episode #4
Jennifer Boonlorn
Soul Centric Business Spotlight with Soul Carrier Brand
“let your soul carry you wherever you want to go.”
Welcome Innerspace Surfer…today’s episode is the first in an on-going series called the Soul-Centric Business Spotlight! I can’t wait to introduce you to an amazing business woman, personal friend, and Founder of Phoenix based Soul Carrier.
Soul Carrier was founded in 2011 by designer Jennifer Boonlorn. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Jenn graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in business with the goal of becoming a lawyer.
After losing both of her parents in a family car accident when she was a senior in college, she found it imperative to re-think her future path. Moments before the accident, her mother said “Where do you want to go?”
This became a mantra pumping through her veins, motivating her to tune out the noise, follow her heart, and forge her own path. She so desperately wanted to fulfill her fathers dream to be a lawyer but her heart was with the arts.
Jennifer relocated to New York City to pursue a career in the fashion industry. Followed by an unparalleled education at Parsons The New School for Design, she worked alongside fashion icons Oscar de la Renta and Henri Bendel.
In 2012, Jenn was asked to create a piece of art for the grand opening of Barneys New York at Scottsdale Fashion Square. It was at that moment, she was able to turn her passion into realizing her dream of starting a high-end handbag company.
That brand is Soul Carrier. A name inspired by Jenn’s mindset to: “Let your soul carry you wherever you want to go.”
Listen, like and share:
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite streaming platform and leave a review!
What We're Exploring
on this episode, we're talking about:
Audio Transcript
So it is with great pleasure that I invite you to eavesdrop in on my convo with Jennifer Boonlorn.
*Jenn and I met at the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU when I worked in the Center for Entrepreneurship, just after I was a career coach at ASU, and focused a lot with our MBA students on personal branding.
KK: *Suzy Batiz, the founder of Poopourri, is always talking about “business as a spiritual journey”.
KK: *Listening to Blake Mycoskie from Tom’s (on the Rich Roll podcast). And hearing how he hit that existential crisis – you hear the stories of the founder who made all this money. Then they’re gonna go do all of this, philanthropic work but he was doing both at the same time.
*Jenn: “I toured Parsons on my own. We met with designers and photographers and the guys who do the windows at Saks Fifth Avenue and on hats, and it’s just like, this isn’t industry like it felt like candy. “
*Jenn: “Here I was living in New York with two gay guys who bought me my first pair of Manolo Blahnik like it was just, it was amazing. And so I go to Parsons day one and I’m like, Are you kidding me? This is school? it was go to Saks Fifth Avenue and analyze each floor. Like why is Marc Jacobs not on the same floor as Oscar de la Renta? And why is Tory Burch merchandise the way she is? I’m like, this is fun. And then we had to analyze magazines, and it was just pure candy!
*Jenn: Towards the end of my New York kind of journey. Gossip Girl was really it was all the thing so I started making headbands, Blair Waldorf.
You need to get this into Henry Bendel, which at the time was this amazing shop on Fifth Avenue you know next to Bergdorf Goodman Saks Fifth Avenue is down the way and just very high end.
It came back in a week. They bought the entire collection & at this point, I’m just crafting it in my little West Village apartment using my bed as a table because it’s a tiny apartment. ”
*Jenn: “We were talking about spiritual stuff and soul. And I was like, wait a minute, Andy. What if we put the word Soul in front of Carrier? I look it up. No one’s taken it. I grabbed the domain. “
*Jenn: But the majority of my business is high end resorts and spas like a Four Season spa boutique, or Mountain Shadows or Royal Palms. At Mountain shadows, they actually have a gift shop gift shops at these, you know, luxury hotels or the spa boutique. And because my message is a lot of spiritual, soul, wellness themes that goes very well with the spa industry.
*Kammie: “I think what’s great about hearing your story from from all you know, is the multiple iterations of it. And that for any young, aspiring or newbie biz people that may be listening to this or listen to it in the future, you know, to remember that it may on the outside, you know, on Instagram with some of these influencers, what people look like these things these empires just have always been, yeah, exactly. And then it’s constantly tweaking and refining and getting more clear and getting more clarity around who you are, what you what value you provide, and like finding that alignment with the people out there who are looking for the thing that you’re putting out into the world.”
*Jenn: Intuition is such a core foundation and pillar, like, there’s a couple of things that I really want sold here to be remembered for. And I want the content to kind of come through, you know, it’s bags, the branding of trusting your gut, trusting your soul. It always knows the way and it’s always I think, the most aligned answer, like there’s so much noise and chatter, how much noise it’s like, blah, and just commentary, right? That to get still in quiet and be like, well, what’s in here? What’s in here? And to come back to that.
And one of the last questions my mom ever asked me was, and we’re in the car, and she turns around, and she’s like, Where do you want to go? We’re talking about vacation. That’s it. seconds later, the car spins out of control, the tire blows out and crash. And that’s it. And I’m like, it’s pretty powerful. That’s the last thing my mom leaves.”
*Jenn: “I want to inspire other people, and then be like, ask yourself that question. No one should give you the answer, but your soul, soul wants of where you want to go. Because otherwise, it’s that outside noise and chatter.
*Jenn’s Innerspace Practices: “I’ve been trying to meditate each day be like can I do five more breaths you know, and that’s been helpful.
I’ve doing a lot of hiking, journaling, and then, I love all the books, all the taking in self growth podcasts, you know, and, and books and therapy.”
*Jenn: It’s soul carrier.com like so like your soul carrier.com soul here on Instagram that’s probably one of the most active and then I am if you go to my website I am physically carried out a bunch of Four Seasons across the country. Here in the valley Royal Palms, Mountain Shadows and Princess in California, Silver Oak in Palm Beach, the Palm Beach, Thompson Dallas
*Jenn: If people want to buy online they can just go to soulcarrier.com
Whew! Is Jenn just the coolest or what? What a jam packed & JUICY convo. I’m super grateful to Jennifer Boonlorn, empress of Soul Carrier for joining me today, for sharing HER story & for sharing her wisdom about pivot points, trusting your OWN vision and mission and not getting hung up on what the “experts” are saying.
I hope YOU were inspired by Jenn’s story, knowledge & insights. If you want to learn more about her OR to purchase goodies from her GORGEOUS collection of luxury handbags and accessories, you can find everything at soulcarrier.com that’s s o u l c a r r i e r.com.
Jenn was also kind enough to offer a 25% discount for the listeners and fans of this podcast – just use code: KammieKLove at checkout.
Connect with Jenn
Socials & Websites:
Promotions & Discounts:
Jenn was also kind enough to offer a 25% discount for the listeners and fans of this podcast – just use code: KammieKLove at checkout.
Jenn’s Rec’s for soul fuel documentaries to inspire & empower you:
Connect with Kammie
Socials & Websites:
Ask me a question!
Send me a voice message and I might feature your question on the podcast!
Hop on over to Instagram or the Facebook Page & join in the cosmic conversation there.
xo,
