We Tried Wellness

It’s been a while since we’ve posted a new episode of WTW—as evidenced by our ode to Spring and Daylight Savings at the top of the episode. Forgive us? We promise this episode is worth the wait... Today, we’re joined by Erica Indira Swanson, CEO and Owner of Tea Bar, a local tea business with four shop locations around Portland. In just four years, Erica has created a defining aesthetic and signature menu that’s won accolades everywhere from Bon Appetit to Vogue. The tea-infused beverages served in her shops are as beautiful as they are delicious, delighting the local Instagram community with colorful ingredients like green matcha, blue algae, and turmeric-infused golden milk. Erica tells us about: How her passion for travel and interior design, along with a knack for business and customer service (cultivated from an early age), has informed her vision for Tea Bar How she maintains a spirit of lightheartedness in the face of mishaps The continual learning process inherent to being an entrepreneur The self-care practices that fuel her well-being And for the record...you don’t need Amazon Prime to get an ice roller!!

Today we’re joined in the studio by the incomparable Kirin Bhatti, a Portland-based, Canada-born intuitive counselor, healer, speaker, label-less being who is on a mission to help you uncover what your heart wants to know. Kirin shares a grounding meditation (3:40 - 7:02) to start us off - and her words set the tone for our episode, offering a glimpse into the work she does through her practice, Brownswell Healing. We talk about learning to uncover the prayers that live within each of us, Kirin’s work to help heal our collective loneliness and separation, aligning work with service to those around us, how to start developing a spiritual practice...and so much more.

We are honored to host Candace Molatore on this episode of We Tried Wellness! Candace is a true multi-hyphenate: Portland-native, social media strategist, self-love advocate, digital influencer. Candace tells us about about the formative experiences that influenced her decision to unapologetically celebrate her differences at an early age—and how she now uses social media to send messages of body positivity, self love, and inclusion to others who seeking representation and community…but also sometimes just some great fashion inspiration.

In this timely goal-oriented episode of We Tried Wellness, we chat with conscious living, zero/low-waste expert Chloe Lepeltier. Inspired by the minimalist life she lived in Europe, Chloe aims to inspire and motivate her community to live a simpler, greener and happier life. She leads a community of 800+ like-minded people on a journey to zero-waste, while organizing Portland’s Zero Waste Conference and showing anyone visiting or living in Portland a tour of her low-waste home. After listening to the episode, you’ll want to follow her style and advice on Instagram.

The Portland fog has fallen upon us and we’re kicking off this unintentionally hygge-themed episode with some autumnal hibernation topics (think: sleep, snacks, and meditation). Joining us this time around are Keeley Tillotson and Erika Welsh, best friends and co-founders of Portland-based, nut-butter centric brand, Wild Friends. We chat with these inspiring women about making nut butter fun, one wellness trend at a time.

Michael Cammarata, CEO and Co-Founder of Schmidt’s, joins us to talk about the natural products industry, the passion that drives his career, and his own personal take on wellness. His POV on health might surprise you; it’s all about starting small, with simple changes that can have big results. Let’s be clear, though—Michael’s mission is to change the world, and he’s mastered the art of aligning personal purpose with professional. Get ready for the inspiration! FYI - Jillian had a bit of a cold, which is why you hear her voice a little less this time. Don’t worry, she’s better now!

Alison here for the Episode recap.

Jaime Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt's Naturals , joins us again as a special guest host! In this episode, Jaime and Jillian chat with the co-founder and CEO of barre3, Sadie Lincoln. Sadie explains all about the wisdom and psychology behind exercise, and how to enter your exercise with intention. But first, Jillian talks about how to survive red-eye flights and Jaime reveals her ultimate DIY dragon fruit bowl recipe.

In Episode 6, hosts Alison and Jillian are joined by vegan chef Tara Thomas. Tara has been a whole foods-based vegan for more than three years, avoiding gluten and soy in her diet and recipes. During the interview, Tara enlightens our hosts about how being plant-based, health conscious, and earth-friendly is for the mind, body, and soul. Plus, Jillian and Alison share their experience trying a short-term raw food diet.

In this unique edition of We Tried Wellness, hosts Alison and Jillian are joined by photographer Chelsea Parrett, aka "The Purple Priestess", who walks them through the magic of tarot cards. Both Jillian and Alison receive a tarot reading and find out if there's any truth behind the cards.

Chasing perfection is something Kait Hurley knows all too well. "People who are struggling are high achieving," the former competitive distance runner and fitness marketer tell us. After figuratively hitting a wall, Kait introduced meditation into her life and has since taken control of her own mental health while helping others through her signature Move + Meditate method. In this episode, Kait walks Jillian and Alison through her method and how mental health doesn't look the same for everyone.

Lauren Danson, founder of Mizuba Tea Co. indulges hosts Alison McClaran and Jillian Engel in the magical world of matcha. They investigate what makes quality matcha and the delicious ways to drink it. Later, Alison and Jillian put oil pulling to the test and find out if the benefits are really there.

Jaime Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt's Naturals, drops by to reveal the craziest wellness trends she's tried. But first, hosts Alison McClaran and Jillian Engel talk about trends from Expo West, and later they find out if smiling really does change your mood.

A discussion of the latest Instagram trend: bathleisure, as seen on Rihanna and Kim Kardashian. Plus, hosts Alison McClaran and Jillian Engel discuss their trials with collagen and if they saw results. After that, they review their February horoscopes and what the stars have in store for their signs (Pisces and Virgo) this month.