Inspired with Nika Lawrie
Welcome to Inspired with Nika Lawrie, the podcast dedicated to revolutionizing health and wellness for women. Join Nika Lawrie, founder of Puurlee, as she explores cutting-edge topics in biohacking, holistic wellness, and personal empowerment. Through insightful interviews with innovative women and expert discussions, this podcast provides the tools, inspiration, and knowledge to help you achieve optimal health and live your best life.
We believe in combining science-backed insights with a holistic approach to wellness. We aim to inspire women to take control of their health, prioritize self-care, and embrace personalized, data-driven solutions. This podcast is more than just a resource for improving health—it’s about sparking a larger movement to transform how the medical system cares for women.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your longevity, discover clean and sustainable living, or find the motivation to achieve your dreams, this is your go-to resource for transformative wellness. Gain insights from leaders in health, wellness, and innovation, and join our community of women committed to making a positive impact on their lives and the world around them. Tune in and get inspired! Learn more: https://mtr.bio/nika-lawrie
Inspired with Nika Lawrie
Redefining Investments with Designer Handbags and Sustainable Choices with Pinky Chong
Ever wondered how a physical therapist could transform into a luxury brand authentication powerhouse? Join me for an eye-opening episode with Pinky Chong, who transitioned from a demanding healthcare career to founding a thriving business in the luxury resale market. Listen to Pinky's inspiring story of chasing work-life balance while raising her children, and learn how she turned her closet cleanouts into a lucrative passion-driven enterprise. I promise you'll gain invaluable insights into building a flexible business that aligns with your life priorities.
CONNECT WITH PINKY CHONG: https://pinkychongconsulting.com/
CONNECT WITH NIKA: https://mtr.bio/nika-lawrie
SUBMIT A QUESTION OR REQUEST A TOPIC:
I would love to hear from you! Please record your question or topic request to be featured in a future episode: https://www.speakpipe.com/NikaLawrie
DISCLAIMER:
*This podcast and its contents are for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or a qualified health provider for any questions concerning a medical condition or health objectives. Additionally, the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every individual and are not guaranteed for business, personal, or wellness success. Use discretion and seek professional counsel when necessary.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
*Some of the resources and advertisements shared throughout the podcast episodes may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission.
Pinky, welcome to the show. I'm so happy to have you join me today.
Pinky Chong:Yes, I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for the opportunity, Mika, and I can't wait to dive in and just chat with you.
Nika Lawrie:Absolutely. So this is kind of a slightly different topic than what I tend to talk about, but I love it because it falls into kind of sustainability and conscious living and then also really looking at, in a sense, kind of designing your own life in the sense of building a business that really works for you, in the sense of I keep saying in the sense, kind of designing your own life in the sense of building a business that really works for you, in the sense of I keep saying in the sense, but making sure that you have something that kind of drives you and makes you passionate about what you're doing and stuff. So we'll get into that. But I wanted to say thank you and I'm excited for the topic today.
Pinky Chong:Yes, I am too. I am too, and, like I had chatted with you earlier, I have stopped you online before our meeting today. And it's the same admiration to what you do. I love what you do Again, it's the sustainability part of it and then being passionate about what you do. So here we are.
Nika Lawrie:Awesome, well, thank you so much. So you're a luxury brand authentication and resell expert, so that is a mouthful. But can you, can you first tell me a little bit about yourself and then how you became a luxury brand authenticator and talk a little bit about what reselling is and how you got into that?
Pinky Chong:Okay, I am going to try to be brief, no no, no, go for it.
Nika Lawrie:You tell your story.
Pinky Chong:It's a long one from a 50. How old am I now? I'm from a 53 year old how old am I now?
Pinky Chong:I'm from a 53 year old. Oh, you look stunning. So you look amazing, thank you. Well, like you had said, my name is Pinky Chong and I am a luxury brand authenticator and resale expert and the founder of the Resale CEO Academy, where I help others, where I help others grow their reselling business from starting off reselling stuff that they have in their closet and if they want to expand that into the luxury items, and so I help both starting entrepreneurs and I also consult with you know corporate at the corporate level as well.
