We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rubina Ali and Neelam Damani a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rubina and Neelam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

We are two sisters, Rubina and Neelam, who absolutely love tea, and have a deep, profound respect for the healing power of Ayurveda. But if anyone had told us we’d be running a tea business, we wouldn’t have believed them! Now, it’s all we do, and get to spend our days hand-crafting Ayurvedic teas and superfood blends.

Our business grew out of an earnest need to find a natural remedy for a health issue. Some years ago, Rubina was dealing with severe stomach pain, and went to our mom to search for a remedy. They started creating Ayurvedic blends which not only helped her digestive issues, but greatly improved her overall health. Soon, our family and friends were hooked, and encouraged us to share our blends with others.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Ayurveda is the sister science of Yoga, a 5,000-year-old health system about bringing balance to one’s life. Growing up, we took this ancient wisdom for granted, but now feel grateful to experience and share its benefits with others. Ayurveda places a lot of emphasis on using food as medicine, and herbs and spices as natural remedies. We feel blessed and excited every single day to be on this journey!

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

Everyone wants better health, but it’s not always easy to find healthy options. At Roots in Harmony, it is our goal and passion to empower people to choose delicious Ayurvedic teas and plant-based superfood drinks to make healthy living achievable.

We are a sister-owned business in Houston, TX and specialize in creating Ayurvedic superfood powder blends such as Golden Milk Turmeric Latte, Beetroot Cacao Latte and Luminous Woman and teas such as Gut Balance, Golden Chai and Masala Chai. Each mix focuses on building immunity, supporting healthy digestion and promoting mind-body balance. We craft all blends in Houston using natural ingredients, and never add sweeteners, flavors or anything artificial. We source certified organic herbs and natural spices to prepare each mix in small batches. We also partner with Houston-area farmers to source locally grown ingredients whenever possible.

Each blend aims to make a positive impact for people, helping them lead healthy, balanced and enriching lives. Our blends are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and 100% plant-based.

This is our fourth year in business, and coffee shops, restaurants, cafes and co-ops throughout Houston carry our products. We have an online store at www.roots-harmony.com that allows us to reach customers throughout the country. Every weekend, we are at Tomball Farmers Market and Urban Harvest Farmers Market in Houston. We also lead classes for children and adults, teaching about Ayurvedic superfoods and natural herbs.

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

Redefining work-life balance is a challenge every entrepreneur can relate to. Sometimes our dreams are so big, it’s difficult to visualize them without becoming stressed, obsessed or overwhelmed. To us, resilience has meant redefining success and happiness, and valuing our personal life as much as our work.

When my sister and I first launched Roots in Harmony, we were determined not to be a casualty to working around the clock, with no time for family or friends. We wanted a five-day work week with weekends off, no work after 5pm. No random calls or emails in the evenings. Well, things don’t always go according to plan, do they? And sometimes that’s the real blessing! Over the years, we’ve discovered a lot about our capacity as individuals, and our bond as sisters.

Here are a few things we’ve learned along the way about growth mindset, and healthy work-life balance:

1. Embrace flexibility. Our lives now: we don’t ever have a day off, yet, every day feels like a day off. We choose and prioritize what we do each day, and there’s freedom in that. Each day is different, unpredictable and always new.

2. I used to listen to my boss; now I listen to my mind and body. We work when we feel good, and take a break when we don’t. It’s that simple. When we’re full of good, positive energy, things get done. In a business there’s always work we may not like, but that’s when we take a break and start with a fresh mind. It’s an opportunity to grow, reflect and reevaluate our goals.

3. Put family first, without guilt. We’ve always valued our time with family and friends, but it used to come with guilt. “I’m not being productive, I should be doing XYZ.” Yes, there are still deadlines and due dates, but the luxury of being able to prioritize gives us choice. We get to structure our days where family gatherings and time with our kids comes first, and then work. When we’re happy, we get more done!

4. Take mental wellness days. Especially with the pandemic, we have taken days (even weeks) of mental wellness, and learned the true value of self-care and making time for ourselves.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We are passionate about keeping our teas natural, without added sweeteners, preservatives or synthetic flavors. Ayurveda places so much emphasis on using food as medicine, and herbs and spices as natural remedies for ailments. So, we find ourselves educating our community about the importance of whole ingredients, even in teas. We are proud to use the highest quality, sustainably sourced, organic ingredients in every blend. Each cup is delicious, and each sip is nourishing. Keeping our products plant-based, honest and wholesome has been the key to our success.

Our proudest moments are when we hear that our teas and remedies are helping others. For instance, at Tomball Farmers Market, a customer said, “My daughter told me not to come home without Golden Milk.” Her daughter is nine years old. Some weeks ago, a gentleman said the inflammation in his knee had improved from drinking Golden Milk. Another said she takes it for her elbow. One of our customers takes Feminine Bliss Tea on nature walks, and another takes Happy Belly Tea every night for digestion. When we learn that our products are promoting healing and bringing joy to people’s lives – that is the positive impact we hope to have on our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.roots-harmony.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsinharmony
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rootsinharmonyhouston