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<p>Last week, we took you behind the scenes to introduce you to one of our cofounders, Sonny McCracken. This week, you get to take a peek into the life of Après cofounder, Darby Jackson. </p>
<p>Here's Sonny's Q&A with Darby: </p>
<p><strong>Can you describe the process of leaving behind your health and wellness coaching practice and other "side hustles" to join and help create what is now Après?</strong></p>
<p>When we first met to discuss Après last June I was running my health coaching practice, appearing on health segments for KTVU Channel 2 and then also consulting for two fitness startups here in SF. It was a crazy time! I truly loved what I was doing in the health space but always knew that I wanted to find a way to have a bigger impact on women's lives. When you told me about your concept for Après I knew right away that was the path that I was supposed to go down. It aligned perfectly with my love for wellness and gave me a way to reach and connect with more women than I ever imagined. So, while it was tough to say goodbye to my amazing clients, I knew that it was a step toward fulfilling a greater calling. </p>
<p>Overall, it took about 4 months for me to say goodbye to my clients and then wrap up my consulting work. Now, I'll occasionally do a KTVU health segment because I love sharing health tips and yummy recipes with that community, but other than that, it's full steam ahead Après!</p>
<p><strong>Were you scared? How did you get the confidence needed to "make the leap?"</strong></p>
<p>My entire body and soul told me that Après was the right thing to do, but it was still incredibly difficult and scary to say goodbye to a business that I'd poured sweat and tears into. I always knew that my health coaching business would take me down a path to something bigger and with more impact, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly. So, while I was definitely scared to leave my clients and a steady income, I knew that the scarier option (Après) was the right answer. Regardless of how it would turn out, going all in on Après would help me grow and learn, which was really exciting. </p>
<p><strong>Your life is quite a bit different now than it was a year ago. What's been the change you've enjoyed the most? What about the biggest challenge?</strong></p>
<p>My husband and I moved from Berkeley to San Francisco in January so that's definitely been one of the biggest and most fun changes. I'm so much closer to some of the best boutique fitness classes now and within walking distance of most of my friends, and you! The biggest challenge has definitely been learning how to get comfortable being uncomfortable. I am stepping outside of my comfort zone and doing something new and different every single day. It's almost always uncomfortable and a little scary but I truly believe that the best stuff happens when you step outside of what you know. It forces you to grow and learn really fast! </p>
<p><strong>If you could go back and give Darby 2016 some advice, or share some "tricks and tips" on how to adjust to her future life, what would you say?</strong></p>
<p>I'd tell her that she's more powerful than she knows. The leap from being a health and wellness coach to launching a fully-formed company is HUGE! I've had so many moments (like meeting with a venture capital investor, launching our website or making tough decisions on our product's formulation) where I've felt seriously intimidated and scared. Over time, I've learned that we are all way more capable than we give ourselves credit for. All it takes is some hard work, a little pump up speech and maybe a quick shimmy in your room and you can take on the world. </p>
<p><strong>Looking to the next year or two, what most excites you about the road ahead?</strong></p>
<p>I'm going to echo you here and say, I cannot wait to see someone walking down the street holding an Après. The first person that I see, I am going to have a crazy urge to run over to them and snap a photo. It's going to be the best moment to see a product that we've both worked so incredibly hard on, out in the wild.</p>
<p>Outside of that, I'm really excited to continue to build a strong community around Après. I love that we are striving to be so much more than a beverage. We are building Après around a community of women that are adding so much to the world; they are breaking molds in their careers, prioritizing their health and wellness and inspiring other women around them. I feel so lucky to have met so many amazing people on this journey so far and am really looking forward to engaging and growing our community. </p>
<p><strong>Ok, enough about Après. Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you like to do outside of work!</strong> </p>
<p>I love, love, love to cook! I make a mean grain free zucchini pizza and vegan chocolate chip cookies. I played water polo in college so working out has always been incredibly important to me. Right now, I'm really into LeGree, lifting weights and running sprints with my girlfriends outside. On the more "woo woo" side of things, I'm really into alternative healing modalities like cryotherapy, float tanks, reiki and I never go anywhere without my crystals! </p>
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