sounds familiar, he is the brother of Sashee Chandran (@sasheechandran), founder of @myteadrop and guest on Episode #9 of the "The Tamil Creator" podcast. Our second brother-sister combo that's appeared on the podcast!He joins Ara on this week's episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss helping his mom with her solopreneur business at a young age, going through 6 rounds of interviews to get into Google and working closely with the Sundar Pichai, being treated like a celebrity at airports in the early 2000s because of his Google bag, living with his parents to save money when he started Xano, how the mistakes of Zabinet have led to his current success, being spiritual and purposeful, and so much more.Follow Prakash:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakawesome/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week's guest, Prakash Chandran01:56 - Growing up in Malibu as an interracial child, being introduced to side hustles at a young age03:37 - How Prakash's parents raised him and his sister; self-reliance and learning to make money06:25 - The lack of financial literacy in school systems, how being financially literate gets you ahead in life07:34 - Enjoying the journey and understanding that there are no shortcuts in life08:33 - Being at Google for 8 years; how he got the job11:06 - How Google made it easy for him to stay, despite his entrepreneurial ambitions13:32 - Moving to the South of France before pursuing full-time entrepreneurship; his journey15:59 - Started Zabinet, how it was like an MBA, and then selling the business19:50 - Moving back to LA, starting Xano, now running it remotely21:00 - LA and Silicon Valley; then versus now22:28 - The story of Xano27:10 - Prakash's thoughts on bootstrapping versus fundraising30:22 - Different models to building a sustainable company in today's day and age31:44 - What success looks like to Prakash and Xano over the next 3-5 years33:32 - Will the nature of education change as no-code platforms become more prevalent?36:32 - A life changing lesson that Prakash has experienced over the last couple years39:18 - Balancing the demand of being both a Founder and a Father41:06 - The importance of being present in the moment42:05 - Prakash's relationship with money; real estate, crypto, and angel investing47:19 - His relationship with the Tamil community49:30 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self50:52 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family52:06 - Creator Confessions55:22 - The Wrap Up56:06 - Prakash turns the tables and begins interview AraIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan            

Sashee Chandran is the founder and CEO of Tea Drops, an organic tea company that has disrupted an age-old industry with its' creativity, quality, and convenience. But, success didn't come easy. Sashee talks candidly about her experience of starting and funding a venture-backed business, how the changes in digital marketing are impacting D2C brands, and the importance of mental health. Note to All Readers: The information contained here reflects the views of AllianceBernstein L.P. or its affiliates and sources it believes are reliable as of the date of this podcast. AllianceBernstein L.P. makes no representations or warranties concerning the accuracy of any data. There is no guarantee that any projection, forecast or opinion in this material will be realized. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The views expressed here may change at any time after the date of this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. AllianceBernstein L.P. does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. It does not take an investor's personal investment objectives or financial situation into account; investors should discuss their individual circumstances with appropriate professionals before making any decisions. This information should not be construed as sales or marketing material or an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument, product or service sponsored by AllianceBernstein or its affiliates. The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein, and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark, used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P. © 2022 AllianceBernstein L.P.

If you are looking for inspiration on your entrepreneurial journey or if you are a tea drinker, you are going to learn a lot from this Live Greatly podcast episode with Sashee Chandran!  Sashee is the founder and CEO of Tea Drops, which creates bagless whole leaf teas using a patented process — shedding about 15% less waste than traditional tea bag packaging. It's like a bath bomb for your tea! Tea Drops is loved by Oprah Magazine, Chrissy Teigen, and former first lady Michelle Obama. In this episode Kristel & Sashee chat about overcoming challenges, managing stress and navigating public speaking fears.  Sashee gives us a behind the scenes looks at pitch competitions as a 1st Place $20K Women Founders Network pitch winner, 1st Place $100K Tory Burch Fellow Grant winner, and the 1st place $50K PepsiCo WomanMade Challenge winner. Tune in now!  Key Takeaways from This Episode Tips for your entrepreneurial journey How to overcome the fear of public speaking A behind the scenes look at preparing for pitch competitions Insights to turn an idea into a business Ways to manage stress Insights into Tea Drops  Disclaimer: All information and views shared on the Live Greatly podcast are purely the opinions of the authors, and are not intended to provide medical advice or treatment recommendations. The contents of this podcast are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health professionals when you have any questions regarding your specific health, changes to diet and exercise, or any medical conditions. ABOUT SASHEE CHANDRAN: Sashee Chandran is founder and CEO of Tea Drops, which creates bagless whole leaf teas using a patented process — shedding about 15% less waste than traditional tea bag packaging. Tea Drops has become a favorite among new and experienced tea drinkers alike, launching innovative tea experiences that merge flavorful blends, food art and edgy design. Tea Drops is an omni-channel brand, selling D2C and also available in 2,000 retailers — loved by Oprah Magazine, Chrissy Teigen, and former first lady Michelle Obama. Sashee is a 1st Place $20K Women Founders Network pitch winner, 1st Place $100K Tory Burch Fellow Grant winner, and the 1st place $50K PepsiCo WomanMade Challenge winner. She has also raised over $8.4M in VC funding for Tea Drops. Website:  https://www.myteadrop.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXD5T8uVDJChFLtS8ld_4qw  Instagram: @myteadrop @sasheechandran Facebook: @myteadrop Twitter: @myteadrop LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tea-drops/  About the Host of the Live Greatly podcast, Kristel Bauer: Kristel, the Founder of Live Greatly, is on a mission to help people thrive personally and professionally. Kristel is a corporate wellness expert, Integrative Medicine Fellow, Top Keynote Speaker, TEDx speaker & contributing writer for Entrepreneur.  Kristel brings her expertise & extensive experience in Corporate Wellness, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Mindset, Resilience, Self-Care, and Stress Management to in-person and virtual events as Professional Keynote Speaker.  If you are looking for a female motivational speaker to inspire and empower your audience to reclaim their well-being, inner motivation and happiness, Kristel's message will leave a lasting impression. Kristel would be happy to discuss partnering with you to make your next event one to remember! Speaking Topics can be tailored to fit the needs of your group. To Book Kristel as a speaker for your next event, click here. Follow Kristel Bauer on: Instagram: @livegreatly_co LinkedIn: Kristel Bauer Twitter: @livegreatly_co Facebook: @livegreatly.co Youtube: Live Greatly, Kristel Bauer To Watch Kristel Bauer's TEDx talk of Redefining Work/Life Balance in a COVID-19 World click here.

Sashee Chandran, founder and CEO of Tea Drops, worked as a Business Analyst for Fortune 100 brands such as eBay. She always loved to drink tea, but found that she just didn't have the time to go through the whole process and created her own solution to this problem. Before long she had requests for her product and filed her own patent.Today, Tea Drops has been featured in Forbes, GMA, and Oprah Magazine leading Sashee to be placed on Inc.'s Female Founders 100 list. In this episode, Sashee discusses how she developed such an innovative product idea and the marketing territory that comes along with it. She explains the startup founder learning curve and how you can make adjustments in your pitching and the best strategies to gain investors. Check out this episode to hear more about:How anyone can (and should!) file a patentWhy pitch competitions might just be your smartest fundraising strategyWhy trade shows can be an absolute game changer in a startup's early stageConnect with your host on Instagram at @shauna.armitage and listen to more Startup Renegade stories at www.startuprenegades.com

How did a bath bomb profoundly inspire Sashee Chandran? As founder and CEO of Tea Drops, Sashee's organic, bagless, dissolvable, loose-leaf tea company has disrupted an age-old industry with its creativity, quality, and convenience. Listen as Sashee talks candidly about her experience of turning her passion into profit, starting and funding a venture-backed business, and why there is no better time to be a female founder than now. Note to All Readers: The information contained here reflects the views of AllianceBernstein L.P. or its affiliates and sources it believes are reliable as of the date of this podcast. AllianceBernstein L.P. makes no representations or warranties concerning the accuracy of any data. There is no guarantee that any projection, forecast or opinion in this material will be realized. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The views expressed here may change at any time after the date of this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. AllianceBernstein L.P. does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. It does not take an investor's personal investment objectives or financial situation into account; investors should discuss their individual circumstances with appropriate professionals before making any decisions. This information should not be construed as sales or marketing material or an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument, product or service sponsored by AllianceBernstein or its affiliates. The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein, and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark, used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P. © 2022 AllianceBernstein L.P.

Listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, and other platforms.    [02:10] Sashee gives an overview of what Tea Drops is [02:35] Sashee shares her background and her entrepreneurship journey that lead to launching Tea Drops [03:54] The things Sashee learned from her parents as she was growing up, including buying and selling homes, and how to run a store [05:42] Sashee shares what she learned working at eBay and how it helped her on running her own business [09:57] Sashee shares how she came up with Tea Drops and the process from ideating it to turning it into an actual business [13:05] Sashee shares where she got her funding and help for her business, including using her own funds and entering pitch competitions [16:46] Sashee shares some of her struggles in sharing her products in San Francisco versus when she moved to LA [17:26] Sashee talks about Tea Drops and how the business is going since its launched and the pandemic affected Tea Drops positively in terms of sales [20:36] What made Sashee move to San Diego, how Tea Drops work as a team, including having get-togethers and working remotely, and a job opening in their company [24:34] Sashee shares her favorite taco spots, City Tacos    Resources: Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson Follow Sashee online Twitter | LinkedIn   Tea Drops: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Hey and welcome back to the show! It's Doone here, your host and hype girl.In this episode I will give you a sneek peak of my book 'Your Hype Girl'Your Hype Girl is a compilation of 51 founder stories distilled into quick chapters with inspiring stories, actionable tips, and strictly no bS real-world advice for entrepreneurs.No matter what stage you're at. Think of this book as a modern day bible for women-in-progress, future founders and folks interested in the humans behind the brands we buy and love.Let's get straight into it! This is me for female startup club.LINKS WE MENTION:Book: Female Startup ClublegalpadIf you have something you want me to cover, reach out on Twitter or Instagram.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club's InstagramDoone's InstagramIn partnership with Klaviyo, the best email marketing tool for ecommerce businesses.Female Startup Club's YouTubeFemale Startup Club's Private Facebook GroupSay hello to Doone: hello@femalestartupclub.com

Sashee Chandran is the founder and CEO of Tea Drops, an organic tea company that has disrupted an age-old industry with its' creativity, quality, and convenience. But, success didn't come easy. Sashee talks candidly about her experience of starting and funding a venture-backed business, how the changes in digital marketing are impacting D2C brands, and the importance of mental health. Note to All Readers: The information contained here reflects the views of AllianceBernstein L.P. or its affiliates and sources it believes are reliable as of the date of this podcast. AllianceBernstein L.P. makes no representations or warranties concerning the accuracy of any data. There is no guarantee that any projection, forecast or opinion in this material will be realized. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The views expressed here may change at any time after the date of this podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. AllianceBernstein L.P. does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. It does not take an investor's personal investment objectives or financial situation into account; investors should discuss their individual circumstances with appropriate professionals before making any decisions. This information should not be construed as sales or marketing material or an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument, product or service sponsored by AllianceBernstein or its affiliates. The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein, and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark, used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P. © 2022 AllianceBernstein L.P.

Describes as the bath bombs of tea - My Tea Drops is a organic and fair trade tea. Sashee Chandran, the founder, wanted to create an environmentally friendly, convenient, high quality tea experience she didn't think existed. Their assortment of bagless, organic, whole leaf teas, Tea Drops sheds 15% less waste than traditional tea bags. Hear how she scaled her company and her advice to other aspiring female founders. This holiday she has a new Hello Kitty collection dropping in November.

In The Room with Sashee Chandran In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast with co-hosts Madison and Claudia, they are joined by Sashee Chandran, CEO, and Founder of Tea Drops. Founded in 2015, Tea Drops are organic, ground leaf teas pressed into fun shapes that dissolve in water. Think of a bath bomb, but tea! Using 15% less waste than traditional tea bags, Tea Drops provides an environmentally friendly, convenient, and high-quality tea experience. Tea Drops are now sold in nearly 2000 store retailers around the United States. This week’s key themes include what it's like to start and fund a venture-backed business in the CPG space, the importance of passion and grit, and the future for D2C. Let’s open the door. Season 4 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.

Sashee Chandran is the founder and CEO of Tea Drops, the organic, ground leaf teas that dissolve into your cup - no bag or infuser needed. On this episode of ITS, Sashee and Ali talk about sales channels and alignment - not every product makes sense in every channel, and every product has a few channels that really make sense. They also chat subscription, why it can be huge for a brand, but why it also requires more attention than you think.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support In The Sauce by becoming a member!In The Sauce is Powered by Simplecast.

We Talk About: Sashee's early career Figuring out where to start Pitching yourself to buyers Making your first hires Not making assumptions about what's going to last forever   Resources: myteadrop.com Instagram: @myteadrop Follow Alli: @alliwebb Follow Lori: @loriharder Follow Brittany: @britdrisc   Show Notes: Sashee Chandran is a big deal. She's launched an amazing tea brand and raised nearly $8.5 million in venture capital funding for her company, Tea Drops. She's unbelievably candid and humble, sharing everything she learned about starting a business, hiring, finding investors, and so much more. After this conversation, you'll feel like you have taken a crash course in founding a startup.   Question Highlights:   Where did your career start? What did you start working on first? Where did you start selling first? How did you start building your team? What has your experience been finding investors? What was your biggest takeaway from the past year?     Guest Bio: Sashee Chandran is founder and CEO of Tea Drops, which creates bagless, whole leaf teas using a patented process – shedding about 15% less waste than traditional tea bag packaging. Tea Drops has become a favorite among new and experienced tea drinkers alike, launching innovative tea experiences that merge flavorful blends, food art, and edgy design. Tea Drops is an omni-channel brand, selling D2C, and also available in 2,000 retailers – loved by Oprah Magazine, Tory Burch, and former First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sashee is a 1st place Women Founders Network pitch winner, 1st place Tory Burch Fellow grant winner, and the 1st place PepsiCo WomanMade Challenge winner. She has raised over $8.4M in venture funding for Tea Drops.

Today's guest is Sashee Chandran, founder of Tea Drops. She found a way to eliminate the tea bag by pressing tea into fun little shapes. Just drop them in hot water, et violà! You've got tea. What's most impressive about Sashee's story is not that she found a way to eliminate the tea bag, but that she shows how to build a successful company through incremental progress and learning from mistakes along the way. There was no “aha!” moment, just a series of steps that eventually led to her running a national brand and raising millions of dollars in VC funding. Listen in as we cover everything from why she initially wanted to sell customizable made-to-order cookies, tips for digital marketing both in the present and future, and how Chrissy Tiegen became her company's biggest fan.

