For 20 years, Marina Khidekel labored at magazines like Cosmopolitan and Girls’s Well being, and as chief content material officer for Thrive International. Whereas her work centered on serving to readers handle their psychological wellness, she confronted her personal struggles, too. “I had plenty of nighttime nervousness,” she stated. “So I attempted a weighted blanket, nevertheless it was too smothering for me.”
Looking for one thing extra cuddly, Ms. Khidekel designed a weighted stuffed animal. In 2022, she left her journalism profession and based Hugimals World.
Ms. Khidekel, who’s in her mid-40s, labored with occupational therapists and psychologists to design stuffed animals with candy expressions in smooth colours. The model has expanded past its authentic lineup of 4 five-pound stuffed animals to incorporate weighted pillows and plush balls.
They’ve confirmed to be successful, and movies of individuals — together with many adults — hugging the stuffed animals have spread widely on TikTok. “We’ve had clients thank us for normalizing weighted plushies for adults,” she stated.
Ms. Khidekel’s household moved to Ohio from Russia when she was 2 years previous. She attended Ohio College and moved to New York within the early 2000s to work for magazines. Immediately, she shares a brightly adorned one-bedroom house within the West Village together with her accomplice, Mike Joyce, 52, a graphic designer and founding father of Stereotype Design. “Folks stroll in and so they say it seems like a museum or one thing, nevertheless it simply seems like house as a result of we’ve been right here so lengthy,” Ms. Khidekel stated.
SLEEP IN I normally sleep till 9 a.m. most weekends, and it’s about an hour earlier than Mike will get up. I take advantage of that quiet time to gather ideas that bubble as much as the floor after I sleep, which occurs so much. Then I watch one thing quiet like “Home Hunters” as a result of I want to show my thoughts off, too.
BUONGIORNO, BREAKFAST I pop all the way down to Bonsignour and get a cup of espresso and a blueberry muffin. I at all times see a number of neighborhood regulars within the Village. A few of them have been right here for the reason that ’60s or ’70s and so they have one of the best tales. I like speaking with them, and I like supporting the mom-and-pop companies that also exist as a result of there aren’t lots of them anymore.
HARD COPIES Whereas I’m out, I’m going into Casa Magazines. Rising up in an immigrant household in Ohio, I took consolation in magazines as a result of they helped me navigate and make sense of the world and my nervousness after I couldn’t ask my dad and mom for recommendation navigating center faculty politics in Ohio. I purchase newsmagazines like Inc. — I’ve a column in it — and mainstays like Elle Decor, in addition to area of interest magazines.
BRUNCH BONDING I’ve met so many attention-grabbing individuals since I launched Hugimals World, and I’ve cultivated a neighborhood of largely girls founders at completely different levels of their corporations, and I join with them fairly often. Immediately, a gaggle of us have brunch at Left Financial institution to rejoice our wins from the yr, discuss by way of the challenges and simply join at a festive time of yr.
DESIGNING WOMEN Afterwards, I head uptown to the garment district to fulfill with designer Olga Kapustina, who I introduced on to finalize a extra trendy weighted sweatshirt. I like visiting this old-school manufacturing unit, and being right here seems like seeing slightly piece of New York Metropolis historical past.
MEDITATIVE MEANDERING The manufacturing unit’s on West thirty fifth Avenue, and I stroll again to the West Village after. I like strolling the town. I like the rhythms of the completely different neighborhoods. I additionally want plenty of alone time to recharge my batteries. On my method, I pop into Poster House, a poster museum. I get plenty of product design inspiration there.
KOALA-TY TIME It’s not at all times enjoyable to work on a Sunday, however while you personal one hundred pc of your organization, it’s worthwhile to generally. I put my koala Hugimal on my lap and set myself up for the week forward. I’ll verify my calendar, schedule emails.
Mike and I order dinner in from Shuka. I get the Arctic char kebab, and he will get the hen shawarma. I’m newly obsessive about labneh and it’s so scrumptious there. Then we watch TV. I can’t watch something loud or with violence earlier than mattress, so we’re watching “Hacks.”
NIGHT OWL I take advantage of a crimson gentle masks for 3 minutes every evening and I’m in mattress by 12:30 a.m. I’m positively the evening owl prototype. I really feel strongly that I’ll by no means be a part of the “5 a.m. membership,” and the founder bro tradition is sort of poisonous. It’s worthwhile to do what works for you, and no matter sustains you when you’re within the stress and curler coaster of operating an organization.