Pinky Chong:So a little bit about how I ended up here. I was a physical therapist for 30 years. I graduated. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I graduated in 1991 and immediately after college I was recruited to work here in Texas where I have been living ever since I came to the US. Another story for that is that physical therapy was going to be my pre-med and I told my dad. I said I'm just going to work for a year, take a little break and then go back and go to medical school. And so, 31 years after, I'm still on the break.
Nika Lawrie:Yes, I'm still on the break.
Pinky Chong:Yes, I'm still on the break, met my husband and you know we now have a 21-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter, which was the very reason why I ended up in the reselling business, because, as a physical therapist, I was both an employee and an employer and it's always been a struggle, you know, making the decision of should I go to work or be with my children, yeah, and I mean, and I think the biggest turning point was when we had our daughter and I had her via cesarean section. We were discharged home and then, immediately the next day, I had to show up to work. Oh my gosh, um, crazy enough, nothing bad happened. But you know, after c-section, uh, you're on pain meds but yeah, it was just one of those things that, um, I had to do it, even just for a couple hours. It was something that I just couldn't have anybody else do it. There I was with sutures, oh my gosh man, I feel for you.
Nika Lawrie:I too had a cesarean section and you know I was answering phone calls and emails literally the day after my daughter was born. But I can't. I at least had a month away from the office where I didn't have it. I can't imagine going, the least had a month away from the office where I didn't have. I can't imagine going the next day. I mean, that's crazy. So I feel for you, yeah.
Pinky Chong:It's probably not the safest thing to do. Cause.
Nika Lawrie:I know.
Pinky Chong:I had to drive like just a few blocks, but I was praying really hard for safety and I was like, okay, I'm just going to do this and then go home and be with my very newborn daughter, and so that's kind of what prompted it. I was always looking for something that I can do from the home so I can be with them more, and I started off just reselling stuff that I had in my closet and just over the last you know 12 years I've, you know, I've developed a in into the luxury fashion and you know, just self-study and self-research, and that's kind of how I ended up being an authenticator as well. So here we are.
Nika Lawrie:I love that. I think you know, one of the reasons why I too started my business was to be able to have that freedom to pick my daughter up from school. You know, I, I, I've told myself I will not go back to the quote unquote.
Nika Lawrie:You know, business world, the I will not work for somebody else unless they're going to pay me a ton of money because having and even that's debatable sometimes because, because having that ability to be with my child, I mean I worked 60 hours a week for the first three years of her life and three and a half years of her life and I mean I hardly saw my child, you know, and it was so detrimental to my health and wellbeing and to our relationship and our bonding and I think, you know, in the sense of a health related conversation here, I think that's really, really important for mother child to have that connection. And so I totally relate to you in the sense of figuring out how I can be with my family and spend time with my child.
Pinky Chong:Absolutely. Yes, I totally resonate with that. It was. It was a constant struggle and, just like you, you know, during the early years I was trying to kind of just find ways and trying to build a business to be with them. You know it wasn't like an immediate okay, I'm going to start here and I'm just going to quit my job. It was a slow start. So, yeah, when they were younger, just like you, it was away from them.
Pinky Chong:And so that was a big motivation for me to just keep going and try to find an alternative. And you know now I have to like restrain myself to be a helicopter mom. Yeah, I relate. Try to make up. You know lots.
Nika Lawrie:Absolutely, yeah Well, so switching gears a little bit, absolutely, yeah Well, so switching gears a little bit. I want to talk about, um, uh, kind of fast fashion and luxury fashion and sustainability. So, before we get into luxury fashion cause I know that's kind of where your expertise is and I want to dive into that a little bit I want to talk just a little bit about fast fashion, cause I know for me, I'm a I'm a um anti fast fashion, huge proponent of buying quality, spending that little bit of extra money on a uh, on an item to get the quality material and the craftsmanship because it'll last you a long time. And I want to get your thoughts on, uh, fast fashion and kind of fashion in general and sustainability and kind of um, just share your thoughts around that a little bit.
