Beyond Bubble Tea and Burnout: Building a Mindful Tea Sanctuary

Recently, I found myself reflecting on why I started my tea brand in the first place, all thanks to a kind connection triggered me intensely. (It's all on me, not him, but more on that in a bit.)

My husband’s friend reached out in support, sharing a photo of a similar business. He asked if I was selling something similar and even offered to connect me with someone bringing in a franchise from China. While I appreciated his support immensely, our conversation took a turn that made me pause. He started asking about my plans, my products, and then, pointedly, about my "strategy”.

That word triggered an instant, physical, visceral reaction.

“Strategy” brought back memories from a previous job, where it was a buzzword thrown around and twisted beyond the dictionary definition of “a long-term plan designed to achieve a purpose” (or even the CliftonStrengths definition of creating alternative ways to proceed).

In practice, "strategy" was dropping everything to create a deck of 40 slides that no one really cared about—something more akin to a weapon than a real direction. The true essence of strategy—values, vision, and purpose—was constantly lost in the details of (arguing about) execution.

 

Why I Refuse to Sell TCM Bubble Tea

I am not here to sell another trendy drink.

While TCM herbs blended into bubble tea, desserts and even cocktail bars are popping up everywhere and I celebrate the innovative embrace of traditions, these treats are unlikely to function based on TCM theory.

TCM-inspired bubble tea and ice cream is fun and delicious. I enjoy treats as much as the next person (my own tea and coffee addiction led me down this path), but it isn't what my brand stands for.

I worry if my blends aren’t thoughtfully structured, people might be misled into thinking they’re making a healthy choice when they're consuming desserts. I spent time understanding the basics of TCM and I spent money to verify my blends. Even though I trust everyone to know their bodies best, I cannot bring myself in good conscience to add extra sweet components or encourage ice and dairy.

My goal is to create a space for people to be mindful of their health, to pause, and understand their bodies holistically through the wisdom of TCM.

A Brand Born from Burnout

My tea brand was born out of my own journey through burnout. Experiencing chronic physical symptoms forced me to slow down, reevaluate my relationship with health and connect to deeper questions of life purpose (did you know there's TCM theory for that?!).

I hope my teas and stories I share can offer others a space to recognize their own patterns and find balance—before reaching the point of burnout themselves.

When we feel drained, society tells us to reach for quick fixes: more sugar, more caffeine, more stimulants to push through exhaustion. We also get trapped in an endless optimisation loop on our own bodies - maxing out supplements, maxing out protein, maximizing our schedules and pushing past our limits with high-intensity workouts. (TCM has something to say about these concepts too.)

Yet sometimes, our bodies just need us to stop.

Strategy? Or Sanctuary?

When people ask me about my "strategy" to scale fast, franchise, maximise growth or catch every trend, I can sense my answers and motivations confuse them.

Of course I want my business to be profitable, but profitability for me is the means to grow and protect this space, not an excuse to compromise my values for rapid volume. I don't want to take on an out-of-the-box franchise, go viral at-all-costs and maximise sales served in single-use plastic cups.

I want to build a sanctuary—a brand that helps people connect with themselves and slow down.

I want to create a small world and a community around the ritual of pausing to reconnect with others, and more importantly, ourselves. Boiling the water, watching herbs steep and doing simple exercises is a form of medicine in itself. Naturally, you will have the space to ask: How am I really feeling today?

 

An Invitation to Pause

If you find yourself moving through life on autopilot, reaching for quick fixes just to survive the week, I invite you to pause with me.

You don't need a complicated "strategy" or 10-step life optimisation to start listening to your body. Sometimes, balance starts with a single, mindful cup of tea—and the willingness to give yourself a moment to breathe.

p.s. Like I said, I started as a bubble tea and caffeine addict! Look out for my next confession on how my own attempt to be "healthy" by drinking plain iced green tea and zero-sugar Teh O Kosong backfired on my digestive system from a TCM lens!

p.p.s. If anyone has suggestions on how to move away from plastic while preserving the freshness of dried herbs in Singapore's humid climate, please let me know!