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Female Founders: Angela Sutherland & Evelyn Rusli, Co-Founders of Yumi


Sharing in our passion for ingredients and high-quality products, we sat down with Angela and Evelyn, co-founders of our favorite organic baby food delivery company, Yumi, to learn more about the importance of food, their inspiration and daily lives.
Angela Sutherland & Evelyn Rusli, Co-Founders of Yumi

Why Yumi?

Angela: When I was pregnant with my daughter, I learned about how important nutrition is during the first 1,000 days. It was really eye-opening to read all these clinical studies that showed how every bite matters during this window, and can have long-last effects on their physical, neurological and metabolic development. During this time, I was also baffled by the lack of of innovation in the baby food space. The market really hasn’t changed in decades. The options at the grocery store just fell short in every way.  What they were calling “meals” were full of sugar, or fructose, and had been sitting on the shelves for months if not more than a year — it just didn’t feel right.

Most important food group(s) to begin with and when with babies?

Angela: Starting babies with vegetables, instead of all fruit, is so important in terms of establishing your baby’s taste preferences. Fruits have many benefits, but if a baby starts off eating only fruit purees, their taste preferences are going to lean towards the sweeter side, which can cause problems down the road when you’re trying to get your babe to eat their veggies and other whole foods.

What does your typical Beauty Routine look like?

Angela: I try to keep things really simple, especially in the mornings when I am rushing to get the kids fed, dressed, and out the door.  I splash my face with lukewarm water to rinse the night away, then slather on some of my favorite moisturizer from La Mer, which also has SPF 50.

In the evenings, I’ll use Goldfaden’s “Doctors Scrub” which makes my skin feel baby smooth.  I’ll follow that with a hydrating serum from True Botanicals – it really calms my skin after a long day, and the relaxing scent gets me in the mood for sleep.  I also rub a bit of my favorite balm from Nucifera on my lips and cuticles (…pro tip, this stuff also doubles as a great antidote for a diaper rash!)

If I’m going into an important meeting or have dinner plans, I try to glam things up a little bit and add in a few coats of a go-to-mascara, I have a few from Lancome and Estee Lauder, and a lip stain. Right now Yves Saint Laurent’s Tatouage Couture Liquid Matte Lip Stain is in high rotation.

How do you balance work, mom, wife, life (tips / rituals)?

Angela – It’s a constant struggle, but I try to just focus on one day at a time.  On Sundays, I always look at my schedule for the week ahead and prioritize where I’m needed most.  If there are family functions or appointments I need to take with my kids, I’ll adjust my workday to accommodate; and conversely, if I have a particularly hectic work week or have to travel, I’ll try to squeeze in lots of quality time with the family.

I don’t think it’s ever possible to perfectly “balance” all the things that we as moms have to juggle in life.  I do the best I can to maximize my time at work and at home, and if it starts to feel like one thing in particular is draining a lot of my time and energy, I’ll take a step back and try to reset.  Someone once gave me a great piece of advice, which is: follow the things that give you energy. If you are dragging yourself to a workout class or social event simply because you feel like you ‘have to’, but it feels miserable, reevaluate how you could be spending that time.  Conversely, if you feel drained spending too much time cooped up at home and feel like you need to be out in the world, traveling, socializing, exercising…then make it happen! Find what brings you positive energy, and lean into that.

What was the last book you read?

Angela – “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson.  It’s all about reshaping your perspective on what it means to live a happy life, how to build grit, and it helps you prioritize the things that truly add value to your life.  It was recommended to me by a few friends, and I have to admit the title itself grabbed my attention right away.

Evelyn – “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight.   It was fascinating to read such intimate details about the beginnings of Nike, and all the trials, tribulations, sacrifices he faced in order to build a successful brand.  As an entrepreneur now myself, I can identify with so many of those tough decisions he faced in those early days, and there were countless takeaways that I can take and apply to running our company today.

Perfect day…is?

Angela – ok here goes:

  • Both of my children sleep in until a reasonable hour, and I magically wake up before they do

  • I have enough time to prep and cook an amazing healthy breakfast, and we all have time to sit and enjoy it as a family

  • I had already packed their lunches the night before …check!

  • I have time to get showered and dressed at my own pace, and my skin looks perfect so I skip makeup completely

  • Everything is clicking at work; our customer base is growing, employees are happy and all deadlines for the day are met with a breeze

  • I have time to hit a Barry’s class and get in a good sweat

  • I make it home in time to give the kids a bath and put them to bed

  • I cook dinner with my husband Angus and we enjoy it with a bottle of one of my favorite red wines

  • When I check my emails before bed, they are all friendly messages and there are no fires to put out

So basically, a day in which there is just always more time!  😉

When you need to destress what is your go to?

