Crafting a Legacy Beyond the Loom with Nancy Danielle Berman

When Nancy Danielle Berman traded the stability of marketing for the thrill of fashion design, she stitched a legacy as vibrant as her luxurious ties. Join us for a heart-to-heart with the founder of Nandani, where we unravel her journey from bespoke cake artisan to fashion maven, and explore the rich tapestry of her life as a single mother, philanthropist, and entrepreneur in Detroit. Nancy's candid discussion weaves through personal transitions and reveals how she's redefined ties not just as a fashion statement, but as symbols of resilience and the connections that bind our dreams and ambitions.

Imagine stepping into a world where every thread of experience—from motherhood to career pivots—forges a path to empowerment. Nancy's narrative shines a beacon on the serendipity of chasing dreams at any stage, and our conversation serves as a rallying cry for those teetering on the edge of risk-taking. We share the potent mix of ambition, joy, and adversity that fuels such leaps, celebrating the empowerment of women through the multifaceted lens of Nancy's life. Her story is a testament to the indomitable spirit of women in the business world and beyond, brimming with insights for anyone on the cusp of embracing their truest passions.

Concluding this episode, we delve into the symbolism of Nandani's elephant logo and tackle the hurdles creatives face in the modern marketing maelstrom. Nancy's call to action for listeners is as compelling as it is timely—embrace your passions, regardless of the timing. Tune in for an episode that stitches together history, family, and fashion, all while championing the indomitable spirit of women and the transformative power of following one's heart.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

This is the Mindset Artistry Podcast. I'm Amanda DeWoe, an actor or actress per your reference and an inner voice life coach, and I'm Janelle Pulaski, an actor and career and mindset coach.

Speaker 2: 0:13

We're your hosts and we're here to flip your mindset, to teach you the artistry of what we learned, to keep your mind in check.

Speaker 1: 0:19

Over the course of our lives, we've taken on the journey of healing, living and being authentically ourselves as we successfully built our individual careers in the entertainment industry.

Speaker 2: 0:28

This podcast is designed for you, so you can discover your goals and courageously reach them at your highest potential, while being a hundred and thousand percent yourself.

Speaker 1: 0:37

What you'll get from us is real dirty and okay, a little more like a lot of quirky, along with special elite guests that nurture empathy and create a safe space without judgment. So get ready to build a mindset that is unapologetically you and excel beyond the stars. Welcome to the Mindset Artistry Podcast.

Speaker 2: 1:00

That's good. Hello everybody and welcome back to Mindset Artistry. I am so grateful and excited to have our guest here today, Ms Nancy Danielle Berman. We got to work together last summer. She has this amazing Thai company and has done so much with her life. Nan Danny is the name of the company. We're going to get into all of these things. So we're so grateful that you're here with us today. But first we're gonna do a little bio, like we always do, and then we're going to jump in. So Nancy Danielle Berman is an entrepreneur with an expansive background in marketing, philanthropy and, most recently, hospitality, as the founder of the artisanal cakery Nancy's Fancy Schmancy Cakes.

Speaker 2: 1:39

As both a small business owner and mother, Nancy thoroughly believes in giving back and supporting her community through volunteer work for various nonprofits in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. She was recently appointed by the president of the United States as commission member, US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. After decades of work dedicated to helping others, she decided to make a bold move for herself and enter into the fashion industry, a place where her love of both business and creativity thrived. Nancy strives to broaden this viewpoint within the fashion industry and, just like that, the tie re-imagined, become the ingenuity behind the launch of Nandani, a luxury tie brand whose mission is to inspire confidence through fashion. As the founder, CEO and creative director of Nandani, Nancy artfully crafts collections of ties in the heart of New York City that are designed for women and worn by everyone.

Speaker 2: 2:34

Nandani represents innovation in women's accessories by pioneering a novel approach to women's ties, disrupting a traditionally male dominated fashion category. The spark of inspiration for Nan Danny originated when her son was cleaning out his closet and giving away his ties. They were made for young boys and they were already tied and the right fit, something women could wear more easily. Whoa, I love this so much here I don't know where to start. Let's see. I want to jump on on the uh, the fancy schmancy cakes first. Actually, before we get into the ties, tell me more about that, because that's something that surprised me.

Speaker 3: 3:10

I didn't even know that Well, so I don't do it anymore because I don't have time, but although for birthdays, you know they they come out eventually occasionally. So I don't gosh, I don't even know how many years ago. I just always, literally since I was in my early twenties, I loved baking cakes, but making them like it was like kind of like the cake boss. You ever watch that show, okay? So I really didn't watch the show. I've seen it a few times, but I kind of did the same thing. So if somebody wanted, you know, a cake of a truck, I made a physical looking truck. So I was doing this for years and then people kept asking to buy them and so eventually, like I said, ok, I'll try it, I'll sell one. And I started.

Speaker 3: 3:52

I worked out of my home and I never advertised, because as soon as I posted a cake on Facebook I'd get calls, and so it was. It was like a fun thing to do while I was at home raising my kids, but it was a lot because you know, sometimes they take like 12 hours to make, so I would have to just stay up all night when my kids would go to sleep. But I kind of loved it because it was like an amazing creative outlet and it was the only time I'd like put on a movie, like usually a musical, because I could. You know, just I didn't have to like concentrate and watch, I could kind of just sing along and and paint and create, and I loved it, yeah. So my kids are very spoiled. They get like incredible birthday cakes.

