introduction: learning to loosen my grip

(i love this blog post so much! london really changed the game for me)

i just landed back in singapore (on tuesday!), after spending almost three months abroad - a month traveling through europe with my family, followed by six weeks in london with my boyfriend! and boy, do i have a lot to reflect on (and be immensely grateful for)!

my whole life, i’ve subconsciously co-opted beliefs about what it meant to work hard and be focused. i thought productivity meant sitting in one place, being shut away in my room for hours: laptop open, to-do list running, eyes glued to a screen. i genuinely believed that unless i was clocking long hours, i wasn’t “doing enough.”

so, when i planned to be away for this long, i was worried that i’d lose momentum with builtwithhabit. the idea of traveling and trying to run a business at the same time felt disruptive: borderline reckless.

but, stepping out of my usual environment didn’t just help me rest; it helped me rethink. it reconnected me with curiosity, creativity, and a sense of presence i hadn’t felt in months. 

don’t get me wrong, i needed a lot of reprogramming to overcome the guilt that would creep in. for example, when i was stepping out with a friend to visit borough market on a wednesday afternoon or taking a longer ‘lunch break’ because i was caught up in a good conversation! but, i also realised: this business means everything to me and i know that i’m locked in. caring so much about bwh made it easier for me to carve out pockets of time to work or set clear boundaries when i needed day(s) of solitude to grind it out!

all in all, this trip was one of the most expansive, perspective-shifting seasons of my life. i have realised that: you can do the deep work and live a life that fills you up. stepping away didn’t compromise bwh; it actually renewed it. i came home feeling clearer, bolder, and oddly more patient with the whole process of building.

before we get into it, these are some simple, actionable takeaways (if you want to travel & keep building):

(immersing yourself in a new environment can be such a strategic move - it can teach you so much about market trends, signals, marketing strategies, monetisation models, etc.)

• give yourself permission to be less clocked in: high-quality work isn’t always about hours logged

• keep weekly anchors: for me it was one big meal prep and two focused work blocks daily on weekdays + 1 daily on weekends (generally!)

• schedule for presence: book a walk, even if emails pile up... the work will be there

• prioritise third spaces: find a cafe or bench that becomes your portable office - spice things up!

• treat travel as research: people you meet, shops you visit, and menus you read all inform product and storytelling (this is my favorite tip!)

intellectually: what i consumed (books, museums, conversations)

(albert einstein once said "once you stop learning, you start dying;" my grandfather taught us the same lesson: "an idle mind is a devil's workshop.")

london is a city that makes you want to read and learn! i spent afternoons in bookstores and hours wandering around museums: tate modern, the science museum, the natural history museum…

i met so many cool founders and curious minds. two guys building a cbd gummy startup, a founder moving to ghana to start an ethical fish farm (inspired by ‘effective altruism’), and a trio in a bar who were literally filming their workout-tracking app from their bedrooms. the hustle was energizing: so much grit, so many different ways to build. those conversations reframed what i thought was possible and helped me see how bwh might fit into a much bigger ecosystem of purposeful businesses.

professionally: autonomy as privilege (and a vow)

(this picture just really does it for me ~ i LOVE this for him!)

i’m hyper-aware of the privilege of being able to do this. a year ago i was in corporate with 15 days of annual leave and no remote flexibility: this stint simply wouldn’t have been possible.

related to this, there’s one scene i keep thinking about: a young man in formal wear, sitting on the floor at a pier with his laptop, legs stretched out - working in the middle of the day. i live for that! it felt like the embodiment of autonomy to me: the freedom to move, think, and be outdoors. in that moment, i decided that i wanted that for myself. forever. london made me vow to protect the privilege of mobility and self-determination: do whatever it takes to always have the option to work from wherever feels nourishing (i can’t wait to be post-revenue with bwh!).

travel gives you the power to dream big and bold: it gives you the courage to have the audacity!

philosophically: the power of market validation and political demonstration

(i was absolutely AMAZED to see how much people cared - about what was informing their food, their homes, their political ideologies!)

time and time again, i observed the uk’s loud focus on esg, traceability, and small-batch makers. from ‘regenerative sliced seeded loaves’ to ‘plastic-free, unbleached tea bags’ and ‘fully traceable, climate neutral, and carbon-negative water ganache truffle domes’ (you can’t make this up!), the level of care was obvious. walking around a biohacking innovations store, i remember exclaiming to my boyfriend: “this is like christmas to me!”

it made me feel like i was on the right track, as a founder pushing for these things. there is a market that values the smaller details: sourcing, materials, construction, labor conditions, all of it. seeing that was very validating and it confirmed that if i could market things well + get my message out there: there was market fit. 

london was also so politically-active: protests, rallies, young and old people showing up for the violent occupation and ongoing genocide in palestine. it felt alive and civic - it was gripping to see this beam of hope and optimism.

