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

Elnaz , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

3:00AM The Card Game is my first product launch as part of a greater venture called Souly Global, where I intend to share more products and provide experiences that resonate with our soul and inspire us to feel alive. I use the term “soul” very broadly and in the context of our connection with our own mind, heart, body, and energy, and as a result, a deeper connection with others and our environment.

I think people by nature thrive off of authentic human connection and a sense of belonging within a community, whether we realize it or not. It doesn’t mean everyone wants a big social circle. It just means people want to feel seen and understood by those closest to them, but there is also a fear of being vulnerable and emotionally intimate. I started to notice throughout my 20s and now in my early 30s how discontent many people feel within themselves and how disconnected with others they feel. Especially in relationships, I still find it odd how not only dating apps, but even dating culture itself, has commodified people into almost a product where everyone swipes past people like they’re shopping. It seems like people have forgotten that each person is a human with a story and there is a value to that which makes how we interact more considerate than if we just saw people as a product. Even in more longterm relationships, romantic and platonic, it seems like communication with self-awareness has been a big challenge that has caused otherwise strong, loving bonds to breakdown.

I created 3:00AM to help as a starter point for people to express themselves and to listen to others more intentionally and meaningfully. It’s a card game comprised of questions blending emotional intelligence and philosophy. I like to refer to it as relationship-building and self-discovery in a box, because it can be played with others or used as self-reflection journal prompts that I hope encourage us all to better understands our needs, desires, strengths, and weaknesses without judgement.

Personally, my conversations with people I trust and sometimes strangers have been transformative mirrors for me. Sometimes I have left those exchanges feeling inspired, and other times, with a dose of healthy motivation to do more of my own inner work. Not every conversation may feel comfortable. Sometimes, there will be a disagreement in perspective, but the point isn’t to be right with this game. The purpose is to be honest and to share those differences and maybe discover how similar we are despite our various belief systems and backgrounds. The questions in this game have been inspired by those conversations and my own process of expanding my mind and reinventing myself, which I think we all experience in our own way.

My mission is simple: I hope to inspire others to not only exist, but to feel alive. To me, this means experiencing all our emotions, finding healthy ways to work through challenges, and experiencing the true power of what it means to love and be loved, to create our lives, and to share experiences with others. It’s a life long process of growth, and I think that’s what makes it special. There’s beauty and strength when we experience more peace within ourselves and more connection with others, but cultivating that does take courage, effort, and commitment.

Elnaz , 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?

My background is as a lawyer, but I have always been a creator at heart. In 2020, I published my first Iranian-American coming-of-age novel called Roya, and most recently I launched 3:00AM The Card Game, which I shared details about earlier.

Though there are other conversational card games in the market, what makes 3:00AM unique is the level of depth it provokes. There are some soft questions that we commonly find in our own conversations or other products, but the bulk of the questions were carefully thought out to inspire us to really reflect. I love when someone’s reaction to a prompt is “ohh that’s a tough one, let me think about it” or “wow, I’ve never thought about that before.” That means a deeper level was reached.

To be clear, I don’t believe we should endlessly question everything and live in our heads. The purpose of 3:00AM is not to get through all the questions in one session either. The intention is to take a few questions and to use them as a starter points for what ideally becomes a natural conversation and exchange of thoughts that actually brings people closer to living in the present moment.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The belief anyone has in their talent, product, business, service, etc. makes the foundation of resilience. If I didn’t believe in my product, I wouldn’t be as committed and persistent about sharing it, because the initial stages of any venture are always challenging. When I first started creating and sharing my idea for 3:00AM, I found those that were excited about it, but also came across many people who dismissed it as a silly card game. The negative reactions of those who don’t see your full vision can be discouraging, but you have to belief in what it is you have to offer and what you want to achieve. I don’t think 3:00AM is going to change the world, but a meaningful conversation can light up inspiration for someone’s world to change, whether it be through hope, support, the exchange of knowledge, or even creating a healthy friction through differing opinions.

My path since graduating law school until now has been non-traditional, and that in itself is a challenge too. The lawyer side of my personality is more structured and serious, but the creator side of me is more playful with exploring the unknown and innovating. For a while, I thought I had to choose one over the other to be taken seriously, but that is not accurate. There is a way to be all of who you are and to succeed. So, I think resilience also arises when we have the courage to be true to ourselves, believe in our strengths, pivot when needed, and accept that it’s okay for our process to look a little different from others.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When others resonate with whatever it is that I have created. When someone reads my novel Roya and shares that they related with the characters and story or when I hear that someone enjoyed connecting with a friend or partner playing 3:00AM, I feel that in my heart. I know it sounds really sappy to say, but I do, because I poured my heart into creating them. Being a creative can sometimes feel lonely, not because I don’t have a wonderful group of people around me, but because I do process things a bit differently. So, in addition to my own personal bonds, I have discovered a deep feeling of connection with others through what I create, and that adds meaning to my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.3amcardgame.com
• Instagram: @3am.thecardgame, @elnazm
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elnaz-moghangard-jd-4a180980
• Other: TikTok: @3am.thecardgame