On New Year's Day, 2014, sisters-in-law Jumana and Linda were brunching at Norma's Cafe in NYC  with their families, engrossed in a lively discussion about love, life, the beauty of family and the quest for happiness. That day, Happy Box was born! What is The Happy Box? It is a box full of fun, educational, and customizable activities and curated from the heart with a ton of love!

Where did you get the inspiration for The Happy Box?

Two years ago, exactly on New Year's Day 2014, my husband and I were having brunch in New York City with my brother and his wife - my sister-in-law Linda. I was opening up to Linda on how dissatisfied I was feeling, how my excruciatingly busy lifestyle and intense workload meant I had little to no quality time with my daughter and my loved ones, and how I wanted 2014 to be the year I changed that. She understood completely, she felt the same! One thing led to another while we chatted, and we couldn't get away from the idea that happiness was simply a series of moments where we are truly present with those whom we love. Linda is an educationalist and a speech pathologist with decades of experience in the education sector - she's done it and seen it all. By the time we were done eating our French toast, our idea for The Happy Box was born, exactly from our belief that there were women out there just like us, who wanted to spend time with their children, quality time, creating memories, having fun, helping their children learn and grow. And that's it - The Happy Box was born and we became the Happy Officers!

What was one challenge you didn't expect? 


Learning to best manage our time and resources was key, as well as figuring out how to run a business from our homes. When we first launched The Happy Box, I was still working full-time at Dubai Cares so it felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day and late nights became the status quo as well as long weekends of work, work, and work. It’s still like that today, despite the fact that The Happy Box is now my full-time job, but I really wouldn’t have it any other way, because when you are passionate about something, it’s not work anymore - it’s part of your life and you can’t be without it! Logistics wise, there was the challenge of figuring out how to fit a business into our home, and my house was taken over by everything Happy Box. Now, we have a dedicated Happy Studio where all the magic happens - bit by bit, we figured out how to make things work!

How do you balance work and home? 


I stay calm and try my best to manage everything with a positive attitude. I take each day as it comes. Life is an adventure; you might as well enjoy every moment. You live once right? Has running your own business changed your views on parenting? I’ve just learned to be more efficient. I am lucky because I’ve built a company around my daughter and she is involved extensively. I truly believe spending time with your little one is imperative and it's not just about “quantity” but rather the “quality” of time that you spent with them.

What is one thing you'd want your daughter to learn from all of this?

Passion is key. If you love what you do, you will do wonders in life! She’s one of our co-founders and the reason I started The Happy Box. She takes full pride in our accomplishments and most importantly loves to join us on our happy hearts’ trips where we also donate happy boxes to children in need globally. It is built into our model and for every box that is purchased we donate a happy box to a child in need. I am so proud of her, she posses’ great humility and strength. It is empowering just being with her and gives you hope for the future. Children truly are a blessing.

What is the most popular activity included in The Happy Box? 


Every month is special because our themes change and the activities included are also different. I personally love them all; imagine an explosion of confetti, glitter and tons of colors! That’s what our activities are like and with the added bonus that they are all educational and curated from the heart with a ton of love!

If you can describe your journey in one word, what would it be and why?

Rebirth. I wasn’t living before, I was passing through time. I am finally comfortable in my own shoes, confident about my capabilities and excited about what’s yet to come. Check more information on their website here.