Supercharge Your Business With Superfoods: Your Super Co-Founder Kristel de Groot On The Connection Between Diet and Success

I actually truly believe that true health is like actually feeling amazing. Right. To have the energy to do what you want to do in your life and to feel actually happy and like, then you're actually truly healthy.

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the show. If you haven't heard yet, I'm doing an event. I really want you to be there. So if you are interested in expanding your brand and your network work, this is going to be the room that you want to be in. When I was thinking of putting something on because I'm really craving being back in community and teaching so many of the lessons that I have learned in the last couple years. Not to mention I've been in this entrepreneurship thing for the last 15 years, growing memberships, doing events, doing masterminds, doing large events, doing one on one coaching, doing group coaching, doing podcasting, doing books. Oh my God. It's real weird getting older because your bio gets longer. It's kind of like a really weird thing. Like, oh, wow, that was a really long time ago now.

Wow.

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Right?

So creating an epic product out of a need. And today on the show is Crystal DeGroote. She's the co founder of youf super. And she grew up playing tennis at the professional level. And her husband also did, too. They were young, healthy, and happy until her husband got diagnosed with cancer at 24. And it reminded her of when she was 12. And the same thing happened to her mom. She was determined to stay positive and. And she bought all sorts of loose bags of maca, wheatgrass, barley, chia seeds, spirulina, you name it, all of the superfoods. And she created seven unique mixes for specifically helping your health, helping her family, helping her friends. And this started your super. I'm telling you, she didn't know what she was doing right. She didn't know how to launch a business, and now her business is crushing it. You guys literally exploded onto the scene. She's been around for a while, but it is incredible. So this is a story that you can absolutely grab onto and know that anything is possible for you. So let's get started. Crystal, I'm so excited to have you on the show. Thank you so much for coming on.

Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

I'm so excited for this conversation because you. A lot of things going on that I'm interested in. So, number one, you're a business owner, you're an entrepreneur. Number two, you write books. Number three, you write books about food.

So. And we all eat and we all.

Love food, and it's superfoods. And, you know, I got really excited when I was prepping for this interview because I've been looking personally just for a couple tweaks. I really think sometimes fitness or going to the next level or health in general, we always look for these really big things that we need to do. And sometimes I think it's the small, little, tiny, small tweaks in the beginning or just when you're trying to incorporate something new. And I've really been looking for certain superfoods for energy, focus, glowing skin. So I'm going to ask about those later, but why don't we dive in? I know that you've written a cookbook recently, but you have like this whole incredible business called your super. Can you tell me a little bit about it and why you started it?

Yeah, so we started. And if I say we, it's me, Crystal, and then my co founder, Michael, now also my husband. We met like 15 years ago. He had cancer when he was 24. And that was really such an. I was 22 at the moment, and that's kind of where everything changed. During his chemo, I watched him movie forks over knives. And it was just such an aha moment for me where I was like, okay, so you're telling me if I eat plant based, I actually reduce my risk of cancer. And that is like a piece I can control. And I turned 10 days the next day, which was just like such a. Like, okay, I do it for Michael was a slightly slower journey. He. After his chemo, which is a very interesting point, right, because you're cancer free, you're anything but healthy. Like, he lost his hair like he used to be. You know, we're both athletes, we played tennis. And like his whole, like, you know, he was just a shell of himself. And that's kind of where I came in as a. As the health nut. And I was like, okay, so we're gonna take all these superfoods, I'm gonna put you on this detox, and we're gonna eat all this, you know, vegetables. And he was like, okay, what is this? And I had this cabinet. I was living in London at the time. I had this cabinet full of different superfoods from spirulina, maca, chlorella, literally 30 different things. And I was this crazy person every morning, scooping like a maniac. I was like, I need this, I need this, I need this, I need this. And he was basically right. Like, this is expensive. What are these things? Like, what are these weird names? And I basically had an empty jar and a fruit, especially the greens for him. A lot of greens in his jar. Mixed it together. I said, whatever you do, just take this every single day. And that was really, you know, like, for him to, like, the difference he started to feel by using the superfoods, doing the detox, and, you know, having all the juices, the smoothies, and just, you know, eating a lot of plants. Because I think that's actually the really the key, right? It's just to eat more plants. We often talk about people tend to focus on what they shouldn't be doing and shouldn't be eating. And I think this holds true in life too. Right. But let's start talking about what you should be doing, what you should be eating. And that was really the journey where we, you know, we realized there were a lot more Michaels in this world of people who want to improve their health. Right. There's a lot of people that are busy. 9 out of 10 people don't eat enough fruit and vegetables. And superfoods are really nothing new. Right. If you look at Ayurveda, Eastern medicine, South America, they all have these amazing, you know, foods and really nutrient dense foods that have specific health benefits that they already use for thousands of years. And we just, just, you know, mix them together. We have a super green mix, right, with five, six ingredients. That's it. No stevia, never anything added. And it's just an easy way of start adding more. We always have helped people to have like, okay, you know, what can you have for breakfast, what can you have for lunch? And like really easy recipes and basically everything we've learned along that. Now, 10 years ago he, you know, he was diagnosed. That's in your journey. We wrote in the book, basically.

Okay, so when you had started this and you started getting really passionate about it, what were you at all into entrepreneurship? Were you a business owner? Was this like, where were you at in the journey with that?

