Wellness: Sakara Life

This article is part of our Create & Cultivate 100 List created in collaboration with KEDS, you can view the full Wellness List Here.

Turning greens into green. 

In the image-driven patriarchal world we live in, most women have battled with body issues at some point in their lives. With intense societal pressure to look like the gamine girls in the glossy fashion magazines, for many women, eating can become more of a pain than a pleasure. It was no different for Danielle DuBoise, co-founder and co-CEO of the wildly popular organic meal delivery company Sakara. “I used to battle with food. I was a constant yo-yo dieter, always looking and searching for the one diet I thought I had to try to get the body I thought I didn't have,” DuBoise says. Looking at her today, you might never guess that the vibrant blonde had battled with body image issues so intensely in her youth that she was once hospitalized as a result.

“I used to battle with food. I was a constant yo-yo dieter, always looking and searching."

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“That was my 'aha' moment, when I realized that I had to heal my relationship to food and get back to food as nourishment rather than food being about calories, and teach myself that less food wasn’t always better.” Around the same time, DuBoise’ childhood friend Whitney Tingle was going through her own health struggles, with the long hours of a stressful Wall Street job causing her to gain weight and develop cystic acne. DuBoise, who had been a pre-med student, switched her focus to nutrition, and the two friends dedicated a year of their lives studying both Eastern and Western approaches to health. They launched Sakara in 2011.

“Eating this way is what completely changed my mindset around food and finally gave me the body I wanted, and I wanted to share this way of life with as many people as possible,” DuBoise says of her decision to get into the organic food delivery game. Though the hugely successful company now employs 80 people and has been covered in the press by the likes of Forbes, Business Insider, Vogue, and more, in the beginning it was just the two best friends from Sedona, Arizona working tirelessly out of their own NYC kitchen. “We started by bootstrapping the company with $700, so Whitney and I did everything. We cooked, we handled finances, tech, customer service, PR, all of it.” Their hard work clearly paid off, but before they became the secret weapon of Victoria’s Secret Angels and were minted in the "Forbes 30-Under-30" canon, they had their fair share of panic-inducing challenges. “We got a huge piece of press from Gwyneth Paltrow and the next week none of our delivery drivers showed up so Whitney and I had to take hundreds of dollars worth of taxis to deliver everything ourselves at 4am after being in the kitchen all night,” DuBoise recalls.  These days, Sakara delivers its healthy meals to thousands who swear by the nourishing, delicious, plant-based fare, including Paltrow, Lena Dunham, and Kate Hudson, and the company recently launched S-Life Mag, an editorial extension of their wellness brand which features recipes, beauty tips, and interviews with women like Mary Helen Bowers of Ballet Beautiful and supermodel and Sakara devotee Lily Aldridge, amongst others.

DuBoise says she and Tingle plan to expand Sakara even more in the next few years, bringing their unique approach to creating safe and effective wellness-based products to beauty, supplements, and homecare. On a personal level, DuBoise says she wants to start a non-profit venture in the near future, and she recently started a band with her husband. “We never have enough time to really work on it, but it's still so fun when we do,” she says. Though she’s incredibly busy and the pressure of running a business can be intense, since deciding to shift from medical school to entrepreneurship six years ago, Danielle DuBoise has never looked back. What keeps her going? “Knowing we're helping thousands of people transform their lives through the power of food as medicine,” she says. “When I took the time to prioritize my health, that's when I found my purpose.”

9 Killer Public Speaking Tips from Top Female Entrepreneurs

Jittery hands, racing heart, blank mind. If you're climbing the career ranks, there is a good chance you've experienced one or all of these emotions when you get up to give a presentation or a talk. There's no escaping it, and the earlier you accept that public speaking is going to be a part of your career, the better. After all, practice makes perfect (or so said Tina Craig of Bag Snob this weekend at Create & Cultivate Dallas). 

Whether you're prepping for a pitch meeting or you're planning to one day give a world-changing TED talk, we asked the industry best to give their quick and dirty tips for getting up in front of a crowd or an investor. 

ANNIE LAWLESS, NY TIMES BEST SELLER, CO-FOUNDER SUJA, CREATOR BLAWNDE.COM

"Don't filter yourself because everyone can tell. Be authentic-- that will help you be conversational. And don't worry about what you think they want to hear." 

DANIELLE DUBOISE, CO-FOUNDER SAKARA LIFE

"Memorize three things you know you want to say. Don't memorize anything else because you'll sound like a robot. And have a code word for yourself. Mine is solar plexus, for when I tap into my power." 

SOPHIA RIVKA ROSSI, CO-FOUNDER HELLO GIGGLES

"The key to public speaking is to disassociate, j/k, to connect to what you are expressing, and just remember no one really ever cares more than you do." 

JACLYN JOHNSON, FOUNDER CREATE & CULTIVATE

"The worst thing you can do on stage is think about yourself. What matters is the audience. So get out of your head and your inspirational insight will find a way into theirs." 

JULIE RICE, CO-FOUNDER SOULCYCLE

"Speak from your heart. Everyone can understand passion...oh yeah and 'takeaways.' Leave people with something actionable." 