Speaker 1: 4:36

I love that because cakes are always good. I'm vegan now, so I find it hard to find good tasting cakes, Some other cakes, to find good tasting cakes, some all other cakes. So what made you then transition from doing the schmackery cake to going, hey, I'm going to jump into fashion. And because I know you talked about your son and the idea of the tie. But what was that shift in that moment for you? If you could remember this, you said I'm going to do this.

Speaker 3: 5:03

So, basically, like I was doing the cakes for many years, but it was part time, it was. I was, you know, taking care of three kids and I got divorced, so I was a single mom and so I was super busy and I, you know, I fit the cakes in when I could, but I always wanted to work in fashion. That was my dream since I was a little girl. I've always loved fashion, clothing. I love styling people. I've just I love, you know, when I buy something I have such appreciation for like the way it's made and the inside, like I'll wear something and I care more about how the inside of it looks and no one else could see it, but I've, just I have a lot of appreciation for the tailoring and just for the craft. So I've always loved clothing and but when I moved to Detroit, when I was right out of college I was dating my ex then and there was just no fashion here and so I just really had to give it up. I mean, I I would actually design dresses for people sometimes when they were walking down the aisle and they needed to make a bridesmaid dress. People don't do that as much anymore, they buy things, but back in the day when I was getting married, people would give you fabric and say make a dress. So we all had to make dresses when we were bridesmaids. So I used to design dresses for people and so I always just had the fashion bug in me. But I for years just kind of had to give it up in terms of as a profession.

Speaker 3: 6:36

And then after, like my kids you know we're getting a little bit older but I had a very difficult divorce and when I got legal custody of my children and when I no longer had to deal with the court system and a lot of things that were I kind of like was able to like breathe, it was like a long period of time in my life.

Speaker 3: 6:51

It's like, you know, four or five years of just you know, a lot of difficulties with my ex and the court system. It took over my life that I couldn't really do anything for myself. Once I had that legal custody and I got the idea of the ties kind of came right. After it was just like, oh my god, I could do something that I want to do now, and that was really the shift. It was more like the timing of it. It wasn't more like how did I go from cakes to the fashion? It was just, you know, was the timing of what was going on in my life that freed me up and gave me the will to, you know, I'm going to do something for myself and it, like you know, I felt very empowered at that time to, you know, kind of take on the world at that.

Speaker 2: 7:32

So yeah, I love how you're speaking to the craft of everything the craft of making a bridesmaid's dress, or taking things apart and seeing the unique pieces of it, or, 12 hours ago, into making this gorgeous cake.

Speaker 2: 7:47

As many times Amanda and I are talking about the craft of acting and really any art. You know, I danced and played two instruments and we are always talking about the multi-hyphenate creative. I'm always coaching multi-hyphenates and I was even talking to another model today and it's okay if there are people out there they want to do one thing, that's what they want to do with their life, and they become really, really good at that and that's great. But then there's so many of us that are creatives and we have all these things that we want to try and I know at first I was a little discouraged by other people to not be that way and to just choose one thing. So I love how you're bringing up baking the cakes and then now you have the tie business, and so I'd love to know more about how you know you used what you've learned along the way and applied it now, and how you've used that, because sometimes people are afraid to start something new.

Speaker 3: 8:37

So I think a lot of it is timing. You know you like do what you could do during that time of your life. Like, for instance, I couldn't work in fashion because I moved back when I was in my 20s to Detroit where it just didn't really exist. So I sort of had to give that up and find other creative outlets. I always, throughout my life, even as a child, found different creative outlets. When I was in college I was a choreographer of our school plays. I danced my whole childhood. So there was always like a different creative outlet for me. Then it became the cakes. When my kids were younger I did Art Smart. I was in charge of the art program, you know, for the parents to come in and teach about artists after school. So I was always like finding different ways and when the timing was right in my life I was able to get back to the fashion. And when I had like you know that time where I felt okay you know I wasn't consumed with, you know my divorce I was able. My kids were getting a little bit older, they were a little bit more self sufficient, even though they were. Even when they get older they still take a lot of time, but you know, but it was a different, it's a different type of thing. You know they could tie their shoes themselves, and you know they, you know they're old enough to drive themselves. So I was able to free up some time for myself to do things that I always wanted to do, and so that's one thing that you know we've talked about this previously that I always want to share with people is that because you can't do something when you're in your 20s and making that decision of what am I going to be when I grow up, just because you don't do that then doesn't mean you can't do it later on and you shouldn't give up that dream.

Speaker 3: 10:13

And I really I stress that to women, especially because we are in a. You know, if you want to be a mom and you want to have a career, I mean that is just the most challenging thing. They are both careers. That's how I say it. I mean, you know, being the mothers that stay home and take care of their kids, that's a career in itself, raising kids. I always say you know, if you were off at your work and you had a nanny at home, that nanny says that that's a career, that's her job. So if you're at home and you're the mother nanny, you know that's her job. So if you're at home and you're the mother nanny, you know that's a job. So doing two jobs at the same time is really difficult, as most women do. And so you know, if you, if you do have to give up a certain type of job because you want more flexibility and you want to, if you have a family at home, then you can do it later on and that's really you know. It's that's what I did and I'm not saying that everyone you know can do it.