I was 23 when we started, so I was pretty young. I came out of college, I had some internships and I was the person though that already from in my teenage years basically said, I'm going to start a business, I'm going to start a business. And every week with my parents had like 10 different ideas of what the business.

I feel you. We're the same person. Okay, got it.

It's, you know, and I just, now I laugh about it because I'm like, that must have thought like, what's up with. Yeah, everything was wrong and I had a solution for it. And I think that like, so it was always kind of brewing, but I didn't really know what it was. I went to business school, but then at the same time I was this health nut, right? So I was always reading about nutrition and kind of like my, you know, my biggest passion. And then like, you know, the joy of just building something by myself, like kind of combined and the two together. I have to say, when I started this business when I was 23, I absolutely didn't know anything. I didn't know anyone. I didn't know anything. And Google was my biggest friend. Like that's how it all began.

That's literally, it's usually everyone. So I love that you shared that because I think so many people are like, yeah, but I don't have this or I don't have them. Like you have Google. Like literally you have access to every answer. It's the coolest. Okay, so you were solving a problem first for your partner and for yourself. And what were you seeing out there? Were you just like, okay, I'm getting all of these different superfoods. Was it like overwhelming to go and try to get them all? And what was the problem that you then wanted to solve with this idea that you were coming up with? With the holidays and the new year coming, you probably are looking around your house thinking that you would love to upgrade and freshen up your environment. And there is no easier way to do that than with your window treatments. Nobody cover windows better than Blinds.com. blinds.com brings your space to life in your way. They have free design help. Other retailers may claim to have experts, but blinds.com has spent nearly 30 years building an award winning team of over 100 design consultants that are ready to help you create your dream space. Always convenient, always tailored to you. Three ways to shop 1. Perfect fit Whether you want a DIY, have it all done for you or you're somewhere in between, choose what works for you and rest easy knowing the fit is guaranteed. So the holidays come fast, you guys, and you can freshen up your window treatments fast as well. And unlike some competitors, the price you see is the price you pay. No hidden fees, and there's zero pressure from blackout and motorized options to classic shutters. Blinds.com has window treatments for every room, style and budget, even shades for your outdoor space. The Black Friday deals@blinds.com are going strong all month long, so don't miss your chance to save big. And as always, our listeners still get $50 off when you spend $500 or more. Just use code earn at checkout limited time offer rules and restrictions apply. See blinds.com for details. 2026 is the year that you launch your business. It's the year that you've become the boss. You become the leader. That idea that you have that has been eating at you forever that just will not leave you alone is going to come to life. Maybe it something that someone tells you you should always sell or a store you've already designed in your head. And with Shopify, 2026 is when you finally make it Happen. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap from household name to first time business owners. Just getting started, you guys. I use Shopify for glossy and I remember when they sent me my little shopping bag celebrating my 10,000 sales and I literally cried because I was so scared to take the leap. And I'm so glad that I did and that I use Shopify. It gives you all the tools to easily build your dream store. You can choose from hundreds of beautiful templates that you can customize to match your brand. Setup is fast with Shopify's built in AI tools that write product descriptions and headlines and help you edit photos. So marketing is built in too. You can create email and social campaigns that reach customers wherever they scroll. So as you grow, Shopify grows with you. You can handle more orders, expand to new markets, and do it all from the Same dashboard in 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com happy go to shopify.com happy that's shopify.com happy. Hear your first cha ching this new year with Shopify by your side.

When I talk to friends and family, they were always like, oh yeah, acai. Oh, what is that? Oh, that sounds very interesting. Like oh, where is it good for? Right? Like so I always noticed that there interest but also just like kind of the unknown and all these weird ingredients that people, you know, like didn't even like know how to pronounce, let alone like figure out where it's good for. So the idea was really just like, hey, let's make this functional mixes. And we're talking right, like nine years ago, 10 years ago in Europe, there was nothing like it. There were no mixes. There was nothing. And because now it's like, oh, wow, groundbreaking. And by the way, your idea doesn't have to be groundbreaking, right? If you want to start a business, you don't always have to reinvent the wheel. That's just as a side note for anyone listening, sometimes you can just do something a lot better. So we created this mixes. Like my mom and aunt are orphan. Claire nutritionist. So you know, I did that together with them for us. I mean, along the way, you know, we started to figure things out. Sourcing was a huge thing where, you know, in the beginning we used wholesalers and we're, you know, ordering this 5 kilogram bags, which is hilarious. And we were mixing everything, you know, ourselves in our little organic certified room. And basically we realized that you could buy a wheatgrass really cheap from China, or you could get 10 times more expensive from Germany. And we're like, well, let's just order both. And like, because this is fascinating, price is so different. Let's actually look at what it is. And one was yellow, it smelled like nothing. One was actually green, smelled like grass. And you're like, okay, like, where you get your superfoods from really, really matters. And that then became like a core pillar and a core value within the business that we have. Especially as, you know, as we started to scale, we could actually start working directly with partners in the countries where we source from. We visit farms whenever we can because we really love that connection and understanding who is behind it, who is growing it, you know, what other processes. And it's just something that is really special, actually. And I think for anyone, right? We're eating a lot of food and we go to the farmer's market and we're very interested and we want to know everything, but the moment we buy something in a package, we're just kind of forgotten about asking where our food comes from and who's grown. So it's just a, you know, a reminder for all of us. It's like, hey, it really matters where your food is coming from.

