Luxury Without Compromise: Nancy Gale on Building a Brand That Stands for Something | Emily Blumenthal & Nancy Gale

What if luxury wasn’t about pressure—but about freedom to be fully yourself? We sit down with Nancy Gale, founder of JAMAH Handbags, to explore how a clear point of view shapes every decision, from materials to manufacturing. Nancy shares what it takes to build an ultra-luxury brand in the U.S., why she refuses to cut corners to hit price points, and how strong relationships—from factories to suppliers—can define both your strength and your risk. It’s a conversation about standing firm in your values while navigating growth, partnership changes, and the constant pressure to scale.

Key Takeaways:
 • Don’t dilute the vision — True luxury requires holding the line on quality.
 • Relationships are leverage — The right partners can elevate or expose your brand.
 • Define success your way — Scaling doesn’t mean sacrificing identity.

🎧 Listen now for a grounded take on building a luxury brand with conviction.

Our Guest:
 Nancy Gale is the founder of JAMAH Handbags, an American-made luxury brand rooted in individuality, craftsmanship, and purpose. Known for her commitment to premium materials like Italian lambskin and her philosophy of “Be who you are,” Nancy combines design, business, and advocacy through her brand and her nonprofit, Ambition.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

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Transcript

Opening Mindset On Timelines

SPEAKER_02 0:00

You know who you are at seven or even seven years into your brand, no one knows and no one needs to know that you couldn't walk, talk, read, write until you were four. It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Because you always wonder, right, whose rules are these anyway? Like I get to do that. This is supporting me. This is like building a beautiful life for me. This is helping my kids and my nonprofit. This is like I'm we my husband and I are having such a blast, like traveling, and we've gotten really into the motor car world. I was the drifting champion at Thermal on our last uh go. I mean, you know.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Go yo, there you go. That's a flax.

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_02 0:46

Hi, and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, Emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert, and the handbag parry godmother. Each week we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers to creativity, craftsmanship, and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all. Welcome, Nancy Gale of Jama Handbags, J-A-M-A-H. For those who need to know, welcome, welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast. Selfishly, I'm so excited to have you on board just because our lives have aligned in the past 250,000 years. We have both collectively been in handbags 26 years. Nancy, I'm monostationing. Welcome.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

I'm so happy to be here. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

So, like I want to say, like, I think I may met you at Accessory Circuit in the 2000s.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

I think so. I think so.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Like as one of those rogue independent designers walking, because I at the time the badges were color coded so we could see who is what. So you knew which piece, like I think the white badge was a nobody, a yellow was press, and a green was retail. So, you know, the white badges would walk by and you're like looking over for them. But the you know, the yellow and the green, you're like, hey, hey, hey. So I think, and then the exhibitors, we were a different color too. I'm so I'm so stupid they got rid of that. Oh, yeah.

Naming JAMA And Brand Meaning

SPEAKER_02 2:29

How did this start? And let's start with the name. Go. Oh goodness.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

So Jama. No pressure, no pressure whatsoever. You know, it's so interesting when I was coming up with the name. Uh and I drove everybody in my world absolutely crazy because I knew there was a perfect name out there. I just had to find it. Uh in fact, and then I found a name. I didn't love it, and fortunately, we couldn't get the trademark. So I was very, very happy with that. And then I started reading Origin of Words and became very fascinated, really, with every word at that point. I went down such a rabbit hole. We all do. That's crazy. And you know, I always joke, you know, if my last name was Givenchy, perhaps I would have gone the eponymous route. And, you know, Nancy Gale is a great sort of American media name, but I wanted something different for the brand. And I came upon the word Jama. There were so many different meanings. There's a park in Africa called Jama Park, and it represents freedom. In Arabic, it is means diamond. In Persian, it means together. And every meaning I found was so beautiful. And in Swahili Are you Persian? No, I'm not. But and so I was finding what were just words all over. And in Swahili, it represents to be. And I knew that was it. That was it. And so our brand motto is be who you are. And that as I drove towards wanting to go into this ultra-luxury space, I thought, wow, for me, that's what real luxury is, is who you are, not just who everybody says you should be and what everybody says um one should carry. And so uh, and it was um interesting. I've gotten it from that day till now, I get so many inquiries about about the name and so many people sharing more stories. And so I feel like I I hit hit the right space for that.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

