Season 1, Ep. 3 (June 29, 2023)

Joie de vivre expert, Ajiri Aki, on rest, connection and using the good china.

Nigerian-born, Texas-raised Ajiri Aki thought joy was for the privileged few. And that she would never be smart, rich, famous, or beautiful enough to attain it. That was until she moved to Paris and learned that every day joy was all around her, in the design, the food, the flowers, the markets, the conversations, the architecture, the parks—even at the kebab stands during the strikes! In this intimate interview Ajiri gets vulnerable and shares her becoming journey, from believing joy was out of bounds, to learning how to experience joie de vivre, every day.

In this conversation we discuss:

• Ajiri's Nigerian-American upbringing and why she left Texas.

• What she was ashamed about revealing in the blog post she wrote during the pandemic

• How her vulnerability lead to the idea for her book, Joie: A Parisian's Guide to Celebrating the Good Life

• What the metaphor “using the good china,” is really about.

• How you can experience joy, even in the midst of unhappiness

• Why connection is the undercurrent for joy.

• Why the table is an ideal place for stories and souls to collide. 

• How Ajiri’s lifestyle is her “total work of art.” 

• What prompted Ajiri to shave her head, and what that act taught her.

• What it means to be a Black woman representing rest, beauty and joy today.

• Healing generational trauma through rest and joy.

About Ajiri:

Ajiri Aki's mom loved to collect vintage dishes and glassware and trained young Ajiri's eye to spot delicate designs and expert craftsmanship. But these fine treasures were hidden in a wooden cupboard and never used. Every day moments just weren't special enough. Ajiri lost her mom sadly to cancer when she was just twelve. With that loss, a chance to use the good china together. After earning her masters in decorative arts and pivoting many times professionally, Ajiri moved from the USA to Paris where, in 2018, she channelled her childhood loss into a mission with her French lifestyle brand, Madame de la Maison, an online boutique filled with treasures to gather stories and souls with joy and beauty every day. In April 2023 she published her second book, Joie: A Parisian's Guide to Celebrating the Good Life.

Mentioned in this episode:

Madame de la Maison

A Case for the Good China

Joie: A Parisian's Guide to Celebrating the Good Life.

Credits: Artwork Jessie Kanelos Weiner; Editing Matthew Jordan; Music © Fabrice Fortin

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