Igniting Community Change with Stephanie Issa

Carlsbad. People, purpose, and impact. An essential podcast for those who live, work, visit, and play in Carlsbad.

Good morning, and welcome, everyone. My name is Brett Schanzenbach. I am the president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, and I am once again your host today. I am excited to have with me Stephanie Issa. She is the cofounder and co CEO at the Lullabar.

Good morning, Stephanie.

Good morning. Thank you for having me.

Yeah. Thanks for joining me today. It's great to have you. I was doing a little bit of background information, learning a little bit about you, and I didn't realize you're from Brazil.

I am. I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Yeah. And then when did you come over here?

I moved to The United States when I was six years old.

Okay. So just a youngster.

A youngster, yeah.

And when you came to The US, where did did you come to California right away or did you come somewhere else?

We actually went to Augusta, Maine.

Augusta, Maine. I've never even heard of Augusta, Maine. Heard of Augusta, Georgia. But

Yeah. Augusta, Maine. Okay. Lived there for about less than a year, and then I primarily grew up in the Boston area.

Okay. Very nice. And then I saw that you went to, Fordham University in political science. Yes. That's fun.

Yeah. And that led to you have had quite an interesting, background. I I saw stuff from you worked for the the UN undersecretary, Global Vision CNN, White House press advance. Yeah. Talk about that journey.

So, you know, as an immigrant, I just I felt very strongly about just getting into politics.

Yeah.

And, yeah, when I was in Fordham, I really wanted to work at the UN. That was, like, my dream. Mhmm. For my nineteenth birthday, I actually spent it at the United Nations doing a tour. Wow.

And yeah. So I did press advance for one day. I had a friend who, was working on the press team for Obama.

Yeah.

And so he gave a speech on Wall Street, and I went in and helped that day. And, I worked for, like, documentaries, and I was just trying to find my in and find my footing in the political space. But it went it crossed over into, like, media and news. Yeah. So I did internships at CNN Money and, yeah.

But in that way, I kinda found marketing.

Yeah. So Through all of that?

Through all of that. Yeah.

Led you to the the world of marketing Yes.

Which is funny. Yeah.

From polycydical marketing. I love it. Yeah. And, you've been in marketing in one format or another pretty much since then, it looks like. You started your own Studio ISA in San Diego.

So how did you get from all that East Coast stuff to San Diego?

I moved here well, it started in it started in Providence, Rhode Island. So after the recession ended or during the recession, I should say, in 02/9. That's when I graduated. I couldn't find a job.

Oh, sure.

Yeah. It was really tough. And my mom moved to Providence from Boston Mhmm. At that time. So I said, okay.

You know what? It's not working for me here in New York City. I just just could not find a job. Yeah. I interned at Time Magazine and the PR department, and it was just they were just laying everybody off.

Yeah.

And so I went back to live with her.

Yep.

And, you know, a few years later, that's when I met my husband, and I started just doing marketing and taking on clients because it was just easier to find part time gigs than a full time job. Yep. So that's what I did to kinda get by is just trying to accumulate as many clients as possible.

Yeah. The the gig economy. Right?

Exactly. And then I kind of just learned how to work for myself and Google everything. And Yep. And then my husband, we were actually, like I would employ him to help me with my clients, so I'd write him checks.

Nice.

Yeah. And, yeah. And then we just started working on websites together, and, we started doing, like, websites for the city of Providence for festivals

Nice.

For colleges in the area, startups. You know, there's a startup scene in Providence.

Oh, nice. Okay.

And a lot of creatives there because of RISD. So we we use their talent to kind of build our portfolio. And then when we moved here, we we kept it going, but it was just extremely tough to start with a network all over again, the buzz. And we moved here specifically for the sunshine.

So so not because of a job or anything like that? You just

like No. We needed to get out of the blizzards.

Get gotta get to that sunshine, some vitamin d.

Yes. Yeah. No regrets.

No. That's awesome. And that was in what year?

2015.

Okay. And right to this North County area or some other part of California?

Well, we moved downtown, lived in,

Downtown San Diego?

Yeah. East Village. And then moved up we did the kind of natural trajectory of, you know, you're getting older, starting a family, and and doing our way up to North County.

Yeah. Yeah. Right to the suburb.

Yeah. We did East Village and then Mission Valley and then Carlsbad.

Nice. That's wild. And it looked like you spent some time in your marketing career also in the real estate space.

Yes. Yeah. So, one of the jobs that I got in Providence right away was doing real estate marketing for for a real estate firm. Mhmm. And, it was a really fun little office, and they gave me a lot of freedom.

But then, you know, financial constraints again. Yeah. And, so then they they actually, told me, like, you really should become a consultant because that'll just you know, you're a little bit more in control.