You know, that I I love that story. I mean, look, my handbag was called Yasmina, and it had the Hamsa or the hand of Fatima, depending where you sit on that. But I'm like, okay, my brand needs to be international. No one's buying a bag called Emily Blumenthal, as I'm sure perhaps that circled your name like Nancy Gale. That's not fabulous. That's not global. That's and then, you know, it was at the peak of, I can't remember, maybe it was Jill Sander. I don't know. But there was a very well-renowned designer who had had their brand sold. And then it was some sort of drama as to what said designer was going to do after. I was like, well, if they buy the name, I still want to have a life after that. You know, the delusions of being a new brand and a new designer not knowing anything. But sometimes that naivete leads you to something that ends up being part of the core tenants of your brand.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

I agree. And, you know, the irony for me was I loved you, every uh definition and origin that I found was from somewhere else in the world. Yet I was hell bent on made in the USA. So it was kind of a funny connection. And then I realized ultimately this is so amazing because if I sell the brand, I would then do like Nancy Gale for drama.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

And there you go. There you go. So how you know, 26 years ago, you still, I'm sure, looked exactly the same. Your hair was still beautiful blonde. You know, maybe when we think back, maybe I didn't have to color my hair so much. But as far as I'm concerned, I still look the same. Why? And you say going into luxury. And, you know, I'm sure you come across this dealing with designers. Most new brands deem themselves luxury only because, well, there's twofold. One, they're obsessed with getting the best letters, bespoke this. And I don't poo-poo them, but I challenge them saying, is it luxury because you don't know any better? And you assume you need to buy the best of the best, because to find someone to spend, even 26 years ago, Minkoff was the first one who knocked her brand down $100 and added five. And the bags were then sold at the 400 price point. Like that was revolutionary. How did you decide I'm going to be a luxury brand? I'm going to stay in that space. My bags will not be in that $100 to $300 price point. And what were you doing before that pushed you into this? Was it one of those I can't find a handbag that suits my needs? Was it all a compilation of all that?

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Not really. So funny.

Why Luxury Should Be American-Made

SPEAKER_01 7:22

So just a little background. Growing up, I lived from seven to 17 in Detroit during major economic prosperity. And the you know, the motor city and architecture and everything was just growing and booming. And my dad and I used to have these conversations, and it was so interesting that for some reason, when it came to fashion, anything ultra luxury was relegated to Europe. And I never I couldn't understand why, because we clearly have you know the supreme craftspeople here, but there's a lure and illusion. And it's in fact, in fact, this is a funny little connection that I just made. When I was growing up, my dad would not let me leave the country until I had seen, visited 30 states because he wanted me to understand the beauty of my own backyard.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Wow. And I think that's a very random. I mean, it sounds random, but I'm sure from where he sat, it was a very, very logical way of thinking.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Very, he said you will be a better traveler of the world when you love and appreciate and respect your own backyard. And when that's phenomenal, understand that people spend a life savings coming to to America to explore. And so so I started noticing as I was older when people were traveling on their own dime, everybody is so busy visiting all these other parts of the world as if we're not enough. And they've seen maybe three or four cities here. And in fact, I had this conversation with a friend. He lives in um, he grew up in Nebraska. So one day we were trying to make plans, and I didn't know him well at all. We just met and we were setting up a lunch date, and I said, Uh, how about next week? He said, Oh, I'll be traveling next week. I said, Oh, where are you going? And he said, Oh, just Nebraska. And with the straightest face, I looked him in the eyes. I said, Oh, where is just in Nebraska? Oh, ooh. He kind of froze, and then he started laughing. He said, So what you're telling me is my folks would never want to hear me say that. I said, Yeah, you grew up in just Nebraska. How awful can it be? So that sort of that was there always bubbling under for me. And I remember I saw my first atelier in London. And I remember um afterwards I told my dad, I said, Oh my gosh, an atelier, it's just a little sort of shipbox sewing room, but it has a beautiful word. They use all these beautiful words cultivate, curate, couture, atelier, and we say manufacturing, production, and factory. And comma studio. Yes. Yes. And so I said, that has to change. And so um I always had this just under the surface that one day there will be an ultra luxury made in a USA brand. May as well be mine because I'm really patient. I'm from here. All the other ultra, ultra luxury designers are dead from the big, big, big brands, right? Like they can't start that here, and they're not from here anyway. You've got the get you've the gift of life.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

So well done. Good on you, Nancy. You're already my favorite person. That's so amazing. And so I I'm already winning. Oh my god. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

You know, so as I ventured, uh initially had a business partner and we went our our own ways, and I really dug into this ultra-luxury mission.

