Back Online 📶
What Happened in the Month of June
Hanging out after walking around - which is where we recharge and have some of our best ideas.
Like how I can get more treats out of the humans…
Dear Diary,
I’ve been away from the blog for a few weeks and so to the world it seems like things stopped moving. In reality, it’s been the exact opposite. Things have been moving forward on the business side, but my personal life has also had its ups and downs this month. So today, on July 1, I’m getting back to writing. This will be a short one, but it’s the start of our regularly scheduled programming once again.
So what’s been going on over the last few weeks? I started working on a new business venture. I have alluded to it previously, leaving little easter eggs in previous blog and social posts, but I’ll tell you a little more about it now. 🧘
Previously, I had been working on Aequa with two other people - my former cofounder (who I have parted ways with), and a founding engineer. Upon the news of the prior company coming to an end, we (myself and the founding engineer) knew that we wanted to continue working together. We knew each other before the project from our previous employer and knew there was more for us to explore together. So I was invited onto her project that she’s been working on solo for the past couple years. Under the brand of The Intention Engine, Trinity has built an application around practicing yoga mindfully - generating audio that sets the intention you want for your practice. In future versions, it will be built out to do so much more, providing value beyond audio generation for practice. But for now, this is where we’re starting. And my role - co-founder and CEO of The Intention Engine. 🥳 With Trinity in the co-founder and CTO role, we’re building something together that will help bring mindfulness to the forefront of more people everywhere.
Want to help us with beta testing/be the first to know when we release the app? There will be an email signup coming soon, but get in our discord channel if you can't wait!
But what’s been going on outside of The Intention Engine? Life. 🤷 Going from a regular salary to building a business has made me appreciate opportunities for earning small amounts of income more than I have in recent years, and thus has made me look for more balance between volunteer activities and paid services. In this month, I’d say I struck a great balance between the two. I earned money off of music (teaching lessons and playing in the local orchestra) while also volunteering my time for it (with work on the Watershed Rock Opera). I also earned money from baking (including my first wedding cake and some fun cupcakes) while also baking for my partner’s birthday. 🎂 Bringing the balance back into my life helped me slow down and appreciate and recognize what skills I have and how they can help me live a more fulfilled lifestyle while building a business. ❣️
Between all of this and the other things life threw my way, it was easy for me to put my needs behind the needs of others. However, starting with this blog post, I’m putting self care back at the forefront. After all, a good business must be run by great people, and great people can only run even better businesses when their needs are taken care of first. So I’m taking care of myself today by getting back online, back into my routines, and into the positive energy that the Intention Engine is bringing to my daily life. 🥰
A photo from our recent trip into the woods - the Gifford Pinchot National Forest never dissapoints!
I’m looking forward to sharing the journey as it continues to unfold. One day I’ll look back on these blog posts fondly, remembering where it all really started.
Leila Kaneda
Co-Founder and CEO
she/her/hers