Interesting.

So that's I became a marketing consultant.

That's awesome. And and so you've been in that space. I even saw something about I don't know how to pronounce it. O H U Interactive. What's O H U?

Oh, Obu. Oh, Obu Interactive.

Oh, or maybe I wrote it wrong. Sorry. Obu Interactive Yeah. Which is also a a digital marketing agency?

Yes. So they're actually based in, San Diego.

Oh, okay.

And I went in as, you know this was my first time working for someone else.

Like, completely?

Like, as a with a salary Oh. And health insurance and the whole thing.

Like a real employee.

Yeah. I felt very behind, delayed. Just like if I felt like that's what everyone did when they graduated. I don't know how they were able to get jobs. But, yeah, it was legal marketing, and I started as a project manager.

And then I just went up into operations very quickly, and it's mostly because I ran my own business before. Yep. And I've hired before. I've sent invoices. I've met deadlines.

I know the creative process, the development process, what to look for. So it was really easy for me to move up very, very quickly.

Nice. Yeah. So all that, gig experience and consulting stuff, it paid off when you got to In a

in a big way.

Yeah. In a very big way. Yeah. And then, it sounds like that's what led all the way up to your most important job of being a mom and and taking some time off to raise kiddos.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We we we started thinking about the lullaby during COVID. Yeah.

And when things opened up and, you know, I was supposed to go back to work in the office the same week we got lock the lockdown started. So I completely When

you say you were scheduled to go back to work, like, after having been off on, like, maternity?

Yes.

Yes. Okay. Yeah. So how old was your is it I forget. Is it a daughter or a son?

Owen.

Owen.

He's five, and it was, I think, five or six months.

Okay. And so it's time to go back to work. Oh, everything's shut down, lockdown, psych. You're not coming in this office.

Yeah. Yeah.

And so were you still working for them from home at that point then?

I was for about, I think, like, seven, eight months. Okay. And, I made it work.

Yeah.

But, I think during that time, you know, with everyone's mental health Yeah. And as one of the as the operations leader, a lot of, you know, addressing the mental health or HR issues came up to me. And as a new mom, it was very hard to just digest what the team is going through on an individual basis. Like, they're living at home with someone who's immunocompromised, and they're afraid. And so it became an emotional roller coaster.

So I decided to kind of just step away. Yeah. Yeah.

For your own well-being. Yep. Yeah.

Yeah.

For sure. And all this time in the background is percolating. Now this idea for this super cool space called the Lullabar.

Yeah.

And what we're gonna do, we're gonna take a brief pause right now, and then we're gonna unpack because this Lullabar is such a cool, unique space. And for our listeners who are hearing about it for the first time, they're gonna really enjoy this. So stick with us. We'll be right back. We're talking to Stephanie Issa, the cofounder and co CEO at the Lullaby bar.

We'll be right back. So, Stephanie, before we took a break, we we kinda were covering your background and all your, your journey that got you to to founding the Lullabar. And so here you are, you know, a first time mom. Right? And this whole working experience as a mom, you know, which is also tainted by the COVID experience, is leading you in some ways to something different.

So tell us about that thought process and how you were inspired to start what is now the lullabar.

It really it really started from me not feeling like myself. So I didn't feel like I could go to adult spaces. So once things opened up and, you know, my son is, you know, I don't know, about a year maybe.

Sure.

I would take him places and, you know, it was just really hard for me to want to get out of the house because of just being stuck inside for so long. But once things opened up, I just felt very excited to finally, like, okay. Let's see let's see what I can do with my child. Let's go live our lives. And, it was extremely difficult.

I found like there were a lot of parks, outdoor parks, but a lot of them aren't really gated. It's an issue. There's not enough shade.

Mhmm.

It's you know, in the mom or parent circle, it's a common complaint.

Sure.

You know, sometimes you'll find Band Aids on the floor and

Oh, yeah. Right.

Stuff like that. There's no shade.

Right after COVID, and we're all extra sensitive to that kind of

stuff. Right? Exactly. And then even just going to coffee shops, you know, he would like if I'm sitting inside, it there wasn't enough room for him. And sometimes you'll get some glares or,

you

know, like, how dare you leave the house with a small child.

Right.

You know, especially if he's overtired or something.

Right.

Or he's running out into the street because just it's everything is open.

Right.

So it was just increasingly difficult to feel like, where can I go? What can I do? And so I would go to play gyms, and I felt like that was the only real option inside. But, you know, it's a kind of an outdated business model. Sure.

Just lots of in other countries, they're a lot more modern and clean. But here, it's just like a lot of really old plastic and, you know, your kid will get sick Yeah. To be honest.

