Today we’d like to introduce you to Pooja And Aalyana
Hi Pooja and Aalyana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Pooja Desai, also known as Tia Bua, is a mother, wife, philanthropist, author, minority woman business owner who is a compassionate storyteller and a champion of mindfulness and wellness.
She leverages her extensive knowledge of over 26 years in healthcare and considers herself to be a knowledge donor who genuinely believes in paying it forward as part of her kindness journey.
During 2020 Pooja decided to write children’s mental wellness books which became a family project. Her niece Aalyana is the Illustrator and she was able to bring her Tia Bua’s character to life.
Aalyana is an amazing role model for our Tampa community. Together Aalyana and Tia Bua are here to make kindness a movement and are beyond grateful for this amazing journey.
Thank you for believing in our magic and for allowing us to be a part of yours.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I lived many different lives in this one lifetime and faced many different challenges which has taught me to be resilient at a very young age. I wanted to help equip children with resources and tools to help them navigate their world by recognizing they have the power to control their mindset even if they can’t control their environment. I believe it is something we should teach at a young age.
The challenge I originally encountered for these books was trying to figure out how to properly introduce a breathing tool concept to children in a magical way which would allow them to feel empowered to use the tool in adult-like situations. A tool that would have helped me keep calm in my chaos when I was younger. I wanted the stories to also be a quick read and palatable for the reader. The first book Tia Bua, Believes In Your Magic, was a bit more challenging due to the lack of pictures since the goal was to introduce them to the concept of the breathing tool. I felt having too many images would have been a distraction.
For Aalyana the challenge was with the second book, Tia Bua Celebrates Being Mixed Blended Colored and Loved since we introduced other characters along with Nico the Cat.
It has been such a rewarding and amazing journey. We are fortunate these books are so well received. We are having an amazing time on our tours and storytime events.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been lucky to have two careers I am extremely passionate about. I leverage my 27 years in healthcare as a way to help be a knowledge donor in any situation. During 2020 I decided to write to help offset the stress I was enduring in my world and especially being in healthcare. The burnout was real and it was something I was lucky to have been able to help prevent for my team but I wanted to do something for my family.
I wanted to give my children, nieces and nephews resources and tools to help them become more resilient.
I then proposed a family project that was supposed to be my version of a family mental wellness recipe book and encouraged everyone to play a part in the book.
My niece Aalyana who was the first one to ever call me Tia which means (Aunt in Spanish) Bua means (aunt in Hindi) was also able to bring my cartoon character to life. At the age of 16 Aalyana was able to capture and deliver an authentic image of who her Auntie is. She has an extraordinary artistic vision which is beyond magical.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I find myself to be a knowledge donor. I believe in leading and loving with kindness. You must be able to pivot and be resilient. Being compassionate, having empathy and boundaries has helped me focus on what is truly important. Being authentic and a strong commitment to empowering others has definitely helped me be successful in all areas of my life.
Pricing:
- These Books are in hospitals and dental offices
- These books are to help with your mindset
- Theses books have a breathing tool
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mykaiandco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykaicollc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?viewas=100000686899395&id=100094240497999
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/aalyanaillustrations/
Image Credits
Dayana De Pena
Maya Santiago
Vivek Desai