Speaker 3: 11:08

I know people are scared to change jobs. It's like you know. It's like exactly what you were saying. You know people think that they have to do one thing and do it really well. And I know, like you have so many different things that you do you're a model and actress. You know so many. You're doing this. It's incredible and I'd say, like you know who says we have to do one thing? You know, like that, some people find the one thing they're passionate about and they do it their entire lives and that's great if that's what they love and that's what they want to do. But I feel like you could try 10 different things in your lifetime? We will. Lifetime is long, hopefully. You know. There's many, many years and you could do so many different things, and I think people shouldn't be scared of failure. I think people are so scared of failure that they hold back from trying anything new. And who cares if something doesn't go well? Then you go on to the next thing. That's my thought.

Speaker 1: 11:59

I relate to that so much.

Speaker 1: 12:01

I feel, particularly as women, we have this like stigma that you know, we're just meant to be this one thing that we can do, like you said, and we can't do anything other, or we have to give up something or sacrifice something in order to get the thing that we want, because we can't be both or we can't be a multitude of things, so a multitude of people, and then there's, like these, such these high expectations that they're sometimes unreachable because they're unrealistic.

Speaker 1: 12:27

They're unrealistic, like you said, when you were doing the cakes, you had to do it at night, while the kids were asleep, so you couldn't do both at the same time, but yet you'd wake up in the morning and you would be that great mom that you are and then do it all over again. And so I think there's this misconception that you can't do more than one thing or you have to wait until the kids are gone. And I just find that it's so encouraging, at least for me as well, and I've had this conversation recently with friends and I had this realization that I've lived multiple lifetimes, even in this short period of time that I've been here, you know, going to college, working in the corporate world, like those are lifetimes and experiences that I have, and those are memories and that they contribute to who I am today and where I want to go, and I wouldn't be the person I am today without those experiences.

Speaker 1: 13:20

And they're all building blocks, it's all building blocks, it's all useful, as I say, as Janelle was saying gracefully earlier. And I want to ask, and if you're okay with it, how did your perspective change about relationships and your mindset and yourself when it came to divorce?

Speaker 3: 13:37

So for me, I had such a difficult divorce and my kids were at. My daughter was eight, I had an 11 year old, a 14 year old. I was completely just focused on my kids. So when you say relationships, I couldn't even think of dating, of getting into another relationship, because my kids were really were struggling and had so much going on with. They were, first of all, they were a full-time job to begin with and then they, you know, they were bad, they were pretty miserable, let's just say, with what was going on with the courts, and so I just focused on them completely and I kind of really put myself aside.

Speaker 3: 14:17

That's, I would never ask or tell any woman to do that. That's my journey. That's you know what I went through. I always said, you know, people would come up to me and say, oh, are you dating? And I felt like I was literally in the middle of a war zone and I, in my mind, it was like it was as if somebody was coming up to somebody in, like Vietnam, you know, and they're like in the battlefield and say, hey, are you dating? And I was like I mean, when do you think I'm supposed to be dating? Everything I was going through, consumed me. I couldn't, you know, do anything other than taking care of my kids and dealing with the situation that I had to deal with. So once I was able to completely get through that, then I was able to start healing. I mean, for me it was a long process, yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:03

Yeah, and I love how you just continue to reinvent yourself and there's no shame about life. I I don't know, sometimes people I don't know I was engaged before and it didn't work out and I'm glad he's. He's married now with woman. That's a better match for him and I'm better match with the person I'm with now and it's it's a really beautiful thing. And so I just posted about this. Being really resistant to change can just really be so terrible for you, cause I think we get so stuck with. Well, this is the way the plan was supposed to be and this is how things are supposed to go, and if they don't, I'm a failure or it won't work out and I run into that all the time. But change is inevitable and usually what you've been avoiding happens anyway. Like you probably lose that job.

Speaker 3: 15:52

Right, I mean, listen for me. I say every day like my divorce was a blessing, in disguise a thousand times. But first of all, like I never say I regret my marriage because I have my three amazing children and so I was meant to be on that journey, for whatever reason. I truly believe that and I am, you know, grateful that I was married because I wouldn't have, I wouldn't, wouldn't have had those my children and they are, you know, incredible and I am so grateful for them. And then you know also, like if I didn't go through the experiences that I had, I don't know that I'd have the drive to, or, you know, basically like I feel a little bit unstoppable, like, you know, like I feel like I could do this Because I was always like kind of told sometimes by my ex like you can't do things, or you want to be home.

Speaker 3: 16:41

You know we want to be taking care of him and the kids, and so he didn't want he would never have wanted to me go out there and like build my own business. So that's in the back of my head, put me, you know, pushing me to. So sometimes like the negative things propel you forward, and I think for me it's definitely propelled me forward because, after going through like a hard period in my life, I have this attitude of we've won life. Like we've won life, go for it Like when you've had.

Speaker 3: 17:08

You know, for people that have had like an illness and they've had like where they feel like years taken away from their life or they were sick for years or you know, I, I kind of feel like that, like, and I understand where you kind of feel like after that you're like I could do anything. You know, no one like. I really believe that, like the, you know, the world is a canvas and we could create anything, we could do anything. Nobody should ever tell you you can't do something. We're all capable of doing anything we put our minds to. So it's just with whatever passion and drive you have, and sometimes it was a negative thing that propelled you forward. And sometimes people, just you know, are excited. You know, on their own, they didn't need something bad to happen to get them excited to do something and to motivate them. But there's different motivating factors to what brings you sometimes to a certain place.

