We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Asoniti Foster a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Asoniti, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When you grow up watching multiple family members suffer with Alzheimer’s and ultimately pass away from it, you begin to question the likelihood of personally developing the disease. At least, that’s what I did. Alzheimer’s has plagued both sides of my family tree. At first, like most, I thought it was a natural progression of life, then I started doing some research and what I discovered was shocking: women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and African American women are twice as likely than the national average to get it. YIKES! I was now passionately driven to really do something about this that will make an impact, globally. I decided to produce an Alzheimer’s awareness documentary titled, “PUZZLED” with a spotlight on why women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and African American women are twice as likely. Needing help to execute the vision, I turned to the most creative mind I know, my teenage daughter, Soni. She and I began interviewing people and quickly realized that something was missing, as we didn’t want to produce another problem to the world. In my Oprah voice, “You get Alzheimer’s. You get Alzheimer’s. Everyone gets Alzheimer’s!” So, in addition to the documentary, we created effective tools that help reduce risk factors of Alzheimer’s.
Research has proven that mental health significantly contributes to a pipeline towards Alzheimer’s. Stress, depression, and anxiety (to name a few) are modifiable risk factors of the disease. But, practicing gratitude on a regular basis, has shown to help reduce those risk factors, increase self-love, improve memory, and boost overall mental wellness. Knowing that, we invented a Gratitude Bank that comes complete with 50 blank notecards, a pen with stylus and mediation music accessible via QR code. We also have a Gratitude Attitude Journal that comes complete with a pen, pad, sticky notes, color tabs and meditation music accessible via QR code. Both are available at Amazon. With our products and documentary, we are bringing awareness to mental wellness and Alzheimer’s and helping people heal where they hurt – one positive thought at a time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Born in San Francisco, I grew up in Bayview/Hunters Point – which was a predominately African American community at the time. After graduating from San Francisco State University, I relocated to Los Angeles, with dreams of producing and writing TV shows. Unfortunately, my dreams were later met with nightmares after losing the fabric of life: family, friends, finances and discovering that Alzheimer’s was rapidly ruining my family tree. The more I learned about the disease, the more I was encouraged to help do something about it, which turned into a bigger dream I didn’t see coming. My purpose is personal. As a sandwich caregiver for my grandfather who currently has Alzheimer’s and witnessing all stages of Alzheimer’s attack my family repeatedly, a passion grew that carved a path for me to not only help my family members, but others battling the disease. I want to help people get ahead of Alzheimer’s by reducing risk factors and boosting overall mental wellness. My aim was for something easy, effective, and intergenerational. So, when my daughter and I invented our gratitude products we knew it would work for others because it worked for us.
Currently, it’s estimated that 24 million people in the world are affected by Alzheimer’s. According to research almost 800 million people in the world suffer from mental health disorders. Both numbers include my daughter and I. During the pandemic, our mental meltdowns placed us on an Alzheimer’s track with risk factors to prove it. Stress, depression, and anxiety were constipating us with no way to release. Searching for an organic magic pill to help us, I uncovered the powerful benefits of a pen and pad. Writing down what you’re grateful for initially sounded like just another activity to do, but with absolutely nothing left to lose but our minds, we gave it a try. After a couple weeks, we could feel a difference. Crying throughout the day and at the dinner table slowly ceased. Communicating with others became clear and positive outcomes were attracted to us. With a utility patent on our products, we’re sharing with the world how we turned our pain into a passion to help other people.

How’d you meet your business partner?

This is easy. I birthed my business partner, literally. When I begin walking in my purpose, I knew I couldn’t and honestly, didn’t want to do it alone. While praying for help, my daughter ran into my room asking me to look at an edit she created on Tic Tok. Initially, I was uninterested in watching a Tic Tok video as I needed assistance with this new business. Reluctantly, I watched, and I’m glad I did. The video was original, unique, and impressive. She produced a masterpiece (in my eyes), with absolutely no resources – just skill. At that very moment, I realized my prayers had been answered as she was fitting to be my business partner. Now, some may be thinking, “how can a child be a business partner?” I know my daughter’s strengths and when the Pandemic hit, I saw her challenges. She’s proficient in the arts, has an eye for creative content and excellent with edits. We get along well, most of the time, enjoy each other’s company, most of the time and know how to help each other overcome our challenges, most of the time. Our individual skills, similar personalities, and willingness to work towards a common goal created the perfect mother-daughter team.
Realizing my business partner was right under my nose is a blessing from God. I never imagined that I would grow (yes, grow) into business with my daughter. At 14 years old, she’s learning how to strengthen leadership skills, master money management skills, and develop networking skills. None of which is taught in school. I couldn’t ask for a better business partner and look forward to the evaluation of our company.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Initially, I was against social media. I felt it was removing real human connections. For instance: the ability to observe body language, transfer positive energy, and simply share the same space with one another. While I still believe in-person energy and emotions are important for effective communication, I realize social media is a great tool to connect with those that are out of my personal reach. Although it has taken some time, building my brand online is making an impact within the mental wellness and Alzheimer’s community, globally. Social media has allowed my company to: interact with customers better, create online networks and promote products. Using an editorial calendar supports efforts with posting engaging content that is relevant to my target audience. Strategic planning allows me to stay the course – meeting social media goals. And unique marketing campaigns captivate the followers I have while attracting the ones I want. Yes, social media is a great advertising tool, but it’s important to note that not all platforms are the same and understanding the differences will identify what/when to post.
PUZZLED2020 has a presence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. All help generate business, broaden the brand, and provide various perspectives of the content. But what keeps my audience attracted and continuing to grow is consistency. I regularly post with a purpose and don’t switch up the subject matter which shows commitment. Keeping viewers entertained and educated about mental wellness and Alzheimer’s expanded my story and significantly scaled sells of my gratitude products. Overall, joining social media has proven to be beneficial, adding value to my brand and increasing my business footprint.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://puzzled2020.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puzzled2020/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Puzzled2020
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/puzzled2020-57a2531a4/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWAe_6JSAY-YBe68G3XR75A
• Other: Linktree – https://linktr.ee/puzzled2020 Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/stores/GratitudeAttitudeProducts/page/2A4814FA-0573-4537-A767-A1A558BF8A7C?ref_=ast_bln

Image Credits
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