Today we have Maia Alejandro Arcella of Eleven Gold on The Mag. Maia is an entrepreneur, beauty and wellness expert and twin mama. Read all about her new business, her best tips for parents of multiples, how she networks and more!

Tell us your story! We’d love to hear a little bit about yourself and your brand.

I'm Maia, Founder of Eleven Gold, a digital home for beauty and wellness rituals for a joyful life.

I'm a former clinical social worker and interior design lover. When I became pregnant in 2018, I started researching healthier beauty options and became overwhelmed by the lack of clear information on non toxic options. I slowly began to swap out all of my beauty products, but found navigating ingredient labels very confusing. A year later, after witnessing the deep consequences of this lack of information in my community, I decided to create a digital space, Eleven Gold, filled with easy to digest information on how to make healthier beauty and lifestyle choices. We are set to launch a non toxic nail polish, free from 10 of the most harmful chemicals found in nail polish, later this year! I want women to feel beautiful, taken care of, and worthy of all the bountiful experiences life has to offer, so they can go out into the world and share their own gifts.

How many kids do you have, what ages?

I have 18 month-old twin girls!

What are (3) tips you can share for working parents with twins/multiples?

Create a Schedule. It's been my saving grace. I plan my work time around the girls' sleep & nap schedule and lay out the work for the day in my to do list. I complete the most important tasks first & then go from there. I only check email 1-2x a day. It can be a huge time waster!
- Despite my best efforts, our schedules have inevitably changed during quarantine times. We are all still adapting to our "new normal", but keeping some semblance of a schedule has worked wonders!!
Meal Plan. I plan our family meals in advance as much as possible, and always have healthy snacks available to keep my energy going.
Prioritize Self Care! There is ALWAYS something to do, but I've learned (the hard way) how important it is to take care of yourself, in order to have the strength to keep going. Lately, I've been setting a daily reminder for a 15 minute mediation and it has changed my life!

How do you network as a parent and a business person?

For work-related networking I've joined a few entrepreneur groups that also have strong FB communities - Create & Cultivate and Marie Forleo's B-school have been incredible resources! I've also met a great group of moms at my daughters' neighborhood music classes. Twin parents have a way of finding each other and going out of their way to support one another. This small, but might community has been invaluable, especially during the 1st year of twin parenthood.

What is the first website you visit every morning?

Every morning I check my email for "A Note from the Universe", an inspiring newsletter on how thoughts become things; then hop over to Instagram for inspiration. I follow a lot of photographers and makers, and truly find joy in the work they share. It gets my creative juices flowing!

What is on your to do list for today?

My to do list today is much lighter than usual, yet so fulfilling, due to these unprecedented times:

enjoy a few minutes of sunshine
have a warm cup of coffee
meditate
animal coloring books & a dance party with the girls (they love DJ D-Nice's club quarantine on IG Live lately!)
eat some nourishing & warm food

What is on your to do list for today?

Motherhood is profound.

I've found joy, endless amounts of strength and experienced the deepest exhaustion. In receiving these most incredible gifts, I've been stripped to my core. Today, I'm feeling so abundant in watching my 2 thriving, magical babies continue to grow.

Anything else you want to add?

This has been the most exhilarating experience of my life, and through it I've realized that if I could survive and thrive while parenting twins, I can do ANYTHING.

And finally, where can we find you?

website: www.elevengoldbeauty.com

instagram: @eleven.gold