Evelyn – for me, I always find that if I can reset my diet and find time for a workout, I feel instantly less stressed.  No matter what kind of day I’m having, if my diet is clean and I’ve had a chance to sweat, I know that I can tackle any issue with a clear, focused head.

What is your favorite room in your home?

Angela – I love being in the kitchen; it’s truly the heart of my home and it’s where everyone tends to gravitate.  I am happiest when my family and friends are gathered around the island, sharing stories and enjoying good food together.

Favorite Yumi Recipe?

Evelyn – I love our Mango Tango blend.  It’s a mix of really delicious ingredients like chia, coconut milk, flax, dates, banana, cinnamon and mango – it not only tastes delicious, but the balance of nutrients gives me sustained energy all morning.  I grab one almost every day, following my morning workout.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Angela – I’m inspired everyday from the personal messages we get from our customers – women who tell us that our product has changed the way they think about feeding their baby and has made their lives so much easier. Even on the most challenging days, when I feel confused and sometime question everything we’re doing, hearing that positive feedback always brings things back into perspective and reminds me why we built this company in the first place.

First thing you do when you wake up, is?

Evelyn – take my dog Raja for a walk and catch up with my team on Slack.

Angela – my kids get up before me, so I usually wake up to little voices telling me they are ready for breakfast!  The first thing I do is give them a kiss and start getting them ready for the day.

Last thing you do before you go to sleep, is?

Angela – I try to catch up on the news of the day and usually read the New York Times cover to cover.  I know most people don’t like to read the headlines right before bed because it stresses them out, but since my mornings are usually so hectic, I actually find it relaxing to catch up on all the news before I officially end my day.

Evelyn – Read in bed with my fiance with our silly puppy, Raja, cuddling at our feet.

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Women’s Friendships + Asking for Help, Ada Polla Weighs in

We enlisted our dear friend Ada Polla, CEO of Alchimie Forever, to shed light into how important and impactful women friendships can be.

My friendship with Lisa Goldfaden started a couple of years ago – and after finally meeting her, I couldn’t believe we hadn’t met much earlier, as in may ways we are work twins.

Ada Polla

When Lisa asked me to write a guest blog post for her, how could I say no? She told me it didn’t have to be on skin care – and so instead, I want to write a few lines on women’s friendships, and asking for help.

Many could say that Lisa and I are competitors. After all, we both have skin care brands that are positioned at the intersection of dermatology and nature (hers), aka clean and clinical (mine). We sell to many of the same boutiques and spas. We could hate each other, bad mouth each other, and refuse to help each other. But instead, we do the opposite.

I use her products (my favorite is her Fleuressence face oil). When I hear of an account looking for an innovative brand, I recommend hers. She does the same – actually it is thanks to her that you will find Alchimie Forever at Fusion Apothecary in Manhattan. We share industry stories. We tell each other how awesome we are. We lift each other up. There is enough skin in the world for brands to be friend (side note: I feel the same about Sarah Kugelman of Skyn Iceland).

I am a strong believer that women helping women is good for the soul, for the industry, for the world. I love helping, and I love being helped. But I didn’t used to – in particular the latter. When I started in the industry, I knew less but thought I knew more, and I saw asking for help as a sign of weakness. I would do this on my own, by myself. Sometimes I didn’t even want the help that my family provided. I am now older, and wiser, and clearer on a few things:

  • I can’t do it alone.
  • I can’t know everything about everything.
  • Asking for help is a sign of strength.
  • Being helped is as important as helping others.
  • Strong women lift up other women.
  • And Alchimie Forever products and Goldfaden MD products layer beautifully!
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Sleep And the Subconscious: An Exercise for Tapping Into Your Creative Psyche

I’ve always had a contentious relationship with sleep.

When I was diagnosed with an unknown form of epilepsy (a seizure disorder) at 17, I was given a lifetime prescription to pharmaceutical drugs and the gift of a neurologist-sanctioned excuse to get a full eight hours of sleep a night.

My doctors stressed the importance of getting regular sleep—physical fatigue and emotional stress exacerbate the symptoms of epilepsy—but frustratingly prescribed me a medication with a main side effect of insomnia. Ah, the irony.

 

@betterbymichelle

Michelle Pellizzon

I spent many years staring into the dark as the clock ticked through the night, my mind refusing to rest.

This double-whammy of a problem—seizures and permanent under eye bags?!—lead me to eventually stumble upon meditation and mindfulness practices. After practicing full-body meditation on a regular basis, it became clear that my body was desperately trying to communicate with me … and I was not paying attention. But slowing down and listening helped me hear what my body was trying to say.

