Soraya Sophia-Blaise is the daughter of Community Member Johanna Sophia, founder of Johanna’s Raw Foods – products that meet the growing demand for gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, organic food. She is a big over-achiever and has found her own path through work various experiences at her mother’s company and by navigating life’s trials and tribulations as a person of color. Soraya talks about how far she’s come in life, where she would like to go in the future, and her particular perspective on events from the last 3 years.
When did you start working at Johanna’s Raw Foods with your mom?
I started working for my mom pretty much when the business started. I put university to the side in the beginning. Working with the business was a lot of fun! We started out as a mother daughter team creating Raw Dinners at Fifty South Restaurant and then I was there for the beginning at Green Earth in Oneonta. It’s a bit hazy to be honest in terms of when it started but I was just a year or so out of high school.
You were young – just out of high school – what did you learn from your experience working at your mother’s company?
I think I learned more hard lessons on how difficult it is to start a business, run a business and ultimately how you have to really be passionate about what you’re doing to make that business successful. Although my path has ultimately gone into a different direction, my mom has always taught me and my brother to be passionate about what we’re doing. I’ve always been very self-disciplined (probably because that’s how my mom raised me – to be my own person and to not tolerate anyone disrespecting me), especially when it comes to my academics, but I think watching her struggle through the creation of JRF and going through the struggle with her, made me more cognizant of that hard work doesn’t really mean anything if you’re not passionate about what you’re working hard at.
What are you doing now in life? Any life lessons from your past work experience being applied to your current goals and ambitions?
I have a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from Stetson University. I graduated in 2018. And I am currently enrolled in an online Masters program in Psychology at Pepperdine University. My goal is to get my Ph.D in Clinical Psychology and to open my own clinic, specializing in treating eating disorders, depression, and anxiety in adolescents and young adults. I want to serve marginalized communities with this clinic (LGBTQ+IA, POC, BIPOC, and neurodivergent) and to offer evidence-based treatments as well as treatments such as music therapy, dance therapy, equine therapy/animal therapy etc. I have wanted this clinic and have worked to achieve this objective ever since I was 12. This particular goal started developing after I read Reviving Ophelia and I remember being fascinated by the book.
When I was 14 years old I was sexually assaulted and this resulted in a lot of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. I remember feeling ashamed, scared and alone and then had to develop coping skills and strategies to overcome my trauma as best as I could. And I need to mention this – I do not recommend working through these trauma situations on your own. If you or a loved one is struggling, has been assaulted, please reach out for help and remember you’re not alone. I think the only reason why I was able to use that book as therapy, is because I’ve always been very introspective and I did reach out to friends.
When I went to Stetson I took the next step and went to counseling. And I am currently in therapy again, so this is my really long-winded way of saying that I chose this academic path because I want to understand the many facets of psychology, and also because I know my personal experiences that will help me become an extraordinary clinical psychologist.
Where were you during the outbreak of Covid? How did it affect your life?
I lived with my mom during the outbreak of COVID-19. I feel like while I definitely had some growth during the pandemic (I returned to therapy, got into grad school, got into a long-term relationship, and now engaged), I think it also impacted a lot of rituals that young adults fresh out of college are supposed to have. It delayed my getting a more serious job, and it also increased my anxiety about the world as that was also the height of BLM.
As a biracial Black woman, I became even more angry and saddened at the way my fellow Black community was being treated. I acknowledge a lot of the privilege I have, being raised by a White mother and a Black father, my mother being an immigrant from Germany and my father an immigrant from Haiti.
That being said, I remember being given the talks of how to behave like a proper young Black lady and being called slurs. I’ve had to deal with these racial slurs all my life. The first time I was called the N-word I was 3 years old. As for the talks from relatives, I think I was about 6 years old the first time I got a talk on how to behave like a proper young Black lady: wear your hair neat, keep your clothes neat and not too revealing (yes even at 6 years old. Because Black girls are hypersexualized from a young age, we are often told how to dress and act so we don’t seem “fast” even though we’re still children), keep your voice gentle and soft and never ever be aggressive. During the pandemic and BLM and Stop Asian Hate and the other social justice issues, all of this just became even more important for me to use my voice and so I started posting on social media and going to rallies or sending funds to organizations.
So while there was the uncertainty of the world and watching people getting super sick, there was also social and racial issues that were heavily tied in. Watching people mourning publicly in the streets because another young black man or woman had lost their lives and seeing the hurt and rage at being hurt so frequently it leaves you numb, or increased awareness of the discrimination and horrors the AAPI community faces and how people are so quick to call others dirty for whatever false information or prejudiced or racist notion or belief they may have had. It’s impossible for me to separate the outbreak of COVID-19 and the very real systemic racism and the harm it causes whole communities.
What are some of the key points you would like that person to know if you suspect they have an eating disorder?
Honestly, as someone who has faced eating issues (from anorexia to bulimia) and body image issues for the majority of her young adulthood, I would urge them to first learn how to be kind and gentle to their bodies. Kindness goes beyond the numbers. It’s the health of your body and how you truly feel about your body. Listening to your body and understanding that your body is only yours. Someone else cannot live in your body and what they eat may not suit yours, even if it’s the healthiest diet in the world. Incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables. Incorporate whole grains and healthy fats. Make sure you are eating as much seasonal local produce as possible and eat more locally and sustainably sourced as possible. But allow yourself to experiment. Allow yourself freedom and don’t punish yourself, mentally or physically.
Any healthy recipes you would suggest to them and our audience?
Onigiri (Japanese riceballs). If I feel like being more vegan, then I go for umeboshi (or pickled plum!), or cucumber and avocado. Also, kimchi and sauteed mushroom. Smoked salmon, or tuna, and Kewpie mayo mixed with sriracha is also really delicious and healthy. Tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes). I like putting mushrooms and kimchi in mine.
My mom’s raw vegan spicy veggie burger bites, or her recipe for raw vegan walnut balls soaked in hot veggie stock kelp noodles and creamy tomato sauce. If I want something sweet I really like her ginger brownies. I don’t really follow recipes, I just like having fun and experimenting, researching and causing chaos in the kitchen!
From Johannas Raw Foods.com R-Awesome Chocolates Ebook
Interview by Heather Wentworth