Meet the Wise team: André Barsalou

How often do we hear people say: “you don’t choose your family”? Most of the time it comes after an unsavoury anecdote about a mother, a brother, an uncle. But what if you could choose your family? And what if even then, you wouldn’t change a thing?

André Barsalou is one of the very fortunate people to have a family that has inspired him to be who he was meant to be, and has given the support to do so. He wouldn’t trade a single member. Each one has contributed to his current path and his gratitude towards them is as great as his profound love and respect. With a mother that taught him the gentle art of caring and the power of a good meal, and a father that inspired him to strike a balance between building outward while looking inward to maintain a healthy body and mind, his foundation is a solid one. To sweeten the deal, he is blessed with two siblings. His older brother took him under his wing, let him hang with his friends, and has shown him that you should always let your true self shine. His little sister looks up to him, makes him feel invincible, and most importantly, makes him want to be the best version of himself.

The passions he cultivates have deep ties to these family relationships. Cooking has become an important creative outlet for him and, through food, he also gains the satisfaction of bringing people together. By both practising and teaching yoga, he found a way to take care of himself and others. This great capacity he has for caring extends beyond people, his affection for nature is immense and his desire to preserve it is equally so.

We’re lucky these important aspects of André’s personal life cross over into his work, from developing new products to preserving Wise’s vision and mission. His kindness and caring of others and the planet are reflected in the products he and Simon ideate. And not only does he want to promote a sustainable lifestyle through Wise’s offerings, he emphasises the importance of spreading supplementary knowledge alongside them, to help people truly understand the significance of simple life choices and the communities that embody them.

In André’s humble opinion, wisdom is being aware that the only real truth is change, a wavering path of learning and adapting with the next lesson just around the bend.

Having fairly stubborn and wavy hair, André's favorite Wise product is the Red Maple Cream Pomade, for it's strong hold yet non-greasy or sticky finish. See link below for more.