In This Episode You'll Hear About:How growing up with entrepreneurial parents taught her a lot about hard work and hustle and why she was always interested in creative type careersWhat types of jobs helped her learn how to run a successful business and why her time at eBay was impactful in her experience with marketing, which is helpful today as she has been marketing her own productWhy tea has always been an important part of Sashee's life and how that became a pivotal part of becoming a Founder and creating Tea DropsWhat the impetus was for getting her to prove the concept and build her company  on a solid foundation that led to more opportunitiesWhy she is thankful she had to bootstrap this business in the beginning and why it helped her make great, strategic decisions early on What struggles Sashee and her team had to overcome in the beginning of building Tea Drops and what struggles still occur nowWhat fears she had to overcome, including the fear of public speaking, which she has now conquered and actually been rewarded for great pitches by PepsiCo and Tory BurchHow she's grown as a leader and what great advice she has for other Founders and operators who are wanting to build a successful business while maintaining a healthy life/work integrationTo Find Out More:MyTeaDrop.comQuotes:“I got exposed to email marketing, digital marketing, our social giving platform called eBay Giving Works at the time. And so I was exposed to a lot of different facets of marketing and that all was very useful when the time came for me to actually start marketing my own product.”“Growing up I was always exposed to tea culture and not just from a functional standpoint, that tea is a functional beverage that's good for you, but very much so that tea is this communal beverage that connects you to your culture, connects you to other people and connects you to your family.”“I loved every aspect of it. I loved the challenge of it. I loved not knowing what was happening next, but really working on something that I felt needed to exist in the world.”“Don't get me wrong, I was very scared. But I also knew that if I didn't try it now, I would have a sense of regret about it.”“Everything is nice in theory, but when you actually have to put it into application, practically do it, it's a whole different ball game.”“What bootstrapping does is it provides you with a certain discipline. You have to make hard choices and you have to do it with your own money.” “I grew the brand organically to probably 500K in revenue just from these boutique retailers before I took in capital, and that was really just a function of building a close relationship with the retailer early on.”“I think the challenge is more so just keeping an eye on what is your end goal and objective and not being so dissuaded or deflated by the feedback that people are naturally going to have, especially with something that's new.”

Thank you for tuning into "Starting Small", a podcast about brand development, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the modern world. In this episode, I am joined by Sashee Chandran, founder of Tea Drops, bagless, organic tea, pressed into shapes, which dissolve in your hot cup of water. Tea has always been a staple in Sashee's upbringing, especially being born to a Chinese mother and Sri Lankan father. She witnessed first hand how the ritual of tea brought people and communities together. Working in Silicon Valley, Sashee, like many others, Sashee consumed some form of beverage, for energy throughout the work day. The process of making loose leaf tea began to interfere with efficiency, simply due to the many steps. Tea Drops was created to eliminate the frustration of tea bags, and get straight to what the consumer wants... a ready to drink, hot cup of tea. Simply open the container, grab a drop, place it in your cup, and enjoy! Tea Drops can be found in over 1,500 stores nation wide along with DTC through their site.  Make sure to check out Tea Drops at: https://www.myteadrop.com/   Follow Starting Small: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startingsmallpod/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Startingsmallpod/?modal=admin_todo_tour LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/cameronnagle   Support for Starting Small comes from Humanscale, the leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic products that help create a healthier work life. All of their products, from chairs to standing desks and more, are comfortable, easy to use, and sustainable. And great for either the office or the work from home environment. With an increase in shifting workplaces, comfort can be especially hard to find. As I run the podcast, I am in front of my desk for hours a day; from scheduling, researching, interviewing, and more. Humanscale allows me to remain productive, without the consequence of body stress to follow.  Make sure to check out Humanscale at humanscale.com, and use code: STARTINGSMALL at checkout to save 20% on your purchase.   Thank you to this episodes mid break sponsor Ativafit. When it comes to keeping up a healthy and active lifestyle, it is easy to get side tracked. Busy schedules around work, school, and family make it hard to find time to go to the gym. Avitafit offers top-of-the-line quality fitness equipment, at a fraction of the cost. Make sure to check out Avitafit at: https://www.ativafit.com/

**This episode is brought to you by MuteSix, Omnisend, and Repeat**   "Seamless, easy, breezy, and experiential at the same time" - that's what products from Tea Drops strive to be. In the second half of this Feature, Sashee Chandran, Founder and CEO of Tea Drops shares the sacrifices she’s made to be a DTC brand founder. She shares her experience while making the product and her motive for creating a fun, universal, and accessible tea. There was a lot of instability at the start of the business. But according to Sashee, high-risk tolerance can be exciting for entrepreneurs. Also, her parents understood and supported her when she gave up her job at eBay for Tea Drops. In part 2, we discussed: Importance of family and relationships in life; How the product is made and works; What was her parent's reaction towards Tea Drops and their favorite products; When she felt it was a “real” business; What are their major products; New launches of the brand; and so much more. Join Ramon Vela and Sashee Chandran as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand. For more on Tea Drops, visit: https://www.myteadrop.com/ * OUR SHOW IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF MUTESIX. MuteSix is the leading agency in performance marketing. They have been in this space for nearly eight years, growing and scaling the world’s most recognizable e-commerce brands with breakthrough creative, targeted media buying and data-driven results in every step of the funnel. They're currently offering listeners a FREE omnichannel marketing audit. Their team of auditors will perform a deep dive analysis into your current marketing efforts and identify which strategies might be budget wasters and which strategies will improve performance. The audit covers all digital marketing channels, including Facebook, Google, Email, Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, Influencer, Programmatic, and Website CRO. For your free digital marketing consultation, visit: mutesix.com/storyofabrand * This episode was brought to you by Omnisend. Omnisend is an e-commerce marketing platform that goes above and beyond regular email campaigns - so you can start increasing your sales, not your workload. With Omnisend, you’ll be launching pre-built e-commerce automation in no time, as well as intuitively segmenting customers and even trying out SMS or push notifications - all from the same platform. The best part? Omnisend provides an immediate boost to your revenue while staying as comfortable as drag & drop email building - with automated emails averaging up to 40% of total email revenue. Join Hallmark, Duke Cannon, and 50,000 other high-growth brands who choose Omnisend to grow their e-commerce businesses on autopilot. Start your 14-day free trial today. No credit card is required. Visit https://www.omnisend.com/sob/ * This episode was brought to you by Repeat. Repeat is the easiest way for your customers to reorder products they love. Repeat will automate a frictionless reordering experience for the most significant part of a CPG brand’s customer base: The non-subscriber. Repeat uses machine learning to analyze one-time shopper behavior, automates reorder notifications, and delivers personalized replenishment carts that aid in up-sell and cross-sell efforts. The result? Higher LTV, better margins, and more insights on your best customers. To learn more, visit https://signup.getrepeat.io/

**This episode is brought to you by MuteSix, Omnisend, and Repeat**   “Life is about choices”, said Sashee Chandran, Founder and CEO of Tea Drops, an organic tea company that makes an assortment of bagless whole leaf tea. Sashee comes from a very tea-centric household where she grew up appreciating loose leaf tea. During her college years and working days at Silicon Valley, she never came across any convenient yet high-quality loose leaf tea options. She did not like tea bags due to bleaching and plastic. This personal frustration led her to launch Tea Drops. For Sashee, Tea Drops is like a canvas that helps her in expressing herself. In part 1 of this Feature, she talks about: Her gratefulness towards her teacher; Overview of the brand; The inspiration behind Tea Drops; How she brought bath bombs and tea together; What were the challenges at the beginning; Her advice for tackling hurdles; A most rewarding aspect of being an entrepreneur; What sacrifices she made; and so much more. Join Ramon Vela and Sashee Chandran as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand. For more on Tea Drops, visit: https://www.myteadrop.com/ * OUR SHOW IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF MUTESIX. MuteSix is the leading agency in performance marketing. They have been in this space for nearly eight years, growing and scaling the world’s most recognizable e-commerce brands with breakthrough creative, targeted media buying and data-driven results in every step of the funnel. They're currently offering listeners a FREE omnichannel marketing audit. Their team of auditors will perform a deep dive analysis into your current marketing efforts and identify which strategies might be budget wasters and which strategies will improve performance. The audit covers all digital marketing channels, including Facebook, Google, Email, Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, Influencer, Programmatic, and Website CRO. For your free digital marketing consultation, visit: mutesix.com/storyofabrand * This episode was brought to you by Omnisend. Omnisend is an e-commerce marketing platform that goes above and beyond regular email campaigns - so you can start increasing your sales, not your workload. With Omnisend, you’ll be launching pre-built e-commerce automation in no time, as well as intuitively segmenting customers and even trying out SMS or push notifications - all from the same platform. The best part? Omnisend provides an immediate boost to your revenue while staying as comfortable as drag & drop email building - with automated emails averaging up to 40% of total email revenue. Join Hallmark, Duke Cannon, and 50,000 other high-growth brands who choose Omnisend to grow their e-commerce businesses on autopilot. Start your 14-day free trial today. No credit card is required. Visit https://www.omnisend.com/sob/ * This episode was brought to you by Repeat. Repeat is the easiest way for your customers to reorder products they love. Repeat will automate a frictionless reordering experience for the most significant part of a CPG brand’s customer base: The non-subscriber. Repeat uses machine learning to analyze one-time shopper behavior, automates reorder notifications, and delivers personalized replenishment carts that aid in up-sell and cross-sell efforts. The result? Higher LTV, better margins, and more insights on your best customers. To learn more, visit https://signup.getrepeat.io/