Pinky Chong:Yeah. So, um, when I started reselling, you know I didn't really have any idea of what fat, what fast fashion was. I wasn't into the sustainability part of it. I was just trying to declutter and, like I had said you know, find a way to have an income, hoping that it would allow me to be home with my children, and I mean even at 12 years, into reserving. I feel like I have yet to really dive into the sustainability part of it.
Pinky Chong:I'm barely touching, you know, the topic of sustainability, but the reality is you know we all have, or for the most part we have, you know, items from fast fashion brands in our closets and you know, ideally we don't want to support that.
Pinky Chong:But you know, unfortunately, like I personally still have brands that are considered fast fashion in my closet, just because you know I tend to kind of hang on to stuff, and you know I tend to kind of hang on to stuff, and you know that's another topic. But in your question about sustainability, I think we can all start from where we are. That's why reselling is such a, you know, such a big part of sustainability platform, because you know we can. The reality is we only use 20% of what we have in our closets and 80% is just sitting there. So, you know, a part of the journey in sustainability is at least be able to resell what we don't have and then go ahead and use what we have in our closets and, you know, start decluttering what we have. And you know, and along the way we can do a self-education of what fast fashion is and what sustainability is.
Nika Lawrie:Absolutely. I think you know two things on that. I think you know there are still things that I will buy from a fast fashion company, but I look for the quality fabrics. I look for something that is more of kind of a neutral color so that you can use. It is more of kind of a neutral color so that you can use it.
Nika Lawrie:It's not necessarily that seasonal style or that seasonal print that comes and goes quickly. It's something that you can, you know, add to your repertoire to use, you know, for years to come kind of thing, and so I think that's a great way to approach fashion from a more sustainable manner. It's like it's okay to buy from the brands. Just be conscious of how you're going to use the product that you're going to buy. Uh, you know. And then, if you, if you buy something that you don't love a year or two years from now, using, you know, a tool like reselling uh to um to uh, pass it on to the, the next person opposed to putting it into the trash, um and uh, kind of wasting it in that sense, yeah and and and you know, in addition to that, like, like you say, you touched on the reselling part of it.
Pinky Chong:So we just kind of get into the you know the circle of reselling and sharing our closets to others and kind of extending, extending the item that we already own so somebody else can can enjoy them, and you'll be surprised, you know, reselling nowadays is just not your typical. You know, thrift store finds uh, there's a lot of sellers who sell, uh, you know, items still with tags on. So, yeah, you can, you can, you can definitely find, you know, items that are brand new if that's what you're looking for, if you're open to, you know, buying, um, things that have already been used, and there's a market for that as well. So, absolutely.
Nika Lawrie:I think you know, I went through my closet about I don't know, probably about three years ago, and I had. I lived in New York and I lived in Los Angeles and I worked for Dillard's for years and I had, you know, I worked in costuming, I worked in wardrobe in the in the film industry too, and so I had access to all of these clothes.
Nika Lawrie:I had this huge, massive wardrobe and I found, yeah, and I found that I was wearing the same 20%. I mean, I was wearing the same 20 items. I weren't, cause that was just like right. And so I decided I was like this is crazy, and I'm going to minimalize my closet and I got rid of probably half of what I owned. Um, and in my closet it's, I still have a walk-in closet that is packed full of clothes and I'm still only wearing maybe 20% of it. But to think, I've downsized about 50%.
Nika Lawrie:And when I was going through those things a lot of them I had, you know, friends and family, come pick through all that. I mean, I literally opened up my garage and I said, just come take whatever you want. There were shoes and clothes, but what I found was a lot of them still had tags on them and it was, you know. It seemed like, wow, that was a waste of money, you know retrospectively. And so I think so many of us are buying things without really being conscious about how we're going to pair those with other things and how we're going to use them in our daily wardrobe. And so I think it goes to what you were saying about people are selling clothes that they have never even worn, even though they bought it and it's considered, you know, secondhand now, in that sense, yeah, yeah.
Pinky Chong:Up to the point where you know I have clients tell me oh my gosh, you know, I didn't know I had this.