Speaker 2: 17:55

I love that. And what advice do you have for people that are afraid and are having trouble finding that? Because I know we all have it within ourselves and we all know I think when you have a desire to do something, you can. You know you have that little seed for a reason. So, um, it can be hard to rebuild. I don't know. I'm transitioning into doing more voiceover and that's scary Cause I'm like, oh, again, another mountain, but I know it'll make me so much happier.

Speaker 3: 18:22

So people have to fear for different reasons, like you know, sometimes, like I have a friend, she's the breadwinner of her family. She hates her job, but she's scared to leave her job because she needs that job to pay the bill. So we, you know, we have to be realistic. You know, sometimes we do things that we don't like and we can't make changes because we have responsibilities. So that is, you know, part of real life and hopefully at some point she will be able to change what she's doing or find, you know, happiness in other ways, in other outlets in her life. But you know, for people that are younger especially, they don't have like the responsibilities that it's just maybe them let's say that they but, and they're still scared, they're still scared to take those chances and they don't have those responsibilities.

Speaker 3: 19:08

You know, I tell them, like I said, like you've won life, go for it. The worst that could happen is it doesn't work out, and then you know what you could try again. Also, like that's the thing is like, even if something doesn't work out one time, it doesn't mean you can't even try it a second time. You know, like you, you always, you know, I hear stories about the actors that had the you know, the door slammed a thousand times in front of them until they get their break. If they didn't stick with it Listen, there are so many times I could have given up on this business because it's a tough business, you know, and you, you know, there's, there's. You know, some people are pretty cutthroat and you get a lot of. You know, especially like I created a new fashion category. There is no, you know, women's necktie category. So I would you know, sometimes, when I was selling online at different stores, they'd say, well, we don't have a category, and so you know some of them.

Speaker 2: 20:27

They're like well, we're not going to create one and other ones. I pushed and pushed and they created one. So you know you have to. To tell my clients is like the paperclip method. And it's a story about this guy that, um, he was working at a bank, I think in Canada, and before he got there the bank wasn't doing so well, and then he came in with two jars and one had 120 paperclips and the other one was empty and he just said I'm going to make 120 calls every day. He'd just pick up a paperclip, make the call and he would just keep going and he didn't let his ego get in the way of. Somebody denied him and I forget how much he multiplied that bank's revenue that year, but it was a crazy amount and it just came down to consistency and he didn't care about the no's. I would love to know more about being appointed by the president of the United States. What, as a commission member? Tell me more about this and everything, how the interest came about, how this even happened.

Speaker 3: 21:17

Okay, it's kind of a crazy situation also because I never even knew this commission existed. So it's kind of a long story. But after I was actually like towards the end of of my divorce craziness, I needed to get away. It was like I'm going to check myself into a mental institution because I was going to jump off a bridge or I just was like I'm like I got to run away and like it was my eat, pray, love moment and I made my kids were all going to like sleepaway camp. And when my older son was working and I found him an internship in New York and he was really young to do this, I look back and I'm like I think I was crazy that I sent him to New York to work and he was really young, but he did and I knew I needed this so I could take care of my kids. I had to take care of myself. So I went myself to Europe for three weeks. I went myself to Europe for three weeks and I went to Spain and I went to Italy.

Speaker 3: 22:18

I grew up with my father always telling me he would never go to Spain because he were Jewish, and my father and his parents it's like they still had a grudge against Spain from the Spanish Inquisition, when the time when all the Jews were either killed or forced to convert, or they were kicked out, they were tortured, I mean it was really like a horrible, horrific period of time for Jewish people. And actually it's, you know, kind of like now but we'll get that's another story but at that time so really it changed where Jews lived in the world. They all had to leave Spain and the Spanish government never apologized for what they did. And so my grandparents, who really traveled a lot in the world, and my father said they would never walk, they would never go to Spain, and it's kind of a funny thing. So we're not even, like you know, that's not where our relatives came from, but it was just. You know, my dad was a big history buff and it just like bothered him and so I kind of had it in me always growing up hearing this.

Speaker 3: 23:25

But I decided I was going to Spain anyway, and when I went there I went on a tour and I remember being somewhere in there. The tour guide was saying oh, this is where we used to burn the Jews when we, you know, during the Inquisition, like la-di-da, this is where we would do it, like you know, and I asked them like, do you have any like memorials or plaques or saying this is like what happened in history? And there was nothing. And, you know, I started doing research and, like you know, and there was just really nothing in Barcelona and Madrid and these big cities where there's just so much devastation happened, and there was nothing to tell the story there. And I became really like I walked away and I said I'm going to do something about this and I'm going to make sure that there's something at some point in my life I don't know how, but I'm going to so probably after a year or two after that, maybe it was a year, I don't remember. I really did.

Speaker 3: 24:20

I was doing a lot of research and somebody said to me I found all these Facebook groups. They're like, unless you work in the government, you are never going to be able to do anything. And I thought to myself, well, I don't work at the government. Like how would you know? I'm not into government. Like I'm not really into politics. I follow politics, you know, at that time Now I'm very into politics. But I was like, okay, you know, like I kind of felt like I have to give up and I don't like to give up, but I felt like I have to give up.

Speaker 3: 24:50

Within probably a month I met somebody on Zoom. I was helping a friend with something it was during COVID and she asked me to be on the Zoom call to help her with something. And I said sure, and I was on the call with her and there was another person on the call. He introduced himself and I said what do you do? And he said I'm a US Commissioner for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad and I'm like what is that? And he explained it to me and it was like, oh my God, that's exactly what I need to do, what I want to do, like. I mean, there was like definitely some like God you know the intervention here because this was like too much of a coincidence and he and I became friends and you know, then at first he was involved in a restoration project in Egypt and I became really involved in it.