“Luck is hard work and opportunity meeting.” – Sashee Chandran This week on the Gooder Podcast, I had the pleasure of talking with Sashee Chandran, the founder and CEO of Tea Drops. We discuss the historical colonial influence in American tea culture and how her diverse background has encouraged her to create something new: Tea Drops. We also learn about the tea category shaking innovation of Tea Drops' products and some of the trends her brand is leveraging. Along the way, we get to hear the inspirational story of a diligent and humble entrepreneur who transforms the traditional way of enjoying tea. In this episode we learn: - About the history and inspiration of Tea Drops. - The surprising A-ha moment of her product idea. - About her go-to-market alternate channel strategy, and why it worked.  - Where Sashee’s passion and drive for risk-taking come from. - What Tea Drop's give-back program has been doing to tackle the global water crisis. - Diana and Sashee's personal stories about their love for tea and how tea has helped them connect to their loved ones. About Sashee Chandran: Sashee Chandran is the founder and CEO of Tea Drops, which creates bagless whole leaf teas using a patented process — shedding about 15% less waste than traditional tea bag packaging. Tea Drops has become a favorite among new and experienced tea drinkers alike, launching innovative tea experiences that merge flavorful blends, food art and edgy design. Tea Drops an omnichannel brand, selling D2C and also available in 1,500 retailers — loved by Oprah Magazine, Chrissy Teigen, and former first lady Michelle Obama. Sashee is a 1st Place $20K Women Founders Network pitch winner, 1st Place $100K Tory Burch Fellow Grant winner, and the 1st place $50K PepsiCo WomanMade Challenge winner. She has also raised over $3.5M in VC funding for Tea Drops. Guests Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasheechandran/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sasheechandran/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sasheec Email: sashee@myteadrop.com Website: https://www.myteadrop.com/ Show Resources: Loose leaf tea is tea that does not come pre-packaged in tea bags. Because the leaves are not crammed into a tea bag, the tea maintains a higher quality and aroma while offering the best possible health benefits. eBay Inc. is an American multinational e-commerce corporation based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995, and became a notable success story of the dot-com bubble.  Bubble tea is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. It most commonly consists of tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls, but it can be made with other toppings as well. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification. Tory Burch Foundation competition Designed to provide women entrepreneurs with the tools and platform necessary to grow their business. 8Greens is an effervescent dietary supplement tablet, packed with enough superfoods to give your healthy diet a green boost.  United Natural Foods, Inc. is a Providence, R.I.-based natural and organic food company. It is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of health and specialty food in the United States and Canada. UNFI is Whole Foods Market's main supplier, with their traffic making up over a third of its revenue in 2018. Nordstrom, Inc. is an American luxury department store chain. Founded in 1901 by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin, it originated as a shoe store and evolved into a full-line retailer with departments for clothing, footwear, handbags, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, and fragrances.  Neiman Marcus Group, Inc., originally Neiman-Marcus, is an American chain of luxury department stores owned by the Neiman Marcus Group, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization whose aim is to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world where it is not immediately available. The Thirst Project collects money and builds wells all across the continent of Africa where villages do not have immediate drinking water. Episode Sponsor - Retail Voodoo: A creative marketing firm specializing in growing, fixing and reinventing brands in the food, beverage, wellness and fitness industry. If your natural brand is in need of positioning, package design or marketing activation, we’re here to help. You can find more information at www.retail-voodoo.com

Sashee Chandran is the Founder & CEO of California based company, Tea Drops. After initially starting the brand as a passion project and side gig, she has raised $3.5 million and garnered mainstream attention from the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Tory Burch. She joins Ara to discuss growing up on a tea estate and learning to sell from a young age, how one tweet changed her entire life, and the power of both learning to let go and celery juice.***To support the work we do to tell creator stories around the world, become a VIP fan - CLICK HERE!***Connect with Sashee - https://www.instagram.com/sasheechandran/Follow Tea Drops - https://www.instagram.com/myteadrop/Timestamps:00:15 - Introducing Sashee Chandran01:23 - Growing up on a tea estate with entrepreneurial parents04:35 - Learning to sell from a young age05:24 - Starting Tea Drops while working a full-time job at eBay in Silicon Valley06:46 - How Sashee knew it was time to quit her job and go all-in on Tea Drops10:57 - The process of patenting Tea Drops13:39 - The impact of being tweeted about by Chrissy Teigen15:58 - Transitioning from bootstrapping to raising funds18:31 - Maintaining open to feedback while having conviction in what you're building22:48 - Raising $3.5 million to date and embarking on a $5 million series A round24:39 - Receiving support from her family, friends, and mentors27:18 - Meeting people she would have never expected28:06 - Following her father's “Horizon Theory”30:05 - Expanding beyond tea to incorporate and emphasize self-care34:59 - Wanting to separate work from her personal life, and investing in other founders41:20 - What Sashee would be doing if Tea Drops wasn't a thing46:24 - Why Sashee moved into a 250-sqft home and got rid of 75% of her belongings49:47 - Sashee's view on social media51:40 - Sashee's interests outside of work (spending time with family and travelling)54:04 - How the book “Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer helped Sashee learn to let go56:12 - The power of celery juice57:20 - Wanting to make other people feel like they are the priority58:40 - The influence of Tamil culture on Sashee01:00:17 - Admiration for Maitreyi Ramakrishnan01:01:37 - Sashee's advice to other Tamil creators01:02:38 - Would You Rather

Meet Sashee Chandran, a woman empowering others in the industry. Sashee is the founder and CEO at tea drops. Tea drops is an innovative tea company based in California that creates organic and bagless teas. Sashee's mother was Chinese and her father was Sri Lankan. Before founding tea drops, Sashee worked in Silicon Valley leading digital marketing and market research campaigns for fortune 100 brands. Highlights from the episode; Sashee stresses that the main uniqueness about tea drops is in the form factor. She symbolizes her tea drops to a bath bomb in the manner which they dissolve in hot water. Sashee tells how she was fused to loving Chinese and Sri Lankan dishes because of her parents. She quotes it to have been really exciting. (Delicious she whispers) Sashee says that she has a utility patent for the process of how tea drops are made. she says that it was a long process. Pek asks Sashee to explain when she decided to bootstrap it, she starts off by explaining that a part of it was like she was deciding to do an MBA at that time and the money she would have she'd shift it to email startup money. Asked on how a grant from Tory Burch came about, Sashee explains how they made top 50 and top 10 in the fellow program. It provided her with the opportunity to pitch in front of Tory Birch and her panel. On how she got Michelle Obama and Chris's Tiegen rave about her tea, she just says that it's important to send your products everywhere so that you can create your own luck and she narrates how after sending her product she received a letter months later in her office with a seal from the white house. As the episode draws to its conclusion, Pek asks Sashee if there's anything she could have done differently. Sashee says that not having a place to turn to like a founder community was really lonely.

We talk innovation in tea, pitching at events, networking, raising capital, building a direct to consumer business, and reenergizing marketing and advertising.