Nika Lawrie:Yeah, yeah, yeah so. So let's talk a little bit about your authentication side. So you're looking at luxury items. How, if we're looking at starting to shift our buying habits to resell products, how do we authenticate them to make sure that they really are the brands that we're looking for? I know, coming from being in New York, I know you know one. Any type of fashion is kind of the thing in New York, right, but understanding how many knockoff bags and clothing items and stuff like that makeup there are, how do we start to identify whether or not things are authentic or not?
Pinky Chong:Well, one of the biggest thing is, of course, the craftsmanship, because the iconic brands are going to be very careful with you know how they make their item, like, for example, the handbag. So you want to look at the quality of. You know it's in the small details. To look at the quality of, you know it's in the small details, like the stitching and the hardware, and you know the shape and the look and the feel of the item.
Pinky Chong:Unfortunately, though, with the growing technology and, you know, with replicas being produced, you know constantly replicas being produced, you know constantly, and their quality improve over the years. And with technology, there's things like what they call superfakes now. So it's sometimes, especially for those who are not you know, they haven't researched much, much about the brand. It's easy, it's easy for for them to overlook that it is not the authentic item. Unfortunately, if you're looking at, you know, hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase, then you would want to contact, or you would want to reach out to an authenticator so they can, you know, lay a pair of eyes on it and actually do a good authentication on the item, just because you know nowadays, you know there's replicas that are just so good to the naked eye that it would take you know, an authenticator to actually determine if it's a fake or not, and I see that unfortunately with you know the items that come through my authentication services, which is very unfortunate.
Nika Lawrie:Yeah, absolutely. So when we're thinking about you know if I want to go, I'm looking at you. Have this beautiful Chanel bag sitting next to you, which I'm totally in envy of for for the podcast listeners who see it. I mean it looks like this brown leather with the Chanel. See it. I mean it looks like this brown leather with the Chanel, like maybe burnt into it or stamped into it. Um, yeah, I mean I love it. But so, looking at something like that, you know if I was going to go to a website to buy a, um, a resale Chanel bag or something?
Pinky Chong:like that are there?
Nika Lawrie:are there um places that I can go, that you maybe sell on, or that you would recommend that have authenticated those items that we know are safe to purchase from?
Pinky Chong:So you can just like with any business, you can Google them and see what the feedbacks are. Google them and and see what the feedbacks are. Um, unfortunately, even with established uh resale platforms out there, I have even personally seen uh fake items that just kind of go through their system, which is unfortunate. So what I would advise, advise for you, for you know buyers to do, especially if they're not used to determining if it's, you know, an authentic bag or not, if they're new to luxury, you know luxury items is to have you know a second or even a third opinion whenever they receive the item, just to be safe, just because you know replicas still have. I've seen them go through even the reputable reselling platforms out there.
Nika Lawrie:Yeah, okay, so, um, again switching the gears on the other side of that. So you know I I wish I had I'd met you before. I cleaned out all my closet, got rid of all my stuff, because I was just gonna say that like my business, yeah, but you know, none of it was really worth that much. I mean, a lot of it was fast fashion stuff and so so you know.
Pinky Chong:You'll be surprised, though, because it's all about you know. The photos and the description, and then bundling them together, but you still have a closet full of clothes. I've got plenty to go.
Nika Lawrie:You'll be on my list when I'm ready for the second round. But so when we're thinking about reselling from our own perspective say, we have these products that we, or these clothing items or shoes that we want to then sell how do we turn that into a successful side business Like is this a good option to look at and how are you starting to teach people how to do this on their own?
Pinky Chong:Yeah, I love the reselling part of it, of, you know, reselling being a side hustle just because we already have the items that we're going to sell. So you know you don't need to start brand new and buy all these things because we do have a lot in our closets and around the house.
Pinky Chong:So when you think about, you know, startup money, you really don't have to, you know, take out a loan or anything, because you already have the items that you're trying to sell and then also, you know, whenever you try to sell something, it's such a good practice and a good foundation for any kind of business that you want to start. You know you want to work on as your next business. So reselling is such a good side hustle because you can monetize it, you can grow it so you can keep doing it. Or you know it's a great foundation so you can look into other businesses as well, because it's a side hustle that you you just learn so much from.
