Mara DeFilippis of Asheville, NC on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Mara DeFilippis. Check out our conversation below.

Mara, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day begins with (first-thing, shockingly), coffee. And that doesn’t include preparing it. It is cued up the night before so all that is actually required of me before coffee is to push a button. No activities, no decisions, no managing things that can (and will likely) spill. It is usually enjoyed on the back porch with an exquisite partial view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am so fortunate…

Once awake (enough) after coffee, I move inside toward my spiritual practice which begins with some (not-so-light) such as Eckart Tolle, Tom Kenyon, etc. Once rooted with some intention from the readings, I move on to some solo yoga, meditation and finally into physical therapy exercises.

The day feels “off” if I miss this practice to ground the day in intentionality, presence and some movement. Did I mention how fortunate I am? But also, entrepreneurship is not for sissies. This is the up-side of it 😉

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello – I’m Mara, founder of TataTattoos, a line of temporary nipple/areola tattoos created for women on the post-mastectomy journey, and for transgender MTF folks. They were designed to help women reclaim confidence and sense of wholeness after their mastectomy and are surprisingly realistic.

They are especially supportive for many stages of one’s journey including those:

• Looking for temporary solutions to feel more confident, complete or “normal”
• Exploring nipple tattoo size, shade and placement options before committing to permanent options
• Unable to undergo permanent nipple tattooing, but still wanting a visual sense of completeness
• Opting out of further breast cancer related procedures

What makes us unique is the big love behind every detail.

• We offer seven carefully crafted shades and three sizes, thoughtfully inclusive to the diversity of all our beautiful sisters.
• Our tattoos are produced via a dedicated print run, ensuring consistent color accuracy and avoiding the common issue of “color shift” that plagues other mass-produced temporary areola/nipple tattoos.
• Created from love (I am a breast cancer thriver myself), TataTattoos were born from personal experience and grown with great care and attentiveness to customer needs.
• I hold myself and TataTattoos to exceptionally high standards of safety, inclusivity, ethics, and environmental consciousness: manufactured in the U.S., exceeding regulatory benchmarks (U.S., Canada, EU), produced by an SA8000-certified facility, and packaged in recyclable or compostable materials.

Currently, I’m working on marketing for the first time in earnest! I am so excited to get the word out to support those beauties who feel incomplete or need information about getting permanent tattoos.

I’ve also recently created a men’s line in response to the needs of male breast cancer thrivers and FTM transgender folks. I had learned that they were buying TataTattoos and cutting them to appear more male-like. Nope. Men’s areolas and nipples are different (I am now a nipple aficionado!). In the spirit of gender affirmation, the name of the male line is TopTats and will be launched soon with their own more masculine branding. Both the tattoos themselves and the branding was heavily influenced by community input (and a crap-ton of research!). So excited!

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I wholeheartedly believe that all humans inherently good when they come to this planet. It is through conditioning of how we are raised, society, culture, generations, etc. that we come to act in harmful, unconscious ways. With that said:

What breaks bonds between people?

• Believing our thoughts are true
• Unconsciousness of our own blind spots
• The need to be right
• Lack of alignment in words and actions

What restores them?

• Self-compassion and self-kindness come first. We can only genuinely and consistently respond to others in the same way we meet ourselves. This is actually a learned practice to be kind with ourselves (called mindful self-compassion)!
• The grace of “do overs”. This is something my son and I practiced when he was younger. After a fallout, after we calmed, one of us would come around to say, “I’m sorry. If I were to do that over, I would have…”. It is so healing for both people and offers growth through self-reflection and personal responsibility.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been a few. My favorite related story was during breast cancer. Every part of my life was in shambles and unimaginably challenging. I just didn’t see one good solid place in my life that I could leverage my way up. One day, I told a friend that I was “just going to stay in bed until something good happens in my life”. She was there within 30 minutes to take me to breakfast! Short-lived and saved through the love of a dear friend.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Consistently living my own aspirational mission statement, “I live a life that reflects my authentic, original essence, with uncompromised reciprocity in all things. I fully trust in co-creation with God and unwaveringly allow my highest life path to unfold with love and joy”. I am also committed to a lifetime of continued personal evolution, and love.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When have you had to bet the company?
Now, actually! I have finally stopped working a (beyond) full-time job due to persistent toxic leadership and have begun to rely solely on TataTattoos for income. Acceptable quality inventory replenishment took over nine months, and a trip across the country to work with the manufacturer. This time was intended to be marketing and growing TataTattoos.

I would not market only the light shades that I had to offer as one who unequivocally believes in equal access for all our beautiful sister of color. So, now, with savings much lower, it is finally time to work with a marketing agency to grow awareness for the first time in earnest after 10 years in business. Hopefully, it will grow enough to be able to launch and market TopTats! Exciting (and wild) times!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.TataTattoos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatatattoos1/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TataTattoos
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tatatattoos