Heather Kauffman is the Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer of Full Circle Brands, which consists of Full Circle Home’s eco-friendly home care products and Soma’s line of thoughtfully designed hydration products. This entrepreneur handles anything and everything people and product-related at Full Circle Brands–which means her days may consist of building out a product pipeline strategy, getting product feedback from the sales team, or researching a new eco-technology…all while keeping the pulse on Full Circle’s culture. Talk about wearing lots of hats. As busy as she may be, the mission of her sustainable brands keeps her motivated  and inspired every day. Besides being a wellness boss, Heather is also a mom to Ruby, 5, and Leo, 3, who she’s raising “sustainably native.” Below, she shares how she incorporates self-care into her busy routine. 
Bad habits you’ve cut from your routine?

  1. Drinking coffee too late in the day. I wasn’t aware of just how much it was disrupting my sleep for so long and I didn’t realize how much coffee I was drinking while I was developing coffee products! My cutoff used to be 3pm, but now I try to keep coffee before 1pm unless I have an event in the evening.
  2. “One more episode.” While it’s tempting when I’m deep into a series, on the nights that I do watch TV, I limit myself to one episode of something, so I can get into bed by 10pm and just read if I’m not tired yet.
  3.  Trying to work while I’m with my kids. I owe both my kids and my company my full attention. No one is happy or benefits when I’m trying to split myself down the middle.

Good habits you’ve added?

  1. Swapping my afternoon coffee with matcha, usually with a mushroom blend and no sugar or dairy added. It’s an acquired taste for sure.
  2. I’ve made a routine for my hydration. I make my smoothie the night before as I’m way more likely to have one if it’s already prepared. I keep a 17oz Soma Glass Water Bottle next to my bed and drink it fully before I even get out of bed the next morning. I then drink a glass of warm water with ACV and lemon juice when I get downstairs (my kids do this too now!). The first thing I do when I get into the office is fill my 25oz Soma glass water bottle and make sure I drink it fully before lunch. Boom, I’ve had over 60 ounces of water before lunch!
  3. Exercise! I had such a hard time incorporating exercise back into my routine after my second child. There just never seemed to be enough time, but now that I’m getting more sleep, I will wake up early to make a 6am Barry’s Bootcamp a few times a week, and my husband and I alternate making time for exercise on the weekends. For me, it’s yoga and I’m trying to get back into running.

How do you keep yourself balanced throughout the day?
A working mom does not achieve balance in a single day. It’s more of an ebb and flow over time. If a certain week doesn’t allow for a lot of time with my kids, exercise, or if I’ve been out and not eating as healthy as I’d like, I take a fresh look at the next week and see how I can give myself the things I need to thrive. On a more micro-level, I start my day snuggling with my kids. I really feel the difference emotionally when I don’t start the day connected to them before all of the craziness starts.

At the office, I get up and move about every 30 minutes and I make sure to look away from my screen quite often. We keep healthy snacks in the office and a handful of nuts is usually what keeps me going between meals. I really try to wind down after the office. Sometimes I need to do a call or finish some work on my commute, but I usually try to listen to a podcast that inspires me, or read a book. Then I’m totally present with my kids until they go to bed. Given that I manage a team overseas, I usually need to be “on” again after 8pm, but I try not to work too late.

Are there any activities you do to help de-stress?
We live in the suburbs along a very cute brook, so just walking around my neighborhood is very relaxing. Having a glass of wine on the porch with my husband is a great release for me because I can truly bare my soul to him without judgement. Yoga makes me feel like I’m feeding my body and mind like nothing else does.  

I also rage clean (something my husband doesn’t judge me for!). I may be alone here, but if I’m really frustrated about something, getting a Full Circle cleaning tool in my hands and going to town on my kitchen just works it all out in a different way than running. It’s the combination of the physical activity, sense of accomplishment and mental space that a clean room provides. The Micro Manager Detail Brush is my favorite for cleaning the things you didn’t even know needed cleaning.  

How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
I usually get 6-8 hours. 8-9 would be my ideal but life just doesn’t really allow that. I’m also usually woken up in the middle of the night by a small monster that happens to be really cute. My husband and I just surrendered and got a king-sized bed as it’s often not just the two of us, and everyone gets more sleep now. We also have a strict no technology in the bedroom rule that I think helps with sleep.

Do you have a favorite wellness trend? 
Using CBD oil has really helped me release my mental load at night, stay calmer in stressful situations and just generally feel more patient. I use Charlotte’s Web Chocolate Mint every evening.

What is your favorite healthy food?
I guess some people debate how much avocado is too much, but I think everything is better with some avocado on top. I usually have mashed avocado on sourdough in the morning with a little Himalayan salt. I also put it in my smoothie, on veggie burgers, in my salads and I love guacamole.