Nika Lawrie:Absolutely so. I know, when I was first getting rid of all those clothes I can't remember the name of the app, but I downloaded some app to sell some of the clothes and I put some pictures on it and I got zero hits and so I just kind of gave up on it. I mean, I didn't try that hard but I nobody. Nobody messaged me about anything. I think six months later I got an email notification saying that one person had wanted something. How, like what tips do you have to even start that? I mean, do we use those apps? Poshmart, I think that's the one I use. Do we use those apps? Is there a different approach to this? How do we start getting people to pay attention to us and our clothing?
Pinky Chong:Yeah, so there's different platforms. So Poshmark is definitely one platform you can start with, and then there's also eBaybay. There, you know, they've been around for a long time, um, and then you know there's also facebook marketplace, uh, and you know you can, you can. It's called cross listing. You know, you, you list on different platforms so you can have more eyes, uh, in your items, and so you'll you'll have you know, better chance of of selling your items. And also there's, you know, there's a few tricks, uh, that I that we can talk about. So you can, you can, uh, actually make others more interested in in your item, absolutely can you share?
Nika Lawrie:can you share a couple of your favorites?
Pinky Chong:yeah, yes, my favorite is, um, the obvious. You know good photos, especially with. You know the advancement technology. I, I mean, who doesn't own an iPhone nowadays, or Android? I'm a big iPhone fan. Yeah, me too. So, yeah, I mean, you know, with an iPhone you can easily take good pictures, you know.
Pinky Chong:The trick to it is just, you know, have a simple background, have a clean background, because people look at those things. You know we're simple background, have a clean background because people look, look at those things. Um, you know, we're not going to buy anything that is, you know, thrown on the on the floor that we, you know, with a dirty background or something. So at least just just keep your background clean and clear, um, and really showcase your, your item, and also just to protect you and also so you can, you can have happy buyers, make sure you take photos of the imperfections, um, that are on the item. So, if it's a shirt, if it has a little, you know, a stain or a little thread, we'll make sure you mention that in the description and also take photos of it. So I always tell my clients when you take photos, take photos as if you don't have anywhere to write the description, though you're going to tell, you know the story of your item in in your photos.
Pinky Chong:So, and also, uh, bundling, uh, putting putting items that are either similar in style or you know items that go together. So you encourage, um, people to buy in bundles and it also creates an interest and you know, for, for those who have a hard time pairing things, you'll, you know, you'll give them the idea about what items to go that goes together and of course, if, if they like, uh, how it looks, it look, they look together, then they'll probably buy. You know all the items, um, and also it gives it gives them the value. So you know, let's talk about. You know a certain top that we love. I, I I'm guilty about you know, buying. You know one style, a top, and then I'll have all different colors. So it's the same thing when we sell, we can, we can bundle, we can bundle the items and it'll create more value to our possible buyer.
Pinky Chong:And also including the retail price. So you can go, retail price is $100. You can have this for $20, $30. And so you can include that in your description so it will create more interest to your listing and also try to go back to the reason why you bought the item. Was it the color, was it the price, or was it because it came in 10 different colors? So kind of recall the reason why you you bought that item in the first place. Yeah, and use that in your description. So.
Nika Lawrie:I love that. That's a good idea, relating it back to kind of that storytelling aspect, because that's how we buy into everything and so thinking about it, that sense too. So before we met, I usually ask my guests to send me some sample questions that they would like to be asked, and one of them really stood out to me that you shared with me is that investing in designer handbags can be a better option than stocks or real estate. Can you explain that to me? I would love to know more about your thoughts behind this and, potentially, how do I get involved? Right?
Pinky Chong:Because the handbags, they usually maintain their value over time and also, unfortunately, the big brands tend to have like a price increase anywhere from once or twice a year. So combine that with just the trend over time of the item going up in price, so then it becomes, you know, it results to a more return compared to stocks and then there's always a market to sell it. So there's, you know, there's really, there's really no, um, no possibility of it ever decreasing in the value. I'm like the stocks, so it's a great investment.