TINA CRAIG, CO-FOUNDER BAG SNOB

“I talked about the end user, as if she was there.” On “Shirley,” the character she created and used when pitching HSN. Adding, "You do anything enough, and it becomes fun. Practice in your sleep."

HILLARY KERR, CO-FOUNDER WHO WHAT WEAR, CLIQUE MEDIA

"Some people thought we were cream puffs, but we were smart. I like to say it was like being bitten to death by a butterfly." On early fundraising meetings for Who What Wear.

RACHEL ASHWELL, FOUNDER RACHEL ASHWELL SHABBY CHIC  

"Be truthful. It's too easy to say what you think sounds good." 

ELIZABETH CUTLER, CO-FOUNDER SOULCYCLE

"And concise." 

Mic drop, Elizabeth. *claps* 

5 Pieces of Must-Know Advice from C & C Dallas

Snapchat has DJ Khaled and his major keys, but yesterday Dallas had all the keys to creative, entrepreneurial boss success when Create and Cultivate hit Lofty Spaces. The energy was electric. Attendees were on fire with their outfits and questions for panelists. And the speakers, let’s say they knocked the yee out of the haw. 

Here are five MAJOR KEY takeaways from yesterday’s Create & Cultivate Dallas. 

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MISSION

We heard this reiterated a couple of different ways yesterday, but there's not doubt that buzzword of the day was MISSION. Everyone from the Soul Cycle co-founders to Stephanie Mark of The Coveteur made it clear: the goal SHOULD NEVER BE FOLLOWERS OR MONEY. You start with an idea you believe in and make that carry your business and fuel those late nights. 

"Trying to get 500k on Instagram is not a goal or a business plan." 

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Soul Cycle co-founders Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler told the crowd that their mission has always been simple: "to put joy and empowerment into their business." 

Sakara Life co-founder Danielle DuBoise encouraged the audience to make sure that their work “is a mission driven business, because it will change your trajectory.” Adding, “When times get tough, you can make it so it’s not about you. Stay true to your mission because that is what will carry you through.”

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, JUST WORK B.

What we see on stage is pretty and inspiring, but is also the result of late, wee-morning work hours, tears of exhaustion, missteps, hustling two jobs to fuel to the passion project, and even moving back in with mom and dad. 

At the end of day what everyone on these stages has is a propensity to work, work, work— something they reiterated to attendees time and again. 

From Annie Lawless telling the crowd: “Any entrepreneur will tell you, you are always working, but for you it’s not a job, it’s a dream.” 

To Emily Schuman explaining to a captivated audience: “Have patience. I’m sitting up here talking about all of these things I’ve done, but it’s taken a really long time. Have determination and patience and believe in yourself.”

On her early days of self-taught Photoshop Katherine Power told the crowd: “You just have to get it done.”

Kendi from Kendi Everyday said something rather similar: “You just have to decide to do it. And then do it.”

IT’S QUALITY AND QUANTITY

There is something to be said that “done is better than perfect”— which, is an adage we heard a couple of times from the stages yesterday. But when the world is watching you need to be on your A-game. Matt Crump of #candyminimal fame explained to the crowd the importance of delivering on both quality and quantity if you want to grow your following. 

“I was working two jobs,” he said, “and moved back in with my parents. But I would make sure that what I was putting out was thoughtful and consistent. If it’s your passion, you make it great, and you make it work.” 

Tina Craig of Bag Snob also made clear that in addition you need to know all sides of what you’re doing.“If you want to get in the business,” she said, “get in the back end of the business. Not just the fun. Not just the selfies.”

In the age of social platforms you have to consistently pump out content, but it needs to be solid. 

A BAD RELATIONSHIP CAN RUIN YOUR WORK SPIRIT

We heard this sentiment repeated three times and we think it’s worth repeating here. 

First, Whitney Wolfe CEO and Founder of dating-app Bumble asked the crowd to consider what a bad relationship has the ability to do. “If you’re in a bad relationship,” she said, “it can destroy your life.” 

On a lighter (but also totally serious note), Soul Cycle CEO Elizabeth Cutler told everyone, “No deadbeat boyfriends for anyone who works for us.”

This also applies to work relationships. Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power are coming up on their ten year workaverssary and told attendees, “WE obviously have a friendship but it’s business first and foremost. You have to be respectful.”

THERE’S NEVER THE RIGHT TIME

Waiting for the perfect day to come along to take a risk? Not gonna happen. 

When Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle (who just made Forbes 30 Under 30) started Sakara Life they had a combined 700 dollars. Annie Lawless (also on Forbes' coveted list), who dropped out of law school and started delivering juice around San Diego in her 2-door coup, had less than that. If you’re waiting for lightning to strike, the stars to align, or enough money in the bank, there’s a good chance you’re going to miss your shot. There is someone right now taking that risk. 

Tze Chun of Uprise Art told the crowd: “When you’re starting a company just saying it’s real, makes it real.” 

Whitney Wolfe said, “There are so many days when it’s terrible. But if there is one good relationship taking place out there, it’s all worth it.” 

And Soul Cycle boss Julie Rice put it clear as day: “Whatever you’re doing now, I actually only think there is one skill you need, and that’s making shit happen.”

Get ready for our announcement on Feb 15th about the next Create & Cultivate. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear where we are heading next!!