Born in Afghanistan in an unjust regime that oppresses free thinking and independent women, Durana Elmi came to America with her family to live a life of freedom that allowed her to manifest her creativity, artistry, and imagination. With courage and perseverance, she rose through the ranks of corporate America, eventually becoming an executive for many Fortune 500 corporations.
Food, according to Durana, is the finest medicine; yet contemporary diets frequently leave individuals deficient in essential nutrients. This is where the idea of Cymbiotika was born alongside her business partners, Shahab Elmi and Chervin Jafarieh.
With the motto, “Your mind and body deserve the best,” Cymbiotika is driven by the higher purpose of inspiring everyday people to achieve their optimal health. Founded in 2017, Cymbiotika uses the most advanced bioavailable absorption technology and sources only the highest quality plant-based nutrients to resolve specific nutritional deficiencies and support healthy aging, detoxification, and longevity. Cymbiotika never uses synthetics, GMOs, fillers, chemicals, preservatives, additives, or sugars in its products. After years of research, Cymbiotika has created some of the best supplements on earth. It combines scientific innovation with traditional Eastern medicine to design formulas that synergize with the body.
The existing wellness sector, according to Durana, is not clear about what’s in their products. They make items that are full of fillers and synthetics that can be harmful to the body. Cymbiotika, on the other hand, will continue to innovate and bring the most effective goods to market in the globe, while being transparent. She says, “Everything we do will ALWAYS be focused on people our team and our customers, and what is best for them.”
Cymbiotika has achieved rapid growth under Durana’s leadership, increasing gross revenue by 6700% year over year to $19.7 million. Cymbiotika’s call center was moved from an offshore facility to a state-of-the-art facility in San Diego, and Cymbiotika’s fulfillment was moved from Boise, Idaho to a state-of-the-art facility in San Diego. She is the head of Cymbiotika’s web design team and the inventor of the world’s first “Custom Subscription Bundle” platform.
She has built a culture at Cymbiotika in which all workers like coming to work and want to work. Durana is inspired to be the greatest leader she can be after watching them.
Life before Cymbiotika
Growing up in a conservative Afghan household, Durana struggled to reconcile the so-called freedoms within her grasp in the United States with the restrictive character of her own family life. She understood she had to choose between living inside the limits of culturally enforced gender norms and breaking free by living a life of creativity and independence. Fortunately for her, she had plenty of bravery and tenacity, and she swiftly developed into the successful leader, businesswoman, mentor, wife, and mother that she is today.
Durana shared that she owes her mother a huge debt of gratitude. Her mother had two children and didn’t know a word of English when she fled Afghanistan. She shares, “Her resilience, strength, and courage are my daily reminder and inspiration to thrive in life, succeed in business, and pave the way for other women. In fact, she is a successful business owner in her own right. She gave me my first glimpse into the possibility of entrepreneurship.“
Durana also revealed that her spouse, Shahab Elmi, has also played a big part in who she is now. They met while they were quite young and fell in love right away; they got married in less than one year. Despite the fact that the pair are naturally competitive, Durana believes they motivate one another to achieve their greatest potential. They’ve established four businesses together to date, and she thinks he’s the best CEO on the globe.
She asserts, “They both inspire me to be a great role model for my children and remind me that my toughest days could be someone’s best days and to always keep perspective and live life with purpose.”
Durana was the founder and CEO of Day Group LLC and Konplott USA LLC before helping found Cymbiotika. She was previously the VP of Marketing for Cricket Wireless’ Northeast Region. She is a UCLA graduate.
Living Purposeful Life
Durana is deeply committed to giving back and having a purposeful life, never forgetting her roots or her nation. In 2021, Durana founded non-profit, Helping Hands for Afghans (HHFA) as a passion project to help women, children, and refugees from Afghanistan. From her own experience, and seeing what’s transpired in her home country, she was driven to action to help her community. Through HHFA, Elmi and her team have helped over 20,000 refugees by providing supplies to the US military bases. Her efforts have also led her to partner with other non-profits to providing food, aid, coats, and shoes to those in need in during this past winter in Afghanistan.
She is also dedicated to creating a diverse workplace at Cymbiotika with gender-neutral possibilities in a fun, collaborative, and judgment-free atmosphere. Durana wants to offer her employees as much direction and support as possible to help them accomplish and surpass their professional and personal objectives. She believes it is her responsibility as a leader to invest in the growth and development of her team.
With a passion for helping people and a commitment to empowering other women, she is also actively involved with a number of local organizations and enjoys giving back to the community. She has volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America, Warrick Dunn Charities, and Toys for Tots, among other organizations. She also serves on the board of Union Aid for Afghan Refugees and helps feed the poor in San Diego.
Durana loves to mentor up-and-coming women entrepreneurs and hopes to teach her daughters and other young girls that you can be a boss, but you can do it with kindness. Her advice to female leaders is to “Build other women up. Empower the women around you to be the best version of themselves they can be.”
Website- www.cymbiotika.com
