We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aujha Hastings. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aujha below.

Aujha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission at Lotus & Avenue is to be as authentic as possible while educating consumers about the safest hair care regimes and products (including but not limited to hair, non-toxic household living, and family life.) There is so much information on social media these days that can be equally convincing and deceiving, leading consumers to feel overwhelmed and misled. Lotus & Avenue was created with the intent to provide valuable and truthful content from almost a decade of experience in the hair industry, as well as my passion for educating anyone and everyone on safer living practices for overall wellness and happiness.

I went to university for writing originally, my first passion. I did not get a degree simply because I couldn’t justify taking math when all I wanted to do was sit at my desk and write something of value for the world. Spending money on tuition for a piece of paper seemed so daunting, and at that point in my life, I wasn’t sure if my level of writing would be enough to support me financially. So, my wheels started turning and I began looking at other passions of mine that I could potentially turn into income. I always had an interest in hair and makeup, and began pursuing a career as a licensed stylist. Hair and hair care really is my second passion, and in 2021, I reached a point in my life where the wheels began to turn again and I wondered how I could combine my two passions while still making people feel good – internally and externally.

I became a mother in 2020, and as a self-employed business owner, my maternity leave was unpaid. I believe this was the driving force behind my wheels turning, and I knew I wanted to create something impactful for readers and consumers that would begin to change their lives for the better, in a way that didn’t feel overwhelming or misled. Behind every post and story at Lotus & Avenue is a soul-driven mama with the intent to guide with compassion and expertise.

Aujha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As I shared previously, I got into the hair industry wanting to simultaneously work in a field I was passionate about, but to also have stability to be able to write on the side with a purpose. It took a long time to reach the point of being able to do both. I honestly wouldn’t be able to pursue writing now if it weren’t for my spouse, Devin, and my family.

What first intrigued me about the hair industry is that there’s really something beautiful about making people feel wonderful and restored or brand new. I started getting my hair done in the salon when I was 14 because of a botched box disaster, and I truly loved every salon experience I had thereafter.
Today, I really love the transformations, self-love, and moments of relaxation people get to enjoy when they get their hair done. (Witnessing a person at peace is a true form of joy). What later became prevalent after starting my hair career was helping people maintain these positive experiences after they left the salon. Educating a client on their particular hair type, importance of good home care regimes, and which tools were superior to others really helped them enjoy their hair between appointments – which, overall, made them happier. The classic “it always feels so good right after our appointment, but then it gets dull and lifeless again within a week” statement slowly started to be heard less and less, and my days started filling faster and faster through recommendations; people were happy with their long-term hair health, and home care routines.

After starting a co-owned establishment with two talented hair artists in 2017, we were quickly all working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, making clients pre-book 8-10 weeks in advanced. Then, in 2020, I became a mother and with the way our salon was set-up, I went off on an unpaid maternity leave. When it was time to get back to work (after COVID delayed my return) I was only able to work part-time due to the cost of childcare in Ontario. This part-time schedule allowed me to enjoy more time with our daughter, but expand deeper into my potential as a service provider. I felt I had more to learn and more to give to the public, while incorporating my first passion: writing.

It took a long time to take the plunge, but in the summer of 2021, Lotus & Avenue was established, and so was my learning path of non-toxic products for a safer household, including hair products! At first, making product switches seemed so daunting and expensive in a time where funds were tight for nearly every household. Therefore, I wanted to try a different approach: switching one thing at a time, and encouraging others to do the same. My journey began with learning which products were safer than others and why (which was also overwhelming), and I knew I wanted to post about things I had already done the research on. I began writing a few blog posts – with several on the back burner still – and while all this was developing, I had stumbled across the opportunity to be a co-author in a collaborative book series: Every Body Holds A Story, with Sue Ruhe and Marsha Vanwynsberghe. They were looking for individuals willing to write and share their stories. Mine was about my journey of self-advocacy in getting my endometriosis diagnosis. The overall purpose of the book was to share our body stories and experiences in order to inspire and motivate others to do the same, while letting others know they weren’t alone if they were going through similar circumstances. How perfect? I could be published in a written-with-purpose book meant to help people, while also working on my blog.

Now, it may seem like I’m all over the map with what I really want to share with the world, and I took a blogging course that told me I had to pick one niche: hair, non-toxic living, or inspirational story sharer. I decided to step outside the norm, and determined my niche was helping people in various, positive, uplifting “avenues”. Knowing niches help people get noticed didn’t stop me from wanting to do things my way, backed with the intention of serving others for the better. I knew in my heart it might be a slower process to be heard by a vast audience, but what mattered more was sticking to my values and true nature.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

In all honesty, I’m actually currently going through financial setbacks as a business owner. My wild success (in terms of funds) was short-lived until my first maternity leave, COVID restrictions, and relying on family for childcare on specific days to avoid heavy daycare costs. (Shout out to our family for being the real MVP’s with our daughter!).

COVID restrictions reduced income drastically, overhead costs are still continuing to rise, and I constantly feel like I can’t keep up. Which made me pursue Lotus & Avenue with hope that my intentions would one day be enough to make up the financial losses. It has certainly taken a lot of investing in the growth of my brand, and a lot of support from Devin and my family, and a lot of personal sacrifices on my end; but, I can feel the potential and the masses Lotus & Avenue will reach – all with a greater purpose for readers and consumers.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve been a perfectionist when it comes to sharing things, as I’ve been afraid of the vulnerability. Any stories I’ve written in adolescence were only ever seen by teachers for assignments, as I was always afraid of judgement from family and friends. Why? I really don’t know. In the blogging course I previously mentioned, we discussed Imposter Syndrome. This really began to re-route my fear of being vulnerable and authentic in front of people who knew me. I didn’t care so much about crowds and strangers, I cared more about what my friends and family would think of me. Another experience that helped me unlearn perfectionism was being apart of Every Body Holds A Story, where Sue and Marsha really taught all of us co-authors to let go of trying to be perfect in our writing, embrace authenticity, and edit later. They even invited us to be guest speakers on the Every Body Holds A Story podcast, and my episode was all about letting go of perfectionism.
With writing blog posts on the Lotus & Avenue website, Instagram posts, and being a co-author, I learned sometimes it’s better just to get all your ideas out first, get the content out there first, and then go back and tweak where necessary.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lotusavenue.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lotus.and.avenue
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lotus.and.avenue

Image Credits
Martha Merzib, Ashlee Tafferner