And I love that evolution of you just started, and then it's kind of like these natural other curiosities and your pillars of what was important came to you after that. I think some people think you have to have this whole idea mapped out and what you stand for and what it's all about, and you'll have some of that. But I love how you started learning. Like, you'll learn so much along the way. I love that. Like, it just. You're like, wait, why are these different? Why does this matter? Oh, this matters to us. So this is now going to matter to us moving forward. It's actually happening to me, like, right now in my business. So it's really cool. I love that. Okay, so how did you start choosing what superfoods you were going to pick and put together? Like, was there a lot of. There had to be so much confusion, like you said, around, what do we even need? I mean, like, honestly, Crystal, even when I go to grocery stores right now, it's overwhelming, right? Even what food should I eat? What superfood should I be having during the day? Because there's so much out there and so much marketing and trending and all the things that I'm like, I just. I want these Like, I want to feel good, I want my skin to glow, I want energy, I want focus. And I just want to know as a human that I'm getting what I need.

Yeah, I think. And I'll, I'll dive in how we, you know, kind of thought about the process of starting something. But for every, you know, for everyone, it's so important also to learn to trust yourself and listen to your intuition. When it comes to food. I think there is so often, and it's funny, I feel food and business have actually so much in common. Because also if you're starting a business right, everyone is trying to tell you this is how you should grow your business. This is how it's supposed to be done. And I fell in those traps over the years too. But I really think learning to listen to your own intuition and figuring out what, you know, what works for you is so, so important. On how we thought about really the, you know, the formulation basically of the products, how we always started is like, okay, what is the health benefit we actually want to solve for? So is that sk. Is that eating more greens? Right. And immunity, Is that gut health? Is it hormone health? And then like, with that, basically we would make a long list of like, okay, if you look at Ayurveda, if you look at Eastern medicine, if you look at some of the studies out there, like, what are some of the ingredients that are actually, you know, really helpful? So you would just start with a long list and then from there it's like trying to, you know, like, figure out, okay, what actually makes sense, what do they taste like? I always say the most bitter ones are the healthiest ones, but you probably don't want to put six super bitter ones together because they're so potent. Right? So I love finding that balance of like, okay, if you are Moon balance, for example, is hormone balancing mix, where you have Shatavari in there, an amazing root for hormone balance as well as maca, also a root from Peru. Shatavari is more from Ayurveda, but then we, you know, combine it with different things, like red bead, right. Which is an amazing blood builder, but not necessarily the first thing you would think about if you think about hormone balance. Right? So, but it's just like, like this little puzzle piece that you're, that you're solving. And because we don't add any sweeteners or flavoring or any of that kind of stuff, you know, we combine the ingredients in a way that they still taste good without adding any of the weird stuff.

So And I loved. I was. I was kind of looking at everything. And it's. You know, you can add it to lattes, you can add it to smoothies. So it's really hard to please everyone, especially with your sweetener choice. So you can add it to what you want, and I love that. Okay, so let's talk a little bit about. We'll go back, you guys. We're going to go back and forth from food to business, because like you said, it's safe.

It's. It's.

It literally is the same. You know what's so crazy is the more you dive into business in general, it's like it is connected to everything. It's the biggest personal development you'll do. Your business is highly attached to how you're feeding yourself and taking care of yourself to your food. All the things like when I am not eating well, my business really suffers. So do the people around me. So.

That is. My business is people, right?

Oh, my God. I am not the same person, let me tell you. So let's talk a little bit about some things around or some food that can help us with, like, energy, skin focus, sleep, and maybe gut. We'll start with energy, because I feel like when I'm talking to people in business, interview tons of entrepreneurs, a lot of them are always like, man, you got to really dial in your. Your life to figure out how to create more energy, how to get your energy up, how to maybe get things out of your life that are sucking your energy. So I think one of the easiest places we can start is kind of looking at what we're eating during the day and what we're doing. So what do you do when you're like, oh, my energy is kind of, like, lacking, and I think it's my food. What do you add or what do you look at?

I think big one is. And it sounds so simple. Hydration. Mm. It's like, are you actually drinking? And I think when you're really busy and you're working, working, working, I think the easiest thing to forget to do is just to hydrate. So I think that's a really big one. Then for me, also, it's just like, how much of what I'm eating is actually cooked versus fresh. And I'm like, by no means raw. By no means. Right. But however, I think it is important to eat a good portion of fresh food. Right? So whether that's your smoothie in the morning, whether that's, you know, like a salad you're having for lunch or. And that can still be with roasted veggies, right? But just have a portion that is also fresh because it's hydrating, right? It makes you feel different. And so I think those are some of the things that I often go to right away. I know you might be listening. You're like, what about caffeine, right? What about caffeine? I personally don't actually drink it almost never. I often feel that caffeine also takes kind of like takes your energy from the next day already, like in the day, you know, like in today. So like it's kind stealing your future energy. So I think it is something if you're in the habit of always drinking it, you might not notice it as much, right? But like maybe cut it out for a while, see what happens. But that's just, you know, some people are very sensitive to caffeine, actually get anxiety. So it's just something that I think is true. And it dehydrates you, right? So it's something to really think about of. Like, hey, is this actually truly working for me? Or I noticed even with a matcha and I love the taste of matcha. Like give me all the matcha in the world. But if I drink it, I do feel it afterwards where I'm like afterwards more tired. Even though in the moment I'm like, I feel on top of the world. This is amazing. And sleep, right? And I think one of the things I've really have struggled with also like working at night and then wanting to fall asleep right away. And then your sleep is just not as deep. It's more kind of this stress sleep. So to really think, right? We always talk about morning routine and we all love morning routines. But also thinking about what is your evening routine and how do you actually wind down as you get a proper night of sleep.

