“People That You Meet” is a series of interviews conducted and posted by the Vanessa Pollock Team/Keller Williams, highlighting newcomers to the South Orange-Maplewood community and their diverse and interesting lives.
This installment is an interview with Gabriela Anggono, founder of Rookie Humans.
What town do you live in? Maplewood
Where did you live before that? We were in Manhattan.
What brought you to SOMA (or surrounding town)? Our two toddlers pushed us out of our beloved NYC apartment. We fell in love with SOMa’s diversity and progressive mindset. We are a multicultural, diverse family ourselves so this was very important to us.
What do you do (for a living or as a serious hobby)? I’m a retired ad executive, turned mompreneur. I left my career when my first baby was born – partly because I wanted to experience being a stay-at-home mom, and partly because we moved to France and not speaking the language disqualified me for most jobs. When we moved back to the U.S., I started looking for work and in the process decided to launch my own brand of whimsical crib sheets, Rookie Humans. It has nothing to do with my previous career, but was inspired by my experience as a new mom. Each sheet is designed to create a beautiful backdrop and illustrated to be like a page in a storybook where baby is the star.
What’s your favorite feature of your home? SO MUCH SPACE! Coming from a small apartment, it’s wonderful feeling like we can spread out.
What show does everyone need to binge watch? PLEASE watch the Versailles series on Netflix. I need friends to discuss it with, ha ha ha.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? Time travel. I have a long list of moments I would like to revisit, and the list gets longer with each passing year.
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 5 minutes. I’m the type of person that is always running late and always rushing.
Describe your ideal day: Not that it will happen any time soon with two toddlers, but waking up at noon with a warm cup of coffee. Leisurely walk to a nice outdoor restaurant on a sunny day. Good food, good wine, good conversation. Taking the kids to the beach, so they can run around and play. No one whines, cries, or takes someone else’s toy.
Of all the places you’ve traveled, which is your favorite? The south of France.
What can you not live without? Sadly, my iPhone. It’s a love/hate relationship, but I can’t live without it. I do appreciate that it allows me to work from anywhere. I get more work/life balance thanks to it since I don’t need to be tied to a desk.
What inspires you? People that make a difference in the world. Women helping each other. Kindness is the only thing that moves our society forward.
How would you describe your “style”? Laid back and accepting. I’m a firm believer in doing the best you can in all aspects of your life, and cutting yourself slack for your shortcomings. We are not meant to be perfect, but we are uniquely us and that’s a beautiful thing.
Coffee or tea? Coffee, although there’s no coffee strong enough for this gal.
Anything exciting coming up that you’d like us to promote? My company, Rookie Humans. We just launched this past October and have been getting a lot of buzz. I think they are the most unique crib sheets in the market!
Find out more about Rookie Humans at https://www.rookiehumans.com.
People That You Meet: vanessapollock.com/people-that-you-meet.