Nika Lawrie:So when you're, when you're talking about these bags, are we talking about like, um, like Chanel or Hermes, or are we talking about like coach and Michael Kors or you know what? What kind of level are you talking about there? And um, is it so? You're you're saying that the price increases every couple times a year. So if I bought a brand new Chanel purse today, does that mean that six months from now, that Chanel purse is actually worth more than the day I bought it? How does that work?
Pinky Chong:Yes, yes, unfortunately, uh, for buyers, it it that this happened, but fortunately for you, that's going to happen. Um, and the thing about the secondary market also is um, you know, buyers are very forgiving, uh, I don't mind, and most people don't um mind. You know buyers are very forgiving, uh, I don't mind, and most people don't um mind. You know, buying uh used louis vuitton or chanel or hermes bag, uh, so I'm, I'm thinking now I'm laughing in my head because I had a Louis Vuitton handbag that I just sold, maybe two years ago, and it I bought it.
Pinky Chong:We call it pre-loved. Not sure if you're familiar with that. Yeah, yeah, selling term uh pre-loved is when, whenever it's been used or carried by somebody else, so I, I bought it, uh pre-laid, I bought it used and I used it for gosh, several years, um, and then, you know, I just kind of didn't want it anymore, I've had enough of it, yeah, and so I've, I've sold it and I've actually sold it more than I previously bought it for. And so I'm telling, I always tell my husband I said I'm carrying all this stuff for free.
Pinky Chong:So it's better than just rent. It's like renting an item, but better because you, you not only carry something for free, then you end up making a profit and then, in the grad scheme of things, um, we're you, you know, we're helping the environment. So it's yeah, it it's a fun and and it's a fun business, at the same time a very serious one if you look at the sustainability part of it. So that's why I do have a lot of fun in this business.
Nika Lawrie:I love that, yeah. So I want to clarify again for the brands so does it have to be the super high-end ones, like the Louis Vuittons and the Chanel's, or can it? Can it be that middle brand like the coach and the um, Michael Kors and those kinds of things, or where does, where does that work?
Pinky Chong:Okay, I'm glad you redirected me again. I get kind of carried away. I'll go into this rabbit hole of talking about something else. No worries, the brands would be what you just said more of the high-end brands High-end, yeah Louis Vuitton and Chanel and Hermes and Gucci, and you know most of those brands in that category.
Nika Lawrie:I see that makes sense. What is, if you don't mind me asking what is the most expensive bag that you've purchased?
Pinky Chong:Um, it was a, it was an Hermes bag actually. Um, so, yeah, yeah, that's, that's the most expensive.
Nika Lawrie:I was, I was what I mean. You just think of Hermes as kind of the the queen bee of the purse world, right?
Pinky Chong:so yeah, yeah, that's funny but it's nowhere uh expensive compared to the ones out there Like the. You know, I have a friend who is actually selling a few of her Birkins and it's the Himalayan Birkin, which is like 200 something thousand dollars. That's crazy.
Nika Lawrie:Oh my gosh, that's unbelievable. That a purse is worth more than most people's sums. Yes, right, right, unbelievable.
Pinky Chong:It's unbelievable.
Nika Lawrie:Pinky, this has been super fascinating and I could probably talk to you about ours because I'd love to learn more. But I have a couple of quick fire questions for you Before I get to that. Where can listeners connect with you? How can they find you if they're one interested in learning more about reselling, or two want to get in touch for authentication or something along those lines?
Pinky Chong:Sure, I think I'm on Instagram and LinkedIn on Instagram and LinkedIn. On Instagram it's Pinky Chong P-I-N-K-Y-C-H-O-N-G underscore. And I am also on Facebook. I have a business page there. It's called Authenticated Luxury, and I also have a personal page, so it's you know. They can easily contact me there and I will surely respond to them.
Nika Lawrie:And yeah, and I'm on.
Pinky Chong:LinkedIn. Yeah, yes, I'll link to everything too just to make it easy as possible. So yeah, did you want to share LinkedIn. Yeah, linkedin would be. I think it's this. Yeah, it would be the same name, so I can just provide you with all the contacts, if you don't mind. Yeah.