Speaker 3: 25:38

I traveled to Egypt to preserve.

Speaker 3: 25:40

It's actually the largest Jewish cemetery in the world is in Egypt.

Speaker 3: 25:44

It's the second oldest and it's the largest and it's it was under complete devastation and it was being used for sewage. It was just a mess. So I got involved in helping restore that. And finally he turned to me and said you should be on this commission. And I was like well, how would I get on this commission? You have to be appointed by the president of the United States. And he said well, don't you know? Do you know your senator? And you know. So I reached out to my senator and, you know, shared with him what I was doing and you know, I had, you know, a few friends that reach out on my behalf and they worked to get me on the commission and it took a long time. It took a year from the time they started, you know, working for it. But that's then. I got on the commission and I'm just able to do such incredible, incredible projects that I'm working on. So it's been really exciting. It's actually one of the most fulfilling things in my life that I've ever done. I think we froze.

Speaker 2: 26:36

I thought Amanda was going to ask a question, but I love that. So, out of all the projects that you've been doing and what a cool story I always tell people things. Just it's weird how things work out. Even I was saying to Amanda that you know, I was just kind of like I don't know. My hours are changing with modeling, which is fine. I haven't changed. I'm not allowed to change. I haven't changed in 10 years the measuring tape. I tell people about that all the time. By the way, it's a weird job, yeah, and I am so grateful. But you know just things like, yeah, the universe and God and how things work. But I'm a kind of a person that always feels like they need to control because that feels safe to me. But when you let go of that and just kind of allow things to happen not like you really ever have any control, but you think you do- Right.

Speaker 2: 27:24

I had a friend that I had worked with years ago and, out of the blue, she just called me up and she said they were describing the type of body type they needed. And you popped into my mind, you know, and I hadn't talked to her in a while, so it was just such a cool thing. It's like I needed a job and I didn't really have to. I'm still showing up for myself and what I do every day, but you know I didn't call her and sometimes things just fall into your lap and it's just, I mean, I don't know.

Speaker 3: 27:49

I really like believe some things are meant to be, because, like how, like the fact that I met somebody that does that I mean, nobody I know does anything with preservation, and so it was it's pretty amazing yeah, and what's your favorite project you've done so far?

Speaker 3: 28:03

um so well, right now I don't know if this is my favorite, but it was a definitely a fun project. We just worked on a video to share the story of women's basketball, because a lot of it is like. You know, it's US heritage and now you know March Madness and you know women's basketball was such a big thing this month and my daughter's really into it. So we went. We actually went to the finals game in Cleveland. So she's a big Caitlin Clark fan. My daughter's an incredible basketball player, so she, we, I, did this project.

Speaker 3: 28:34

So the person that started women's basketball her name is Senda, senda Berenson Abbott, and she was a Jewish girl from Lithuania. And who would have expected that? And this girl, she came to Smith college and when she was there she invented women's basketball. It didn't exist. She started the first game. She wrote the rules and the rules have changed over time. So we just did a video and, like my governor, governor Whitmer's in it and, um, the the chair of my commission is, uh, star Jones, you know, um, she's originally from the view and she's actually divorced court now. So she's she's, you know, narrates it and we just we have the ambassador to Lithuania and the ambassador from Lithuania to the U S. They're both in it, so that was really fun and we're just, you know, trying to get that video out going viral, just to get that story out, to share some of the you know the heritage of, you know of the U S heritage of basketball, which was amazing.

Speaker 2: 29:31

And it's really fun to hear how your dad's love of history is the history buff kind of like worked into your life in a way that maybe he now you might be cool with it to see the beautiful work you're doing.

Speaker 3: 29:46

You know, so crazy. I tell him it's because of him and his stubbornness that it's true, like my parents, it's like their grudge that they held. I know, actually there's even a crazier story that, like, I really feel like it's just, it's almost too crazy to believe this, but I did, right around the time that I was appointed to the commission, um, my, we did 23,. If you've done 23 and me, have you done it? Okay, so we did 23andMe and we never.

Speaker 3: 30:16

It's a very long story, but my grandmother, I was always told, came from Russia when she was like eight years old, with her three siblings and her parents and they came here because it was very bad for Jews back in Russia. Then there was the pogroms they were being murdered, tortured, burned everything, so they had to get out. But I didn't really know, we didn't. You know that was the story I was told. It was when I was an adult, somebody in Detroit. You know, I met them and they're like oh, we knew your grandmother. She was the adopted one. And I said what Adopted? She wasn't adopted. And they're like yeah, she was adopted and found out that my grandmother was not actually siblings with her siblings that she came here with. We heard that they were probably cousins, but I didn't know any details and we never knew what happened to her family. And you know, we tried on ancestry. It was like my life's mission to find my grandmother's family and I felt like, you know, once I get it, when I'm on this commission, you know, somehow maybe I'll get get over to Russia, which is actually Ukraine, it's really Ukraine that she's from, and I could find out what happened literally like within a week of my first commission meeting.