So I love the topic of hydration too. I just want to dive in there real quick just around the energy. Is there anything you add to your water? Do you do lemon water? What does that look like for you?

I just, I love just straight up water most of the time. I tend to not drink. I don't know why, but my waters, I don't drink cold water. I most just like room temperature water. It just like works better for my body. And if you get really tired of it, I mean it's great. Add some lemon, add some, maybe even lime. Sometimes I have weeks that I add cucumber. Very random, but like can be really nice. And sometimes I actually add some of the superfood mixes in there too, right? So like that can even be another thing where you're like, oh. Like, it's an easy way of just, you know, like it gives a taste, but it's also doing something extra for my body. But at the same time, you don't have to make it more complicated than this. Just like drink your water.

So we just, when we're dehydrated, we get tired, we don't function well. What, like, what does that.

Cause so it's interesting, right? Our bodies are. And I want to say, I think it's like 60 to 70 water, right? So we're so much of us is water our brain just like kind of like. It's so interesting. I started to realize that sometimes when I like feel like almost like hit by a truck kind of feeling, or I'm just like, oh, I feel so tired. What's going on? I'm like, oh, wait, like I just didn't drink enough. And then you drink like a couple glasses of water, you're like, oh, I'm like sprouting again, right? Like a little plant coming to life. So I think that's really, really the key. And that' something you can, for some people, it might work. It's like, hey, track it for a week, like, see if you're actually drinking enough. Maybe you're the kind of person to say, hey, I do forget, like, I need to set an alarm. Or maybe you have a big bottle of water and you're like, okay, at the end of the day, I need to have finished this two times minimum, right? So like, try to kind of really look at your, you know, where are you at right now? And what are some of the things that you could, you know, kind of integrate for yourself to just, just keep yourself on track.

I love that. Okay, how about, I mean, does focus kind of have the same thing for you as energy? Like, is there anything that you eat for focus, where your brain feels foggy or.

For me, it's similar. I mean, there's sort of two superfoods. Very interesting, right? For energy and focus. I think Matcha, I always say, is more focus because I think it's really like more of this like inward focused energy and then a superfood that's amazing for just like, like energy out. Because I think there's focus is more energy in and you know, like, energy out is more guerriana. It's an amazing one. So both contain caffeine. So if you want to go, you know, like for the caffeine. The interesting thing though, with those superfoods versus coffee, at least they're long lasting, right? So they, you know, they last up four to eight hours versus your coffee, which has a way shorter lifespan and just kind of crashes way faster.

Oh, that's interesting. I did not know that about coffee. What's the time frame for coffee typically? Do you know, I think it's like an hour.

So it's a lot shorter. Yeah.

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So skin, I mean, it's going to be interesting, right? Because skin also hydration very important by eating your greens. Also very important. But we have though I think the berries are always amazing. So like the acai berry, the maki berry. I also really like chia seeds. Chia seeds are high in vitamin E. And then also with your omegas, right? So you kind of, you know, they work actually together, make sure they get absorbed. So I think those are like amazing things. And I think overall, if you think about your skin health, and this is with so, so many things, right, Your health, like, we're not necessarily like this divided human being, right? We're like this whole person, right? And if one thing is off, it's often like you kind of. It's not necessarily, okay, I need to do this one thing for my skin. No, your skin is telling you something is not working on the inside, right? So I think those specific superfoods can be super helpful. But also just to look at your overall diet, right, Your skin is one is your biggest organ and it's an other way of releasing things that are in your body that need to go out. So also often when you start a detox, right, when you're releasing things, it also shows up first in your skin, even though it might look actually better afterwards.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah.

It's so crazy. I was just thinking back to the other day, I was reminded, I'm like, wow, I used to have like a major acne problem like on my back and sometimes breakouts on my face. And I'm like, that really changed when I changed my whole diet. Like, it just doesn't now if I travel once in a while, if I'm totally off, it's just like crazy different things. I'm like, oh, yep, it really does show up through our skin. Like it surfaces. It's crazy how our body is always talking to us through our emotions, through our skin, through how we feel, through. Are we bloated all the time? Do we feel? Are we tired? Are we groggy?

And I think something you said there is so important. It's just about listening how you feel, right? I think so many people when it comes to health there and what they eat, they're very focused on the way they look. And it's like, oh, what do I need to eat to look a certain way? And I actually truly believe that true health is like actually feeling amazing, right? To have the energy to do what you want to do in your life and to feel actually happy and like, then you're actually truly healthy. Many different pillars, right? I think emotions that you just mentioned is a huge one. Or do you actually like what you do every single day? Sleep, we talked about moving is another one. But food is, you know, one of the pillars that you really can control and change as well. But it's really about making sure you're truly fueling your body with the right things. It's not about restricting, right? So often there's like, oh, I shouldn't, I shouldn't eat this and I shouldn't eat too much and I should eat as little as possible. I think especially we women are, you know, like, kind of came from this weird era. I feel like where we really have to go out of this diet culture and really say, like, okay, what is it that I need more of, right? And to really focus on, okay, how do I make sure I nourish my body with all the things it needs? And the funny thing is you start focusing on that some of the things that you shouldn't be eating, they're going to like slowly fall off anyways. So I, I'm always a huge fan of just, let's just crowd out, right? And just remember that it is not about eating less, it's about eating the right things.