You you

have to be prepared for Yeah. Right. Sickness. So I didn't really feel like there was a place that was adult kid friendly in an adult atmosphere.

Interesting. So this is, obviously spinning in your brain and and percolating. And so you create this very unique space. So let's tell everybody all the different things. We'll start with the basics, with the coffee shop, and then keep going because there's so much at Lullabar.

Yeah. So the thought behind it was to create a space where you can bring your little one, but still, feel like you can spend time with your with yourself or with your friends

Yeah.

While still being in the same vicinity. So you don't have to have the guilt of leaving your child at home or court or coordinating childcare. Yeah. And so we have a play space for kids six and under. It's in a separate room.

It's about 900 square feet. It's Montessori inspired. And then we also have a studio room that functions as, like, a mixed use space. You know, we do mommy and me yoga. We do CPR classes.

We do dance and music classes.

Yep.

We're doing massages now. And then, we have a nail salon. Mhmm. Really gorgeous nail salon, vegan nontoxic products just because, you know, our primary audience was and still is. There are moms, but we're getting a variety of people coming in now.

Sure. And then we have this beautiful indoor, outdoor cafe space.

Ah, love it. And it's very, very mom centric. What was the oh my goodness. Now I'm forgetting it. The the funny thing about, lack what is it?

Lactation latte or something? What is it?

That's funny, the lactation latte.

Yeah. That was hilarious. Never seen that in a coffee shop before, so that was very cool.

Why not? Why not?

Why not?

I know.

And,

you know men buy it too.

Oh, I'm sure.

Yeah. It's hilarious. They're like, this is interesting. Let me let me give it a shot. Like, they're intrigued.

Yeah. Yeah. But, every time I've been, which is now probably half a dozen times ish or more.

Yeah. I see you. Yeah. That's cool.

There's always, you know, so many babies, which is I love it. You know? As a as a parent of six, I love seeing the, you know, the the vibe.

Society that they're part of, like, the space. You know? It's

a great it's a great vibe. And then but you also had on on your website, it talks about how, let's see, you guys refer to yourself as a wellness cafe for mothers and caregivers. Yeah. Explain that.

So we we wanted to create, like, an upscale cafe or upscale environment where we felt like at this point, any parent, any caregiver can come in and feel welcomed. And so we wanted we wanted to be inclusive, and I felt like a lot of public spaces now are not inclusive to families Yeah. Especially small children. You can tell by bathrooms. You know?

Every a lot of people have kids, and they're just there's no stools, the toilet. You know, we have double seating. We have toddler seating. We have a diaper pail and changing table in all the bathrooms. And, but just even recognizing the child too, making and that that makes the parent feel welcomed.

So we have stickers at the front desk anytime a kid walks in and, even at the cafe. And the the rule or the motto at the Lullabar is, you know, if a kid is having a tantrum, it's no big deal.

Yeah. Love that.

Not draw any attention to it. If the parent is distressed, what can we do? Sometimes we'll offer free latte just to kinda make them feel like, okay. You're it's okay. You know?

And you'll see some of the parents, their immediate response is like, oh my god. I'm so sorry. And they did just pick the kid up and run out the door. And I'm like, no. You don't have to do that here.

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Because the reality is we've all been there.

Yes.

You know, and as you pointed out

And I think we forget.

Yeah. And and as you pointed out, your kid might just be a little bit tired or, you know, maybe they need to eat right now or, you know, who knows? Whatever whatever the dealio is, but it's not it's like we've all been there. It's okay.

Yeah. You know?

It's just this you've created a safe space to just be real Yes. As a mom, as a family, you know, as a parent, you know, that whole thing. And it's not we're we've been talking moms, but there's plenty of dads there working on their computer in your coffee shop.

Lots of dads. Yeah. Lots of dads, grandparents.

Awesome.

Because, you know, they help take care of the if the, you know, mom and dad are working. We also just get a lot of everybody else, like a lot of remote workers, high school students, a lot of, you know, older people who really love the nail salon because it's nontoxic. Sure. So we're we're essentially expanding beyond just moms and caregivers. We're really serving a huge variety of people Yeah.

Who love the atmosphere. And it's hilarious because you'll see, like, just people with no kids. And there'll be, like, fifteen, twenty kids, you know, in a play space. And I think if they all know that you have to be okay with kids being here, everybody enjoys the space. Yeah.

Yeah. I agree. I agree. That's great. I even saw on your calendar of events, you guys have you're doing, like, ballet classes now for kiddos?

Yeah. We're doing ballet and music classes. That's in the studio room.

Studio room. That's great.

Fun.