physically: embracing the ebbs and flows

(side note: this was THE coolest powerlifting gym - i will be back soon hehe! also humble crumble good lord iykyk)

i’m someone who thrives on routine: but travel inevitably introduces fluidity and spontaneity. we meal-prepped every week… but i also had more refined sugar than i usually eat (gasp!) *honorable mention: humble crumble.* i drank piping hot beverages out of those takeout cups, lined with plastic. i spent three weeks out of the gym: and felt guilty passing my beloved powerlifting gym on the way to the tube station. my boyfriend gently reminded me: there will always be work to do, so don't forget to make space for life (istg him and his zoomies!!!).

structure matters, but sometimes grace matters more. maybe that’s not the most girl boss, grind mindset ever, but that’s ok! routine is like a safety net: you always have it to fall back onto.

i think this is also one of the most powerful aspects of travel: it disconnects you from the identities you're used to clinging onto and it liberates the space for you to step into new ones. as people, who are forever in flux, it’s so important to constantly rediscover and reinvent yourself.

creatively: the city unlocked something

(art was everywhere and in everything - as someone who really values aesthetics and design, i could not have been happier!)

london’s artistic energy: theatre, film, little galleries, culinary preparations, graffiti: just tons of creative expression! i started noticing the color palettes on storefronts, typography on café menus, textures in old architecture. i found myself wanting to read more, write more, explore more, consume more emotive media! i strongly believe that there’s art in everything, especially in business - and that too, a values-forward one! it renewed my sense of creativity for the brand storytelling and the visuals i wanted to curate: the look and feel of bwh.

spiritually: third spaces and long walks

(it is so empowering to be able to get places on your own two feet... living in a walkable city makes all the difference)

london is so walkable, and we really took advantage of that. one weekend, we planned to walk to a shop that was an hour and a half away: we spent six and a half hours getting there, stopping in cozy bookstores, sipping warm matcha, discovering a new bustling food market, and chatting with strangers. i loved that day: the little interactions, the benches by the river, the cafes full of people doing their own thing. 

the city felt full of “third spaces” - public places that aren’t commodified or privatised, and where people actually linger. i’ve seen creators mourning the death of these spaces. london felt like a little antidote… loads of open parks full of university students, people journaling, digital nomads, and business owners click-clacking away on their computers.

emotionally: reunions and inner-child moments

(HAPPY GIRL HEHE!!)

this trip was also the city of reunions. my closest friend from uni stayed with us for a week - the highlight: we went to the seven sisters in eastbourne! for most of my life, i’ve struggled to get out of my own head - always thinking about the next thing to tick off (anyone who knows me knows i’m constantly messaging myself to-do lists). but on that day, i realised how far i’ve come. i’ve learned not only how to drop into deep focus - that 'flow' state - but also how to step back and compartmentalise. i felt so at peace that day, and so present!

my best high-school friend, who i’d lost touch with for 6 or 7 years, took the train to london and we yapped like we were sixteen again! i missed having her in my life so much! another friend invited me to a costa rican lantern celebration and i was suddenly in a room full of warm strangers, who welcomed me right in. apart from reconnecting with old friends, i made some brilliantly serendipitous new ones - including my "twin,” a pilates instructor balancing a corporate job, a mental health startup, and launching a women-focused coworking-social club. we just clicked instantly!

on a more personal note, i feel like the relationship i’m in makes me feel safe and seen. it’s brought out this raw, childlike, playful version of myself. i vividly remember us running through the science and natural history museums, laughing and exploring like two kids: just delighted by everything. that pure joy is something i want to try to reclaim deliberately; it reminds me why we build anything at all: for the feeling of being alive.

how this reshaped me as a founder

(so, so much to be grateful for and reflective of... i will carry all of these lessons forward as i continue building bwh)

practically: i returned with clearer ideas about brand visuals, user experience, and what our community might want. emotionally: i came home more patient with the pace of product development. philosophically: london reminded me there’s a market for thoughtful design + transparent supply chains.

i also left with a vow: to protect the ability to step away. to design my life and business so i can keep having experiences that refill me. yes, the production timelines, supplier emails, and lab tests are still happening: and they will take time. but that’s okay. the long game needs room for life!

final note

(heart is very full 💌)

london reset something in me. it made me softer and sharper at the same time: softer in the face of imperfection, sharper in my focus on what actually matters: designing products that last, work, and feel good on the body. 

if you’ve read this far: thank you for engaging with me, as i journal this feeling out in public. i’ll leave you with a line i keep coming back to:

there will always be work to do. the question is: what kind of life do we want while we’re doing it?

build slow. build brave. build with habit.

— ishita (ashi)!

🧿🧿🧿