You know, it's the craziest thing and it took me years to break it because I just grew up in a. I grew up dieting and then that became just how I ate. I was either dieting or not, right? Like, that was literally my two lanes. Dieting or not. I did not understand the in between. And it was honestly, it was torturous, like figuring that out.

And it takes so much energy and so much mind space that we all actually should put somewhere else, right? And it's just so interesting when you. Because I think it's such an emotional thing as well, right? Food is so emotional and food can be such an addiction as well. And is to. I'm always a huge fan of doing a detox. The detox for me is not like, do your juice cleanse and don't eat. Like, if I say detox, I like, basically what we developed is it's just five days of super clean, whole food plant based eating, right? So you're cutting out the meat, dairy, alcohol, processed foods and eating. But you're eating a ton, right? A ton of fruit and vegetables. And it's interesting because within those five days, you can actually start noticing some of your food patterns, right? Where you're like, oh, I keep opening this fridge. Why do I keep opening this fridge? Yep. And it's in certain moments where you're tired when you're stressed, right? You start like, you have these patterns that you developed even with food, right? Where you're like, oh, like I feel a little stressed or a little nervous about this. I'm like, oh, I need a piece of chocolate or I'm tired. Oh, I really crave this little sugary thing. And when you reset and do this detox, it's like you can that kind of. That like this clean slate and like, way more consciously just like, you know, like create new patterns. Totally.

It's so funny. I was speaking this morning on like a big keynote, but online, and I, I was like, how did I get in front of the fridge? This is so. It was like before it. I was like, oh, my God. I literally just had a moment. I was like, okay, I grabbed, I literally went and grabbed a bottle of water. I was like.

And we all. And we all do it. Oh, that's a crazy thing. We all.

It is crazy.

So especially working from home, right?

Yes.

Like, it's, it's so for me also when we, because we used to work at office and now we work from home. And like, I remember at the beginning when we're just working from home, I was really like, I need to like, do a detox because this relationship is my friendship. It's not where it should be. And. And I think for everyone. You really like also if you. What you said in the beginning, right? Like, hey, you want to maybe tweak one thing? I think that's where true health comes, right? We're all on our own health journey. I don't think there is like one approach for everyone, right. We all kind of have to evolve and figure out what works for us. And we're also different as women. We are different every week, by the way. Right. We're different with our hormones, but also throughout our life. Right. If you becoming a mom or if you're going through period menopause or menopause, like, your body's gonna probably crave different things. It's so interesting and I think that's where the intuition really comes in. Besides yes, educate yourself and try different things but then also really go inside and feel what feels right for you.

I want to know about sleep and gut.

Okay, Sleep. I'm a huge fan of ashwagandha, so that's a superfood. I really recommend ashwagandha as a root, very calming for the nervous system. Another really fun one is Tulsi and I just like a huge fan of just like making lattes at night. Right. So like to really. There's also something very comforting I think of having a warm drink and that can become your, you know, maybe your wind down ritual. So I think those are amazing. Also interesting, right. If you decide to drink a matcha. I've combined in the past matcha for example with an ashwagandha and there's something that's so interesting if you kind of combine something energizing with something that's a little bit more calming. It's a really nice focused energy actually. So I think it's. Those are amazing adaptogens like for your nervous system.

I love that for sleep because you know, I think a lot of us either like, we either have like snacks before bed, right. Or wine or snacks and wine which is not going to make you sleep that great or a lot of sugar, it's going to make you feel terrible, give you anxiety, help you wake up at 2am that's what that does. If you want an earlier Lori, do.

You want to talk about it?

I'm like, trust me, I know all about it. I was very stressed for a solid year of my life drinking a lot of wine. If you want to start waking up earlier, drink wine. But you will be up at 2:00am.

A.M. so yeah, but alcohol is so interesting because yes, it helps you wind down but actually you don't sleep as deep. Right. So like it doesn't actually help you the next morning feeling fresh. And I, I personally feel there's a little bit of a cycle sometimes of the alcohol and the caffeine. Right. So you, you have caffeine during the day that you need to alcohol to wind down but then you wake up and you kind of need the caffeine to get going again. Yes. So I think that's something to you know, like. And again it's not, not wrong. It's just something to become aware of and say okay, like hey, I'm aware of this. Do I want to actually maybe pause this? And I think any Habits that you need to do every single day, otherwise you cannot function is something you should look at and say, okay, maybe this is something I should change.

Oh my gosh, yes. Well, I love this. The like the ashwagandha. And you said tulsi for me, when I noticed, I was like, oh, I'm in some unhealthy habits. And I knew it like obvious when we're into health, we know when we're doing it to ourselves. And I needed something to replace what I was doing. So it was like, okay, if I'm having a glass of wine, how about I just keep this stuff out on my counter so it's easy at night and I can just grab my mug of whatever warm and just kind of replace that habit. And for me, I don't know if this works for you. I'm interested to know sometimes in the beginning I'm like, hey, look, I just need, I need a solid five day run or even sometimes a three day. If the habit's really bad. I'm like, just for three days. You just have to promise yourself for three days, get to Wednesday, get to Wednesday without doing this thing. And then if I get to Wednesday, sometimes I try to get to Friday. But replacing habits for me, like that has been huge. Instead of just trying to like go cold turkey or be like, I'm not gonna have anything at night. Like, if you've been in the habit since you were two years old of having something at night, don't try to stop everything.

