Who We Are
Hi friend,
My name is Alina Liao. I'm founder of Zenit.
I didn't plan to start Zenit.
The spring of 2019, I was working through loss, depression, and trauma. The therapist and coach I was working with recommended I journal.
Just journal, right? It seemed so simple. But, even though I had long known journaling would be good for me, I had always struggled to do it. I'd open my journal, stare at the blank page staring back at me, and give up. So there my blank journals sat, collecting dust.
But one day, I thought of a few prompts specific to what I was working on: "What serves me today?" "How am I honoring my wants?" "What am I learning?" I dug up a blank journal and wrote them down. My journal was no longer staring at me. It was inviting me in.
Day by day, I wrote those same prompts in my journal. Soon, journaling went from impossible to easy. I was feeling the transformation from it. I wasn't only piecing myself back together, I was healing. One day, after writing my same prompts in my journal, I thought, "dang, it would be nice if my journal just had these prompts in them."
I followed that, and Zenit was born.
I started Zenit to make it easier for people to experience the healing power of journaling, especially people of color, who have historically faced, and continue to face, systemic barriers to health and wellness.
When I think about accessibility, it's not only about removing structural barriers. It's also about the deep, slow work of letting go of the internalized beliefs that "wellness isn't for me," or "my feelings don't matter."
I held those beliefs for most my life. I inherited them. The world reinforced them. I'm still on the journey of embracing that I, as a human being, have the right to take time for myself, to heal, to be well. My vision is to build Zenit as a radical wellness company that makes it easier for us to feel pride and joy in the work we do for our mental health. To not feel guilt for squeezing in a breath, but to sing self-love as we take our time.
I bring to Zenit my former experiences providing trauma-informed, culturally responsive mental health coaching to youth and people of color, as well as developing healing-centered trauma-training programs in collaboration with mental health clinicians, social workers, and youth advisors. I have a Master of Art in Education and Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, as well as certifications in Supporting Students Exposed to Trauma by Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Mental Health First Aid by the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).
Zenit is a Radical Wellness Company.
As a radical wellness company, everything we do must advance the wellness of our stakeholders: our customers, employees, the communities we operate in, and our planet. We reject norms that devalue wellness and put profits over people and planet. We intend to be a model for systemic change that promotes individual and collective wellness.
Our core values dictate how we operate:
MADE WITH LOVE
We make everything with love for all our stakeholders. We vow to:
- Ensure our employees enjoy a work environment that supports their holistic wellness.
- Make our products with care to detail and high-quality, locally sourced materials.
- Build and operate a zero-waste supply chain.
DESIGN FOR EQUITY
Wellness requires equity. A world with systemic injustice cannot be a world that is well. We believe that there is no neutral zone when it comes to justice - you are either contributing to a more just world, or you are perpetuating existing inequities. We approach all decisions with a lens of equity. This means:
- We will help build an inclusive wellness market that invites people who experience greater barriers to wellness into the marketplace through our branding, product development, and strategic partnerships.
- We will increase equity to economic mobility through our talent strategy, including hiring and developing talent in under-represented communities and partnering with Black-owned and minority-owned businesses.
- We will ensure that our growth in a community adds to the economic and cultural wellbeing of native residents, and never contributes to the displacement of residents.
HONOR AGENCY
We believe that wellness is a personal journey, everyone has their unique brilliance, and each person knows themselves best. We are NOT here to tell you what to think or do. We are committed to honoring the agency of all our stakeholders, so that:
- Our products will always be designed to foster each customer’s agency and power to own their healing and wellness journey.
- Our employees have a voice in all decisions that affect them.
- Residents in the communities we operate in have a say in the impact of our presence on their community well-being.
INNOVATE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
It is necessary to be intentional about what we’re innovating for. We reject the notion that more or faster is always better. We innovate to advance the sustainability of all our stakeholders, meaning:
- Empowering our customers to practice wellness daily, preventing burnout. We want everyone to go to bed feeling at peace and wake up rejuvenated, everyday.
- Ensuring that we are contributing to environmental sustainability.
- Supporting societal sustainability by closing racial and socioeconomic disparities in access to wellness and economic mobility.
KEEP IT REAL
The trust we build with our stakeholders is sacred. We are committed to:
- Continuously seek and incorporate the honest feedback of our customers.
- Maintain a work culture where all our employees can be their whole, authentic selves.
- Include in our decision-making unintended consequences, so that we can mitigate negative unintended consequences and have a net positive impact on the world.
Acknowledgements
The name Zenit comes from "Zen" and "it." Zenit! The term "Zen" comes from the Zen school of Buddhism. "Zen" is the Japanese translation of the Chinese word "Chán," which means "sitting meditation" and is translated from the Sanskrit word for meditation, "Dhyāna." The Chinese Chán school of Buddhism originates from the original Indian Buddhism.
The fabrics we use for our covers are Ankara and Batik print fabrics, which are rooted in West African and Indonesian cultures.
We acknowledge that the healing and wellness practices permeating our work are rooted in Indigenous, Asian, and African cultures.
Land Acknowledgement
Zenit is located in Washington, DC, which sits on Nacotchtank and Piscataway lands. We acknowledge that this city where we reside came about through colonization, theft of Native land, genocide, and a history of Native invisibility and erasure. We recognize, respect, and honor the Indigenous Peoples of these lands as the traditional stewards and owners of these lands.
We acknowledge that the city of Washington, DC, where we reside, was built by Africans who were enslaved. We acknowledge that to this date, African-Americans have yet to receive reparations they are owed for the atrocities committed against them and their ancestors in the founding and building of this country.
We stand in solidarity with Indigenous, Black, Brown, and Asian Peoples in our work in healing and liberation.
Thank you to our supporters
Thank you to