Speaker 3: 31:24

I think it was like the week or two before my grandmother's entire family, and basically like her parents, my great grandparents, were murdered during a pogrom. They were blown up to pieces and her sibling, who was 14, raised her and her other siblings for until she was eight and they were I mean, absolutely had nothing. They lived on potato peels I mean completely tragic story. But they saved her life by having her aunt and uncle adopt her and bring her to the United States. That entire family has been looking for her for 90 years.

Speaker 3: 32:02

So I've had reunion after family reunion, but during that time of one of the reunions I met with my dad's first cousin who's alive, who he's never met, and he said to me that he has been working on preserving the cemetery. He takes care of all the cemeteries in Ukraine where the family came from and he found out that Antony Blinken's family is also from there and buried in the same mass grave as some of my relatives that were murdered, and so he was trying to get a hold of our Secretary of State to, you know, help preserve this. And I was like literally that you know week I received I can even show you it's like back here, my you know document is on my wall there, signed by President Biden and Antony Blinken. So I was like this is crazy. So that is going to be.

Speaker 3: 32:56

My next project is to preserve this. You just preserve this cemetery. Where they are, there's a mass grave because the Nazis came in and killed my great aunt and his and his family is listed that they are buried there as well. So as soon as things clear up in Ukraine Ukraine and it's safer to go over there, that is what I plan to do.

Speaker 2: 33:20

It's so wild and so amazing and it's so important to preserve history and we all know this and it's like well, duh, janelle. But I mean. Something I really picked up from my dad, because he's a journalist, and and also my mother, is that he's just like everybody's story needs to be told and it does exist, like it just does. Just wiping out a story you don't want to hear is ridiculous. And my mother actually changed the school system for people with special needs, specifically autism, because they weren't giving speech services to kids in the nineties. And that's very important for all of us to be able to talk. And she was told that in the nineties. That's impressive, it's so impressive. And the doctor told her your son will always be in his own world, carry on a normal life with your daughter. This is impossible. But then she met these other parents and a psychologist. It's like, well, if you don't get him the services he needs in the next few years, he'll never talk. You know now he doesn't stop talking, but he's-.

Speaker 3: 34:24

My son didn't speak until he was four. I had the same thing. Well, in sentences he was like speaking, but you couldn't understand him and yep, so I experienced a lot of that.

Speaker 2: 34:34

It's and it's. It's like so many people are going through it, but it still feels like a battle just by yourself. And what she taught me, too, is you have to be able to talk to people, unfortunately, sometimes that you hate. You know to make change and hates a strong word, but you know they're being pretty mean. They were being like we don't want your son here, so like it's just like you went up to that guy that was like yep, this in in spain. He was like yeah, this is where everything happens. You know totally, and you weren't. You still went up and talked to him and that seems like such a simple thing, but it's not. Um, and now look at all the beautiful work you're doing. Oh my gosh, that's amazing. Okay, we don't have too much more time. Okay, now we're going to switch into Nan Danny, and I want you to tell me everything about that that you can in like 10 minutes, but also how it's like disrupting the fashion industry in a good way and all of that.

Speaker 3: 35:26

Yeah, no, it's been really exciting. You know, one of the things I love about ties is it's funny, I actually always liked that. My dad I used to's colorblind, so I as a kid that was my thing every night he used to wear a suit and tie. Every day to work I would pick out his tie to match his suits and so I was always like tie shopping with him and playing with ties and I never really thought about them for me. But in the 90s they were became, you know, kind of cool for women to wear ties. And I actually just found I posted the other day of a picture my first. I think it was like one of the first nights in college I went out with my roommates and I'm wearing a tie. So it was really fun to find that picture and I one of the things I like about it it's pretty empowering.

Speaker 3: 36:07

When you put on a tie, you know you kind of feel like okay, you know, like it, there's just like this, it gives you a little boost of confidence. Like, okay, you know, like there's just like, this gives you a little boost of confidence, and so I like it as a fashion accessory, but I also like, like what it does to you a little bit mentally and you know, especially when women, you know, sometimes they're in the boardroom with a lot of men and they're in their ties and you know there's something about putting on your tie too and saying you know, hey, you know like, you know, like, cause, you know, they, they, I'm sorry, but men still look at women differently in the boardroom. We've got to prove ourselves over and over again and I feel like it just gives you this little bit of confidence. But I, what I really liked about them, the idea behind it as well, is that, okay, you know what ties are. Men's ties are boring. I mean, they are like here's, like an accessory.

Speaker 3: 36:55

If, like, it was women that were wearing them, we would have done so many fun things with them by now. Like you go to a store, like you know, over time, like the styles have maybe shifted a little bit from a wider to more narrow tie, but they're, they look pretty much the same. That's why most men don't even wear ties anymore. They're, you know, they're. I think they're just it's getting kind of old and they're sick of the. Style hasn't changed, it hasn't been modernized and I was like you know what Women could do anything they want with these ties. So right now I'm wearing a more traditional like with the. But you know I could wear them with something low cut and, you know, inside the shirt, or you could wear it, you know, over a dress, a tank top, anything with jeans you could dress it up evening wear, whereas a man is not going to. You know, do that. So we, you know we just have like so many more fun ways. It's a fun accessory for women.