Right.

It's kind of the crowding in idea for, of what you're saying a hundred percent.

And I think it's super smart what you say, right. Sometimes it takes us three to five days to kind of say, okay, I'm sticking to this, I'm doing this right. And then suddenly afterwards it feels so much more natural because you just broke that pattern. Right. So it almost sounds like a mini detox where you're like, okay, I'm not gonna detox everything, but I'm gonna just pick my night routine and I'm gonna just like reset that because I wanna actually do it differently.

Yes. And you know, I, I love the detox idea. And sometimes through my life it's like, oh, sometimes that can feel so weighted where sometimes I love it and I'm ready for it. But you know, a lot of times it cycles from like these little breaking of patterns and implementing something small. And then I find I can work up to like the more detox phases. Sometimes you just feel so bad that you're Ready for that detox. You're like, nope, if I don't cut this out now, like you just feel like you can't even be in your skin for another second. I've definitely had that as well. But let's talk one last thing with this section of what we're chatting about. Yes, let's talk about gut, because I feel like that can be really overwhelming. Prebiotics. Probiotics. Is prebiotics just fiber? What are probiotics? Like what do we need for our gut and why should we be so interested in it?

Yeah, so prebiotics are fiber. Most people don't eat enough fiber, which is very interesting. Right. So we have, we do have a mixed verse. It's called God Feeling, which is an instant celery juice also with Jerusalem artichoke in there, which is high in fiber. But just eat a ton of fruit and vegetables. Eat a ton of fiber. And I think the interesting thing though is a lot of people also when they start eating beans or they start eating more, you know, plant based meals, they're like, but I got so bloated. Like, this cannot be good. If you go from, you know, zero to a hundred with your fiber intake, your body is going to need two, four weeks to maybe just figure this out and what is happening with all the fiber and like, you know, it needs to kind of adjust again.

So start it before you have to speak on stage.

Don't, don't start it then just start it four weeks before. Yes. And then the probiotics. Right. By the way, so the fiber, why is it important to fiber? Is basically feeding the healthy bacteria you already have in your gut. So a probiotic, because I know these terms, you get thrown around a lot. A probiotic is at the actual healthy bacteria. You're adding more healthy bacteria to your gut, gut. So I think both have its time and place. I think a probiotic can be fantastic. I personally don't think you need to be on it all the time, but I think to say, hey, for one, two, three months I'm going to like integrate a probiotic and do that consistently I think is great because probiotics, you know, are also in. So we have it in a, in a mix, like an instant juice, basically. But you can also yogurt, right? Sauerkraut. There's like foods out there, right? Like a really good raw kombucha. There are foods out there that are fermented and actually can help your gut health there as well.

Well, okay, so a prebiotic helps feed the what the Healthy bacteria in your gut.

Yep.

Okay. Interesting. I've never actually gotten that full explanation. That's awesome.

Okay.

All right. So you did a TED Talk on Moon Days. We're switching gears a little bit. Kind of really? It's all.

It's.

It's all connected. Okay. On Moon Days, I'm so curious. I want to know all about it. Tell us all the things. Things and what that is.

Yeah. So Moon Days, basically within our company or. Super. A really personal story, actually. I always got my period on the worst moments possible. And I don't know if anyone can relate to this. Yes. Okay. I think we all can. So I was sitting in a board meeting, you know, with our investors and stuff, and there were a lot of men, which is unfortunately often the case. And I had my periods, and I felt so bad. Like, I had so many cracks. And it just, like, made me wonder where I was. Like, why am I not able to just say of, like, I have my period. I'm here. I showed up, but I'm gonna probably be a little bit more quiet and, like, not be as, you know, like, there as I normally would be. And then I was like, yeah, like, that's not really done. You just don't say at work you have your period. Right. And it just made me realize where, you know, the workplace is, is, you know, designed by men, right? For men. And we women entered that workplace, and I think we really got very good at adapting to kind of just, like, enter their world and really try to be, in a way, also like them. So think Moon Days. Long story very short. For the moon days, basically, is a day where you do what you can when you have your period. That can mean nothing, that you're like, hey, I'm a day off. That can mean, hey, I'm canceling all my meetings. Meetings. That can be maybe working half a day. And for some people, they just don't need it at all. Right? Because the first thing that, you know, what everyone says, like, but you're getting women 12 extra holidays a year. Are you crazy? I'm like, I'm not giving them any holiday. First of all, we're having our periods, which, by the way, period cramps are like having a heart attack. For any men listening to this, Just remember this. So that's something we implemented, and it's not misused. Right. I think it's. It's just something that the women who really, truly need it are just so grateful for it that they can take those days and that it's, you know, like, you don't have to suddenly be sick because you're not sick, you're having your period, right? There are two different things. And with that, I, you know, like, we kind of have been, or I personally have just been reflecting a lot more and more where it's like, okay, there's so much masculinity in the workplace, right? Like, even we women are often like, so strong and like, so masculine. And I'm like, I'm fine, it's all good. And we just go, go, go, go. And I think there's another way where we also truly embrace the feminine, you know, at work as well, and see that as truly valuable. And, you know, don't try to be the same as men. But to actually embrace, it's like, hey, we're different and we're just as valuable. Also in her own way. And I think this is not just a feminine thing, right? I think this is something between all of us, right, where we can, you know, can do better. And someone told me actually yesterday, which I really loved as well. It's like, yeah, it's even also men embracing a little bit of their femininity as well, right? It's actually really true in bringing everything together. So that's something I'm just like, very passionate about because I think true diversity is celebrating our differences, right? Not all trying to be the same.

