(This is a very-slightly-adapted intro of the original cookbook I made in February, enjoy!)

My goal for this cookbook is to make cooking approachable for busy people. 🍳

Busy people often go one way or another—either take out after a long day of hard work or barely even eating proper meals because approaching cooking is just too daunting. Instead of this “all-take-out-or-nothing” route, I was inspired to put this cookbook together through personally going an almost one-year-long, ongoing crisis of finding a balance of work and rest.

In our culture today, we glorify being busy. We list off the minimal hours of sleep we get. The definition of a good day is so closely tied to how productive we felt. When someone asks "how are you?", "tired..." is not an uncommon response. The list continues into a never-ending spiral of checklists.

But I believe that making time to cook can be a form of self-care and treating yourself well, without impulsive splurging or saying “treat yoself” every time you buy another boujee oat milk latte on at your local coffee shop (no beef against local coffee shops though, they are one of my favorite journalling spots in the world!!).

I believe that putting in the effort to prep one’s ingredients, cook, and yes, even do the dishes at the end, is a process in which you get to pause, reflect, and give your mind a break. Did I mention that cooking also saves money and is healthier (I have a feeling you knew that, though.)?

For busy people, cooking is not always your friend. Even if it's an acquaintance, our familiar friend time is worrisome too. I hope that this book of quick and delicious recipes makes cooking more approachable. I hope that spending time with cooking doesn’t just become another box to check on the list, but that in addition to it, cooking becomes someone you can make time for. I hope cooking becomes an intentional friend you enjoy the process of doing life together with.

As busy people, we are often also goal-oriented. Sometimes we get so focused on “getting there” that we forget to enjoy the process. Approaching cooking gives us an opportunity to step back and reminds us to do just that—enjoy the process. And because of this, the end result will be awesome, no matter how many eggshells you purposely ignored in that delicious Kimchi Fried Rice recipe… Because you did it. You paused, took a breath, and enjoyed the process.

And who better to ask recipes from for this cookbook than high-achieving, wholehearted, Google-calendar packed, female entrepreneurs? I intentionally reached out to women from all different industries: tech startups, mental wellness brands, independent artists, CEO’s of West African job recruitment companies, beauty/skincare advocates, YouTubers, Etsy shop owners, entrepreneurs-in-the-making, entrepreneurial-minded people, and coaches. I literally DMed them on Instagram and LinkedIn and they kindly replied with their favorite go-to recipes!

These women are not just women who can make money. They are women who shape culture and change lives for the better through life-giving business and non-profit work. These women run successful businesses, tackle complex societal problems, lead diverse teams, fight for what’s right, work their day jobs with a refreshing/different mindset, collectively make millions of other people’s lives better... Oh, and have everything else in life going on whether it be children, parents, social lives, mental health, and taking care of themselves—physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually… You name it.

Some are still in their teens, some in their 20’s, 30 somethings, some 40’s and older. They are from California, West Africa, the West Coast, the East Coast, Brazil, Indonesia, and Australia.

They are strong. They are social innovators. They are culture changers. They are Gentle. They are wise. They are strategic. They are moms. They are daughters. They are yoga-lovers. They are spouses. They are cat enthusiasts. They are every number on the Enneagram, every Myers-Briggs letter combo you can think of. They are so different, yet they have all inspired me to have grit, to have passion, to truly lament, to then ideate and problem-solve, to lead with integrity, to rest, to give grace, to be firm, to be strong, to live with purpose.

As for the title, All Together. This is a digital cookbook of female entrepreneurs from vastly different and industries coming All Together. When you intentionally make time to cook, you have it All Together. We can do it, All Together!! Let’s enjoy the process and begin. 👏🏼