“Life will always have these 3 things: Pain, uncertainty, and involve change.”
– Tanya Choi
What do you want to do with your life? What’s the one thing you want to be when you grow up? Would you rather be creative, or do numbers and logistics speak to you more? Do we really have to choose…?
Now, describe yourself in one word…
Can you do it? Are we really all just defined by one thing in our lives?
According to brand strategist, film enthusiast, entrepreneur, marketing specialist, (the list continues on…), Tanya Choi, the answer is no.
Looking Back…
Historically, it’s always been customary to choose one path, pursue it, and then stick with it for the rest of your life. At the mere age of 18, we are asked to choose the course of the rest of our lives. And once you get a degree in that field… forget about changing paths! You chose to get a higher education in that field, so there’s no turning back now, right? I guess you have to stick with it…
No, no, no. And did I say, no…
Here to provide firsthand experience, I sat in on a conversation with Tanya Choi last week, where she provided a wealth of information and insight regarding her career path and overall life.
The Beginning
When Tanya was making the important decisions that come with graduating from high school, she found herself at a crossroads. She had always loved the world of film, but her parents wanted something different for her, something more “stable” like a doctor or a lawyer… She always had this internal battle of feeling as though she needed to choose between being creative and being a “good kid.”
Years later Tanya is here to tell us that that choice doesn’t have to be made. Our world is so big, full of opportunity.
She began her journey studying journalism at NYU. Upon graduating, Choi stepped into an assistant role for billionaire, Ron Perlman. It’s here where she gained a wealth of knowledge about business, people, and life. Working for such a successful businessman, she was able to observe how people think about business at a very high level.
Transition One
After spending years by Perlman’s side, Choi decided it was time for a change. Grateful for her experience, she was ready to learn something new. At the age of 26, she gave a one year’s notice, and went off to film school to give her childhood dream a chance.
She spent a lot of her time post film school working for free- finding value in the experience and not the money. Somewhere in the mix of things, Tanya also received her real estate license. Which brought her to…
The Year of Tanya
It was in this time Tanya became extra committed to herself- allowing for exploration and discovery. Not only was she searching for learning externally, but also, internally.
Ultimately, Choi made the decision to go back to school for a third time- this time securing her master’s in business administration at Fordham University. She wanted to learn more about how businesspeople thought.
Her mindset? Free.
Tanya commented on how having a free mindset while in business school allowed her to try different things and be open to new opportunities. It’s here where she truly found her love of being a leader. Upon graduating from now her third higher education experience…
She still didn’t know what she wanted to do.
All of these experiences were providing her with great skills, but still no career goal.
Another Transition
Three degrees and several jobs later, Tanya decided to give the realm of marketing a try. In this time, she tried a variety of positions from Global Marketer at L’oreal, to working at Benefit Cosmetics and Sephora. Finding success in those positions, Choi was ultimately poached by startup, Butterfly Beauty- changing positions and companies yet again.
Following a layoff at Butterfly due to financial hardship, Tanya had a realization…
She had spent all of these years giving so much of herself to other companies, what if she did that for herself?
Entrepreneurship Era
Following a tragic personal experience, Tanya started Divine Canine– a “dog beauty brand”- and she’s been focusing on that ever since.
Leaving Thoughts
By the end of this highly inspiring discussion, Tanya admitted that she herself is still trying to figure it out all of these years later- that she is still learning and seeking new opportunities.
She left us with this:
- Follow your gut more.
- Don’t listen to adults as much.
- Just be curious.
References: Our Story — Breathing Beauty
