The duo behind Sakara Life, Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle, launched their organic meal delivery company in 2011 to bring their Sedona, Arizona roots to the New York masses via Rose Water, Detox Tea, and plant-based meals (think ingredients like hemp seeds, matcha, tempeh and miso).
Now, they split their time traveling between those two cities as well as their other key markets in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, and Dallas. Even when they’re on the road, they practice clean, green eating and conscious movement—in moderation, of course, which means their day usually involves a healthy breakfast and lunch and a Ballet Beautiful workout video, followed by an indulgent dinner. Here, they share their go-to travel outfit, in-flight snacks, and what’s in their suitcase.
“Our brand is very fun and sexy and modern, but we’re using a lot of ancient wisdom, knowledge, and traditions.”
Danielle: We grew up together in a very hippy spiritual town in Sedona, Arizona. And it’s full of new age people; people come to Sedona for major healing. So we grew up with people who have this intense understanding of the mind-body-food connection, and are really living that life—they aren’t distracted by city life or technology, so we call them ‘the men on the mountain.’ When we came to New York we really missed being surrounded by those types of people and living that life. And we so we asked, ‘How do we bridge those two worlds?’
Whitney: We bring the wisdom of those people, who are dedicating their lives to seeking and finding these answers and discoveries, to more urban people in a way that isn’t weird or scary to them. Our brand is very fun and sexy and modern, but we’re using a lot of ancient wisdom, knowledge, and traditions.
“You can really get into a bubble in New York City.”
Whitney: “We travel at least one or two weeks out of the month, usually to L.A., D.C., Sedona, Miami, and Dallas. Those are our other key markets, and we go to Sedona to make sure that we’re connected to our roots and staying in that headspace, because you can really get into a bubble in New York City. That helps us remember what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
“I try to pack by event.”
Whitney: “Danielle gets mad at me if I have to check a bag. I try to pack by event. Are we speaking on a panel? Do we have a client dinner? Do we have investor meetings? What are all of the different things going on? Then I try to envision myself in that place and what I’m wearing, and then try to pull those things together. Loosely by outfit, and that’s how I end up without underwear or something.”
Danielle: “I would say I’m somewhat the same though there are staples that I always pack, like a pair of black pants, Frame denim jeans, and sweatpants. We’re usually wearing a cowboy hat and boots on the plane, and then I usually have my jean jacket over a sweater. I usually always travel with all of my jewelry because I feel like that’s just an easy way if I forgot to pack something to try and pull an outfit together. The other nice thing is that we can share…”
Whitney: “Sometimes we like to take a matching outfit and one will wear one half and the other will wear the other half. So then we can have similar outfits but not be matchy-matchy.”
Danielle: “Like a Mara Hoffman [ensemble] that’s a crop top and pants.”
“Even if we’re too busy to workout, it’s at least nice to hang out in workout clothes at the house.”
Whitney: “The one thing we always pack is probably a cowboy hat because sometimes we like to rent convertibles and so it’s great for keeping your hair under wraps or protecting your face from the sun wherever you go. It’s good for the beach. It’s good for the mountains. It’s good for anywhere you’re going.”
Danielle: “And always workout clothes. Even if we’re too busy to workout, it’s at least nice to hang out in work-out clothes at the house. And you can stretch or something. I just got some goods stuff from Chichia Active, and I like Carbon38.”
“The key is staying hydrated.”
Danielle: “I always bring a book and water and headphones. I usually bring face oil for the plane. I really like Vintner’s Daughter—it’s a botanical serum, and it’s so good. I don’t usually wear makeup because I like to moisturize a lot during the flight. I always take probiotics before and after the flight. Sakara has a daily probiotic and it has prebiotics and digestive enzymes and systemic enzymes as well, so it really helps with like plane bloat and helps keep your microbiome balanced as you travel. We bring Sakara meals onto the flight—I don’t eat the plane food. I bring the Plant Protein Granola for a snack.”
Whitney: “The key is staying hydrated. Airplanes will dry you out. Eating hydrating foods – like lots of vegetables – helps. And I love our Detox Bars or our Clarity Bars. Those are really just easy to throw in a bag and I know that they’re clean and make me feel good.”
“If it’s a vacation-vacation, then I usually try to stick to my routine for most of the day and then at night, have a big dinner and don’t stress.”
Danielle: “When I get to the hotel, I try and do some type of inversion, even if it’s just putting my feet up or doing like a headstand or a hand stand, something to get the blood flowing in the opposite direction. If it’s a vacation-vacation, then I usually try to stick to my routine for most of the day and then at night, have a big dinner and don’t stress–it’s not like I’m going to not enjoy. I’m usually making sure to do some sort of physical activity every other day or so—I like yoga or Ballet Beautiful videos because you don’t need any workout equipment and it’s a really good workout.”
Whitney: “I like to go in the water if I’m somewhere where there’s a beach or a lake. That really makes me feel relaxed and like I become part of wherever I am, part of that environment. Like there’s a clear breaking point between traveling and being in that place.”