Oh, man, I love this so much. You're making me kind of reflect on how I, when I started my company, I'm like, I want to do it different. And I didn't know what that meant yet, but I did know that it meant I want people to be able to show up who they are and for it to be enjoyable. Those were my two things. Like, how do we actually make this a little more fun? Because this is our dreams we're talking about. Like, I shouldn't feel so bad, heavy and hard all the time.

Like.

And the arena that I had first entered before I was pivoting was very male dominated. It was actually the. I was doing a non alcoholic and alcoholic drink. So I was dancing in both of those arenas and I've since pivoted, but it was like, oh my. It was so heavy and it was just so masculine. And I was like, I'll never survive. So I chose, even in that very, like, masculine industry, I was like, every single meeting I'm going to like, show up different. It's going to be different on the meetings. And a couple of the things I did. I'd love to hear what you did. Like, when we would first start any meeting, even if it was someone we weren't working with, it was just kind of like, hey, how is everyone? Like checking in, like saying some gratitudes. Of course we couldn't do that on every single meeting. But most it was very like, let's be people first just for a minute. Even if that takes two to five minutes before every meeting so that we can remember, like we're all individuals and we all get to choose how we feel. And you know, this is something that we're all choosing to do and be at. So that was one of the ways that it was like I wanted people to show up in all of it.

Right.

Maybe it was like if they weren't feeling great, they didn't have to be just like never say how they felt. So that was one of the things I feel like for showing up in my feminine, just more being interested in curious and letting people show up as they were. How about for you? What was something that you initially were like, like, oh, this is what I want to be different and this is how I want to implement it.

I think we tried a lot of different things over the years. I think a really big thing is just like leading from the heart. And by no means have I been perfect, but I think it's just like this remembering of being in your heart. It's just you're different when you're like versus your head who's like, gets in the way and there's an ego in there and she's like, no, no, no, like all of that. And then when you just like drop down to your heart, it's like you just make different decisions and you feel different. And I think that, that a lot is there within a business. We've always done funny things from like, like especially we were in office Monday mornings, we had a huddle and there was always dancing before, which not everyone loves, but I, I love it. Yeah, just like get the energy moving and we actually still even in around the huddles now on zoom. Like we often like start with like, like just a stretch. Like let's just like all get up out of her chair and let's just move, right? And I think it has depended on how big the team has been. When you know, when the team was smaller, it's like, yes, you need to all check in of how are you doing? I think when a team gets bigger, sometimes that gets harder and like more the managers actually need to do that. But I think it's so, so important of just remembering like we're, you know, it's people to people in the end of the day. And I just became a mom as well. And he's Leo, seven months old. And you just realize, right, like, there are more important things than just work. Work is amazing and all this passion, but sometimes it gets so serious and it's like this life or death. Oh, this doesn't happen. Like, we make it so big. And I think it's all good for all of us to remember of, like, we're doing this because we actually want to have fun. Otherwise we'll just be bored out of our mind. So let's just remember to actually have fun.

Yeah, we forget. It's very, very.

Oh, I forget. I still forget. Oh, yeah. I'm like, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. O Totally, totally me.

Can you tell me about a time where you maybe against what other people were saying, you really trusted yourself and it paid off. And how did it pay off?

Yeah, so we started the business in Europe nine years ago. We were. I mean, we're kind of struggling, to be honest, because we were this weird superfood brand. People didn't even have blenders in Germany and Holland and let alone, I'm gonna sell them a superfood powder for in their smoothie.

And then you need a blender. You have to buy a blender as well. Like, go buy a blender. Yeah, that's a big uphill battle.

Great. Right? So, yeah, no, it was, you know, it was interesting times. And we were, you know, young, naive, had a lot of energy to spare. And, you know, because we kind of just like started building and basically we saw this 5 or 10% of our orders were coming from the U.S. we used to start with influencer marketing and just kind of spread it that way. And we're like, interesting. Let's call those customers. And we did. And they're like, oh, you know, you don't add anything. Your sourcing is so. And there were certain things, Right. That really just intrigued them. And we were still a tiny business, but we decided to go to the U.S. so we in 2017, went to the U.S. pitching everywhere to fundraise as to Europeans with a tiny business and said, you know, told basically everyone was like, yeah, we, you know, we're split our time. We live also in the US we live in Europe. And you did not.

You did not.

I did not. We did have a warehouse with some products. So we did, you know, set up a free Pl and stuff. Yeah. So, you know, the products were there. Yeah, exactly. And we had, you know, we had this plan. So that we got a big launch, 2018, and we raised some money, actually. And we, you know, hustled, met people, raised some money in 2018, launched. And it still took us a good four months to kind of figure out how can we actually scale this. But we felt there was a better market in the US and then in the end, like, really learning. I mean, there's so many lessons right. In ten years of business. But what we really learned learned is to actually share how to share a personal story, because we were always talking about product, product, product, product. Right. But people don't buy products. People buy from people. And I think that was really that aha moment where like, yeah, we have a huge why. Why we're actually, you know, trying to sell this product because we know it's going to help you. We use them every single day. And then making that connection and putting that in Facebook ads and Right. In our advertising, you know, made us scale the business at some point to like 70 million a year. So, like, that has really been, like, our path of, like, scaling the business.