Sashee Chandran didn't start out as an entrepreneur. She started out as the daughter of Chinese and Sri Lankan immigrants and grew up steeped in tea culture. She went on to work for Ebay, but when her side hustle of selling loose leaf tea began to take off she made the decision to leave her job and pursue it full time. She had no experience in entrepreneurship, but, like the other obstacles that came her way, this didn't stop her from pioneering Tea Drops, a company specializing in teabag-free, delicious loose leaf tea. Today, she tells me about her journey. She speaks about the need to pursue what you love and to know what you need to delegate. She talks about resilience and preparation for failure, and how it's okay to figure things out as you go. She shares lessons she's learned from experience rather than from the books, such as the idea that sometimes band-aid solutions are okay. She notes the importance of self-care and the fact that we're not machines. She tops the episode off with some tea flavor recommendations and her favorite mantra. “There is a solution out there if you just keep going.” This week on SocialFly's Entreprenista Podcast: Figuring it out as you goResilience                             Focusing on the things you loveThe role of band-aid solutionsSelf-care and communityTrusting your gut Connect with Sashee Personal InstagramPersonal TwitterCompany InstagramCompany TwitterWebsite (Use coupon code Entreprenista20 for 20% off) Say “Hello!” To DigiCards™ Are you ready to take your virtual team meetings to the next level? Are you tired of yelling “You're on mute!” at your computer screen and letting the important points you were trying to make get lost? If you're tired of leading unproductive, distraction-filled team meetings, then it's time for you to say “Hello!” to DigiCards. Each pack of virtual meeting cards include 20 color-coded professional cards designed to streamline your meeting communications while allowing each meeting to create an opportunity for collaboration and fun. Say “Goodbye!” to waving your arms, being ignored, and frantically typing in the chat. Start your next virtual meeting with DigiCards - the virtual meeting cards for entreprenistas. To grab your deck of DigiCards and bring fun, engagement, and collaboration back into your team meetings, visit www.hellodigicards.com. Use the coupon code: Entreprenista15 to receive 15% off your first order. Become An Entreprenista! Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | GooglePlay Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Tea was always a family affair for Sashee Chandran and growing up, she loved the social ritual of sharing a cup of tea with friends and family. It was only when she was working her first corporate job at Ebay that she realized how challenging it was to prepare loose leaf tea at her desk between meetings, and that is when the light bulb went off! Fast forward five years, Sashee is the founder of Tea Drops - an innovative company that offers fair trade, organic and loose leaf tea that works exactly like a bath bomb - all you have to do is drop it in hot water and enjoy! You're about to hear how Sashee built her business from the ground up,  Coming up, you'll hear: The impact Growing up with tea-loving parents made on Sashee  How Sashee had an “aha moment” while working at Ebay, and when she realized she wanted to take the leap and start Tea DropsDeciding to start a business instead of getting an MBA,Facing hard truths in the beginning regarding how much packaging and manufacturing would add up to, and having to adapt her budgetFiguring out how to write a patent in order to protect her unique ideaHow dedicating time to networking and entering pitch competitions led her to build a community and meet angel investorsThe moment when she realized she needed to raise capital, and how she went about itHow Sashee got comfortable with taking capital and making a plan with itHow the brand has connected with their community over the past few years, turning the ritual of drinking tea into a community-centric activityHow COVID-19 impacted her company and team, and key learning that came from 2020Sashee's best remote working tips, and ways in which she stays connected with her team despite being far awayA recent lifestyle change, which involved downsizing her apartment and getting rid of anything that was not essentialFinally, Sashee's best business tip - Just keep going!

Sashee Chandran didn't start out as an entrepreneur. She started out as the daughter of Chinese and Sri Lankan immigrants and grew up steeped in tea culture. She went on to work for eBay, but when her side hustle of selling loose leaf tea began to take off, she made the decision to leave her job and pursue it full time. She had no experience in entrepreneurship, but, like the other obstacles that came her way, this didn't stop her from pioneering Tea Drops, a company specializing in teabag-free, delicious loose-leaf tea. Today, Sashee Chandran tells me about her journey. She speaks about the need to pursue what you love and to know what you need to delegate. She talks about resilience and preparation for failure, and how it's okay to figure things out as you go. She shares lessons she's learned from experience rather than from the books, such as the idea that sometimes band-aid solutions are okay. She notes the importance of self-care and the fact that we're not machines. She tops the episode off with some tea flavor recommendations and her favorite mantra. “There is a solution out there if you just keep going.” This week on the Entreprenista Podcast: Figuring it out as you go Resilience Focusing on the things you love The role of band-aid solutions Self-care and community Trusting your gut Connect with Sashee Personal Instagram Personal Twitter Company Instagram Company Twitter Website (Use coupon code Entreprenista20 for 20% off) Say “Hello!” To DigiCards™ Are you ready to take your virtual team meetings to the next level? Are you tired of yelling “You're on mute!” at your computer screen and letting the important points you were trying to make get lost? If you're tired of leading unproductive, distraction-filled team meetings, then it's time for you to say “Hello!” to DigiCards. Each pack of virtual meeting cards includes 20 color-coded professional cards designed to streamline your meeting communications while allowing each meeting to create an opportunity for collaboration and fun. Say “Goodbye!” to waving your arms, being ignored, and frantically typing in the chat. Start your next virtual meeting with DigiCards - the virtual meeting cards for entreprenistas. To grab your deck of DigiCards and bring fun, engagement, and collaboration back into your team meetings, visit www.hellodigicards.com. Use the coupon code: Entreprenista15 to receive 15% off your first order. Become An Entreprenista! Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | GooglePlay Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Sashee Chandran is the founder and CEO of a multi-million dollar company that creates organic, bagless teas. Tea Drops can be found in over 1,500 retail stores nationwide, has been featured on Good Morning America and Oprah Magazine as well as loved by female leaders like Chrissy Teigen, Tory Burch, and Michelle Obama. Join us on today's episode to learn how Sashee founded Tea Drops, and her inspiration behind it

We have a tea party with Tea Drops Founder Sashee Chandran.  And her mother Mae walks us through her scone recipe and award winning marmalade secrets. Listen to Sashee's episode of The Passionistas Project Podcast here. Listen to Mae's episode of The Passionistas Project Podcast here.

Tea Drops Founder Sashee Chandran talks about starting her company Tea Drops and how she is pivoting because of COVID-19. Listen to Sashee's episode of The Passionistas Project Podcast here.

PepsiCo is tackling gender-based investment disparity through its Frito-Lay inaugural WomanMade Expo West Challenge that awarded $100,000 in business grants to three female entrepreneurs. Listen to Ciara Dilley, vice president of marketing, transform brands and portfolio innovation for Frito-Lay, and first-place winner Sashee Chandran discuss challenges and opportunities facing female entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry.

Joining me today is the inspiring founder of Tea Drops, Sashee Chandran. Tea Drops can be found in over 3,000 retail stores nationwide, as well as online and on The Home Shopping Network. Sashee's innovative product has been featured in Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Magazine, counting the likes of mega celebrities like Michelle Obama and Chrissy Tiegen as fans. But, the true source of pride for Sashee and her company is the community and human connections fostered by making loose leaf tea more accessible and convenient for all. In our interview, Sashee shares how she bootstrapped and scaled her company, why a “no,” is actually a positive thing, and the importance of prioritizing mental health as an entrepreneur. If you want to try Tea Drops yourself, Sashee was kind enough to give our listeners a special discount! Use code (SPILLTHETEA) at teadrop.com to save 20% on your order Connect With Sashee:The Tea Drops Website www.myteadrop.com On Instagram: @myteadropOn Facebook:  https://facebook.com/myteadrop If you enjoyed today's episode, please:Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @missellenyin & @cubicletoceo so I can repost youLeave a positive review on Apple PodcastsSubscribe for new episodes every Monday ----- FREE RESOURCES:Service-based entrepreneurs, are you tired of being on the content hamster wheel + hustling for more followers without more income? I created a FREE, on-demand training just for you on how to use my step-by-step client attraction system to create your first $10K month, WITHOUT a large audience or complicated marketing strategies! Claim your bonus gift by watching now:  ellenyin.com/class