Nonprofit Ambition And Purpose

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Then I decided about around 2010, I don't just want to do that. I want to start a nonprofit because it dawned on me, I have so much access and exposure. And I grew up at what I always call the ideal dinner table. Right. So, like, what happens if you didn't grow up at my dinner table? Who gives you that access and exposure? So I launched my nonprofit in 2010. And now everybody who works for Jama also volunteers for ambition. So I found this really beautiful world. And I just kept going. And I would, I remember how I had a showroomer up in New York, and he said, he opened my bags one day. He said, Why this suede? It's so expensive. I said, but it's lush and beautiful. He said, you know, just put some cheap silk inside, like get the prices down. And I said, No, no, I want to, like, these are going to be works of art. And whatever it takes to make a work of art is ultimately how I'm going to price my bags. And if it's not for somebody, then it's not for somebody. And I'm okay with that. I want people to start appreciating what we have here in our backyard. And I just kept iterating. And then a few years ago, I launched a motor car collection where I do bags to reflect people's cars. And that sort of took me by storm. And it really, the brand has now had so much exposure and has opened up my classic collection. And the motor car collection is just it's been amazing because nobody else does this.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

Oh my God. I have so many questions before we get to motor cars. Pause. Pause,

Why Handbags And Personal Style

SPEAKER_02 12:41

pause, pause. Okay. Okay. When did you decide that you were going to do handbags? Like, what were you doing before? Because clearly you were doing something before.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Yes. Sorry. So I was a technical writer. And what's funny is when I grew up, like I'm in college, I always had the wardrobe. I would loan people clothes. I was all about fashion. Growing up, I was all about fashion. Then I graduated college, and I suddenly decided nobody's going to take me as seriously as I'd like. I wanted people to understand my intellect. And I felt like I was constantly in conversations with people that were, they'd meet me, and then they were surprised at how intelligent and well-spoken I was. So I thought, I can't go into the fashion industry. And I became a technical writer. I love writing and I'm a strong writer. It was everything, everything that I am not. And one day I just sort of woke up to it and I said, I called up a lot of my friends from college. I said, This is so crazy, but I want to go into the fashion industry. And every single response was, Well, of course you do. Everybody knew you would do that. Oh my God. I wish someone had someone had told me. And that was it. And then I started thinking about, you know, these conversations I used to have growing up, what the world looked like to me as far as fashion. Again, this fascination that we didn't have any true luxury in the USA. And handbags are a couple of reasons. One, to be really honest, there's no grading. So, right, you want a different size, you just make a different pattern. And I love the idea of bags because you look at a bag, right? It's just a utility item. Just hold your shit. But when I started looking at what people would pay for handbags, and I started thinking about what happens when I pick up a bag, right? Like a really beautiful piece. I stand up taller. And now this could be this really beautiful accessory that almost changes all my outfits, like depending on what I'm wearing. The bag looks different.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

But let me ask you. So you came up with this idea. You said, I want to go into handbags. You said two key points that I don't think we should gloss over. One, this obsession with production in the US. So you had to find a factory, work with the factory, probably not the only factory you've worked for, because that's telling back. Like we all know that. Because that's number one. Number two, you had a partner. You no longer have a partner. Like that's a big, big situation. Because, like, talk about the factory and the partner and the breakup, if you will. Like, because that's core. If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and you didn't know where to start, this is for you.

Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass Promo

SPEAKER_02 15:40

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Partners Split And Factory Search

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I started getting very we were doing high-end gifting in the entertainment industry. Who's we? Um my business partner and I. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:18

And how did you meet said partner or ex-partner?

SPEAKER_01 17:22

We lived in the same building years ago. And so she was working for a company doing gifting. And um, when she would travel, I would go up and like let people in her uh drop packages off and pick packages up. And then we just decided one day we should do this on our own. But that industry was changing a lot, and she was a phenomenal salesperson. She was so well wired in that industry. But what happened for me is because of it, I started visiting factories, and I realized it all started sort of seeping in what I wanted to do.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

And this in New York?

