In 2008, right before the financial crisis, we made the decision to embark on a journey to discover how we truly wanted to live. We had been grinding away in New York City as a litigator at a big law firm and on the trading floor of a Wall Street bank. By all external metrics we had achieved success. But we strongly believed there had to be something more, something deeper we wanted to strive for.

Driven by this insatiable desire for growth, we took a leap of faith, leaving our lucrative careers as a litigator at a Big Law Firm and bank behind. Our search for meaning and a deeper connection with ourselves and others led us to Argentina, where we stumbled upon Tim Ferriss's groundbreaking book at the time, "The 4-Hour Workweek." It validated our own aspirations of living a more purposeful and intentional life, unburdened by the societal pressure to constantly strive for more.

Embracing this newfound perspective, we traveled the world, engaging in various remote work opportunities and exploring different cultures. We learned to appreciate the pleasures of a slower life off the beaten path and sought contentment beyond the pursuit of status and wealth. Throughout the journey we were dedicated to reading about personal growth, psychology and spirituality. With our newly acquired wisdom, we decided to leave New York ready to start a new chapter filled with confidence and purpose.

But life had other plans.

Within a short span of our return to the US, my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. At the same time, we became entangled in a bitter racially charged discrimination lawsuit on his behalf. During this difficult period, we also decided to have our first child, and though the news brought joy in the midst of chaos, we went through the challenging process of grieving my father's loss while adjusting to being first time parents and reentering the legal world to win the lawsuit.

We questioned the meaning behind our previous soul-searching and dreams, feeling disillusioned by the harsh realities of loss, injustice and illness.

There were many days during that time period that we wondered how we would make it through to the next.

The only thing that got us through it, was trying to focus every single day on finding something, anything that brought us a measure of joy or stability. Many times, it was the memories of those meaningful travels and experiences that brought us that joy which demonstrated their value even more to us. Sometimes all we could manage in a single day for ourselves was a simple walk but that was enough.

Despite all of our hardships, we remained determined to find our way and make sense of our experiences. Throughout it all, we learned the importance of sharing our stories, acknowledging our emotions, and being kind to ourselves. And we came to understand that while you may not always have control over the circumstances that come your way, you can make an effort to carve out space and time to pursue activities that bring you fulfillment. These experiences can serve as a source of strength and support during difficult times.

So we decided once again to get a fresh start and found our way to Los Angeles, a place where we had our second child, and worked hard to seek out inspiration in a new environment. We began to process all of our learning on our meandering journey and used them into embark on starting a business. We spent many late night hours crafting our philosophy and system to help ourselves and others to embrace the concept of work-life integration, cherishing experiences, personal growth, and meaningful connections over traditional notions of success.

So our dedication to personal growth went down a new path - and we realized there was something that was sorely missing from so many conversations about productivity and worth. And that is deep empathy for the very real and very difficult life situations that impact your ability to tackle each day.

True productivity goes beyond charts and spreadsheets; it requires managing our moods and finding inspiration. And that’s why we created Simplish, a tool designed to fuel inspired productivity. We aim to empower individuals to embrace their stories, heal, and find clarity in their own journey. Our passion for personal growth, productivity, and well-being has led us to develop unique insights and practical strategies for individuals seeking greater balance, purpose, and success in their lives.

Our story is one of embracing the messy and meandering path of life, owning both the difficult and beautiful parts. We acknowledge the challenges we have faced, from personal loss to societal judgments, but remain resilient and determined to share our story and create a philosophy that helps others feel the same sense of resilience and purpose.

That resilience was put to the test once again in 2019, when Anish was suddenly and completely out of the blue diagnosed with leukemia. We had just launched Simplish and had been so excited for the growth and potential at the time. Instead, we were faced once again with a life threatening illness that required all of our energy to fight in the midst of the Covid pandemic. It is nothing short of a miracle that he survived after receiving a bone marrow transplant and through a grueling recovery process.

And during this experience, as we had done before, we recommitted to our life and our values. It was immensely difficult but we never let go of the idea that we should share our experiences in a meaningful way to help anyone facing difficult times and looking for a path forward. Our dream was and is to continue our work on Simplish and for people to use these philosophies and this system to live their life with intention and with compassion toward themselves.

Life is messy and unpredictable, filled with ups and downs. We’ve experienced both extraordinary moments and heart-wrenching trials. But we’ve also learned that no matter how many times we fall, we can always find the strength to rise again. Simplish represents that resilience and the desire to help others cultivate the same spirit.

We are hopeful that by sharing our story we can inspire others to challenge the status quo, redefine their priorities, and find their own unique path to fulfillment.