We were lucky to catch up with Emily Padan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
We have a choice in life; we can either believe it will work out, or we can worry it won’t. Worrying will not bring any success, happiness or peace. It will only cause stress to our minds and bodies. Believing may not bring them about either, but there’s a possibility that it may, and there’s something about hope that keeps us going.
There have been several times in my life when I’ve had to be optimistic. There was simply no other choice. When I ended a *toxic* engagement at age 29, knowing deep within my gut that there was someone out there for me who I was destined to meet, which happened 10 months later; when I left my comfortable teaching career of 7 years to jump into a hospitality business with my now husband, wholeheartedly believing it would be a success, which for the most part, it has been; when I wanted a baby so badly and had been trying for 3 years, and had had 2 miscarriages, and she is now 1 month old.
Sadness is easy. Worry is the simple way out. Persevering through the adversity and challenges is the hard part. But as Glennon Doyle says, “we can do hard things”.
Hard things bring us answers. Belief that we can do them (sometimes) brings us what we want. And in my opinion, “sometimes” or “maybe” is better than not trying at all and guaranteeing a “never”.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Originally a school teacher, in 2019 I left that behind to start a hotel company with my husband Mauricio. With design and nature at the forefront, hinter brings guests into the woods in nordic and Japanese inspired spaces. We currently have 4 spaces (soon to be more), all which offer a minimalistic architectural design that is directly connected with nature itself. Each structure encourages guests to realign with things that matter, slow down, and focus on their well-being. hinter’s purpose is simple; with emphasis on community, the planet, and the future. For every booking, we plant 10 trees, with each space planting an average of 1,500 trees per year.
I think the most exciting part of what we do at hinter, is the feeling that this is giving people a glimpse at a slower, greener life. Although I left my teaching career, it still feels in a way that I am educating others; how to slow down, how to redefine luxury and the importance of living sustainably.
On the side, I also share a lot about slow living on my personal IG page. I love creating content that inspires others to live more intentionally and to be present in their daily lives. It’s about embracing the little things, like that first sip of my morning matcha, or a quiet moment reading at home, as well as the day to day with an emphasis on loving what you do. Now, a new mom, I’m navigating what that looks like in this new chapter, and it’s definitely a work in progress!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The most important qualities I feel have contributed to my success have been:
1. Adaptability: It may be a natural trait of mine, but I feel that I am really comfortable with change. Whether that’s a change in career, relationships, environment… I have always been someone who can roll with the punches and adapt to new situations. I think life will inevitably evolve and things are bound to change, so why resist it? Embrace it. Push through it. This has been a game changer for me.
2. Presence: I am here. If I’m with you, I’m listening. If I am walking outside, I notice the birds. If I am feeding my daughter in the middle of the night, I’m paying attention to the soft sound of her breathing. Wherever you are, be there. It’s a skill that I have gotten so much better at over the years and I owe it mostly to meditation. I practice at least once a day, and this has entirely changed my mindset. It has also changed my level of focus and creativity which have positively affected my professional life as well as my personal life.
3. Optimism: If we don’t know the outcome in a situation, why not believe that it will be a good one? Thinking that it won’t work out will literally bring you nothing, but positive thinking may just give you the drive to find new solutions to making it happen. It may not work out in the end, and that’s okay, but I believe that at least starting with an approach of optimism can’t hurt, and it may just help.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents were not only incredibly loving and warm, but were also very important role models for me. Both being people who love to work and do what they love, this inspired me to make sure that I was always doing work that felt less like work and more like creativity.
Most importantly, however, my parents taught me to be myself. Both of them have always been very much true to themselves. The clothes they wear, the places they travel, the friends they have…always revealed a strong belief that being yourself is the only way. It took me a little longer to fully embrace this lifestyle on my own, since as a kid and young adult, I cared a lot about what others thought about me and really wanted to fit in. Over time though, I’ve seen that being myself has allowed me to stop worrying about fitting in, rather, the more I stay true to who I am, the more I attract in my life. I stopped chasing people or things and started simply being me, which brought the right people my way, the right opportunities in my corner and honestly made life so much more enjoyable. I now feel free. I feel in tune with myself. I am in the right lane.
It may have taken me a little while, truly only figured this all out in my late twenties/early thirties, but I am so grateful I got here, and I believe a huge part of me getting to where I am now is thanks to my parents influence.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hinter.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/emilypadan
Image Credits
1st Photo: North Wild Media 2nd batch: – David Dworkind for two hinterhouse photos – Mel Vanddersluis for pregnant photo – All other photos: North Wild Media