Speaker 3: 37:41

So I got to like kind of you know my creative part of me that I enjoy the designing of it, which I really love. Some of them are really intricate and we have a lot of ones with like beadwork and and then I have a lot that are really feminine. I have ones with like bows that you wear on the side of your neck that always have like a little bit of the tie element. So you know it kind of goes off into the tie, but so they're really it's not just, like you know, to have like a more masculine look, because some of them are. I have like a range of it. So that was also. I wanted to be the tie brand, so the luxury tie brand. It's not just all one look, and so if you want something simpler, there's something more traditional. If you want a simple black tie, if you want something more fun, I'm wearing a denim tie with some embellishments. Or, if you want to something beautiful and romantic, a bow. I have all different styles, so the creative part has been really fun for me.

Speaker 3: 38:31

But breaking into this new fashion category is fun, exciting and challenging. You know you have to open people's minds to it. One of the other things is I did design all of them so they're pre tied, so you just put it on like a necklace. And I think that was the first thing for women is, you know, you see, you might see a tie in a magazine, but the first thought for a woman is most women don't know how to tie a tie. And the women that do know how get very offended when I say that. But most women don't. We have surveyed them and I have asked women and so it's really, it lends itself. So it's just really, like I said, as easy as putting a necklace on, just put it on, snap it. It's adjustable, but it's hard for women to. A lot of women think, well, I never wore tie before, so you know, I don't know how to do that or I wouldn't know how to style it.

Speaker 3: 39:21

And for someone new, because I love styling clothes, or for people, I kind of took for granted that people would realize you could wear it any which way. But they actually do. A lot of them want to be shown and so that was one of the you know. The other things is that I have to, you know, realize that it's a teaching. You have to really show people and demonstrate different ways to wear them. So that's part of the process.

Speaker 3: 39:41

But it's also like stores. You know, when I've met with different stores, like we love these but we don't sell ties, or they'll say, well, we're not selling ties for men, so we I don't think we would start for women. So it's hard. You hear a lot of those, those things. But then, you know, I have stylists that are pulling them left and right.

Speaker 3: 40:01

I had somebody who was doing a Vogue for shoot, you know, calls me out of the, you know, reached me like I don't know how long ago was, maybe maybe a month or two ago so they were doing this big shoot for Vogue and Elle magazine and they wanted to use my ties and so like it's been amazing that way, like I've just gotten, like you know, a lot of really you know, great excitement from people in the industry about the ties, and so that's been like what's keeping me going, even though you know some of the traditional stores that only sell certain things are saying, you know, this is, you know, too avant-garde for us.

Speaker 3: 40:34

The people in the actual industry. They love it, and so when we find the right consumers, you know, like I had somebody the other day that ordered nine ties. So there's people out there that just like love ties and you know they are looking for that something different. So we have a bridal line now and some of them, like I said, are for their bows, they're romantic looking. And then there's some that are more traditional, where they're all white and it's for somebody, maybe a same sex couple, and one of the women wants to wear a suit. Where's she going to find a beautiful white, embellished, handmade tie? So we're trying to like, really create ties for everyone.

Speaker 2: 41:18

My first tie I wore in middle school jazz band and I thought it was so cool because we all came out with our ties and I definitely love wearing a suit. I just feel really powerful in a suit and I have quite a few, so I love that and just this is so authentic to you and so genuine and there's such a beautiful story that goes along with it and I want to encourage our listeners with that, because I always say authenticity beats out scarcity, because if you just keep focusing on what lights you up and who you are, you're going to find the work. There's going to be work for you. I just don't think you want something so badly if there's nothing for you.

Speaker 2: 41:58

So can you tell us more about like was there any fear around niching down into that? Or you just didn't care? You're like this is what I'm doing and you're all gonna love it.

Speaker 3: 42:09

Oh the second one. I was just, you know, at that point in my life where I'm like I'm just gonna, you know, at that point in my life where I'm like I'm just going to do this, and there's, you know, if I really like sat down and like weighed the pros and cons and made two lists of, you know I never would have done it because it would have been a million reasons, you know, to say like you're crazy, like how are you going to do this? And I just did it. And I just, you know, I went for it. I, you know, met people, I talked to people, I, you know, got advice, I listened, I tried to surround myself with, you know, good people and I just took chances and you know, some of them didn't work and I moved on. That's like what I, you know, if I tell some of the things didn't work out. Or I met someone that you know tried to work with somebody and they were that, you know, tried to work with somebody and they were not, you know, the greatest person in the end, and you know what Part ways and you move on and whatever it is in the industry as you'll hear from anybody, the fashion industry is a cutthroat, difficult industry, but you have to have. You know, you have to have some thick skin and you have to be able to. You know, just do it, keep going.

Speaker 3: 43:15

And you know, there's a woman her name is Karen Gibberson from the accessories council, which I'm involved with, and she always says to me she's like Nancy, keep going. She's like it is not, it's it's a marathon, it's not, you know, like a sprint, so it's like it's not one of those things that like in, you know in a month that you're going to be, you know where you want to be, you have to just keep at it. And so she's been very encouraging to me because I know, you know, she loves our ties and she's like, you know, just keep going. So she's, she's one person that I've gone to and I'm like, should I give up? Should I give up? And she's like no. So, yes, it's good to have somebody like that that keeps you going, cause there's moments where you're like, oh my God.

Speaker 3: 43:56

But you know, when I right, when we launched, we did New York fashion week, and so I and I done it for the last two years and that was just so exciting and it kind of brought me back to almost like my theater days being behind stage and getting things ready, like I love that. So the excitement of New York fashion week, that just like that kind of propels me. I'm like I'm going to do this, like when you. That just like that kind of propels me. I'm like I'm going to do this Like when you, when you see, you know people wearing your ties, walking the runways, loving them, styling them in so many different ways that you know that was exciting and so we've had, you know, a lot of like, real positives with it.

