How do you juggle so many roles and manage multiple businesses while still making time for your family life?
First and foremost, I have an incredibly supportive husband. He is always willing to drop everything and pick up a kid somewhere if needed, which is just incredibly cool. I am also very fortunate in that I have this amazing support network helping me out and wonderful teams that I work with. Finally, I moved my offices one block away from my house. I am not naturally organized and being close enough to go back and forth is everything - plus it allows me to bring my children to my office on a regular basis.
How do you see Lingua Franca evolving in seasons to come?
The Lingua Franca Cashmere collection will be evolving to a kids line and different colors/sayings as time goes on. Lingua Franca Inc. the company will, in a perfect world, grow into something much more. Our ethos is sharing “a common language” and the products that inspire me, with this ethos in mind, will be the underlining theme of future products we release.
How do you carve out "me" time and how do you like to spend this time?
The most successful people I’ve met usually place the highest value on being able to "live well" by making time for the things that make them happiest. I truly enjoy my work so it doesn’t normally feel like a drag - it makes me happy. Besides that, I make sure I exercise almost everyday. I do pilates, yoga, and cardio. I also love playing the piano and reading. Reading, to me, is the ULTIMATE luxury.
How have your children influenced or inspired your career?
I think my children have actually inspired me to only take on things that I really enjoy. I love having my boys in our offices and watch them watch me lead. I hope that they are inspired by me. I want, more than anything, for them to understand the importance of working hard on things that are meaningful to you. I care about the world they are growing up in and I want to be a better leader and contributor to society for them.
What classes in NYC have been most beneficial to your children?
We recently started piano lessons with a fantastic woman on lower 5th. She has taught my son so many things that extend beyond music. Besides that, swimming, soccer, karate and gymnastics. There are so many things to do!
What has been your most memorable family vacation?
We travel quite a bit as a family. We love surfing with grandma jan jan in baja, heading to Nebraska to see my family, and heading to the Mediterranean every summer, and Jose Ignacio, Uruguay in the winters. But, I think our most memorable trips as a family are the ones that truly take us out of our comfort zones. Russian, Morocco, Istanbul, Tokyo….
Where do you shop for your boys?
I love this little store called Clementine by Washington Sq park. It’s a consignment store and I’ve found some amazing finds there. Besides that, I try to pick up clothes for them when we are traveling in other cities and out wandering around. It focuses our city exploring and is fun for them to remember the places when they wear the things.
What are your favorite children's books?
There are so many it’s obviously hard to pick. What has been fun is remembering books I loved as a child and re reading them now. It’s trippy. There’s this book “The smells of Christmas” that I can literally remember reading as a child like it was yesterday. I also love “the wind and the willows” and the Richard Scarry books.
What is your best piece advice for a new mom?
Enjoy it! It goes so fast…. And, remember, tomorrow is a new day.
What values do you hope to instill in your children?
I hope my children are kind and stay curious.