HUI MATTHEWS

After giving birth to baby Asha at the end of 2015, I knew I could not juggle three things at once—being a mother, an entrepreneur and a part-time consultant—as I wouldn’t be doing any of them justice. Thus I decided to quit my part-time job to focus on Ash Be Nimble and Asha, which was a tough decision, as I would no longer have the safety net of a regular income to offset the (still) increasing expenses of motherhood! Even so, the double responsibility of raising a baby and building a business keeps me up many nights. I’ve learned so much about the importance of 1) finding the right pacing and 2) building a strong team. It’s comparable to tackling an ultra-trail race—you have to find the right speed to be able to keep going. Go too fast, too soon and you will end up with cramps and ‘DNF’ (did not finish); go too slow and you may not meet the checkpoint cut-off time, thus being disqualified. You also need to find the right people to train with, as they’ll keep you going when you don’t think you can. Likewise, you can lead and inspire others. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with incredible team members at Ash Be Nimble, all of whom have shown incredible care for the brand and myself. Even without a baby, it’s difficult enough to muster the willpower to go for a run. With a baby, there’s that additional hurdle of getting a babysitter, negotiating with my husband and getting friends to accommodate my odd schedule. I also have to get my act together in the morning and make sure Asha’s in good hands before I leave home. I’ve made myself sign up for a few trail races close to home. Anything under 20 kilometres is more doable, in terms of scheduling in the time to train for it. Ash Be Nimble is about everyday, ordinary people doing extraordinary things in fitness. Think the overworked, corporate dad who finds the time to train for a triathlon, the insecure new mother trying to get back into shape, the grandmother battling age-related weakness by hiking, the overweight student who takes up running to burn calories and the single mum who joins a marathon to inspire her kids—approachable people going the extra mile to do aspirational things and inspiring those around them.

When I am not able to get anyone to mind Asha, I strap her on my back and just go out for a hike. Added weig ht training!