Speaker 3: 44:35

And one thing I do want to share about the brand is so like our logo, or actually a little logo here. It's like one of the little pouches, it's like two elephants intertwined, and so it's like on, you know, obviously like inside of all the ties. And one of the things you know people ask me what is? You know, what is the story with this logo? And I've always loved elephants and I love them because they're the strongest animals, but they're also empathetic animals, and that's the thing is like, you know, women, now you know, to wear a tie which is traditionally a male tie.

Speaker 3: 45:06

You know we could lead, we could be strong, but women have empathy. You know most women where sometimes that's missing from some male genes, you know, is the empathy gene, or how men, you know, do business or lead Like sometimes that's not there. You see that in politics. So the idea behind this is, you know, I want women to feel strong but I want them to, you know, to be empathetic still in this world. They don't have to be cutthroat, they don't, you know, they could be there for other people. And it's two elephants intertwined, so that you know people obviously symbolic of a tie, but also that we should be all tied together, like people have to care about other people, shouldn't just be like every man for themselves, like we all live in a society, in a community together, and we have to care about each other, whether it's in business. And I feel like that's how people should always lead, with that mindset of caring for others and contributing to other people.

Speaker 2: 46:00

I love that and I'm so grateful that I got to model for your company, because that aligns with a lot of my core beliefs. So, once again, one of those cool things where you know you find each other yes, I love.

Speaker 3: 46:14

Every time we use your photos, it makes me so happy.

Speaker 2: 46:17

Yeah, thank you.

Speaker 3: 46:18

I saw them. I was like hey, these are pretty good, I love them.

Speaker 2: 46:23

I kind of it's funny with modeling I kind of have to like black out or pretend I'm some type of character, because then I like kind of just do it and then two days later I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed, your pictures are beautiful. Oh, thank you. Well, we have to close out here, but I would love if you could close out with. You have a background in marketing and a lot of creatives are afraid of marketing. So what advice do you have for them? Because business is business and you have to market and you have to know your customer. But we run into a lot of creatives that are afraid of that.

Speaker 3: 46:54

Well, so did you say. I have a background in marketing, so when I was working in marketing, it was before social media, so marketing is completely shifted, and so that's, I will say, for me, that's probably my biggest challenge is, I don't mind taking photographs, but I'm not the type of person that wants to be on camera all day long like promoting my business, and that is something that I'm constantly being told I need to. You know, put out reels and tick tocks and do all that, and that that's my greatest challenge. So I will share what I'm being told with everyone else is that you have to just put yourself out there. You know. That's just part of it. That's that you have to know what marketing is today is different than it was five years ago or 10 years ago, and it's it's.

Speaker 3: 47:41

It's in marketing, just changing every like few months. It changes. You know one minute, someone's telling you you know you need to be on TikTok and they're like no, you need to be on Instagram, like no, not anymore. And you know LinkedIn, you know. So that's the. You know the social media aspect is changing, but, in terms of the, marketing is just finding a clear message. What is your message, sticking to it and it has to be authentic and getting that message out Don't pretend to be something you're not. I believe it's like, as long as you're authentic and doing what you're passionate about, that's going to come out. Well, that's perfect.

Speaker 2: 48:15

Thank you so much. You're welcome oh my gosh. I've loved every bit of this interview and we'll definitely list everything of how people can find your beautiful ties and you and all that you're doing and support the commission for preservation of America's heritage abroad all these things. Do you have any final words for our listeners?

Speaker 3: 48:36

Thank you so much for having me. This was just like so wonderful and I'm so glad we met and connected in this way. And you know, for the listeners, I just want to tell them that you know, due to, like you know, main takeaways is one is like don't let you know the time in your life to find how you're going to lead your entire life. Like if something's going on in your life now and you're like I can't do this because you know, for whatever reason, I don't have the finances to invest in this business now, or I'm busy with children, or I wouldn't one day want to start a family, or whatever it is that. Don't think you have to ever give up on that dream, because you know we're living longer now and you could do something when you're in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s.

Speaker 3: 49:24

You know there's people that, like I know somebody in his 80s who's just stolen college. He's been going to college for years. He just never. He just loves taking classes and signs up every year. So you know, don't let your it's not just your age, but the period of, like your life define what you're going to do forever. So that's like number one. And the other is you've got one life. You've got one life. Do what you want to do and feel passionate about.

Speaker 2: 49:46

Well, thank you, I love that. I'm going to take that. I'm going to write that down. Look at that every morning. It's so true and it's it's. Sometimes it's hard to forget that because, like you said, you can kind of get caught up in things, but I always try to find the balance. I think the best thing I learned I'm in this class that teaches me about how to prioritize and leverage your time better. We all need that. We all need it and they have you writing the good stuff first, the time with your family and the self-care and the stuff that you want to do, you know within reason, and then it shows you really how much time you have left for work, and it's pretty interesting. Then you actually work a little faster than you knew you could.

Speaker 2: 50:29

So it's really neat, but thank you so much for coming on and everybody will put the links below and yes, all right, we'll say goodbye everybody, thank you for having me.

Speaker 3: 50:41

This was so much fun. Thank you, nancy.

Speaker 1: 50:45

And that's a wrap on this episode of Mindset Artistry Podcast. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Catch us every Thursday for a new episode to help you master the art of your mindset.