In celebration of the launch of Being Frenshe (found exclusively at Target), we’re giving you a behind the scenes look into how the line got made. As the saying goes: it takes a village! We’re highlighting some of the folks who helped us bring Being Frenshe to life and how they get it done. Today, we’re featuring Sara Li, Frenshe’s Editorial, and what an average work day in her life looks like.
I’m Frenshe’s Editorial Director and the way I came to this job was very serendipitous. I had met Ashley two years ago about Frenshe, but the timing wasn’t right for either of us. Fast forward to the end of 2021 and we ended up syncing in all areas of our lives, from what we needed professionally to where we were in our personal lives to what we believed in values wise. I’ve been a journalist for eight years and during that time, I’ve heavily reported on mental health and issues within the wellness community. Being part of the Frenshe team gave me an opportunity to change some of those conversations instead of just reporting on them.
Sara Li
6:30am: Waking up, I… Immediately grab my phone and I’d be lying if I said otherwise. I’m an early riser by nature; I can’t sleep in even if I wanted to! I check my texts and emails for anything urgent and then roll out of bed. Having a morning ritual is so important to me because it puts me in the headspace to actually work. I use my Skinny Confidential Ice Roller, do my skincare (I’ve recently switched most of my brands to BIPOC owned), and then make my bed. I am a visual person and a clean freak. I can’t function if I know is something untidy in my apartment.
8:00am: To nourish myself, I… Stick with a pretty basic breakfast. I love Greek God’s Honey yogurt with granola and fruit. I’m a huge stickler for drinking water throughout the day (and text my friends to remind them too), so I try to balance my diet between that and small meals. I’ve been recently introduced to Trader Joe’s Shawarma Chicken Thighs and that’s been sustaining most of my meals.
12:30pm: My favorite part of the job is when I… Interview someone who is breaking the wellness industry wide open. Growing up on pop culture in the early 2000’s, so much of our society’s conversation around wellness is centered around shame. Open any tabloid and it’s about weight loss. We work very hard to bring nuance and diversity to the content we put out. We make it a point to feature voices who, historically, have been pushed out of the wellness space. We talk about the ethics and ethos of the practices adopted by Western society. We meet our readers where they’re at in their lives because it’s about balance over perfection. The best version of someone is when they’re feeling their best; it’s not a number on a scale or an all or nothing lifestyle.
3:30pm: To focus, I… Refer to my Notion, Google Calendar, and three planners (all from Ramona and Ruth, a small female-owned business). I am such an Earth sign that it’s obnoxious. I fully believe that productivity is 80% organization above anything. I have a little workplace ritual as well. I can’t do anything unless I have a candle lit (I’m a Solar Fleur gal) and two drinks (something fun and then water). I either go for a cold brew with oat milk, iced latte, or matcha.
4:15pm: I feel most fulfilled when I… Hear from readers that they really resonated with a story or learned something new. It’s also nice to just slow down and have an honest conversation about what we’re feeling. The world is so fast-paced nowadays and I think we’re all scrambling in one way or another. I appreciate that Frenshe team is so open about our emotions that there’s room for our good, our bad, and everything in-between. We show up for each other and in return, we can show up for our readers.
7:45pm: To recharge for the next day… It is so hard for me to stop working. Capitalism: 1; Sara: 0. But it’s been really important for me to develop an identity and life outside my work, which is a boundary that I haven’t always had. I always say my dream world is just existing with the village and going to the beach. To bring that into my life, I’ll make it a point to get dinner with my friends (no phones), go to a park to read, or go see a play. I’m an extrovert, so I only feel recharged being around other people and doing things.