Although I wasn’t a perfect meditator (I often go days without sitting), I noticed my epilepsy symptoms went away when I did indulge in a few minutes of mindfulness a day. So did my insomnia. The improvement in my wellbeing was remarkable. Mindfulness gave me a clearer overall perspective of the world, which helped me take everything a little less seriously and have a little more empathy for other people. Perhaps most importantly, I learned exercises that allowed me access to my subconscious mind, which in turn made me far more creatively inspired and made me less anxious.  I became a better version of myself mentally and physically.

But before you get to thinking that I’m some ego-less Buddhist monk, let me be honest: I didn’t tell anyone about my weird new habits. Even though I was performing very well at work, present in my relationships, and pretty dang happy, I was worried people would raise their eyebrows at my experiments.

Then something really wonderful happened. As part of my work as an editor, I began to interview female leaders in an attempt to understand how women can change the paradigm of what it means to be a ‘female leader’ in this modern age. And I was surprised to find that the best leaders I interviewed—the ones who really walked the walk and talked the talk—all had a spiritual practice … like me. And they were a bit nervous to reveal that aspect of their personality, even though it clearly played an integral role in why they were such incredible leaders … which also resonated with me. When asked, they made it clear that they wanted to connect with like minded women who understood where they were coming from.

After seeing this pattern emerge too many times, I created oh holisticism, a collective of women interested in exploring the intersection of holistic living, mindfulness, esoteric healing, conscious leadership, entrepreneurship, and fun. Today, we count ourselves at over 1,500 members across the world.

I’ve learned a lot in the past few years while on this path, but hands down, the most important tool that I’ve learned over the past decade of experimentation is what I’ve come to call the Awake/Unconscious exercise. Whenever I revisit it, my creativity knows no bounds and I notice an elevated sense of mental clarity, and I can immediately see which areas of my life need more attention.

The practice is inspired by psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s theory of the subconscious mind. Jung believed that the subconscious (or unconscious) mind impacts the actions of our conscious, waking mind. Essentially, our unconscious influences our perspective, logic, awareness, emotional intelligence, and feelings. It’s the root from which everything else grows.

If we can tap into the insights of our subconscious mind, Jungian practitioners believe, we can access our true depth, potential, and genius. No big deal.

Here’s the tricky part: Jung stipulated that our subconscious mind is constantly trying to communicate with the conscious mind, but the two essentially speak different languages. This is because the subconscious is buried deep within our psyche. It’s tough to access, and even more challenging to communicate with. One way Jung suggested we translate what the subconscious is trying to tell us? By looking at our dreams.

Jung’s work and research led him to believe that our unconscious mind communicates best through dream imagery. While we’re asleep, the psyche can run wild and truly express itself. When I first read this, I was so annoyed. I’ve never been one to recall my dreams. For so long my insomnia prevented me from even sleeping, and now I’m usually so tired at night I don’t even remember my head hitting the pillow. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember my dreams.

So I found a solution—a way to channel my subconscious without having to keep a dream journal. In the 10 minutes directly after I wake up, I write. You know that sleepy time when you’re half awake, have morning breath, and are still kind of dreamy? That’s when your conscious mind is waking up, too, and taking the steering wheel from your subconscious. If we’re lucky, we can tap the transition and use that time to allow the subconscious to communicate.

I am constantly STUNNED by what ends up coming out during this quiet time—some of my most creative ideas or intense feelings have been ‘accidentally’ revealed to me during this 10-minute exercise. It’s amazing for when you’re stuck on a problem, feeling stressed, or just want to get clarity on a situation. Here’s how it works.

  1. Fall asleep. Get 8 hours. Wake happy.
  2. Immediately after waking up, grab a pen and paper. Don’t check your phone or technology.
  3. Begin writing. Don’t even think about it—just allow your pen to float across the paper without judging or inhibiting yourself. This is the most important aspect. Do not try to think of what to write or go back and read what you’ve written mid-sentence. Allow your subconscious to take over, even if you just write jibberish! Just don’t let your pen leave the paper. You can draw or you can write. Get in flow.
  4. If you have specific questions, write them down the night before and answer them in your Awake/Unconscious state.
  5. Stop when you feel ready. You can do this exercise daily, weekly, monthly! Whatever.  

Like all things, the more you do this exercise the easier it gets. And it’s so easy, you can do it from bed! You’ll likely find that you’ll look forward to this practice, because it’s so interesting to see what the subconscious reveals.

#beautyzzzs, @betterbymichelle

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