Mae Chandran overcame a difficult childhood in China, and fled from a dysfunctional family life in the US. She went to college in California where she met and married her husband. After having two children, she left a successful career to raise them, vowing to give her family the happy home life that she never had. These days she enjoys watching her children flourish, gardening and cooking, and has won the international silver award in a UK marmalade contest. Find out more about Mae Chandran Read more about The Passionistas Project. FULL TRANSCRIPT: Passionistas: Hi and welcome to the Passionistas Project Podcast. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington. About a year ago we interviewed Sashee Chandran, the innovator behind the premium beverage line Tea Drops, and during our chat she spoke about her mother Mae, who is her biggest cheerleader and a constant source of support. We were beyond excited when Sashee nominated Mae to be a guest on our podcast. Mae overcame a difficult childhood in China, and fled from a dysfunctional family life in the US when she went to college in California. After marrying her husband she left a successful career to raise a family, vowing to give them the happy home life that she never had. So please welcome to the show Mae Chandran. Mae: Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. Passionistas: What are you most passionate about? Mae: I think I'm most passionate about food and cooking. I'm passionate about gardens and my little babies. I call them. So many things I'm passionate about. I have a lot of interests. That's what keeps me going. So cooking and gardening and of course my family. Passionistas: Take us back to the beginning and tell us where you were born and where you grew up. Mae: I was born in Canton, China, Southern China in 1948 just after the war and since I was a baby of that era in China. It was a very difficult time and my parents had me late in life because my father came to make his fortune. He went the way of Cuba and then he came to Massachusetts and my mom was still in China. Usually the husband goes abroad, then leaves the family behind. And so my mom was there. This is like after world war two people fled to Hong Kong. So I was three years old when we went to Hong Kong. I mom was there and we live together. She was called to come to America and in 1952 she came, I was four years old. She left me behind with her friend. She took care of me and it was very difficult because you're four years old, but it had to be because when you're a baby, when you're a woman, you're not worth much. My father saw my birth papers because it was worth some money because of that, I didn't have identity and so I couldn't come with my mom, so my mom had to leave me and I knew she was leaving, but I didn't want to give her a lot of trouble. I was very sad, but I took her to the airport with a lot of other people and then she went in the, I had no idea when she was going to see me next, but the lady she left me with was very nice to me. She was okay. I remember she used to always say I was like three or four stripped down to your waist because I want to show your mom pictures. And I never know why she wanted to do it that way. But I realized later she wanted to show my mom that I was eating okay. And I was okay when my mom left, you know, in those we don't talk on the phone or anything. She just left. I didn't know when I was going to see her. I was so sad that nobody could talk about my mom because I would cry anyway. I live with this lady. She was a young widow, like all people in Hong Kong, they want to do better. So when an older gentleman came to Hong Kong, he was searching for wife. So she took the opportunity to go with him. So I somehow found out and later on I went to see her mother-in-law and I remember going to this dark room and she was in a bed by herself, and then she shouted at me and said, I use leaving. Me too. Everybody's leaving me. So I started crying. I didn't know what she meant. Anyway, after my friend left, my parents had to scramble and find someone else to take care of me, so they found this family of six kids. I was the oldest. I think at that point I was about maybe seven and I was probably the same age as the other girl, and this family was very different. I was like the little maid. I had to do a lot of the laundry and whatever, and they didn't really care for me because he has six children and they probably just wanted to take me because they knew my parents would send money. So they took the money. And even though the husband was very nice, I remember when I first met him, he took my necklace away, my little Jane necklace. My mom came me, he says, I don't want you to lose it, so I'm going to keep that safe for you. And then when you go to America, when you join your mother, I will give it back to you. So I said, okay. And then I live with them. And the mother, she was a terrible woman and if you thought she was terrible, her mom who used to visit was horrible. There are some of these people in the Chinese people, they say your face turns ashen when you get mashed. She was one of those people. She was a terrible person and we just dread her coming. But other than that I was kind of left alone. I said when they needed me to do things for them, I would roam the streets and it's amazing. Nothing happened to me because I would just go everywhere in the neighborhood and Hong Kong, you know, it's a very populated place. So I would just go and in my literal imagination, I was going to school at that time, I would tell people that my parents live in America and they're very wealthy and they're going to come for me and this stuff. And the bus driver was saying, Oh, so tell me what it's like in America and I will make up all these tall tales. I just wanted to be maybe self-important. So I live with them for about three years and I was hungry a lot of times and I slept on a hard plywood near the door and I could feel the rest come running up and down. As a kid. It's kind of normal and you don't think, Oh wow, yuck. That was how I lived for a few years with them. Causes wasn't a happy childhood. But anyway, I live with these people. Then the mother-in-law lived with us, you know, and Chinese family, they all live together. She was a horrible person. So they will use me a six, seven year old kid and go and spy on the other person and then report back to them. So I was doing this for them. Then I didn't know you're not supposed to do that, but I did. So they were horrible people. The only person nice was the father, but he was never around. He had to work. Then shortly after that, I had a uncle who used to come. He came into the scene and he was taking me to immigrations and I didn't know why I had to go to immigration. They would ask me questions. Apparently what happened was this, I didn't really know the full story, but my mom who had come to America, she was going crazy because she left me. She was having hallucinations. So somehow they had to yet me to America, but I didn't have my papers. So they decided was to come co a story that I was the orphan child. I hadn't lost my parents and I'm a junkie, you know those ships somehow it sink and I was the only survivor. I don't know how this story came about, but that was the story. So they would interview me and I would go there. They would ask about this. Every time they asked me about my mom, I would start crying. They couldn't go anywhere with me. I remember the ladies said to the other people or don't ask her anymore, and they just gave me some candy to entertain me. So I didn't really have to answer too many questions. So I was going to America and the husband of this people I was living with, he was true to his word. He gave me back my J a necklace and he said, here it is, but the mug Kinlaw law was so Cru. She said, you know what? I hope your plane crashes when you go to America. When I came to America, I told my mom that, and she confronted her and but she denied it. So anyway, I was so happy. I had met this man who was going to accompany me. He was Mr. Wong. He was a middle aged man. He was dead to get married. So he married this beautiful woman. She was about 18 and they bought me my suitcase and I had two outfits, I think to my name and one pair of shoe P accompany me. The bright had to stay behind them because of maybe paperwork. And we stopped in Honolulu and I remember it was beautiful there. And he called my mom and I talked to my mom for the first time ever since she left me. And I swear her voice sounded like an Angel's voice to me at that time. I was so happy. I was gonna see her. And then we landed in California and I still remember to this day the smell of the citrus in this motel we were staying. And that's a memory that's sort of ingrained in me. And we finally arrived in Boston, Logan International Airport. And my brother was there. My brother is 17 years older than me, so I remember he, my mom, my father was there and a young girl who was 15 named Betty to this stay with friends. She lives in Honolulu now and they were there to pick me up. I knew they had a restaurant, we went to the restaurant. But it was nighttime and there was nothing. What I imagined was just like two tables and it was so dark. And I kept asking my mom where all the customers, she says, don't say that. Don't say that, cause that's bad luck. Can you say that in Chinese? You're asking where the customers, you're not supposed to say to them like that. So I just had no clue. And then the next day I remember she said, go and watch the moving pictures. I said, what do you mean? And then she turned on the TV for me and is moving pictures and it was like a miracle. Oh my God, I never seen this. So I was so happy to be in America, to be with my mom. And even though I looked back, that place was so dinky. I know that it was a very small restaurant. We would make maybe $50 and the waitress was still 10 so it was very beginning. Then my parents bought this other restaurant around the corner on Brightman street. This was on main street. And then we moved there and then life became better materially. However, it was not a happy childhood because you know when you're a girl in that era, you know buddy really and my father treated me like nobody. That was the first time I ever met him. I never saw him. He was like a stranger to me and my parents did