WHITNEY TINGLE OF SAKARA LIFE
“If you’re comfortable then you’re not growing, so lean into the challenges and let your creative brain lead you to the next evolution of your business and of yourself. ” - Whitney Tingle
Whitney Tingle is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Sakara Life, a wellness company providing the tools to transform your health and life. She launched Sakara Life in 2011 at the age of 25 with her best friend, Danielle Duboise, in an effort to heal her own personal battle with skin issues. They created Sakara’s unique nutrition philosophy which merges modern science and ancient healing wisdom. Since inception, Sakara has transformed millions of lives through its Signature Meal Program, functional products like its Metabolism Super Powder, and supplements. Whitney herself has also been honored in Forbes' 30 under 30, MindBodyGreen's 100 Women in Wellness, Goldman Sachs ‘Most Interesting Entrepreneurs’ and Oprah's SuperSoul 100.
Leading a global movement as an advocate for plants as medicine, Whitney became a national best-selling author with Sakara’s debut cookbook EAT CLEAN PLAY DIRTY, while currently co-hosting the wildly popular Sakara Life Podcast. She is a Holistic Health Coach, Nutritionist, Yoga Teacher-Certified, and pursues her passion for beauty as a member of the New Beauty Brain Trust Council. You can continue to see both personal and professional features of Whitney in the likes of Vogue, NY Times, The Coveteur, and goop.
Whitney is a new mom and stays true to her Sedona roots, spending time between Arizona and New York with her husband.
Both of your journeys with Sakara are somewhat unique – What inspired you two to start Sakara? How did you go from the idea to truly making it happen?
Sakara was created when Danielle and I hit our personal rock bottoms. Danielle suffered from an unhealthy relationship with food and I had a lifelong struggle with cystic acne. Shortly after I moved to New York City, I was at my lowest of lows; I was working long, high-stress hours on Wall Street, eating quick, low-nutrient food, and drinking regularly at work events. My skin (and my confidence) was at an all-time worst, and dermatologists weren’t connecting the dots between my overall health and what was going on with my skin. It was my big a-ha moment discovering that my inner health was reflected in my outer appearance— I didn’t have a skin problem, I had a gut problem. Once I got down to the root cause, I was able to heal through eating an abundance of plants and following our Sakara nutritional philosophy. In creating this food system for each other, we realized how transformative it was and decided we wanted to help other people transform through the power of food as medicine. From this, Sakara was born and we’ve made it our mission to help people understand the power of nourishment and abundance while listening and having reverence for your body. We started off the first few years hand-delivering meals to clients on our bikes and it’s pretty incredible to look back and see how far we’ve come and grown as a business!
Sakara prides itself on being women-owned and women-led. What challenges or advantages have you experienced being woman CEOs?
There have definitely been a lot of challenges along the way. We’re not only a woman-led business but a business with products created mostly for women. When fundraising, the investor audience was typically men who had never heard of Sakara so one of our biggest challenges was having to explain our product and brand appeal, even after gaining much public recognition and success. Ultimately, this made us stronger and forced us to seek out the best investment partners who truly understood the essence and potential of Sakara.
I would also say the benefits outweigh the challenges. With the majority of our leadership team being women and mothers (including Danielle and myself), our business brings a lot of compassion and empathy to the other women and mothers on the team. We understand what others go through when a child isn’t feeling well, a nanny doesn’t show up, etc. In leading by example, we’ve created a culture where there is no guilt or shame in being a mom and a businesswoman. We all learn from each other and support each other the best we can. I have learned so much from the other women leaders on the team and am so grateful for all that they do to pave a path for a new form of leadership.
The 9 Pillars of Nutrition are an integral part of Sakara and its mission – can you explain the thought process behind the 9 Pillars of Nutrition and their importance?
At Sakara, we utilize Science and Spirit, which takes a balanced approach between cutting edge nutrition science, like epigenetics and the microbiome, while pairing it with wisdom from ancient healing modalities people have been following for hundreds of years, such as Ayurveda, macrobiotics and evening Taoism. We pulled from inspirational teachings of doctors, functional medicine physicians, and herbalists alike (who also serve as members of our Science & Advisory Council). These Nutritional Pillars serve as the guiding foundation for our meal program to ensure that all of our clients are getting ultimate nourishment for optimal health and vitality. These include a few guiding principles such as incorporating 4-6 cups of leafy greens and hydrating fruits and veggies daily, to getting enough good fats (think sunflower and hemp seeds) and plant protein to build strong muscle and healthy tissues, to adding in sulfur-rich veggies (such as broccoli and cabbage) to help eliminate toxins. You can get a full overview of our Pillars of Nutrition here. It’s incredible to think that we now have hundreds of doctors and nutritionists all over the country prescribing our nutrition program to their patients. Food truly is medicine.