That's amazing. In the beginning, what would you say is your. If somebody's looking at this and they're about to launch or they're kind of like in a place of being stagnant and they want to get out there or scale, what would you say are some of the things to focus on if they know they have a good product?

Yeah, I think really important is you don't have to do everything, I think very often, right. Especially if you. I mean, marketing is if you have a good or a bad product. Marketing is important, Right. Easier with a good product, by the way. But don't get hung up on your product because you can have the best, amazing, perfect product in the world, but at some point you need to sell it. Right. And I think if you have an amazing product, it is your job to just become so good at marketing because you're actually giving something really good to people. And someone told me this because I was like, this person who was, oh, I don't want to email people too often because, you know, I don't want to bother them. And she was like, what are you doing? She's like, you have an amazing product. You need to bother people. You need to educate them. So I think that is so important. And then, you know, there are 500 different ways to market your product. You don't need to do all of them. You only actually have to do maybe 1, 2, 3. Really good. Good. Right. So test things out. Not all at the same Time just kind of go one by one and see like where you know, like you have a momentum. And if you have a momentum and you go for it, that is then the channel you can scale. So I think that's really, really important. And if you, you know, like building a business, just make sure your heart is in it. I think it's so hard to scale a business you're not like 100,000% excited about and passionate about about. Because let me tell you, it is a roller coaster. There are going to be so many hard moments and if you, you know, if your heart is not in it, you're, you're going to walk away at the moment where you know, like the good thing might just be behind the door.

Oh, so good. This has been so good. And I know that, you know, you have this incredible cookbook coming out that's going to help people do more of what we talked about.

Eating more plants.

Yes, more plants. We all need it. I mean, you know, people listening to this, it's like, like if you want to reach your goals, if you want to feel better, if you want more energy, so many people are like, how do I get more time in the day? Let me tell you how you get more energy as well and clarity.

And that's so big for me. Going plan days is just like, like kind of just opened my mind and I think to what you said, right? Growing your business, right? It is a spiritual thing too. Like you're actually the cap on your own business if you want to keep growing your business. It's all about personal development, development. And that's in each aspect, right? From what you eat to, you know, what do you consume and like what is going on in your mind? Are you moving your body? And I think just really, you know, fueling your body with the right foods is so important. I always like to say like, stop counting calories, start counting plants. And in the book we, you know, we. It's not just recipes. Like yes, they're you know, superfoods. They're basically plant based recipes, optional superfoods in there. But we also talk about our story that you're superwave eating meal plan. So there's like 80 pages of just like a lot of educational content. Actually recipe as well.

Oh, amazing. I know that it's like again, you know, if you guys don't eat plant based right now it's about just adding things that are good and it's honestly looking at plant based recipe books. I love it because I also eat meat, I also eat fish. But Sometimes I, I still don't get enough plants, so I'll look at something to have creative ways to add more plant based meals throughout.

And that's the key, right? It's like, it doesn't mean every meal, but we all want to eat, you know, more plant based meals. Right? So yes. People always say, where do I start? Well, maybe it's like, hey, I want to refurb my breakfast and I'm going to make that plant based. Or maybe it's certain days in the week. I think there are different ways of how you can start. And you might already be eating at plant based meals and not even realize it. Right. Like, if you are like, what are you eating? It's like, well, you know, there are recipes in there that are still like this amazing pasta or, you know, like really nice desserts. Right. So there's so many, many. It's still so good. I think it needs to be delicious and I think another piece, it needs to be easy to do. I think plants are extremely easy to cook. Right. You, it's quick, it's easy. You add, you know, some seasoning. And I think we're all busy, don't have time, so. And I'm not a chef, so it's nothing complicated, but it tastes good and it's quick because I don't have time either.

Okay, good. So first let's talk about where we can get the book.

Go for it.

Give me the title, all the things where we can get it.

So it's called your super life. And it's basically anywhere where you would get your bookstore. Yeah, in your bookstore. Target, Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, all those kind of shops. And then you can find me on at Crystal and Michael as well as an at your super foods. And then the website is your super dot com.

All right, guys, so that's all in the show notes. If you want to go order some of the amazing things that she said and also just start getting these foods that actually make you feel incredible. I'm super excited about this conversation. Thank you so much for helping us with just. Even if we just want one, one habit or one takeaway from this, so grateful for you. Is there anything else that you want to add before we go?

I think because I know a lot of you listening, right, are thinking about building a business or maybe kind of like the next step, the next decision. And I would just say trust your gut and just go for it. Right? You can always make another decision. So don't, don't just push out your decision. Just make a decision, and if it doesn't work, you make another decision because it's just like sometimes you just don't know. You just go for it and you go with the flow and you don't worry about step 100 if you're at step one.

Oh, I love that so much. That is the truth, let me tell you. That has been my journey. You guys. So, so grateful that you tuned in, Crystal. So grateful for you. The biggest thing that we can do for our guests that you can do for Crystal is to number one, go get her bullet book. Go get her stuff. Number two, also give her a tag on social media and let her know what your biggest takeaway was. It's so fun to know exactly who we talk to on this show. So go let her know. Go say thank you. And until next time, earn your happy. Bye, everyone.

Sam.