We love to collaborate with other independent, like-minded brands and we also wanted to hear how Nubian Skin Founder, Ade Hassan, maintains her Balance of Life. Here’s what Ade told us:
When it comes finding balance between work and life, it’s still definitely something I’m working on. I’ve made significant improvements over the past few years. I’ve always been a performance-led person, and I have taken pride in my work ethic, but particularly as I have gotten older, I’ve had to read just how I look at this.
My baseline was pretty awful to start with. I started my professional life in investment banking, so working from 9am to 10pm or midnight wasn’t that unusual. That set me up for very unrealistic expectations for what I could handle. When I became an entrepreneur, I really did go into overdrive when it came to burning the candle at both ends, but ultimately that affects both your physical and mental health. I’ve had to do a lot of unlearning when it comes to my internal narrative around action, busyness and work equating to ‘good’.
Over the years, and especially after becoming a mother, I’ve realised it isn’t healthy for me to apply unrealistic pressure on myself. So, though my process is continually evolving, I’ve had to really focus on key things that I need to take care of to feel well holistically. For me it boils down to:
- Sleeping
- Spending time with loved ones
- Having quiet time by myself
- Feeding myself spiritually
- Moving my body
I now make a conscious effort to make time for those five things, and it honestly makes such a difference. Being a mum means it’s a lot more difficult to find quiet time, so if I want to guarantee time alone, it usually means waking up before everyone else, so I can use that extra hour or hour and a half to sit quietly and read, journal and / or exercise. I’m fortunate to have a very supportive husband, so we both try to help each other find time to find our own balance and have time where we can just focus on ourselves as individuals.
Balance looks different for everyone, and in general it will evolve over time. At this stage of life, I’m not doing yoga and meditating every day, but I try to grant myself grace, and focus on spending time even if it’s not for very long on the things that feed my soul and help my brain feel calm. Ultimately, a large part of balance for me is seeing how I can be kind and loving to myself.
Nubian Skin - Nude lingerie and hosiery for women of colour. Founded by Ade Hassan.
Every woman's wardrobe should include a nude bra and skin-tone tights or pantyhose. In theory…It’s the grand debate, what do I wear under a white or sheer blouse? What colour hosiery will go with these amazing shoes? Black just isn’t going to work. The simple answer is nude. But my nude isn’t the nude I see in shops. Despite the fact that women of colour have the same needs as all women when it comes to lingerie and hosiery (and spend the same amount of money), the industry does not cater to our needs. So, I thought, it’s time to rethink the definition of nude. Thus, Nubian Skin was born.
So for you beautiful black and brown women, next time you need a nude pair of hold-ups or maybe a nude strapless bra to go under that stunning white halter dress, we’re only a few clicks away. Nubian Skin. A Different Kind of Nude.
Empowering women. Embracing our colour.
To help maintain your Balance of Life we are now stocking LSW Mind Notes and Morning Notes:
