Interview: HANNAH Aka Desert Condor
Hannah has been inspiring us from the beginning. She is a self-made silversmith, business owner, moto rider, and most of all, badass mother.
We sat down with Hannah to find out how she got into riding, how she decided to start her own business, how she balances work and family, and to get her philosophy on life. Here’s how it went…
Q: How long have you been riding and what bike do you ride?
Hannah: I bought my first bike (a 1985 Honda Rebel) in 2011 but it had so many problems I never got to really ride it haha. I bought my 2001 Harley Sportster 1200, 3 years ago and have been riding that ever since. I am currently rebuilding that bike into a chopper.
Q: What made you decide you wanted to get a motorcycle? How did that all go down?
Hannah: I’ve always ridden on the back of my fiancé Willey’s bikes and a few years ago we rode his 1976 Shovelhead to a wedding in Las Vegas after he rebuilt it. My ass hurt so bad riding on the tiny new seat by the time we were 300 miles into our trip I had decided it was time for me to get my own. I knew I wanted to buy a 1200 Sportster and started saving my money and scouring the internet till I found one the was in the year range I wanted. I actually didn’t even have enough money for it the day I went to look at it but I made a deal with the dude and his girlfriend that I’d make them jewelry as a trade to hold it for me for a couple days, so luckily it worked out.
Q: Do you feel like getting a motorcycle changed your life? What does riding mean to you?
Hannah: Having my own motorcycle definitely changed my life. Before I had my own, I always just hung out with the guys and didn’t have many chick friends. I grew up skating too and it always just kinda seemed like I’d never really be a girls girl. I went to The Dream Roll a few years ago, like a month after I bought my bike, and I realized how much I’d been missing in my life. I love all the strong, funny, beautiful, bad ass women that I’ve met from riding. That’s definitely the biggest change it’s brought on cause now most of my friends are chicks. It’s also brought Willey and I closer together. Going on long out of state rides full of chopper problems and pit stops, sleeping in the dirt next to our bikes together, cruisin’ down an empty desert highway listening to nothing but the sounds of each others engines at sunset... thats just brought on some shit we’d never get to experience together without a motorcycle. So I guess for me riding a motorcycle means being connected to something thats bigger than myself.
Q: Do you have any advice for women who are thinking about buying a motorcycle?
Hannah: Take a riding course first! I took the Harley Class and I loved it. They had a bunch of bikes to test ride after so I felt the difference of how the bikes handle. If you know anyone that has bike knowledge it would definitely be beneficial to have them on board when you start to look at bikes so you can bounce ideas off of them! Don’t let things like the seat or the handle bars stop you from buying a bike with a good motor. Those types of things are easy to swap so focus on the engine!
Q: How long has your jewelry business Dessert Condor been around?
Hannah: I think I started Desert Condor in 2015 or 16... I honestly can’t remember. Back then it was called “HANNAH SARIAH JEWELRY” but a lot has changed since then! It’s evolved quite a bit and it’s really become everything I had dreamed and more!
Q: How did you get into silver smithing?
Hannah: I always had a deep obsession with silver & turquoise jewelry. I grew up in Southern Utah and it was definitely a strong part of the culture down there when I was little. I left working for a company that I had been at for years so that I could spend more time with the kids (they were like 2 & 3 at the time) and I knew I had to figure out something that I could do at home to generate an income that would also keep my creative mind busy. There was a tiny shop by my job that I would buy jewelry from every paycheck so I was really all wrapped up with having it on my mind constantly already. I thought I’d start making things for myself and see how it went. I literally taught myself how to solder at a desk in the living room of our tiny, old AF apartment in downtown Salt Lake. I had no fucking clue what I was doing and looking back I wish I would have just bit the bullet and taken a class... it would have saved me a lot of wasted money and headache.
Q: What was it like deciding to take that wild crazy step of starting your own business?!
Hannah: Once I realized that I could actually make a living off of it it was sooooo fulfilling!! I am a super passionate person and I have been interested in design from a very you get age, so it made so much sense to me when I started to make jewelry to see if I could turn it into something serious. From running the gram, to the website to creating product, it became something I was basically addicted to right off the bat. I worked a couple random jobs here and there but I really decided to make Desert Condor my full time job a couple years ago and never looked back. It’s been the best thing I could have ever done for myself and my family.
Q: What advice do you have for other women who might be wanting to start a business or venture of their own?
Hannah: Don’t be afraid to carve out your own path. Starting a business takes a ton of personal sacrifice, so be ready for that. I went through a few years of friends and family really giving me a hard time about how “obsessed” I was with my business- which to me just meant that I was working hard AF. It was difficult to feel like those people didn’t see what I could see. But honestly, if you aren’t ready to eat, sleep, and breathe your new venture you’re gonna struggle. I don’t regret a single choice I’ve made because I stayed true to myself from the get go and did everything in my power to stay focused on what I was working to accomplish. As long as you’re down for all that I think you can do fucking anything.
Q: What does being a mom mean to you?
Hannah: Oh man. I’m such a sucker when I start talking about my kids! Otto, Meadow and Ace… I love my family more than anything in existence! For me, being a Mom means being that person that my kids can come to for literally anything without ever feeling judged. I want all three of them to know how special they are at all times and I have an immense drive to not only protect them but to teach them to be strong, independent, and polite people. Being a mom is by far the coolest thing about my life!!
Q: How do you balance work and family?
Hannah: Lots of help. *sighs and laughs at the same time* It’s been a struggle but Willey and I have so much help between our friends and family - especially with the addition of the new baby. I have an incredible relationship with Meadow’s mom, Mariah. She’s been such a big support for us with the baby and kids while I transition back to work. I wouldn’t be able to run my business without all the help and love and support we get! The saying “it takes a village” definitely applies. But I also have to balance time for my relationship with Willey, otherwise I can easily get lost in my work or caught up only focusing on the kids. He’s my person, and I wouldn’t be where I am without him so we always try to carve out a little vacation time together and let loose.
Q: Do you have any personal philosophies you live your life by?
Hannah: LIVE A LIFE OF LOVE! We don’t teach our kids religion in our house. It’s always been about living a life of love. Love yourself, love other people, love animals, love the earth. You can’t ever go wrong with that!! I’m a very objective person, so I live my life by always looking at both sides of the coin. That’s a huge philosophy for me and it’s helped me so much in my adult life, especially in my relationship as well as, navigating being a step parent. Lately I’ve also been inspired by my favorite spin teacher Meg at MCYCLE here in SLC. She always talks about pushing yourself past your limit because that’s where the change happens. Anytime I start to feel stuck or I don’t want to work through something I remind myself that pushing through it is how I’ll progress. She’s really taught me that if I do that enough the thing that was hard at first will eventually become a habit.
And also, YOLO.
