We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda And Nicole a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
In order to be a good Mahjong instructor, you have to be able to hold the attention of the room for a long period of time. That is hard to do if you lack confidence and self-esteem. The beauty of teaching Mahjong with a partner is that we can lean on each other in moments of weakness and be the confident presence in the room when the other is having an “off day”. Having a friend along this journey is worth its weight in gold. With Amanda’s background in HR and Nicole’s background in Law, we have a way of connecting with all different types of people and have had to develop confidence in public speaking. We enjoy connecting over a shared love of Mahjong despite our different backgrounds.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We are Amanda Commons and Nicole Cottone, best friends turned Mahjong Instructors living in West University Place, TX. We met through our kids being the same ages and in the same classes in pre school – our daughters are both 6 years old and our sons are 5 years old. We found ourselves constantly being together due to classroom functions and school outings and grew a friendship naturally. The Mahjong bug hit our neighborhood and everyone seemed to be jumping on board this new trend, us included. We found ourselves bonding over the game and one day had the opportunity to become certified instructors through our parent company, Oh My Mahjong. We knew that we wanted to do this together and quickly learned that we are the perfect yin and yang for starting a business together. In addition to being a wonderful Mahjong instructor, Nicole has a knack for business and graphic design whereas Amanda excels in brainstorming ideas and utilizing her Houston connections to book events. We feel so lucky to get to experience the excitement that others feel whenever they learn the game and have their first win. It is an intoxicating feeling and keeps us wanting to book more and more lessons and events. We have loved getting to connect with so many people in different walks of life. Mahjong truly brings people together and sparks so much joy.
We recently added on a new instructor into our brand, Amanda’s sister, Erin Conlon, and she is based in Los Angeles, CA. She became obsessed with the game when Amanda taught her over the holidays in 2023 and learned quickly that the Mahjong craze hasn’t quite spread to the West Coast as much as it has spread in Texas so she decided to become a certified instructor. She can now start teaching this beloved game to her friends and their friends and so on and so forth. We can’t wait to see how her journey unfolds.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Relatability
2. Empathy
3. Ability to let loose and not take ourselves too seriously
Being relatable is key in any working environment. You will come across all different types of people from all different walks of life. Finding something to relate on will immediately help your guests feel welcome and like they are in good company. Being able to command a crowd and teach a large group is very difficult.
Empathy is always important. This goes back to the golden rules that we all learn in childhood: “Treat others the way you want to be treated” and “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes”. Without these simple teachings of empathy, we wouldn’t be able to teach such a hard skill and have patience in doing so.
Mahjong has been around forever, and you will meet instructors who are very serious and strict, but that is not us. Our main goal is to have a good time and get you to fall in love with this game. We do not expect everyone to walk out of our lessons and be an expert. We know that learning comes with time and the more you play and have fun while learning, the more you will want to continue playing for years to come. If you get stuck with a boring teacher or someone who takes themselves too seriously, you will not have the drive to continue learning. This game should be fun!
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We love collaborations and partnerships. We want as many people to fall in love with this game as possible, so if you have an influence or reach that we don’t have, we would be grateful for the opportunity to partner with you and teach you and your friends so that the love of mahjong will continue to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thatsamahjzinggmailcom.mailchimpsites.com/
- Instagram: @thatsamahjzing
- Other: www.ohmymahjong.com – use code “amahjzing” for 10% off your order
Image Credits
Lauren Hopkin Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
