A Personal Intro
Me (right) and my sister (left). She was the avid reader when we were kids but it appears that I am the one buried in a book. And that isn’t a book; it’s a brochure for a botanical garden!
Hello! I’m a proud Californian, Los Angeles native (GO DODGERS!), and a second-generation Korean American. When son turned one in 2019, I began drafting my first full-length manuscript, an upmarket-commercial women’s fiction book described as a comedy of manners and pointed satire of the beauty industry. This book is represented by literary agent Eleanor Jackson of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency and was selected as a Top 10 Finalist for Reese Witherspoon’s LitUp Fellowship in 2022.
My stories are written through the lens of an Asian immigrant’s daughter with developmental trauma, covering recurring themes such as mental health, perfectionism, beauty standards, the experiences of immigrant children, and the struggle of finding your authenticity in a world designed as a capitalist rat race. If you’re interested in reading my books, please make your way to the yellow bar up top and drop your email in OR click here–you’ll be the first to know when they’re released.
When I’m not writing stories or taking craft classes, I manage a family grant.
In 2012, I founded a boutique editorial agency for beauty brands and contributed reported pieces for women’s magazines. My first novel is informed and inspired by my intimate experience within the beauty industry as well as multigenerational familial relationships. Prior to having my own business, I worked as a grant writer for a Philadelphia nonprofit serving disadvantaged microentrepreneurs, as a managing editor for various digital publications and e-commerce platforms, and as a senior newswire editor.
Tidbits and Thoughts
I’m learning to shuffle (it’s a dance style popular at raves, although it does NOT look like raving when I do it, LOL).
I hardly ever feel more alive than when I’m attending a protest, holding up an angry sign and chanting.
Live music is medicine for the soul.
Stand-up comedians are the bravest, smartest people.
I can go days (if not weeks) without seeing another person (introverts, unite!).
I love Christmas cheese, as in over-the-top Christmas decorations, hunting down carolers, watching predictable Hallmark movies, and reconsidering my faux tree every year.
In 2023, I was sucked in by true-crime documentaries so much that I watched all of the ones on Netflix, HBO, Prime, Peacock, Hulu and Paramount combined and did not read a single book for the entire year. #criminal
My favorite international experience was going on an African safari. Witnessing a herd of elephants in the wild will make your heart skip a beat and take your breath away. Also, I cried during the beginning of Lion King: The Musical on Broadway.
Speaking of which, I wholeheartedly believe that if you have any sort of problem in life, watching The Lion King will give you the solution you need. Try it; it works.
Therapy is life. Psychedelic-assisted therapy is life-changing.
We should all strive for radical authenticity and more PLAY.
I have conducted so much deep research on children’s emotional development, human psychology, and mouth breathing (yes, you read that right) that I can probably get a PhD in all three subjects.
My favorite podcast is Hidden Brain hosted by Shankar Vedantam. I’m also a sucker for any self-improvement/wellness podcast that features people like Gabor Mate and Michael Singer.
My son is my favorite person in the world.
The Serious Bio
Sarah is the founder of Sarah Ban & Co., an editorial agency for beauty brands. She’s been sought after and hired by a range of brands, including celebrity brands (Charlotte Tilbury, Kevyn Aucoin); social-media favorites (LUSH Cosmetics, Dr. Pimple Popper); skincare innovators (Beauty BioScience (GloPRO), COVER/FX, Epionce Skincare, Image Skincare); high-growth start-ups (Vegamour, Four Sigmatic); K-beauty powerhouses (Caolion, JJ Young); and cult-classic darlings (Odacité Skincare, C.O. Bigelow).
A newswire industry veteran, Sarah has reported for national publications such as SELF, NYLON, ELLE, Alive Magazine, and delicious living as well as high-trafficked websites such as The Kitchn and Organic Authority.