Nika Lawrie:I'll share everything in the show notes, so be easy as possible, definitely. Well, pinky, are you ready for the quick fire questions? Yes, sure, okay, perfect. What is your favorite or most impactful book, podcast or documentary, and why?
Pinky Chong:Gosh, there is so many. Now I'm, I'm, I'm going uh blank just because there's so many uh that I read and listen to out there.
Nika Lawrie:That's okay. If you don't have one off the top of mind, that's totally okay too.
Pinky Chong:I don't just because there's so many, there's so many out there. No worries. Gary V, gary Vee and Simon is who I listen to for podcasts, so I'm glad I remember that yes.
Nika Lawrie:Absolutely. I love Gary Vee. He's fantastic, definitely, yeah, yeah. My next question for you?
Pinky Chong:Oh sorry, and then why Gary Vee? Just recently, just a few days ago, he was talking about, um, you know, kindness and and the soft skills that are needed in business, and in life and and I'm I'm just so relieved almost that he's talking about that because you know there's a misconception of, you know, being nice as being a weakness. So I'm glad you know the guru said it was okay.
Nika Lawrie:Yeah, I love that too. I mean, I think that's one of the reasons why I've always loved him is because he's really all about you know the grind and coming up from nothing and being kind to people and being um, being of service and being authentic, like truly yourself and forgetting about all the needs and wants and you know shiny things and really just being there to help others and being kind. So absolutely yeah, so thank you for asking that question.
Nika Lawrie:Absolutely. Um. So, pinky, my my next question for you. For you, and you've kind of shared already with the sense of reselling, but what is your best toxin-free or eco-friendly living tip?
Pinky Chong:done for over a decade and, like I said, I feel, like you know, the more I get into the sustainability aspect of reselling, I feel like you know there is definitely more that I need to do, and you know that's going to be one of the things that I really want to work on act personally is is to study more about it and and be more active about, you know, the sustainability part of it. Um, because you know we we only have one world and we have to.
Pinky Chong:we have to do our little part, no matter how little um to save it. So Absolutely.
Nika Lawrie:I think all of us need to just make little changes every day to do better and, to you know, protect us and protect the planet Definitely.
Pinky Chong:Yeah, and, and then, um, and then. That's why I love your platform as well, because you know I love your platform as well because, you know my daughter has, you know, researched into the plant-based diet and so she's helping us navigate that aspect in our lives as well. So we can, we can be healthier.
Nika Lawrie:Awesome, I love that. Yeah, I think you know there's so many different facets and different avenues. You can go down for your own health, but just making sure that it's it's a priority and it's front and center and you're doing what you can to learn more every day is kind of the key to it.
Pinky Chong:Yeah, yeah, there's so much to learn. Yeah, I feel like I'm just barely touching the surface. You and me both, and I've been doing it for years.
Nika Lawrie:So can you imagine, I don't know anything. That's, that's great. That's an opportunity to learn new things. Yes, absolutely Awesome. Well, pinky, my last question for you today is what does living consciously mean to you?
Pinky Chong:consciously mean to you being more aware, being more aware of your surroundings and being in the moment and, like you said, just trying to learn whatever. It is, just learning every day and being intentional. So I think that's why I connect now even more with you because of our conversation and, like you said, just learning every day and being intentional is part of the journey.
Nika Lawrie:I love that. I think it's so important to just kind of slow down and give ourselves that time to just, you know, live in life, opposed to blazing through it to just, you know, live in life, opposed to blazing through it.
Pinky Chong:Yes, and this talk is definitely one, one part of that. You know, just sitting here and digesting and listening to what you're saying, and digesting what you're saying, and and this has been so much fun, oh, my goodness.
Nika Lawrie:Well, thank you so much. I'm so grateful to have you on the show. I'm grateful for you taking the time to share your knowledge with us and your inspiration in the sense of starting your own business to be a there and conscious and connected mom too. So thank you for all you've done.
Pinky Chong:Yes, and thank you, and, and if you need anything, I'm here to support you. I believe in your mission and people need you, so keep going, and thank you again for this opportunity.
Nika Lawrie:Thank you.