SO I REALIZED IN ANSWERING MY OWN INTERVIEWS RECENTLY THAT SOME QUESTIONS DURING THESE WERE FAR FROM PERSONAL. WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE; WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT OUR WORK! STILL, SOMETIMES AS READERS, WE ARE LEFT WANTING TO GET TO KNOW THAT PERSON BEYOND THEIR CAREER— AND I THINK IT'S A SHAME THAT SOME OF THESE SUPER IMPRESSIVE PERSONALITIES AROUND US ARE OFTEN SEEN AS RIGID WHEN THEY'RE REALLY SUPER SPUNKY. WHICH IS WHY I WANTED TO ADD EXTRA SPICE TO THE QUESTIONS THAT I ASK— AND TO SHOW THAT THEY ARE 1000% HUMAN, EVEN IF THESE SUPERWOMEN SEEM BEYOND IT SOMETIMES!

Growing up in Korea, I was surrounded by seas of lotions, creams and moisturizers everywhere I went—I never second-guessed the importance of skincare. But, despite the craze today around the 10-step Korean skincare routine, the obsession with applying topical product after product, and all the different ingredients popping up (from snail oil to gold-infused creme), the only Korean skincare ritual that my family passed down to me is the one spoken about the least: the Korean diet. For those who aren't familiar, Korean cuisine is always a balanced meal of grilled protein and rice (never bread), with lots of various fermented vegetables such as kimchi and miso paste.

Kimchi, a fermented, pickled cabbage almost iconic in our culture, is dense with minerals, vitamins A, B and C, fat-free and most importantly, loaded with probiotics, a gut-friendly bacteria that takes shelter in your stomach after ingestion. And what probiotics do for our health and our skin, is almost immeasurable: our stomach, the so-called “second brain,” is actually the ruler of our overall health. And when our stomach is off, our skin takes a beating almost immediately. But with probiotics, our stomach is able to fend off a lot of what causes these problems, and gets our skin to its optimal condition. 

Consuming fermented, probiotics-dense foods like kimchi will lead to improvements in digestive and immune health. 

MEET VANESSA DEW of HEALTH ADE 

So why Kombucha? How did you end up working in this market?

This deserves a whole story over a drink or two ;)

Short of it...me and my co-founders were unfulfilled with our 9-5 jobs.  We wanted our own thing!

Started an entrepreneur club together and that led us to kombucha...for hair loss!

The hair loss positioning didn’t pan out but we had amazing kombucha and decided to sell it at the farmer’s market

We sold out that first day and we never looked back ;) 

I am so inspired by your dedication as a mother, wife, in addition to kicking ass as a female entrepreneur! Tips for other female entrepreneurs?

Be kind and compassionate to yourself

Its hard to be a god-damn self starter day in/day out 

lean on the team where you can

Have a confidante/executive coach, someone not in the biz or your friend group to help sort through the *ish

Imposter syndrome will kick-in inevitably, plan for it, know it when it comes on, and do your best to not let it get the best of you

Describe yourself in 3 words: 

Optimist, Achiever, Lover

Do you believe you’ve found your calling? What is it? 

Love ‘making it rain’ - Finding ways, businesses/ideas that are catalysts to build something great and to harness that feeling of winning and building

Love allowing people to find their sweet spot and hone in on it 

Love being that sounding board and that inspiration to go out and do something great

What motivates you?

When someone externally recognizes the product/service I brought to market was useful and positively impacted their life 

When our team feels empowered and inspired to go out there day in/day out to go above and beyond for health-ade

Creating a beautiful life with and for my family

Who was integral in helping you get to where you are today?

My parents

My grandmother

What is your mantra?

Where there’s a will there’s a way

Who are you inspired by?

My mom - she’s no longer with us but she had the fighting spirit like no other.  She tackled sickness and adversity with grace and compassion.  She was successful in her career yet balanced and always put being a mom first.  She’s my role model in life.

Your favorites:

Athleisure Brand: Alo

Trainer: Lara Karapetian and Angie Mitchell - local to DTLA

Make up artist: Yuri Sinata

Healthy Restaurant: TenderGreens

Un-Healthy Restaurant: In N Out

Podcast:don’t really listen to a whole lot religiously...

TV show: Law and Order SVU

Movie: As cheesy as this sounds...The Notebook

Song: Love of My Life - Erykah Badu/Common

You’ve been working so hard— and we are all in awe! What are 3 tips to stay productive? 

Schedule out time for you - it won’t just happen and you need to prioritize you amidst it all

Turn off email notifications on your phone - it’s a game changer

Schedule something to look forward to - a trip, a girls dinner...some thing!

What is your skincare routine? 

I’ve always struggled with my skin since my mid- 20s

Big joanna vargas fan and Sora is my girl for regular facials

Ole henrikson, joanna vargas, and eminence are my go to products at the moment. 

During my periods, I make sure to exfoliate 

Drink water and avoid dairy!

Any morning / evening rituals?

Wellness - doing ‘power poses’ in the morning to give you the right pep in your step for the day.  It helps to set the tone

Have a reusable water bottles around the house so there is no excuse to not drink water daily

What’s your daily workout routine? How many times do you workout a week?

Prebaby - it was ~4-5 times a week

Not my goal is moving 3 times a week but not being crazy about it

peloton/walks/i do miss my circuit workouts

What are some things you think everybody should know when it comes to wellness?

There are a ton of ‘shoulds’ out there! Wellness is all about what makes you feel good and it’s also all about balance.  

What are 3 other foods or supplements you try to incorporate to your diet daily routinely? 

Collagen (crushed tonic ;)) - helps my hair regrowth after baby, helps my skin and nails

Vitamin D/calcium

water

What role do you think collagen plays in skin and hair?

SO MUCH! I’m a big believer in collagen.  I look at my baby’s skin and envy the collagen filled cheeks! But in all seriousness, collagen is one of those fundamental elements that keeps things looking fresh, tight, young and strong.  Super important to keep this up as we get older and levels dwindle.

What results were you the happiest about from Crushed Tonic? How long did it take for your results to take place? What is your favorite Crushed Tonic flavor or recipe?

I love the unflavored marine tubbie! I can definitely feel it when I don’t have my crushed tonic regularly so I need to keep it up!  I usually add to my matcha latte 

And now, finally for the fun stuff! Spill the C-Tea ;) 🍵 

Celebrity (or non-celebrity) crush: Ryan Reynolds

Biggest red flag:Big talker/bullshitter/name dropper

How to win you over in a DM: corny joke

Something most people don’t know about you: I hate sandwiches 

Something most people should know about you: I am an eternal optimist 

Dream collaboration: something fashion related...Murakami/GiGi Hadid/Louis Vuitton combo?

Advice you give but never follow: Ask for help

What does your dating bio say? No bitches! (I can expand--it’s an inside joke with my husband but it could apply here too!)

Describe your type / 3 things you look for in your significant other: Humor, Honest and Open communicator, someone who will be my ride or die but also isn’t afraid to call me out on my BS

Favorite date? My now husband took me to the lantern festival just outside of vegas...it’s also where he proposed so I dont think anyone can top that one.

What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you? For me, drop off roses at the farmer’s market and then at my apartment complex….a little creepy actually.  But as a brand, they got the Health-Ade characters tattooed on their body...real dedication