Yeah. Super fun. It's just I feel like it's very holistic in all the different things that you guys do. And some of the stuff on your calendar, I don't I don't know what it is. Okay.

What what's a sound bath? There's a

So that's part of, like, the self care. Honestly, we were really I was inspired by just being in North County. I feel like there's just a lot of, like, you know, just energy healing and Sure. Sound baths. So it's like these these bowls, these crystal bowls.

Okay.

And, it's just do you know the sound bath? Yeah. It's just extremely calming.

Yeah.

And, you know, you turn the lights down and you lie down on the mat and, you know, the the sound bath, facilitator will play with the sound bowls and then use other instruments. And it's just extremely calming. And then we also have sound baths for babies.

Oh, nice.

So it'll just get into a trance and, you know, just sleep. And it's a good bonding time with your child.

How wild. Yeah. And then, of course, I saw some other cool things like date night.

Yeah. Parents' date night drop in. That's pretty cool. And they can leave and come back in, like, three hours. Yeah.

And the kids will just have fun and play. They will have a dance party, and it's fun.

Oh, that's really cool. Now some people might be listening to this and have not yet heard of the lullabar. So we should probably kinda explain to them where you are, you know, in Carlsbad. So go ahead and tell everybody where exactly you guys are located.

We are on El Camino Real at the Beacon La Costa. So it's the same complex as, Shake Shack and, Jenny's Ice Cream and Equinox.

Yep. Yeah. There's a what is it? Pitfire?

Pitfire Pizza. I love Wiseaux.

Wiseaux. I don't know that.

The Butchery they have, that'd be great.

You're really close to the wine, the, La Costa wine.

La Costa wine. She's our neighbor.

Yeah. She's like you're practically your next door neighbor.

Yes. Yeah. She sometimes she'll she'll help host an event.

Nice. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. She's a good member of ours too.

So that's good. You're right. So if anybody knows any of those businesses, now you got a framework for where the Lullabar is. But, and that's great. And people could stop by if they wanted to kinda check out your childcare area.

Yeah. So we offer childcare starting at 8AM Mhmm. Until twelve. And Monday through Friday, it's drop in childcare. We do one hour and two hour slots.

We have crawlers and walker sessions. And

I love it.

Yeah. And parents must stay on-site. So, you know, you're welcome to get a nail treatment or take a mommy and me yoga class with your newborn or even just work at the cafe. We have a lot of people just that we've been told to keep the music very, very low in the cafe. So we'll be like, you know, all the seats are taken, and it's just completely quiet.

And it's it's fantastic. It's like you just walk in, you're like, woah. Everybody's in focus mode. Yeah. Yeah.

So it's

a great vibe. And, if somebody just wanted to jump online and learn more about you, I believe your website is the lullabar.com

Yes.

Which is lullabar Yes. Thelullabar.com. And they can learn more and find out the well, that's where your calendar is with the different classes and the different activities. And then, of course, the coffee shop is open daily and nail salons open daily and all that kind of stuff. Did we miss anything?

I mean, you guys, you have you're so eclectic. I don't wanna miss anything.

So we are we're we're transitioning more into beauty services.

Okay.

Yeah. So we're expanding into full body massages.

Nice.

We slowly started selling massages just to kinda test the waters, and Swedish massages are, a top seller.

Those are the thing.

Yeah. And then, we are also moving into additional spa services and beauty services like, eyebrow lamination, waxing, just really adding on the beauty portion of it because that's very in demand.

That's in demand. That's what you do. Yeah. Very cool. And, again, if they jump on your website, they can learn more about that stuff.

Absolutely. And they can also follow us on Instagram at the lullabar, and that's where we promote a lot of the, you know, some new services coming up and

Awesome.

Yeah. All the events.

So follow them on Instagram. Check them out. And then so you said your your little guy, Owen, is five years old now?

Yeah. Five. And I have a eight month old. Her name is Emmeline. Oh, my gosh.

She's adorable.

Very nice. And so wait, five years old, is he in pre k or k or

he is in TK.

I mean, yeah. TK. Sorry. Yeah. TK.

I forget what they call it. But yeah. My youngest is 16, so they didn't we didn't have those exact distinctions back then.

I I think it's a new thing. Yes. Adding on so many different layers of kindergarten. Yeah.

Very cool. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to come and share with everybody about your amazing facility you've created and the experience that's there. I'm I'm hoping that lots of new people will come and check it out.

Thank you so much for having me. This was so fun.

It was our pleasure. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for joining us today on our Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact podcast. If you got value out of our episode today, please hit the follow button on your favorite podcast app, and please tell a friend.

Can't wait to see you next time on Carlsbad People, Purpose, and Impact.