Hi, I’m Michelle! My friends like to call me “mima” for short. I’m based out of NYC, and I spent the first four years of my career working as a product manager in tech, until I quit my job to take a sabbatical. During my sabbatical, I’ve been less focused on “finding myself” per se, and instead trying to come home to myself, and to all the things I had once loved before. One of those loves has always been writing, hence starting this Substack, where I write about my musings on life, love, and our collective pursuit of human connection, all over a warm cup of matcha.
I first fell in love with matcha back in Summer 2016, when my family and I visited Japan after I graduated high school. I grew up drinking tea -- it was often the only beverage of choice when my family would go out to eat at Chinese restaurants -- but I was absolutely blown away when I had my first cup of matcha in Kyoto. I loved the taste of matcha and its vibrant green color, and how it reminded you to take a moment out of your day to pause, to sip slowly, and to connect with yourself and others.
Now, almost a decade later, I still have matcha almost every day. Making a cup of matcha has become a daily ritual and a fixture in my morning routine. There is something so soothing and meditative about whisking matcha by hand with a chasen, and being able to start your day with a warm matcha latte. Perhaps the only thing I love more than making a matcha for myself is making one for friends, and creating space for heartfelt conversations over our warm drinks. I hope that this newsletter can be that space for you - a space where you feel cozy & held, where our judgments of ourselves can be suspended, and where it feels like you’re getting matcha with a friend, too. And hopefully, we’ll even get the chance to have matcha together someday.
P.S. Yes I know, I’m just another wannabe Thoughtful Asian Substack girl™ who quit her tech job and loves matcha. I thought long and hard about what to title this Substack, how I could come off as more thoughtful or sophisticated or smart, and then I realized that this is just me -- I’m really just a girl who loves to write, drink matcha, and have heart to hearts with friends. And it’s ok if I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. :)
