Reader,

I am a chai lover who stopped drinking chai. And coffee. 😪

Chai is a huge part of my identity, so it makes me cry.

I have a SNP, a genetic trait that impacts how my body metabolizes caffeine. Most people clear caffeine in about 60 minutes, but it takes me forever.

What sealed the deal was a chai crawl a few weeks back.
One perfect cup of cardamom chai at 4 pm kept me awake until 3 am.

That cup was also the impetus to get off caffeine entirely, and I crashed for four to five days. My headaches were so bad that a non-napper like me had to nap.

All from one cup of tea a day.

Now I drink decaf and the occasional cup of chai in the morning when I absolutely cannot help myself. Better sleep is on my vision board, and I have been focusing on improving it.

The hard part isn't just the caffeine. It's the socialization.
Chai is not just a drink in Indian culture. It is in our DNA, the hospitality, the love, the thing you are handed when you walk through someone's door.

Trying to explain why I'm declining it, watching the polite confusion, the "but it's just one cup." That is the tough part.
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​Some things you give up not because you stopped loving them, but because you finally started paying attention.​
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That's identity work.
And it's exactly what the founding cohort of ART of You is built around.

Not erasing who you are. Getting clear about who you are so you can build a brand that is actually you.

Alpana

PS. ART of You is an 8-week identity-focused group program that starts on June 8th. Mondays at 12.30 pm PST.
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A small group of women done with placeholder visibility.
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The last two spots!

If this resonates, DM me.