In this ever-changing “new normal,” we are constantly trying to adjust to a new kind of life. Because we’ve all been left to focus on other things, we are looking to better ourselves and improve our health. One of the ways we do this is by turning to wellness. Some look to a plant-based diet to start to ensure their bodies get all the nutrition they need. One brand whose mission is to better the lives of their customers is Sakara Life. The brand is focusing on delivering plant-based meals, healthy wellness essentials, and more to their customers.
We spoke to Co-Founder and CEO Danielle DuBoise about how her quarantine life has been for her, her family, and her adorable pup! Sundays, an incredible dog food brand also gave us the 411 on why Danielle and themselves love their product. Keep reading for more!
Danielle Duboise Takes Us Inside Her Quarantine, Daily Routine, and Her Love of Sundays
1) How has the quarantine life been for you thus far?
It’s definitely been an adjustment, but I’ve really been finding and appreciating the silver linings of quarantine. For me, it’s been such a blessing to have a slower pace with less social commitments. This moment is allowing me to spend such a special time with my family. While I am still in meetings much of the workday via Zoom with my team, I am so grateful for the little moments my family has to take a walk early in the morning in our quiet neighborhood. And I feel more blessed than ever to be in this line of work– to offer a service and community that helps to transform people’s health.
2) What does your daily routine consist of? We’d love a glimpse of your day-to-day life.
The first thing I do when I wake up is kiss my child and my husband. My little one usually wakes us up with a smile and it’s changed my entire being waking up to that face… really hard to have a bad day. I’ve also been making it a priority to try and maintain a work/life balance as much as possible. We’ve been spending a lot of valuable time as a family ahead of baby No. 2’s arrival! Most mornings the whole family (Zen included) walks to a local cafe for breakfast outside. We are enjoying the beautiful weather and soaking up this special time together. It really is such a wonderful way to start the day. I also try to get in some type of movement every day whether it’s simply taking a walk or an online class with Fit Pregnancy Club.
3) How are you adapting to the new normal?
As we’re about five months into this “new normal,” I’ve been continuing to focus on enjoying the little things that make me happy like spending time with my husband and daughter. With so much change in the last few months, I have really remained committed to trying to keep my routine as normal as possible by eating my Sakara meals and adding our Sakara Beauty Water Drops to my water first thing every morning to optimize hydration. It’s also a time of deep transitions and changes. And though that can feel unsettling (are we moving, are we staying, is NYC safe, etc), it has helped me focus on what’s most important– the health of my family.
4) What are your staple kitchen ingredients and cookware essentials?
- A great, high-quality olive oil
- Cookware from Greenpan
- A pantry of superfoods
5) What do you usually cook (from breakfast to dinner, snacks, etc.)?
I typically have my Sakara meals every week. I often share them with my family and serve them as a side dish for dinner so that I can get creative in the kitchen and try out some fun new recipes. For snacks, I love having our granolas on hand to mix with nut milk and for days when I’m on-the-go or running after my little one, I snack on our Energy Bars. They are jam-packed with essential nutrients that support stable energy levels, clarity, and alertness (without the effects of caffeine)! I also make a MEAN kale salad with lemon, salt, garlic, and olive oil. Simple but so delicious.
6) Some of your favorite recipes from Eat Clean, Play Dirty?
- Superfood Pancakes with Chia-Berry Compote
- Sexiest Salad in New York City
7) Three things you can’t live without?
8) Why do you think meal delivery has become so popular over the years and especially during the pandemic?
Well, I’d caveat by saying we’re not a meal delivery plan, we’re a nutrition program. With COVID in particular, I believe people have started to shift priorities. They see their health as more than just a nicety, but essential. At Sakara, we feel so blessed to be doing work that truly impacts and changes people’s lives for the better. Not only are we a convenient option for so many, but we create and provide thoughtful, nourishing meals that are meant to heal our clients physically, mentally, and spiritually.
9) Why do you think peoples’ relationship with food is changing?
I think more and more people are beginning to look at food and where it comes from. They are becoming curious about looking at how it affects us, our health, and the health of our planet. My hope is that people will begin to see that what we eat truly impacts how we feel and function and that food is medicine. Our mission here at Sakara is to help people understand how much control we have over our health and how we feel. It is so important for people to understand the connection between food and our mental and physical health.
How we nourish ourselves is reflective of how much we value ourselves. My wish is that people will begin to see their worth and take their health into their own hands by nourishing the nutritional foundation behind the Sakara Life Nutrition Program. Prioritizing your health is not selfish and is so important that each of us does this so we can show up as our best selves in this world.
10) Where do you see Sakara Life in the near future? Anything exciting in the works?
We have a VERY exciting upcoming launch in the next month or so. It is particularly near and dear to Whitney and I’s hearts especially being that we are both currently pregnant. Stay tuned for exciting updates in the next few weeks.
We also just launched our fall campaign, which is a 3-week program that is specifically focused on reprogramming and resetting our thoughts, mental patterns, and eating habits. We partnered with the amazing Dr. Mariel Buqué, to lead our community in soul work and provide tools for how we can become the best versions of ourselves. We’re also gifting some of Whitney and I’s favorite clean, essential products to help our community to live a more mindful life. This program has 3 start dates (September 14, 21st, and 28th) and you can sign up here.
11) Tell us why you love Sundays.
As a believer and proponent (to say the least) of clean eating, I could never feed anything less to my darling Zen Bowie. Just as our food is often overly processed, full of toxins, pesticides, fillers, and harsh chemicals, pet food is even worse with less third-party testing and accountability. Food is medicine and I’m so happy to be feeding this sweet pup Sundays. She’s obsessed with it and because it’s dry food, it fast and easy to feed her (even Baby Star gets to feed her sometimes).
Why Sundays Should Be Your Dog’s Next Kibble To Try
1) Tell us about Sundays.
Sundays is a direct-to-consumer brand that is reinventing food for the modern dog family through its first-of-its-kind, ready-to-eat human-grade food for dogs. Conceptualized by husband-wife duo, Dr. Tory Waxman, and Michael Waxman, a veterinarian and serial software entrepreneur, Sundays is the culmination of years of research to create dog food that’s healthier than kibble, but just as easy. Sundays offer a fresh, but not refrigerated, air-dried food that comes in an easy-to-pour cereal box, and offers a treat-like taste for your four-legged family member — beating out the “best-tasting” super-premium kibble in a blind taste-test 40-to-0. Sundays are made in a USDA facility and are fully human-grade, synthetic-free, and complete and balanced.
2) What is different about Sundays, compared to other dog food on the market?
After analyzing more than 3,000 dog foods and trying out more than 30, we couldn’t find something that was both healthy and easy. Kibble was convenient, but heavily processed; refrigerated options were better but too messy and expensive, so we created Sundays to be the first food for dogs to offer healthy, human-grade fare without the hassle of refrigeration, prep, and clean-up. The average “natural” kibble actually has 29 synthetic additives in it…we counted. Sundays are only 1 of a couple of foods available in the U.S. that offers complete and balanced nutrition with zero synthetics. Plus, all of our nutrients come from natural sources.
3) What is your favorite thing about Sundays?
We love how excited our two pups Mabel and Schuyler both love Sundays and get so excited to eat their food. We have noticed they have more energy, and we feel great knowing we are giving them the highest quality nutrition without any work or mess.
