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Hello!I'M NATASHA HOI'm a marketing and growth strategist, a chef, wife and mom, who is passionate about bringing more joy, play and fun into the world.
Alongside teaching people how to cook and explore new flavors, I help service-based entrepreneurs accelerate their marketing, sales and overall growth so they can have more freedom and time for what matters most. I also run immersive retreats for high-achieving women that are designed to bring them outside their comfort zone and create more time for play. I've visited 100+ destinations on six continents and I have many favorite places, including Istanbul, Los Angeles and Buenos Aires. |
But let's dig deeper, shall we...
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From as early as I can remember, I felt like I was supposed to achieve something.
I was lauded for being smart… …Precocious …Talented My mom put me in dance classes and pageants. She invested money in modeling classes and photo shoots. At every family gathering I’d inevitably hear— |
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“Natasha, sing us a song!”
or... “How’d you learn that big word?”
or... “Tell them what you got on your report card!”
Then in third grade, my teacher called me out of class one day. She told me I had to take a special test. I sat in a small room with the test proctor. Looking at colorful shapes and patterns, telling her which comes next.
A few weeks later my mom told me the test was for highly capable students. And I had done so well on it, the next school year I wouldn’t be going back to my school with my friends. I would be going to a new school that had a program for “gifted” students.
And I remember feeling so…
…special.
I was full of pride. Like the Golden Child. Everything my family put into me was paying off. They had great expectations. Expectations that I hoped to live up to.
A few weeks later my mom told me the test was for highly capable students. And I had done so well on it, the next school year I wouldn’t be going back to my school with my friends. I would be going to a new school that had a program for “gifted” students.
And I remember feeling so…
…special.
I was full of pride. Like the Golden Child. Everything my family put into me was paying off. They had great expectations. Expectations that I hoped to live up to.
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By 2010, I’d reached the top of the academic achievement mountain.
I’d been named PRWeek Student of the Year. I graduated with honors from USC with a degree in psychology and public relations. After searching for a job for nearly a year, I had two job opportunities. The first was for a healthcare PR firm. It was a traditional job, with good benefits that would make sure I did what I went to school for. But healthcare… It sounded achingly boring. The other job was for a sports agency. I found the listing on Craigslist. And applying for the job literally required, appearing on an MTV reality series called “Hired” that followed me through the interview process. A week later, a camera crew showed up to my part time gig and they filmed me as I answered my phone and heard: you got the job! So now I had a choice… Working in sports was my dream, everything about it was more exciting, Even the interview process. But it didn’t fit what I was supposed to do — It wasn’t a PR job — It didn’t pay as well — There wasn’t a clear path to success With that in mind, I took the “good” job at the healthcare PR firm...to make the most of everyone’s investment in me. So I could get to the top, where everyone expected me to be. |
In the summer of 2013, I spent more days crying than not... |
I was sad and confused.
I had spent a year and a half juggling two relationships that I couldn't let go of. One with my college boyfriend. The other with a new guy, named Isaac. Lying and cheating had already blown up in my face multiple times. But I couldn’t bring myself to truly end it.
Even when I would “break up” with one of them and try to move on, one would call, heartbroken, and I’d relent.
I couldn’t take disappointing him.
Not after he had invested so much in us. But the pursuit of expectations was making me absolutely miserable.
I had spent a year and a half juggling two relationships that I couldn't let go of. One with my college boyfriend. The other with a new guy, named Isaac. Lying and cheating had already blown up in my face multiple times. But I couldn’t bring myself to truly end it.
Even when I would “break up” with one of them and try to move on, one would call, heartbroken, and I’d relent.
I couldn’t take disappointing him.
Not after he had invested so much in us. But the pursuit of expectations was making me absolutely miserable.
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In October 2013, I hopped on a plane.
To run away from my life. The job I hated. The toxic relationships. The mountain of problems. I decided to quit everything for 3 months. I planned a solo trip around the world… …to Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Panama. |
For so long I had spent my time trying to make other people happy and live up to their expectations.
But once I left, I actually had time and space to myself. I discovered there was so much more to me. More than I had given myself permission to experience.
I’d always felt like the Black Sheep. Not because I felt like a screw-up, but because I had to maintain the veneer of being “special”.
I was always trying to be a version of myself that would be pleasing to others. Instead of showing up as who I actually wanted to be...
But once I left, I actually had time and space to myself. I discovered there was so much more to me. More than I had given myself permission to experience.
I’d always felt like the Black Sheep. Not because I felt like a screw-up, but because I had to maintain the veneer of being “special”.
I was always trying to be a version of myself that would be pleasing to others. Instead of showing up as who I actually wanted to be...
What happened next changed my life... |
Being alone…
I found the bravery and vulnerability to show up as myself.
Free from expectations from anybody.
It transformed my career, my relationships, my family and my self-image.
Giving myself permission to do whatever the hell I want and enjoy it, changed my life.
And I found my calling--
I found the bravery and vulnerability to show up as myself.
Free from expectations from anybody.
It transformed my career, my relationships, my family and my self-image.
Giving myself permission to do whatever the hell I want and enjoy it, changed my life.
And I found my calling--
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To help high-achieving professionals and entrepreneurs feel free…
…Free to play …Free to fail …Free to do things their own way …Free to put themselves first So they can be masters of their own time, income, businesses and stories. This is my WHY. I’ve experienced what it’s like to borrow someone else’s vision for your life. Feeling like you have to grind it out and put yourself last to prove you’re worthy And it’s my mission to help you have something that’s truly for you. Because your dreams are important. Your desires are important You are important. Just because you’re you. With love, Natasha |
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FOLLOW ME
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