“The running joke is I’m going to get a mattress in here,” Naj Austin says, surveying the idyllic clubhouse where she spends most of her waking (and some napping) hours. Who could blame her? Ethel’s, a social and wellness club for people of color that she built after realizing that no such place existed, is a super-appealing home away from home, with plenty of colorful art, comfortable furniture, and artisanal snacks on hand. It’s early on a Friday morning, and the calming scent of Palo Santo wafts through the air. A gaggle of engineers and coders is huddled around a table by the entrance, their sticker-tattooed computers gleaming in the ample sunlight. Across the way, in the open kitchen, a staff member is preparing drinks for the crowd.

“I wanted it to feel like the apartment you feel like you were meant to live in,” the founder and CEO says. Working with the Brooklyn-based gallerist Stephanie Baptiste and interior designer Shannon Maldonado, Austin spent two months transforming a spacious chunk of a former Bushwick, Brooklyn factory into a haven for creative work, self-care, and conversation.

Prior to opening Ethel’s, Austin was working for a real-estate start-up that was based out of another, less diverse and nowhere near as fabulous co-working space. “I wanted to see one where there were more people who looked like me,” she explains. “I wanted to think of a way to be more inclusive.” Since opening in November, Ethel’s has been making waves with its lively panels and weekly group therapy sessions for writers. (“I don’t join because I’m not a writer but they do a lot of journaling,” she reports.) There’s also a wellness room where reiki and mental health professionals practice, a glass-encased quiet room with an antique rug to minimize sound, and a state-of-the-art podcast studio.

Austin is already looking at opening locations in Oakland and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and expanding the original Ethel’s with plans to open a performance space next door. “It will be the first black-owned music venue in Brooklyn,” she says. The seven-day workweek will go on, which is perfectly fine for the time being. “I like being here,” she says.

My favorite part of the office to work in is…

The stadium seating by the entrance. There’s lots of sunlight, and outlets for phone charging—which is key.

My work wife or husband is…

My whole team. There are six of us in total. It feels like we live together.

I have my big-idea realizations…

Late at night. I’ll have a genius idea, go to bed, wake up, and I’ll have forgotten it.

The best work advice anyone has ever given me was…

Stick with your gut. People will question your vision along the way.

My breakfast of champions is…  

A protein drink and a breakfast bar of some sort. Breakfast is usually the only guaranteed meal I have until dinner so I try to have it every morning.

My go-to midday snack is…

A bar. I’m into Kind’s oat honey bar, which isn’t too sweet.

My guilty procrastination is…

Twitter!

When I need inspiration I like to…

Surround myself with art. I recently saw Tyler Mitchell’s exhibit at ICP and Noah Davis’s show at David Zwirner. Both left me feeling reinvigorated and proud.

Before I started Ethel’s I worked as… 

Head of Operations at a few real estate/hospitality startups.

I knew I wanted to launch my own business when…

I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

My favorite wellness hack is…

A five-minute meditation in the middle of the day.

Growing up I wanted to become a…

Lawyer. I’m a middle child, so I got very good at negotiating.

The thing I wear to work most days is…

Pajamas if I could. But most days I step it up and wear jeans and a T.

My favorite app is…

Spotify.

I Embrace Ambition by…

Waking up every day and trying my best.

The person who inspires me to Embrace Ambition is…

My grandmother. She’s who I named the club after!

We at Tory Daily are inspired by smart, passionate women who #EmbraceAmbition and find ways to make their communities stronger. For information on the Tory Burch Foundation, which empowers women entrepreneurs to #EmbraceAmbition, click here.