Morning Matcha

Michael Pollak is the co-founder of Heyday, the skincare salon that believes facials are for every day, not just spa days. Heyday takes out the stuffiness and luxury in skincare and rather creates something accessible, personal, and fun. Michael walks us through his Heyday journey from his own acne battle scars to branching out to five locations in NYC and LA. It’s an episode guaranteed to leave you glowing. Use code FULLEST for $10 off your service at Heyday.

The Queen of LUNYA Sleepwear, Ashley Merrill drops in to discuss the evolution of pajamas, why she’s a champion of women in business, and being the She-E-O of a company where people are actually happy. It’s a conversation that reminded us that dreams do come true... but it’s not always easy. She stresses the importance of having your feet firmly on the ground, an incredible support team (husbands and family, we’re looking at you), and keeping everything focused on the mission.

We’re pumped (mind the pun) to have Dr. Stephanie Canelli on this week’s show. Stephanie is the founder of Lactation Lab, the first and only company testing and analyzing nutrients in breast milk. Lactation Lab’s mail-in-kits make milk testing easy. Once a sample is processed, breastfeeding mamas will receive an individualized report, along with specialized recommendations. Essentially, Lactation Lab is a food label for your breast milk and empowers new moms to regain control of their baby’s health from Day Dot. SLEEP LIKE A BABY: This episode is brought to you by LUNYA -- the brand reinventing sleepwear for the modern woman. Use MORNINGMATCHA15 to receive your discount at checkout.

This week Nikki sits down with Gutsy Mother founder, Angela Kelly, to talk about her activism with C.Diff. If you haven’t heard of it, C.Diff is a fecal-oral superbug transmitted by antibiotics and picked up largely in hospitals. It affects more people than you think, including this week’s guest (and her family). After Angela’s personal nightmare with C.Diff, she has become an advocate for more education and awareness on prevention and treatment. Get her tips and signs on C.Diff and just generally be inspired by one Gutsy Mother.

Author of Generation Debt and The Art of Screen Time, Anya Kamenetz drops into the studio for a mindful chat on healthy tech consumption. A big believer in the Michael Pollan school of thought, she applies his theory to her relationship with technology, and we’re on board. We promise this ep will be a worthy use of today’s screen time.

Since the beginning of… well, time basically, women have been coming together to gather. Quilt is the app that brings the ancient art of circling to the modern world. This week, we sit down and have our own female-only gathering with Quilt founders, Ashley Sumner and Gianna Wurzl. This week’s ep reflects the broader shifts happening in culture -- women coming together, connecting deeper than surface-level similarities, and using our compassions and vulnerability to create true relationships. And what world doesn’t need more of that?

Did you know that most environmental laws are human-centric? So then, who actually is looking after Mother Nature’s best interests? This week on Morning Matcha, Nikki welcomes Darlene Lee from the Earth Law Center, an advocacy group fighting to give the earth a voice in the court of law. Darlene gives us the rundown on the current state of environmental law, helps us contemplate the language we use around nature, and leaves us with her top tips to be more eco-friendly.

Meet Scarlett Curtis, the 23-year-old writer and activist that furthers our faith in Gen Z. Scarlett initially began as a knitting blogger, but that quickly morphed into a fully-fledged writing career for some of the world’s biggest outlets from The Times and The Guardian, to Elle and Vogue. From there, she’s gone on to work with the UN, curate a book of feminist essays, and started her own grassroots charity, Pink Protest. Scarlett is the living proof and reassurance we need that young women and their new brand of feminism really are one of our best chances for a more fair, compassionate, and considered society. And, perhaps most importantly, she shows you can have a ton of fun while doing it.

This week we’re talking FLOWER POWER with Alexis Smart, who has become a pioneer in all things flower remedies. Flower remedy therapy can be used for deep healing when you are a bit out-of-balance or need a boost in building intuition, breaking addictions, or manifesting goals. Flower remedy treatments are tailored to the events, emotions, and psychological stresses and conditions a person is experiencing rather than the purely physical. Listen in as she explains to Nikki its many benefits (and also shares a Donald Trump remedy). Now that’s our kind of flower power!

All your Harry Potter dreams just came true in the form of a podcast. That’s right kids, we’re sitting down with Harry Potter’s Bonnie Wright (or Ginny Weasley — depending on which excites you more). Bonnie is much more than the wizard who stole Harry’s heart, she’s also a writer, director, and environmental activist, and, just like her character Ginny, she’s a powerful, independent woman who often speaks her mind. Harry really did choose a good one…

We sit down with Jenna Zoe, the Human Design reader blowing up the esoteric and wellness worlds -- and also our minds with her on-point readings. If you haven’t yet heard of Human Design, then clear your iCals because it’s about to become your latest obsession. According to Jenna herself “Human Design is the contract your soul makes with the Universe about who you came to be, what you came to experience, and what karma you came to correct.” If you’re curious about the latest download from the spiritual realms, listen to this week’s episode to help you understand the history of Human Design, how to discover your own type, and the infinite ways Human Design can help you live your Fullest life.

