Hi! I am Tanveen Anand, Founder & Chief Mama at Bishy Bishy Bash. I am a mom of two and a first-generation Canadian immigrant. The pandemic gave us all time to think and feel. As I was reflecting on my youth, I realised how many wounds had coloured my childhood and been carried with me throughout my life and impacted my self-confidence. The world is always ready to tell us what is wrong or flawed; I wanted to fill all my children’s hearts and heads with positive words before they ever got the chance to doubt themselves. When my elder daughter was learning to speak, I practiced positive affirmations with her every day. I wanted these loving words to be an integral part of my daughter’s day-to-day life starting at an early age. My daughter always carried her favorite plushie with her to Montessori. The doll provided a sense of security and companionship that she could rely on to play with, talk to, and hug anytime. I combined this playtime friend with the affirmation practice and decided to design plush animal toys that come with affirmations. What began as bedtime affirmations blossomed into a beautiful heart-based brand. Speaking affirmations with my daughter during bedtime was healing for me and my inner-child as well. I realized that I had been believing the same narrative my whole life, and all I had to do was change the story - one sentence at a time. This is the gift I hope to give to my family and yours, and the reason why I founded Bishy Bishy Bash.