New Years Thinking with Our Founder

With a new year on the horizon comes an opportunity for self-reflection and setting goals. We sat down with the founder of Go Gently Nation, Kristin Coia, to learn how she plans to make 2019 a year of personal growth and self-care.

You run a 24/7 business and you’re a 24/7 mom. How do you make time to take care of yourself?

I am admittedly not great at this one. I am wired as a perfectionist and I give 150% to everything I sign up for. When you run a domestic apparel company and you are a Mom as well, something has to give. So, it is thinking of myself that has lost out in an effort to keep the other areas of my life thriving (my family & my business). However, I am learning now that I am older, that this approach is really not sustainable. I have been working hard on remembering myself each day. I know now that taking time for yourself is necessary to enjoy whats going on around you and to really appreciate it all!


With the New Year approaching, what is your mindful mantra for 2019?

Slow down, enjoy the moments, they are going so fast. And really listen so that I feel & hear the vast amount of goodness that is all around me.


How do you hope to practice self-care in 2019?

I look forward to summertime the most. Without having to get up early to make my kids’ lunches, I have time to go walking early in the morning, which is my most favorite thing to do for myself, but hard to do during the school year. I did achieve this past year no longer working at night, which is possible because of the brands growth and my great team who has taken so much off my plate! This is a big step towards self-care for me, as I manage Rheumatoid Arthritis naturally, and not getting enough sleep really worsens the condition.

Are there any products you would recommend that give you a lift and help you get through your days?

I love aromatherapy and recently got an essential oil diffuser. It reminds me that I am in a state of self-care when I have it going. I need to be surrounded by it for it to help someone like me…ha, ha! My favorite scent is Lemongrass, so I have that going all the time. It just gives me the lift that I need to get my days started.

I love to be inspired and bought this great little book called, “Mindfulness on the Go” that I absolutely love and is quite helpful for a busy working gal.  I gave a copy of this little gem to everyone on my team this year hoping they will get as much out of it as I have.  The small book fits in your purse and is a great grab to have with you all the time to help keep you mindful and peaceful when you lose your way on the quest for daily mindfulness. Highly recommend!

What is one change you’d like to make in your lifestyle that will bring you more peace?

Laughter. I think if I could learn to laugh more that would bring me a lot of peace. I move at warp-speed, not always present and I often forget to laugh.


We never truly stop growing and changing. At the end of 2019, how do you hope to be transformed?

I am a work in progress, that’s for sure… I never want to stop growing and evolving. I think this is the greatest gift in life. A chance to keep doing it better than you did before. This suits me well being a perfectionist :) I hope that I can let go & be fully at peace with myself and my accomplishments, and continue on my journey of discovering what exactly my life’s purpose is here on this earth.

As the owner of a business and a mother to two, how do you want to be a leader in this year to come?

I want to be sure I am listening. I want to be sure my children know I believe in them and accept them for exactly who they are. I think a good leader helps others see their own potential because they are believed in. This is who I want to be as a mother and a leader.

What is tugging at your heart in the New Year?

I want to help children in foster care and local orphanages. I have felt heartbroken recently about what life must be like to not have a home to grow up in, parents to love you to pieces and give you every leg up in life. I have not personally worked with orphanages in the past, only just through donations and gifts but I feel called to do more.


The team at Go Gently Nation wants to know, how are you planning to take care of yourself this New Year? Share with us in the comments and subscribe to our newsletter for more.