This week we catch up with Kathryn Budig, an internationally celebrated yoga teacher and author known for her accessibility, humor, and ability to empower her students through her “aim true” message. And in this week’s episode, she definitely stays on brand… Kathryn candidly opens up about yoga, body image, sexuality, divorce, and privilege. Long story short, if you’ve ever wondered how to integrate powerful and deep yogic teachings with modern life without ending up feeling like a total failure, this one’s for you.

This week Nikki sits down with Katerina Schneider, SHE-E-O of smart vitamin company, Ritual. While pregnant Katerina came to the conclusion that basically all the multi-vitamins on the market were full of highly questionable ingredients that she didn’t want in her body -- sooooo, she set out to create her own transparent (literally) vitamin line for women. If you’ve ever wondered A) Do vitamins actually do anything?, B) Am I taking the right one?, or C) How can vitamins optimize my health? this eps for you!

Skincare guru Lauren Goldfaden of Goldfaden MD is here to peel away false beauty myths and replenish our skin routines. Goldfaden MD is the first dermatologically plant-based active ingredient line that actually creates powerful results sans chemicals, parabens, and toxins. If you’re ready to harness the magic of plants at their most concentrated — and we mean, who isn’t? — then listen, cleanse, and repeat because this one is jam-packed with natural beauty goodness as powerful as Mother Earth herself.

Hanif Fazal learned from his time being discriminated against in grade school and as a teen, and has since founded the Center for Equity and Inclusion, which dismantles outdated corporate culture and replaces it with true awareness and understanding.

Nikki welcomes Yumi founders Angela Sutherland and Evelyn Rusli to Morning Matcha to shower us in all things baby nutrition. After realizing that the baby food industry has remained more or less unchanged and unregulated since they, themselves, were in diapers, these two superwomen took it upon themselves to create a superfood for super-babies delivery service. On a mission to raise awareness on feeding little ones nutrient-dense food in their first 1000 days, their company has caught the attention of Goop, Vogue, Fortune 500, and Tech Crunch. Get ready to be fed a diet of amazing baby food facts — everything from ferments to fructose.

If you’re ready to swipe left on swiping left, are done with the ‘looks nothing like their profile pic’ drama, or are perpetually convinced you’ll be #foreveralone, don’t despair. Susan Rose & Associates are a NYC matchmaking company that are here to help you find love in the modern age. This week Susan Rose & Julie Lilien bring their unique therapy and matchmaking perspectives to the fullest podcast. It’s time to break up with your old relationship patterns and build a healthy, loving connection with yourself and your future love.

This week Nikki sits down with Tara Sowlaty, her Persian sister from another mister, holistic nutritionist, co-founder of How You Glow, and creator of The Crystal Manifest (which makes a whole lotta sense because Tara’s vibration is very Elestial Quartz). So, if you’re after the 411 on dogma and dieting, crystal intention setting, or balancing life as a triple-tandem entrepreneur — this one’s for you.

Suze Yalof Schwartz was a high-flying stylist who left her career to bring mindfulness to the masses. You’ve probably heard of Suze’s drop-in meditation studio, Unplug, or as Suze likes to call it, “the Drybar of meditation.” Suze is humble and visionary, she was the first to modernize mediation studios for those who may have otherwise never stepped foot inside a class. Her studio has popups on both Google and YouTube campuses and she’s just launched the Unplug app. (Get ready, Unplug is about to go global!) But Suze isn’t interested in becoming the next big spiritual influencer or entrepreneur — she just wants everyone to experience the simple benefits of meditation, even if it’s just for five minutes. Humble and visionary, queue this one up for more inspiration than a crystal sound bath… and some really practical meditation tips.

Hormone biochemistry geek, functional nutritionist, bestselling author, and epigenetic genius Alisa Vitti joins the podcast to help us harness our own hormones. Even if you’ve never suffered from fertility issues, period pain, drastic mood swings, or monthly breakouts, being able to read and respond to your woman code is every ovary owner’s right. In fact, eating and exercising in line with your cycle can activate incredibly positive shifts in your physical and emotional health. Learn to read your woman code with one of America’s leading hormone experts. Period.