Nikki Eslami has reallllly shiny hair—which tracks, since the California native struck gold with Bellami, a hair extension business beloved by Kylie Jenner and her Insta ilk. She’s also a board member on Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, serves on its Mental Health Council, and runs a VC group called New Theory Ventures to fund the next generation of beauty and lifestyle entrepreneurs. (Our fave: Playa haircare.)

But Nikki’s newest project is all about pods—and not, like, pandemic pods. As the founder of Wild Elements, she’s championing and funding hydroponic farming, which lets anyone (yep, you too) grow their own leafy greens while using 5% of the normal water required for harvest. Here’s how Nikki’s running multiple brands in Puerto Rico while navigating life as a dog mom, health coach, and certified “girl who is always hungry.”

5:30 A.M. I have 4 giant labs—like a hundred pounds each… They do not let me sleep in. I even try to pretend I’m still asleep, but they don’t buy it. So I wake up, feed them, play with them, and take them outside.

6 A.M. I’m very cliché! I became a certified health coach a year and a half ago, and now I start out with celery juice. It’s good for my gut. Then I wait 15 minutes and have straight black coffee, avocado toast, and oatmeal.

7 A.M. I sit down for 15 minutes and think, “What are 3 things I want to accomplish today?” My skincare routine is important, too, because I’m testing a bunch of new products at the moment—I can’t tell you what; it’s secret!—and I record my observations in the Notes app. After that, lipstick. I need lipstick to feel alive.

8 A.M. Time to check my hydroponic plants. I call it “precision agriculture” because there’s not a lot of guesswork—it’s more like baking a cake in terms of how you follow the directions and that’s it, you’re good. Once you set them up, the daily maintenance is a couple of minutes. You check out their light, check the pH of their water, and give them nutrients… Then you can harvest your plants on a weekly basis, so you get fresh produce from your house. The thing about hydroponics is, they can grow in an urban environment with 5% of the water you’d normally use. It’s amazing for conservation.

9 A.M. I try to start my day by asking my chief of staff, Heidi, “What are we doing right now to lead with purpose? What impact are we trying to have right now?” That’s the starting point for everything.

9:30 A.M. One thing Heidi and I are working on is the Wild Elements Foundation. We know food security is a huge issue right now, and so are food deserts where people get locked out of affordable, available produce. We’ve given a few grants to places like the Urban Growers Collective  They’re a women-led collective that wants to build a more just and equitable food system… then in the UK, there’s Farm Urban… They’re using hydroponic plants in an abandoned Victorian tunnel, with neon pink light to help them grow. It’s SO weird and amazing.

10 A.M. By now, my dogs have always taken at least one of my shoes. So there will be 15 minutes of “find the shoe.”

10:30 A.M. If I don’t eat every 3 hours, it’s a problem. I love dates right now. I have a new little recipe—take a date, take out the pit, put almond butter in the middle where the pit used to be, and then drizzle melted dark chocolate on top. Put them in the freezer at least overnight. It is the best little treat.

11 A.M. When I feel like my morning is slumping, I take these DoTerra essential oils out and put them on my palms. I rub them together quickly. One inhale and then I reset myself.

11:30 A.M. Part of the reason I’m in Puerto Rico is because there’s such an incredible amount of wellness culture on this island. I’ve learned so much about plants, veganism, and the raw food movement since I got here… The only thing is, I was raised speaking Farsi—not Spanish! So I’m learning on Babbel.