Sakara Life
I literally almost fell off my chair when I received the email from Sakara, informing me that I’d been accepted into their Sakara Circle Ambassador Program. This was my second attempt and I have been calling this in when journaling. In fact, that very morning, I wrote “exciting new business opportunity” in my 5 Minute Journal (iykyk) and there it was at about 8pm. You may be wondering why I am so excited about a brand partnership, afterall, they seem to be so very common these days. You may have also noticed that I don’t collaborate with brands at all. I don’t place ads and I don’t have an affiliate code for everything I eat or use. I only share things that I am passionate about. I am the world’s worst liar (I really just don’t have the energy for it), so I have to stick with what I know and believe in. Sakara is pure gold. I’ll set the scene, circa 2012-ish…. I’m sitting in my second floor brownstone apartment in Philadelphia, on my bed, on a cold and gray Sunday. My two kitties are sleeping and the radiator is cranking. I’m tired and hungover and also dreading Monday. Sex and the City reruns are on my TV. I can’t stand my job or the cement city anymore and I just drink my weekends away. It’s becoming clear to me each day that this is not what life is all about. There has to be more. I found this new author, Gabby Bernstein (probably through a magazine article) and have begun reading her book, “Adding More -Ing to Your Life, A Hip Guide to Happiness”. She talks about working through fear that holds you back from living your best life. It’s kind of a new approach for me as I’ve been working, shopping, drinking and going to the gym on repeat without much thought to my spiritual self. It was the beginning of my recreation of myself. The beginning of my thoughts that I could change my life for the better. That I was in charge of the life I lived and that I had some serious reprioritizing to do. I was also beginning to understand how fresh, unprocessed foods could make me feel, and ordering a raw food meal delivery service from this place in Santa Monica, called “Rawvolution”. What’s funny is that I passed that place every now and then when I moved to Los Angeles in 2014. I must have been searching for something similar, but closer than the opposite coast, and I came across Sakara in NYC (also friends of Gabby Bernstein!). I read everything that had to offer, and ordered their foods. I fell in love. Not only with the food, but with their ethos. Food is medicine. Joy is food. Nurturing your soul is just as important as nurturing your body and through food. They embodied the holistic approach that I didn’t know I was missing and would later become the core of who I am today. Sakara and Gabby expanded my view of the world and what was possible. I quit my job and moved to Los Angeles by myself. I didn’t go to the gym anymore, but instead went on long hikes, beach walks, little adventures with Julio the dog. I slowed down and did what made me feel good. I lost 30 lbs. that first year, mostly by letting go of all the emotional baggage and stress. I continued to order Sakara to my apartment in Los Angeles and they continued to add new products to their lineup. I remember Lauryn Evarts Bosstick of The Skinny Confidential talking about their watermelon jerky. Not only did I order some, but I also attempted making my own in my dehydrator (way too much work). I at a Beauty Chocolate after lunch every day. I put Detox Drops in my water (still do!). I even ordered their 10 Day Reset which came in a box so beautiful, I saved it in my closet until I moved and realized I had no use for it. The reset contains teas, probiotics, protein powder and bars and a 10 day book for resetting your body and mind through their pillars and recipes. It was SO good. In fact, if you scroll back through my Instagram to the beginning, you’ll see that I posted the pillars (one each day) because they are so important. I eventually enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (after getting laid off of my job while pregnant - blessing in disguise!) and found out during my program that the Sakara founders, Danielle and Whitney, actually graduated from IIN too. If I haven’t shown how Sakara has filtered nicely through my life thus far, when I found Melissa Wood Health’s prenatal workouts, Whitney filmed a workout with Melissa and there were all 3 of us, pregnant together going through a yoga flow. I love Sakara. I love how it makes my gut happy, my bloat disappear, my skin glow and my hair shiny and strong. I love how it gives me energy and never makes me feel weighed down. I love the beautiful packaging. I love how it’s supported me through so many different phases of my life and now, I am so proud and honored to be able to share it with you all as well. If you want to experience the Sakara Life for yourself, use code “XOHWK” for 20% off your first order. Tag me and let me know what you get and how you like it and reach out any time for recommendations! I’m going to be digging into my Sakara cookbook, “Eat Clean Play Dirty” in the next few weeks too, so be sure to follow along on my stories! See you there.
xo,
Kristen