What steps did you take to quickly expand Sakara and get your brand out into the world?
One of the turning points early on in our career was after one of our first clients (Danielle’s old boss) completely transformed his life after suffering from a variety of health issues. He experienced such an incredible transformation from eating our meals that we knew we had discovered something truly special. After witnessing his own profound transformation along with our own, we made it our mission to share our nutritional philosophy with as many people as possible! Early on before we expanded our team, Danielle & I had to wear so many hats— chef, delivery drivers, client services, marketing, finance, you name it! This allowed us to understand all aspects that go into running a business and has been pivotal for our success as a company and as founders.
One key moment for the business was when we were featured in Daily Candy a few years after we started Sakara. The editor was an old friend we had reached out to and sent meals to try. She ended up giving a rave review and from that moment on, orders came flowing in! It was such a surreal moment and one that really helped put Sakara and our nutrition philosophy on the map.
What skills are vital to running a successful business, particularly in the food, health, and wellness industry?
First and foremost, find your mission and what allows you to be in service of others. Starting and running a business is hard work but finding your why that motivates you every step of the way is so important. Throughout your journey you will constantly be learning, problem-solving, and growing which can feel out of your comfort zone. Lean into the challenges and let your creative brain lead you to the next evolution of your business and yourself.
This is why It’s also important to have a “growth mindset.” We had the pleasure of meeting Oprah when we were selected as part of her Super Soul 100 group (and let me tell you, she is just as amazing and grand in real life as you would expect her to be!). She once said “Who you’re meant to be evolves from where you are right now. So learning to appreciate your lessons, mistakes, and setbacks as stepping stones to the future is a clear sign you’re moving in the right direction.” The road is long and filled with bumpy stones, you can let them get you stuck, but use them to hop to the next one.
What advice do you have for college students, particularly those interested in health, wellness, and entrepreneurship?
Find ways to tap into that place of creativity within yourself and go back to them when you’re feeling stuck. There is always a solution, sometimes it just takes thinking outside the box and stepping outside your comfort zone. If you’re comfortable then you’re not growing, so lean into the challenges and let your creative brain lead you to the next evolution of your business and of yourself.
First quick take: Name three of your favorite Sakara meals/products.
The Foundation: Prenatal is my absolute favorite; I take them every single morning with a large glass of water. These supplement packs have been essential throughout my fertility, prenatal and postpartum journey. I’ve been taking them since before I got pregnant and it’s given me such peace of mind knowing that I’m getting all the nutrients needed to support us both!
Our Youth & Beauty Salad is my favorite meal on the menu— I specifically designed the recipe and in creating it, I wanted to make sure it was the most hydrating, most beautifying meals. It contains:
Bed of romaine lettuce, one of the most hydrating greens with water content (also one of our pillars ‘Eat Your Water’)
Entire rainbow of vegetables, beets, carrots, cucumbers to provide phytonutrients helping with circulation and keeping you young (think of the pink of the beets and the pink of your cheeks)
Pomegranates give extra antioxidants
Superfood sprinkle with hemp and pumpkin seeds. Hemp is super anti-aging and one of my all-time favorite ingredients— contains essential fatty acids (gamma-linoleic acid) and is a complete protein. I sprinkle on almost all my salads!
I’ve also been making my own lattes in the morning with our Metabolism Powder. I make my own almond + coconut milk, use a frother and combine milk and Metabolism Powder so it’s frothy, then pour over a cup of coffee. It’s become my morning ritual!
Second quick take: Recommend a few books, podcasts, websites, or blogs you would recommend to CWBS readers.
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza
The Doctor’s Farmacy or The Sakara Life Podcast, of course!
Third quick take: Name one act of active self-care you practice each day.
Taking 10 minutes for myself at the end of the day to do my skincare routine. I haven’t been able to see a facialist or do any of the other maintenance activities that I normally do, so I’ve been l like to keep it simple and wind down using my favorite products. I absolutely love Living Libations Seabuckthorn Cleansing Moisturizer. I learned that you must follow the instructions for oil cleansing with a washcloth. It’s a game-changer for my skin! I follow with Vintner’s Daughter’s Active Treatment Essence and Active Botanical Serum. It’s such a relaxing way to end my day!