not have a good marriage. In fact, they hate each other and that hatred. He sort of hated me because he didn't get along well with my mom. There was always this terrible in harmony between them. My only salvation was school. I loved school because to be home and that environment was not pleasant. Then my brother got married, he went to Hong Kong and got married to a young woman and you don't know Hong Kong people there. I like rats 25 square miles and you get all these millions of people so you become very aggressive. Your grabber and that was what my sister long was. She came from a large family, I think seven children and she was I think 19 and she was 10 years older than me. From the moment she came, she demanded the business. She wanted the restaurant because the restaurant was doing well now because we had moved and in those days, you know, Fall River was 90% Catholic. So we did really well on Fridays when they didn't eat meat, they had to come to the restaurant or eat the Champaign sandwiches. So she demanded that restaurant. And because my mom and my father never got along, it's like this, like Lincoln said, a house divided cannot stand. So she demanded the restaurant and she got it. And my mom was very sad because I was the enemy, you know, I was going to get nothing and what can I do? I'm 10 years old, you're at their mercy and I see my father caved in. Well first of all he was a very weak man and my mom did not have a mind of her own either. And the reason why my father relinquishes so easily is because in the Chinese culture, your oldest son is supposed to take care of you. And that's what he thought. They would look after him. The only person who loved me was my mom. Everybody else wish I wasn't even there. And definitely my sister in law looked at me as just a threat to what she can get, and my brother had such a weak spine. He just listened to whatever she says. Instead of being the protective brother, he should've been. He just treated me terrible. I was always under his thumb, whatever I did anything wrong. He would say, I'm going to tell your teacher I was teacher's pet. I did so well in school, but that was what he said. And I went to my mom and I said, mom, you know, this is my brother. He's always saying this to me. Why don't you say something to them? My mom said, he's only doing what's good for you, but I knew that was a pack of lies. Right then in there, I decided, I'm getting out of here the minute I can't, I'm getting out because my father thought nothing of me, even though I did so well in school. He said to me one time, you know, even if you do very well and you become famous or never think anything of you, you can't imagine a parent saying that to you. But it happened. So when I became a college age, I got accepted into almost all the schools because I was such a great student. He was very angry. I want to go to UCLA. So that was it. That was good by a good riddens. And the minute I came to California, I felt very sad because my mom pleaded with me not to come. I was her only comfort. Her only friend in a marriage that was horrible in a family that did not love her. But I know to survive I had to do it. And she asked me, aren't you going to be lonely? And I said, yeah, I will be. But I knew this was the only way out. So I came out to California and she told me at that time, and she told me, okay, you go into California, I want you to go to all the Chinese functions and meet a Chinese boy. Don't shame the family. That was a big thing. My God. If you marry outside of your family, you bring shame. And I knew that was such a stupid concept. Well, I'll tell you, well, my first dances, my second year, I meet my husband at a Chinese dance. I did what she told me to do, but I met the wrong person and then I tried to tell my mom and because I thought, you know, I should tell him that I'm kidding. Married to him. I didn't know how to say Sri Lanka at that time. It was salon. I didn't know the Chinese word for salon, so I sent India, so I say, I'm going to marry somebody from India. He said to me, why do you want to marry somebody from a third world country? So he disowned me completely, which was not nothing new for me, mom of, because a mom is a mom. She was at the wedding. But I'll tell you, that's why I tell my kids, you guys are so lucky. I had so many obstacles. I had to first come here and then, Oh become my family. Then I had to somehow get married to Bala and both sides were not happy. His mom was very upset and he was the oldest, so he had to go back. Yet the system married yet everybody settle. And so by the time we met and we got married, was seven years had elapsed. I had to finish school. I met him when I was a sophomore. I had to finish school, he had to go back and then he came back. So it was not easy at all. Up to that point, my life was not easy. My only hope was a happy family to grow up in a normal family. I always thought it was weird because we lived upstairs in the restaurant and I said, why can't I be like, uh, I used to read this book. You are Susan and term with the dog Flip and live in a nice white picket fence house and I'm living in top of the restaurant. And when I got to like 12 and 13 I had to help out with the restaurant and work in the restaurant. I got scars from peeling potatoes and all. I never really had it easy. And when I met people who were happy, it was so foreign to me because here I'm in this dysfunctional family and even what I was, my childhood was so crazy that my only dream was to have a good family and that's why Sashee asked me the other day, she says, “mom, did you have any other dreams other than a happy family and be married?” Yeah, I did. But in my opinion, having a happy family is everything. So I knew that as a child, my only hope was a happy family to grow up in a normal family. So I knew that as a child, that was really the driving force for me and I think I've achieved it. I worked for Morgan Stanley as a stockbroker and it was fun, but I'm never going to send the one I'd find with any of these jobs. I was entrepreneur, I was at the swap meet and I'm grateful I had it because it gave sheet an opportunity to deal with the public. She was only seven and my son was 12 he was the little manager in one of the computers store and he eventually stopped working for Google because of his knowledge of computers and everything. So I took the job because I probably thought I would work on the weekends and spend the rest of the time with my kids who are young. But it's a very time consuming effort. But I'm grateful I did it because my kids got the most out of it. I'm so proud of my kids. I don't think I had anything to do with this. Assess both of them. I'm very proud. My son, he's the sweetest boy. I can't imagine having two great kids like this, but it was like a gift from God. If God had given me a book of all the kids that were going to be born and asked me to choose a boy and a girl, I couldn't have done better. Really, I could have. I'm so grateful because for whatever reason, Bala and I think about this all the time, you know, we think of karma of your past life, what you have to do, what of whatever reason. I had to go through so much stuff in order to be where I am. So maybe it's okay because what I am today I became because of all my past, I so appreciate the moments I have. Nobody can appreciate my home more than me, my retirement more than me cause I know what it could be. Passionistas: We're Amy and Nancy Harrington and you're listening to the Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Mae Chandran. To see photos of Mae's beautiful gardens, delicious culinary treats and beloved family, follow her on Instagram at MaeC Chandran. Now here's more of our interview with Mae. Passionistas: It's one thing to say that you want to have a happy family. It's another thing altogether to actually create a happy family. How did you do it? Mae: Well, you know, my dream was always a happy family. Really, truly, I knew that I was born to be a mother. I just knew that because I knew I could not make any difference. I am a very smart person. I was a good student and all, but it didn't matter. That's the outside world. I knew that I was born to be a mother and my nurturing on my kids. There was nothing greater than that. I know some people, some women are not. They don't feel like I do and it's okay. But I felt that way. I felt my family was everything and I was going to create this family. I didn't know how my children would grow up. I had challenges like everybody else. I think I got lucky. Two great kids. And Bala was working so hard, we didn't have time. I was the one at home and when Sashee was born, I quit because I was so toward when Prakash I was at work, I was thinking about him and when I'm home I'm thinking about my work and I would talk to the babysitter, asked the babysitter was INI. Finally my supervisor, whom I didn't respect at all, came in and says, you know what, if you can't run your job and take care of your kid, you shouldn't be here. I know every day what your kid eats. So I said to him, I shot right back. What about you in your tennis partners every day? I know who you're playing with. What about that? Well, of course, you know, he didn't forget that when time for review, well, I worked for Getty Oil Company. This was the old boys network. Women were frowned upon. Friday by noon everybody was drunk. All the guys, if you had a DUI that was more forgivable then a woman taking care of a baby, missing work. I remember talking to this manager. He was very ambitious. He knew where he want to go and he called me to his office one day. He told me a few things about me taking a break to go and eat cause I was pregnant. I was always hungry and then about my son being sick. I had to take some days off. He said, you know what? You can't do that. I see you have twins, don't you as a parent feel what I am going through. You said no, he didn't understand at all. You had to be one of the guys. You had to be able to talk sports about flat tie. When it comes to sports, they would talk about football every Monday they would talk about everything else was some work they would go drinking. I was not part of that group, but today it's so different. It's so conducive to mothers. I saw a Google, they have a nursing session for the mothers. It was so different. And my daughter, you know, I'm so happy that she is just a superstar and she's going all the way and just really proud of her. So when she asked me the question, is that all you ever wanted mom? I said, yeah, I want to be a business tycoon. But that didn't happen. But I had you guys and y'all gonna be the business tycoons, so you have fulfilled my wish. Family creation is God's grace. I think if you spend a lot of time on your kids and give them the right values, they're going to be okay. And that's what I try to do. I mean, I know some great parents whose kids went astray, so I don't know why. So I just feel maybe, you know, you can have luck too. Maybe I was lucky, but I'll take luck. I'll take like any day. Passionistas: One of your other big contributions to society are those delicious scones and the incredible marmalade that we were lucky enough to taste earlier today. Mae: Appreciate it. Passionistas: Oh my God, we appreciate you treating us. So tell us about your passion for food and specifically about the marmalade and how that came about.  