SPEAKER_01 18:03

No, this is in LA. Okay. Actually, at the time she worked with some factories in Canada, and so we we worked with a few of them, and then it all it was just sort of germinating for me. And when I was started getting really interested in the bags and doing like my own designs, that's where we just separated. It wasn't something she was interested in. I really wanted to go into retail, I really wanted to stay with the handbags, she really wanted to stay in the entertainment environment. So we went our separate ways. And then finding factories, I just I knew someone in Canada who knew someone in LA, who knew someone else in LA, and I just started meeting everybody that everybody told me. I started going online, looking up leather companies, and then I found this factory in south of LA, and they were good, and I learned a lot, but I realized there the fit wasn't there for what I was really looking for, and then they ended up actually closing down, which was a big gift because it forced me to explore, and then I went from person to person and tried different factories, and it became really overwhelming. And then one day I took my then boyfriend, now husband, he's the best veter of people, and I said, You need to come to the lat the the four final factories, and I'm you know, one of them's beautiful, and I was getting a little attached to that, realizing, and that's why I asked him to come with me because I thought I can't he he saw through the overhead. Well, and he also knew, like, I'm like, this is so pretty. And so I said, So he comes with me, and I don't say who he is, I just introduce him. This is Michael, and we we walked out of the first two, and he looked at me and said, Nope, nope. Then we went to the beautiful one, and he said, Okay, that's beautiful. Then we came down to the last one, and we walked in and it was a mess. But I walked into the sewing room and there was so much love, and then I started looking at the work they do, and the work was beautiful, and I just thought, oh, this feels so good. And as soon as we walked out, I looked at Michael, he said, You you just made your choice. And I've been with them for you know almost 15 years now, and we've moved into another great space, and these this is my family, and I mean, I'm watching their kids have kids, and we're all so connected, and so that was the absolute right choice. It's just a place filled with love. It's like my head sewer, it's like watching someone do a dance at the machine. He's he's so exacting and perfected, and so we've taught each other. In fact, he was he did beautiful work, he hadn't quite done the level of work that we do now. And in fact, they used to say to me, you know, sometimes we think maybe we're not the right person for you because we'll do something and then you'll want us to do it differently. And I said, I'm looking at every bag, thinking, like even when when we just do our samples, what will my client say? And little by little, Val, my lead sewer, said, I love that. This is just making us grow. Yeah, so it's I love being in there and watching. And even like, so we do everything by hand, same sewer start to finish. And when we do use the machine, he does all hand pumping. Wow. Yeah, so it's it's pretty incredible.

Materials Sourcing And Supplier Trust

SPEAKER_02 21:42

What about the materials in terms of sourcing? How does that work? Because having someone make it domestically is one thing, but it's another to say, okay, especially for the years that you've been doing this, you don't need to source locally. You can probably I mean, you and I both know that the success of your brand, obviously beyond just you, is relationships, right? It's relationships with your boutiques, it's relationships with stores, it's relationships with your factory. So everything is like all comes down to this human connection, which is a plus, but it also can be scary because if you put all your eggs in one basket, like then what? You know, I had a great relationship with one of my factories, and I had no idea they were celebrating a holiday. So I was emailing and emailing and emailing and emailing them, and I offended them so horribly because they never told me that they were celebrating a holiday that I got bumped. And then I was like, oh my God, I have uh an order to ship to Nordstrom and I'm screwed and now I'm late, you know. So, because we've all been there, right? It's just the cost of doing business. So how do you deal? Like, did you ever feel like, oh, I need to diversify from this factory? God forbid something happened. And how do you deal with the material situation? I mean, because this is this is like, you know, the people who listen to this, this is what they want to know. Like, now what? Like this all this is beautiful. We're all hearing the high row, you've got the motor collection, people are excited, but there's so much garbage behind the scenes that you have lived through. The tears, the crying, the driving home in the car. Like, what the fuck am I gonna do? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, like, oh my god, my business is done. Going your husband, being like, that's it, that's it, that's it. I guess I'll just have a trunk show. I'll invite people over, they could buy them up. I'm done. I can't do this anymore. Like, we all go through that. So, how do you work through all that and like materials and diversifying in terms of relationships and all that?

