Lunya is reinventing sleepwear for women, by women. Their collections are made up of advanced fibers that some specific sleep problems – hot sleepers, cold sleepers, etc. Each piece is designed to work together and meet the individuals sleeping needs. We love everything and the fabric just melts you. We sat down with founder, Ashley Merrill, to find out more about her inspiration and what it’s like to balance work, life and kids.

GFMD: Why Lunya?

Ashley: I could relate to the problem because I was someone who was wearing my husband’s shabby old clothes in an effort to be comfortable, so I was passionate about solving it.  I had a strong vision for what I believed was possible and felt there could be a great business to be had in solving it well. 

GFMD: Where does your inspiration come from?

Ashley: We’re inspired by women.  By who they want to be, what their lives look like, how they live, etc.  Our designs celebrate women’s bodies by trying to make them comfortable in thoughtful ways (smooth seams, stay put straps, etc), flatter them (as women we always put on the clothes and make sure we FEEL our best with them on prior to releasing them), and that work with how they live (cell phone pockets so you have your hands free, clothes that can transition in and out of the home as needed, etc).

GFMD: What does your typical Beauty Routine look like?

Ashley: Arcona face wash, Vintner’s Daughter Serum, and Skin Clinical Lotion on top, essentially i use a mild cleanser and try to lock in vitamins and moisture.  As for makeup Im pretty minimal.  In a big day I will softly line my eyes with dark brown shadow and I will top with Benefit They’re Real mascara. 

GFMD: How do you balance work, mom, wife, life (tips / rituals)?

Ashley: I try to think about life in the macro vs on the day to day so I don’t make myself crazy – though I still do lol.  I look at my whole life as a pie graph of time and goals.  I think about how much I want to give to the different slices and realistically when that needs to happen and then I try to allocate my time somewhat in that way.  When I think about buckets like: travel, kids, relationship, friends, career, and community, I can evaluate what really matters and make decisions from that place.   As an example, my husband and I travelled a lot prior to kids and we will get lots of that later in life but kids and career are timely and at this point in my life they dominate my time.  I think this is ok and it gives me some peace about saying no to friends and other things that I would be interested in for the short term.  Balancing between husband, kids and career is a moving target and I wish I knew the right balance.  There is no perfect solution but I do my best to correct when things feel off.

GFMD: What was the last book you read?

Ashley: I wish that I could say some fabulous Historical Fiction because I love those but generally I dont have a lot of time so if I do read it tends to be business related.  I recently read Insanely Simple and found it to have some killer marketing insights.  I loved the metaphor they used for clairity of message…. If someone throws one ball at you then you catch it but if they throw you three balls at once its hard to catch any.  It was  powerful point about being simple with your message.

GFMD: Perfect day…is?

Ashley: Waking up to two kids in great moods.  Heading to work and feeling the energy and passion of the team when they are in sync and working well together.  Then I would workout at lunch… maybe even go for a run along the beach (we work close to the beach).  Then I would work a little more and then pick up my kids from school   Hang with them for snack and then maybe have a little time to myself for art, organizing, or whatever.  Make dinner (I love cooking) and then have a family dinner.  This isnt my actual life but Im happy that my perfect day and my actual days arent miles apart.  I hope that means Im on the right track 😉 

GFMD: When you need to destress what is your go to?

Ashley: I find TV these days to be so quality and immersive that its great to transport me out of a stressful situation. I love Handmaids Tale, This is Us, The Americans, etc. 

GFMD: What is your favorite room in your home?

Ashley: The living room because it has amazing windows.  Oddly its a room Im rarely in.  Perhaps it also appeals to me because its kind of a novelty for me to be in it?

GFMD: Favorite Lunya product?

Ashley: This changes often but I love the Lunya silk robe right now.  Every silk robe looks the same and we were determined to build something better.  I think we really landed on something special and it looks great in and out of the home.

GFMD: What advice can you offer women in the workplace?

Ashley: Find a company you love where you think you can add value and work every day to do that.  Every company will have its pros and cons but focus more on what you can do to make a difference than on all the things the company could do better.  You will be happier, more empowered and more valuable to the company.

GFMD: Best advice anyone has given you is…?

Ashley: Be the change you want to see in the world.  I dont recall where I heard this but its basically my life motto at this point.

GFMD: First thing you do when you wake up, is?

Ashley: Read my email.  I know that virtually every wellness blog says this is a bad Idea.  What can I say, Im a flawed person and I love knocking out email first thing int he morning while my house is still quiet.

GFMD: Last thing you do before you go to sleep, is?

Ashley: Put my cold feet on my husband so he can warm them up.  I dont know how men can run so much hotter but its like sleeping next to an inferno.