Mae: I really don't even know how I became interested in my family to his bone. And 10 years ago I read about something about it and to me, I like to take on a challenge because marmalade is the granddaddy of all, like jams and preserves are not as complicated. So I started experimenting. I'm a person, if I pick on a subject, I read everything about it. So I did my research, I did all the YouTube. So I did it. And then I did my own, I knew some of the basic steps and so I did it and it came up pretty good. So I saw this marmalade awards contest in Cumbria UK, England. So I was thinking, Ooh, maybe I should enter that. I swear in my mind, I know people are gonna think I'm crazy, but I swear I was English in a former life of recent incarnation. The reason why I say that is because I love all things English. I visited Wadsworth country, the poet, and I just felt immediately a connection. And I'm reading right now about country and manners, Jane Austen's time, and I'm just fascinated by it. So I'm fascinated by all things English. So I saw this awards contest, but I felt I wasn't good enough. Then finally after two years gone, I say, you know, it's now or never, I'm going to enter this contest. So I entered and I couldn't believe I won the international silver the first time. I mean, yeah, they have a lot of categories, but they also have over 3000 entries from all over the world. So you're competing against the best of the best. I was very glad. And then the judges will give you a score card and tell you the color, the consistency and the tastes and so many factors they tell you. And that was very helpful to me. So I entered again this year and I again won the international silver. Now I said to myself, I can break this barrier. I got to go for the gold. Now there is a woman who teaches, who's an English woman who has won the double goal, which is the top prize. However she got it. When there were only 50 entries. So I see. I don't know if she's the right person for me, so I'm trying to find a teacher who is a master that will give me edge to get the gold. So I was on Instagram and I found her. She's Japanese. She's one that double gold, not this year, three, four times consecutively. I said she's the one for me, but she's in Japan, so I'm going to write to her. She teaches, I want to study from her and see imbalances, but you don't understand Japanese. I said, that's okay. You know cooking is a universal language. I'm going to observe her and see what she does. I know she won on the rule book, you know the vegetable and the Seville orange. What are unusual combination. So I want to learn from a master because I want to break that barrier. I want to aim for the gold now. So anyway, that's how marmalade came about. So now I have made hundreds, hundreds actually of marmalade and I have raised a lot of money and my temple. That's why the marmalade you ate today was actually a samples because all my ones I have made officially have sold out. In fact, one of my friends came and we had a shower for my daughter in law and they were some consolation prizes among them. I had given my marmalade and they were also Tea Drops, so she took a Tea Drop. She says, well, I know may has plenty of marmalade. She wanted a job from me. I said, I'm sorry Judy. I am out a marmalade because I sold out. Come on, why didn't you grab it when you had a chance? So now that's become very popular. You see the American people don't have a taste for marmalade. They don't even like marmalade family. And I think it's because it's so poorly made. I mean you eat the marmalade compared to the British style so different. So I love marmalade so much that when someone gifted me a group of Seville oranges, this was eight years ago, I planted a few seeds because it's very difficult to buy Seville oranges, which is traditionally English and very expensive. So I planted this seed and I was doing a happy dance in April because I see buds and they've grown little tiny Seville, oranges. I'm going to get a harvests, the orange that I been wanting to do because it has that bitter taste that the traditional English marmalade has to be made from, but there's so many ways of making marmalade, so that's how I got started and to me make it marmalade is very interesting because it's not only a science, but it's an art. We know when it gels, we know when it's sets. Okay, and it takes an expert to get it to that setting point. I know that technically I'm adequate, but what is it that is beyond that where I can catch in the gold? That is the 64,000 question and that's why I'm going to pursue my study with this lady in Japan. I'm going to Japan. I'm going to study it. Passionistas: What's your secret for a rewarding life? Mae: My personal opinion is spirituality without God. I call her Divine Mother because a mother forgives everything. Without he. I would want to live because let's face it, the world is not an easy place. We have challenges and things happen. We don't know why. I mean good people, things happen too. There's no answers. I mean even you alone, you know, we as human beings, we go through up and down. So you have to have that anchor for you to keep going to, and that's what my thing is. I talked to Divine Mother all the time. Bala always says, well, what do you talk to her about? I said, I talked to her like, she's my friend. She's always with me. You know, if I see a Rose, I said, well, what do you think to my mother? Or whatever. I mean, it's very easy for me to talk to her. I developed this when I was in my spiritual search. I started talking to her. She never answers me, but she does answer me in ways that you see something and you say, Oh my God, you were thinking about me. You might call Divine Mother God, whatever. There is a higher power. So I know that to be true for sure. And without it, I would want to be in the world. You know, in life you have to have justice, you have to have that and only God gives you justice. I see so many injustices in my life, even in everything. And if you say this, no justice, why do you want to live? But I know in the end there is justice. So that keeps me going. That's the only thing that keeps me going. Because people, even your children, even your husband, they're bound to sometimes disappoint you. Everything disappoints you. But God can never disappoint me. I think that's number one. Number two, you have to live a good life. You know, when I found out when I was a kid, Marilyn Monroe committed suicide and I always say, well, why couldn't she move somewhere and just live a normal life. But I know it's impossible now in order to live a good life, you must do good. You must be able to sleep well. You cannot be unfair to people. Take advantage of people, cheat people, and then expect God to reveal himself to you. It doesn't work that way. So you have to have a clear conscience. I think the most important thing in life is to be able to live with yourself. I think to get along with yourself to be is the most difficult thing. Forget about your husband and you can always leave him, but how do you leave yourself? I know Marilyn Monroe could never leave herself. And number three, you must take the precautions in life. Don't smoke, don't drink. I mean, you drink socially fine. I don't drink at all, but that's my personal preference. You must live a clean life. So you must think good. Do good. Live a simple, healthy life. Keep things simple. I have friends who are drama. Queens is unnecessary. Life is simple. We make it complicated. Let's stick to the facts. Just stick to the point. And life is easy. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to the Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Mae Chandran. To see photos of Mae's beautiful gardens, delicious culinary treats and beloved family, follow her on Instagram at maechandran.    Look for our quarterly subscription box The Passionistas Project Pack. Each box is filled with products made by women-owned businesses and female artisans to inspire you to follow your passions. And we're excited to announce that our featured Passionista for the first box is Sashee Chandran, who inspired us to go into the subscription box business. Sign up for our mailing list at ThePassionistasProject.com to get 10% off your first purchase. And be sure to subscribe to the Passionistas Project Podcast so you don't miss any of our upcoming inspiring guests.

Some of the best ideas are born from person traditions… things you never imagine will be a business. That's what happened with 32-year-old Sashee Chandran and her multi-million dollar tea startup.

Some of the best ideas are born from person traditions… things you never imagine will be a business. That's what happened with 32-year-old Sashee Chandran and her multi-million dollar tea startup.

Sashee Chandran is the innovator behind the premium beverage line Tea Drops. On this episode of The Passionistas Project she discusses leaving her marketing job at eBay and turning her childhood passion into a fun and approachable new school of tea. Learn more about Sashee and TeaDrops. Learn more about The Passionistas Project. Listen to Sashee's Bonus Material: BONUS: Sashee Chandran Her Pop Culture Icon

PREMIUM CONTENT. If you could be one pop culture icon and walk in their shoes for one day, who would you pick and why? Find out Sashee Chandran's answer.