Dawn Russell Headshot

Dawn Russell is seriously inspiring. A New Yorker by way of London, Dawn is a wife and mother of two boys, a lymphatic cancer survivor who was first diagnosed at age 25, and the founder of 8Greens: the world’s first effervescent tablet made from real greens. As the name suggests, 8Greens is made up of eight different veggies, all hand-selected, sourced, and tested by Dawn and her husband–-who tasted more than 250 prototypes, including some “really, really bad ones,” according to Russell. Now that’s a keeper.

Even after landing on the current, delicious recipe (made of kale, spinach, spirulina, wheatgrass, chlorella, blue green algae and aloe vera), Dawn is dedicated to improving 8Greens for its customers on every front–-including a few new flavors and products that are in the works to launch in January next year. Because Dawn is all about health and wellness, we asked her to share some of her best self-care tips below.

What are some bad habits that you’ve cut from your daily routine?
1. Coffee is not the best way for me to get energy. Hydration and exercise are.
2. Ditto with sugar.
3. Taking my phone with me into my bedroom at night. I don’t need it to be how I start and end my day.

Any good habits you’ve added to your daily routine?
1. A teaspoon of manuka honey every morning.
2. Reading a book, even if it’s just for 10 minutes, before I go to sleep.
3. Leaving enough time between meetings so that I can walk to them.

How do you take care of yourself throughout the day?
The Headspace app was recommended to me by many people until I finally tried it. It is great for when something is really bothering you.

What inspired you to start 8Greens?
I was diagnosed with Stage III lymphatic cancer when I was 25. I couldn’t receive any Western treatments like chemotherapy or radiation because of an infection I developed in my leg after the surgery to remove the tumors, so I went on a wellness journey that took me around the world. I tried everything that I thought might help me get better and in the end, I ended up back in my apartment in the West Village of New York City, going back to the basics of nutrition. 

I was eating a ton of green vegetables and doing a lot of research about the benefits of greens. The greens were the only thing that helped me get back on my feet after my illness. I wanted to bring a product into the world that would help everyone get more of them. Only 13% of Americans get their daily minimum requirement of greens, and I created 8Greens to get that number higher in a simple way that fits people’s real lives.

Are there any activities you do to de-stress?
I try to end my day with an Epsom salt bath, a face mask, or acupuncture (I do this myself but don’t try this at home until you’ve taken a course!). Realistically this happens once a week, which is not bad considering I have two little kids and a company in a different time zone that requires a lot of evening calls.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night? 
I’d like 8, but it’s usually 6. I travel a lot from London to New York for work, which means I’m often jet-lagged. A couple things I do to help myself sleep are to drink Chamomile flower extract tea, or put pure essential lavender oil near my pillow and on the insides of my wrists. I also find it relaxing to fall asleep with some quiet music playing–it really helps my mind drift off and focus on something outside of my head.

Do you have a favorite wellness trend, or wellness products that you always use?
One of my favorite products is a dry brush, especially when I’m traveling. I’ll always pack one in my bag. It helps increase blood flow throughout your body and I use it after a long flight or at the end of a long day of meetings. I apply medium to light pressure on my skin, starting at my feet and up my legs, then repeating on my arms, chest and stomach. My tip is to always brush towards the center of your body.

What is your favorite healthy food?
Probiotics. I’m not sure this is my “favorite” food, but it’s the most vital ingredient that is often missing from a normal, healthy diet. There are great powders out there that have no taste and you can add them to literally anything you eat or cook in the day. Probiotics are key to healthy digestion, and when all that is functioning well, your hair, nails, and skin look so much better too.