Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Christine Abdelmalek of Lake Forest

Christine Abdelmalek shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Christine, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day involves me juggling being a wife, a mom, and CEO of Pink Papyrus. Having two little ones makes every day its own kind of adventure. People are always surprised to know that I am so into being a homemaker. Doesn’t matter what I have going on, I insist to take care of my kids, cook for the family every day, and make sure our house always feels like a home. I never miss my kids activities, I volunteer at the school whenever I can, I’m the play date mom, the go to the park mom, the did you brush your teeth and wash behind your ears mom. And, I’m still very much the CEO mom. But, nothing comes before my family. I will block out time for my husband and kids, and just deal with Pink Papyrus later.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Christine Abdelmalek, and I’m the SHE-E-O over at Pink Papyrus. We’re a lifestyle brand for both dogs and dog owners. Everything we do is aimed to bring joy to both the fur baby and the owner. I love creating pieces that make people squeal with joy or internally overflow with excitement. Things that you don’t normally associate with pet care. Sometimes you need certain items, but it would just be that much better if the things were both cute and functional. Something with a little personality, a little razzle dazzle. We all need more of that in our lives. Doesn’t matter if it’s in regards to a human baby or one with four paws.

I’m really proud to be able to say that from the brand’s inception, I have personally designed each and every product. There’s no master catalog of premade products that we choose from. There’s no massive team that designs potential items that I then select as a final decision. It’s simply me, from start to finish. A lot of times, our products will start with my own concept drawings that I will then try to digitize myself. My workspace is filled with swatches, colors, zippers, buckles, fabrics, and every type of sample you could imagine under the sun. If you approach me (as I often times get asked), there’s a story behind every piece. I love sharing the intimate details of what makes the brand tick and breathes life into it.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents are by far and away two of the hardest working people I know. Both of them were physicians in my hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. They poured all that they had into the myriad of patients that they saw. Devoted was an understatement. Late nights and weekend calls were the norm for them. They constantly studied to better themselves for their patients. And, it always stood out to me the way they treated everybody absolutely the same. My parents served a very mixed bag of patient population. They purposely stationed themselves in underserved areas to meet the needs of the local community, but also served the affluent as well as the celebrity. There’s not many people in the world who can say they weren’t blinded by the seemingly shiny objects, and instead chose to see everyone for who they were, just people who needed to be served medically on equal playing ground.

When scary times were knocking at the door (as they did more times than I like to remember), my parents ran to greet it with a determination that could not be shaken. I would watch them in these situations and always remind myself that when I grew up, I too wanted to show bravery in the face of fear. They were humble. They were smart. They were everything you could hope for in a physician and so much more.

They taught me, not just by words, but through action, the self-determination and grit that is needed to not just “do” a job, but truly excel at it. I may be walking on a different path than they were in their lives, but there is so much about my work ethic that I wholly attribute to their influence and guidance. I’m blessed to be their daughter, and even though my parents are now retired, I still learn from them every day.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
Before Pink Papyrus was ever brought to life, I was a licensed pharmacist. Having been raised in a very medical family, this seemed like the path I was meant to walk. And, I loved everything about pharmacy. Until I didn’t.

I was afforded so much opportunity to work in different facets of the pharmacy community. From your every day corner pharmacy, to training other pharmacists around the company district, all the way to lobbying Congress for changes that needed to be made legally within the profession. I really did it all. And all of it was interesting.

But, I realized one day that despite my success, I didn’t feel like this the path for me. I didn’t feel fulfilled. There was a massive creative side of me that was getting shoved in the closet in order to pursue my pharmacy career. At the time when I started feeling like this, I had just been married for about a year.

I worked up the courage to tell my husband, Kirollos, that I was feeling this way and that I think I wanted out. I wanted out of pharmacy, and into something else. But I didn’t have a clue what that something else would or could or should be. It felt like a really difficult conversation to have in theory, because I would be telling my newlywed spouse that I was contemplating leaving a very steady and pretty well paying job for a big fat question mark.

The day came when we finally spoke about it. Kiro listened to me thoroughly , let me get it all out without interrupting me. And in the end I asked him one really loaded question. “So…what’d you think?”

Looking back on it, that was such a make or break moment for me. He could have very easily shut down the whole topic. He could have said I was overreacting, I was freaking out for no reason, no one would actually want to leave a good job with no real plan in place. He could have said a million things that could have made me feel small and just plain stupid.

But, he didn’t.

He simply looked at me and said, “I completely agree.”

Those three words literally changed the projection of not just my life, but his life, and our eventual children’s lives. He completely agreed. He heard me. He got it.

Within a year of that conversation, Pink Papyrus was born.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes and no.

I have a huge personality. I’ve been told I have an amazing vibe. My aura is everything. I should be a motivational speaker. A life coach. And I mean, I know this one is right on, I’m hilarious.

But, I’m actually really introverted. I’m a deep thinker. I’m a reader. I’m much more quiet than anyone else would realize.

So while I’m all smiles on the outside, love to talk, happy to see everyone, on the inside I’m very much when can we go home. And if you’re at my home, I really want you to leave by 9 but I can’t say that out loud because how rude would that be?

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When it’s all said and done, and people can only talk about me in the past tense, I hope so many of them say the same thing. That I heard them when no one else did, that I talked them through some of their hardest times, and that I supported them when they felt that they had no one else there.

I wholeheartedly hope people say that I had them leave me feeling understood, feeling heard, feeling supported, and feeling loved.

I want people to see these bits and pieces of me reflected in my children. That would be the greatest honor and testament to my life.

And that’s it. I want to leave this earth having impacted people on a personal level, when they felt the most alone in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pinkpapyrus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pink_papyrus
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-abdelmalek-b09827172

Image Credits
n/a – I have full credit to the images.