Love any chance to share my story and my why - and where I started! Thanks Shoutout LA for the interview!! 

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We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Annapolen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
Yes! I often remind myself to “trust the process”- it helps me let go of control a little. It helps when I hear a No instead of a Yes, and it helps me get through some of the uncomfortable entrepreneurship journey. Some of the tough stuff is part of the process and part of the learning. Trusting that the universe has my back reminds me to smile and know it is all working out how it’s supposed to.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Growing up I was the glass half full kind of girl naturally. Always an artist I kept journals of happiness quotes, and my friends called me a Hallmark Card. I was very happy, very often. And then in January 2017 my world crashed down on me. My son was 4 months old, my maternity leave was ending and post partum anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks. I will never forget pumping in this tiny room at my new design job, wearing this awful blush colored thick strap nursing tank top, my heart racing.

Going through that time, and then through talk therapy learning the many tools to get back to myself, changed me forever. When life throws curve balls I am confident I can handle them. I choose joy, one micro moment at a time.
The thing about focusing on the small positive moments is that happiness is in fact contagious. You can smile at strangers, radiate good energy everywhere you go, and create a ripple effect of positivity.

One of my avenues of finding this happiness is getting dressed. It’s a form of self-expression… I like to call it Dopamine Dressing. When you put on an item of clothing and it makes you feel so good inside that you glow on the outside. Every print in the Sara Joy collection is original artwork that I create – you can call it art therapy. You’ll see textured watercolors, multi media woven paper projects, and acrylic paintings, that I turn into prints.

I’ve been a designer professionally for many years, and working on my own collection of colorful resort wear is a life goal I am over the moon excited about. Resort wear is a chance to wear brights, spread happiness and get dressed with an amazing day in mind. Endless summer is a mindset – about choosing joy and spreading positivity – about creating that ripple effect. And to share my art that you can wear and see my community feel amazing in it is incredibly rewarding.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely. I love this shoutout. Without a doubt my shoutout goes to my original mentor Pamela Pekerman (Founder of Hustle Like a Mom). I met Pamela when I was in the pre-launch research phase. She saw something in me – she saw the magic I was about to create and not only did she believe I could do it but she believed I could soar. She helped me stay focused, she helped me edit my goals and through the years she has helped connect me to so many inspiring and wonderful entrepreneurs. Her encouragement and support has contributed to my success.