SPEAKER_01 23:56

So, I have actually someone, a couple people that in the worst case, not even the worst case scenario, because they're amazing, but I'm I've found a few people that can sew that are not at my factory that I'm starting to establish relationships with in very specific areas, just like based on one style or one project. And I just make sure that I keep those relationships positive, no matter how much we're doing business together or not. But materials, I have about three or four really great suppliers. We get pretty much everything we use for the most part is um Italian lambskin. And so we have a tannery in um northern Florence, but I have a middleman for that. They know, and what's great is at this point, my few suppliers they know exactly what I love. Yeah. But one thing that was really important for me, we we get so much from this tannery in northern Florence that um they helped me. It was really lovely because usually they won't allow their clients to go over there, but they made an exception for me. And so I got to visit the tannery. Oh, that's fun. That was so amazing.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

Can I just ask you another question?

Scaling Pressure And Investor Expectations

SPEAKER_02 25:17

So I've discussed this before. You know, I work with a lot of designers, I know a lot of them. Like, that's that's what people come to me for. Like Town Scout, finding new designer, like retailers, like, okay, who's a designer, you know, like who's hot, you know, that kind of thing. Like who's coming up? But I have one particular designer who was interested in being acquired. And I've discussed this before on the podcast, but she was super talented, but she was making about a million gross. And when I spoke to my, I have a lovely contact of mergers and acquisitions, and I spoke to him, and she was interested in being acquired, or at least to grow, to scale. And she had a nice retail business, she had a nice boutique business. And he was asking me, what are how many employees does she have? And when I said it's her, and she is a few like an assistant, and this and that, like super small team. And I said, That isn't that amazing, because then the acquisition of the brand is super seamless. It's not a, you know, it's like you ask one person, sign on the dotted line, you're done. And he said, actually, no, it's not. And I said, uh huh, I'm a little confused. And he said to me, actually, I question her ability to scale because if she's not allocating jobs and responsibilities to other people, she's getting in her own way of potential growth. So essentially she's getting paid like a high-end lawyer with an hourly rate. So, no, no, thank you to her. I'm sure she's nice, she does good business, but she's not gonna grow because she can't, because this is just her. So if I buy the business, without her, there is no business. And I need to know that this is such a well-oiled machine that without her, I can take this and grow this and do X, Y, Z. What are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 27:18

Do you have an opinion? You know, it's so funny. I just was just having this conversation the other day because when I just a little background to that, when I at one point was looking for funding or considering funding, and it was also at the point that I was starting ambition. And I remember everyone I talked to, they got really excited. And we had just been uh I had just been on extra. So we had this kind of hoopla. Yeah, and you know, it's what people think is a big deal versus what really actually isn't a big deal.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

Of course, I've got smoke by we used to joke, smoke buys mirrors. That's that's how we used to say it. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:59

I always say things, it's not just that people put up smoke and mirrors, the world loves to see things through smoke and mirrors. They sure do. So they see one little thing and they say, Look at look at that. So as I was going through this process, I would then talk about ambition, and all of a sudden every potential funder would say, Oh, we're not gonna give you any money if you're gonna work on this little side nonprofit thing because we need all your attention. And I said, Well, I'm building a really interesting model where they are so intrinsically connected. I need ambition to work for JAMA to work, and I need JAMA to work for ambition to work. They weren't really buying that, which was a good thing for me because I actually wasn't ready for funding. Then I started noticing ever as I had like you know, as big events would happen for us, then everybody would say, like 20 times a day, I heard, how you gonna scale? How are you gonna scale? Then I start ambition. How you gonna scale? How are you gonna scale? And I said, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to do both of these so damn well that scaling will happen to us. I'm the little engine that could, and I'm just going to keep doing this really, really well and build really solid relationships. And when I get to that point, I will figure that out because that's how my mind works. So I've learned, you know, I used to get very nervous about talking to investors and all like and this is how it should be, and this is how you have to do it. And and again, and this is how you run a luxury brand, and this is how you run a nonprofit. And the great thing about experience is I don't get upset when people give me all the unsolicited advice anymore. God, they love it. They love it. I'm just not married to it anymore. So I don't get it, doesn't get my goat. I just continue on. And so, um, like when I started the motor car collection too, again, how are you gonna scale this? And the next thing I know, I'm in conversations with all these big motor car brands. But to that point, I think what I finally did, and it's been very helpful in many, many ways. I am running the operations now as though we are scaling and growing. And so that no matter what happens, I'll be ready on all levels. So I finally have brought more people in. I'm and we're this is just in this process now that your conversation is so pertinent to all of that. So I feel like for me, my answer to pretty much everything is well, I'm finding my own middle.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

