Meet Sonal Gohel: Candlemaker & Occupational Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonal Gohel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonal, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my very own business was something that I had dreamt of right after graduate school. I come from a family full of Dentists, I was the first one to branch out and pick Occupational Therapy to be my career path. Once I finished my schooling, began working, I just knew that there was more to my being. I knew I wanted to channel out my creativity. I knew I wanted to make a difference. This deep inner desire to create a product or brand was so strong – that I could not and did not want to ignore it. When exploring my strengths, I began questioning, how can I make a difference with a product? I knew I was onto something when I started looking inward, specifically into my self-care routine. To practice self-care, is to feed yourself positivity, to know what your body/mind/soul require to refuel and re-energize. My self-care routine, included a hot shower, writing thoughts down, meditation, and lighting candles. Lighting a candle brought me peace. It helped me focus on ‘right now.’ Lighting a candle also helped with finding a balance between my physical and inner space. This is was the beginning of my exploration into creating candles. I knew I wanted to make a difference and I knew I was deeply connected to spreading love, light, and balance. In November of 2019 – Zenergize Your Space was created with the purpose of finding a sacred space – balance between physical and inner space. Each collection is dedicated in bringing you joy and setting the mood.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Zenergize Your Space is a candle company that focuses on fusing two words – Zen and Energy. We believe that energy whether it is positive or negative can correlate with your physical space (apartment, home, relationships, friendships, work, etc) and your inner space (mind, soul, thoughts, inner chatter, or self dialogue), We created this brand to find balance between Physical Space and Inner Space by lighting a candle that is appropriate to your mood and intention. As I continue to learn my around the business world, I am most proud of creating a product that can bring light and love into a home. When we think of self-care we may think of pampering ourselves, going to the barbershop, or retail therapy. Self-care also is to look inward, to focus on areas inside that require just a little bit more love, attention, acknowledgement. I am so excited to bring my candle from my sacred space to yours.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ah! This is a wonderful question! New York City is such a beautiful place full of culture, great food, history, and scenic areas. My favorite spots in NYC include – DUMBO (in Brooklyn) The view of the skyline from Brooklyn is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking, make sure to stop by Empire Shops for hand-made goods and shops small or large. Next, you can make your way over to Brooklyn Bridge and walk across this iconic bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Now that you’ve worked up an appetite you can make your way over to Chinatown, Little Italy, or Lower East Side! You cannot go wrong with either of these choices – the food is amazing! In Chinatown – Joes Shanghai is incredibly delicious for Soup Dumplings. After dinner, you want to get a beautifully crafted drink? No problem! Head over to the speakeasy, around the corner called Apothoke. Next day, you can begin the day shopping (or window shopping) in SOHO! Pick up a few dazzling outfits and head on over to Chelsea Market, purchase a few souvenirs or just scope out boutiques. You want to grab some amazing taco’s from Los Tacos Numero 1. Once you are full and satisfied – make sure to walk your way over to Highline Park! It is a park above ground – the park was previously train tracks. Snap some photos for the Gram, baby! If you are looking for a day drinking spot – Rooftops are the way to go, especially during nice weather! There are too many to name but you won’t be upset with the views of: West Light, Harriets Rooftop, Loopy Doopy Rooftop Bar, Upstairs at Kimberly, Cantina, Mr. Purple. PHD, and Wythe Hotel. If you are in New York – you must visit Grand Central Park – whether it is for a picnic or to just take a nice walk and admire the greenery. For Sunday brunch, I recommend Red Rooster – if you are looking for strong positive vibes, beautiful music, rich culture, this place in the Bronx is absolutely a must! Make sure to reserve a few weeks ahead of time! Lastly, Comedy Cellar in NY is also a must – it is in Greewich Village which also houses small whole in the wall restaurants that are to DIE for!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For me to say that I take full credit behind who I am, what I am, and where I am would be completely inaccurate and false. The reason for who I am, goes directly to my parents. They have supported my decision and have always cheered me on with any project I’ve taken and career path. Secondly, my other half – Lenny. He is my piller, he challenges me, encourages me, and believes in me (sometimes more than I believe in myself). Without his support, I would not be as strong as I am. He reminds me daily of my progression. As I dive in deeper, a book that will always be my “bible” is Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. This book changed my life. This book helped me look inward – into my thoughts and my being. It guided me pass the inner dialogue, inner chatterbox, self-doubt, etc. and truly focus on who I am and what kind of “experience” do I want out of life. This book is beautifully written with parts of Self exploration, engaging in energy, freeing yourself from anything that may be inhibiting you, and actually living. As I begin to explore and learn what it is to be a small business, I am truly inspired by so many individuals: Mukthi from Ohm Essentials, Karina from Common Assembly, Sepali from Bandit Queen to name a few. Lastly, as cheesy as it may sound – I am thankful for the Universe for always guiding me and supporting my dreams. I have always believed in seeking for what you want. Something will never just show up, you must take that risk, and take that first step. Once you do, the “unknown road” becomes less scary and more opportunities continue to come your way. Lesson to be learned: Be grateful, keep your support system close, seek mentors, and always go after what you desire!

Website: www.zenergizeyourspace.com
Instagram: @zenergizeyourspace