Khushali Shah shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Khushali, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I always check in on employees and clients (is someone sick or otherwise unable to keep an appointment?) to make sure that the day is set for everyone. After that I make sure my son is up for school and get him breakfast and tidy up the kitchen while he eats. Once he is off to school, I will look again at the schedule for the week, including our social media plan, and get ready for the day. I use the first 90 minutes of the day to make sure the business- and my family- is off to a great start.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the owner and founder of Canopy Families, a DC area business that provides flexible household support to our busy clients. We are unique in that our company hires employees with previous experience in this work and matches them up with clients. Our clients simply need to reach out to us and give us their ideal days/times/hours per week and a household assistant will be matched to them. The client does not need to worry about vetting, reference and background checks, payrolls, meeting the number of hours the person desires to work… we do all of that for them. Our household assistants are employees of the company and receive time off benefits, health care and the opportunity to save for retirement, all things that they are not likely to receive in private employment.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents. They are immigrants from India and the hardest workers I know. If they were not working at their paid job, they were cooking, cleaning, mowing the lawn, fixing something around the house… They taught me that if you work hard and believe in yourself you can do anything. Their work ethic motivated me to work hard as well.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
To realize that this too shall pass. That most things are not really permanent. When I was sad about a kid doing something or scared about a thunderstorm, I knew that I would find acceptance with another friend and that the rain would eventually stop. Time does heal and gives you space for perspective. Even in the passing of someone beloved, time allows one to find joy in the memories we have of that person, even while sad that they are no longer with us.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Kindness and character. I think our world would be a better place if we all treated each other with kindness and shows integrity in our actions.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
As a young person, I was pulled to public service, It was all I wanted to do as a career. I was a political science undergrad and have a graduate degree in public policy. I worked on Capitol Hill and then in the Executive Branch as a career civil servant. I really enjoyed the challenges and worked long hours. I was recognized by my bosses with awards and promotions, becoming a senior executive in charge of nearly $40 billion by my mid-30s. But I found that, as much as I loved what I did, I had no balance. I was always working or had work on the brain. I was out of shape, ate badly, hardly had time for friends and wondered about my legacy. What was I going to leave behind? It was then that I realized I wanted a child and a life where I could have time to be a hands on mother and not working 60 hours a week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.canopyfamilies.com
- Instagram: @canopy_families
Image Credits
Danny Weiser, Emma Boucher, Grace White, Ashley Whipp
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