And I had this conversation with a designer who'd been making her bags herself, and she works in her basement and super talented. And we had a similar conversation. And what growth means to you is such a personal, personal situation. And I've had this conversation that I mean, I talk to a lot of people, I talk a lot. I'm already tired of listening to myself. I hope no one is listening to me at this point.

Resilience And Blending Life With Work

SPEAKER_02 31:05

But when as a mom, right, you don't really know what you're doing, but then you see someone whose child is hitting milestones before you're a kid. So they're walking first, talking first, can go to the bathroom first, is reading first, can wipe their butt first, you know, all these things that then make you feel like, am I doing something wrong? Am I not good enough? Am I not a good mother? Am I not a good, you know, all these things because you're such a vulnerable situation, other than being, you know, new mom brain. I equate so much of that to running your own business. It's so, so similar. Ironically, I had my own business before I had my kids. So all those milestones didn't mean anything to me. I was like, they'll be fine, they'll figure it out. Because I feel like running your own business is a thousand times harder than raising a kid and sleep training. I'm like, she'll cry. If she goes to therapy, it's not going to be for that. She'll be okay. But I, you know, and I had this conversation with someone, and I said, we all hit those points when we're meant to. And sometimes we do it because things went wrong, and sometimes we do it because the stars aligned for us and we were at the right place or at the right time. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

Because you always wonder, right, whose rules are these anyway? Like, I get to do that. This is supporting me. This is like building a beautiful life for me. This is helping my kids and my nonprofit. This is like I'm we my husband and I are having such a blast, like traveling, and we've gotten really into the motor car world. I was the drifting champion at Thermal on our last uh go.

SPEAKER_02 32:47

I mean, you know, go you. There you go. That's a flax. But I think, you know, to that point, God willing, everyone's kid ends up walking, talking, speaking, wiping their butts, weeding. Everyone does it in their own time. And you know, who you are at seven or even seven years into your brand, no one knows and no one needs to know that you couldn't walk, talk, read, write until you were four. It doesn't matter. And if only, you know, while you're in the thick of it, that someone taps you on the shoulder, say, it doesn't matter the shit you're going through right now. It doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. You'll get there. And if you don't get there, then you know what? You'll do something else. Life is long. That's how I am now into saying that.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Uh, you're so, so right. Because I think, right, when you get so and we're we're seeing a lot of things change, like in the world of uh companies being purchased and taken over, and no matter what, right? Like your life is here and now, and without going out attitudes, like we have one responsibility, right? To always be in the practice of living. And whatever the things uh like I I've had this conversation so many times where people say, you know, if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I'm like, bullshit. Well, I'm up at 2 a.m. figuring out how to pay the bills and get an order done uh taken care of. But what I is when you love what you do, it drives you to accomplish and to work all the crazy hours. But I feel like my life now is just this sort of compilation of everything I love to do, I just throw it in the basket. I don't try to like balance my life, I try to blend everything. And yeah, I'm I just look at what is it I want to like look back on every day that I did the day before. It's been actually interesting too, because I'm crossing so many pieces. I've been doing a lot of public speaking, and I'm really loving that. And I'm loving how that kind of I get to tell the story of drama and ambition. And I feel I usually talk about resilience in personally and professionally. And I'll talk to so many people who say, How can you do all these things? You're doing so much. And I think, I don't feel like I'm doing so much at all. I feel like I'm just doing stuff I love to do.

SPEAKER_02 35:17

Right.

Where To Follow And Closing

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Oh my God. Nancy, this has been a joy, and selfishly, I'm so happy we were able to get you on. How can we find you, follow you, learn more about Jama and Ambition?

SPEAKER_01 35:32

So the websites are Jama, J A M A H dot com andambition.org. And Instagram is Jama Bags, J-A-M-A-H, B-A-G-S. Oh my gosh, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 35:46

Can't wait to see the next collection. Thanks so much. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at handbagdesigner. Thanks so much. See you next time.