How I Thrive takes an inside look at founders, entrepreneurs and leaders and the behind-the-scenes self-care work they do to in order to live balanced, happy lives. Today's edition is with LIVELY founder Michelle Cordeiro Grant, who's all about a glass of wine after a long day and has an excellent skincare routine.
Name: Michelle Cordeiro Grant
Age: 39
City: New York, NY
Company: Lively, an innovative leisureé brand that blurs the aesthetic lines of lingerie, lounge, active, and swim, taking the best elements of high-style and comfort from each category.
Role: Founder & CEO
Beyond the role: Outside of work I’m a mother and wife who is passionate about her family. I enjoy baking, reading, doing fun activities with my kids and trying new things.
Morning routine:
During quarantine, I’ve been committed to sticking to the same morning routine I always have. I get up every day at 6:30 a.m. to have some time to myself before the rest of the house needs me. I pour myself a cup of coffee and do some sort of workout, which varies depending on how I’m feeling that day. It can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, and I’ll do different classes such as The Ness or Sculpt Society, and some days I’ll just go for a run — that has been my favorite form of meditation during quarantine.
After that, I’ll take a shower and do my skincare routine. Some products I’m loving right now: Joanna Vargas ritual bar, Dr. Dennis Gross Vitamin C Serum, Caudalie Beauty Elixir and Biossance eye gel. This time to myself in the morning is such an important part of my day in that it allows me to have a moment to ground myself, get mentally prepared for the day and reflect on what I’m grateful for and why I’m doing what I’m doing.
Normally I’d be commuting to the office or heading to a meeting around 9 a.m., but since I have no commute right now I’m taking that time and dedicating it to my kids. We’ll do different activities every day, from baking and arts and crafts to even just chatting and catching up. It’s been so special to have that extra time with them, and it helps set the tone in our house for the day. It’s been calmer in our household than it’s ever been. My mornings are currently my favorite part of the day because I’m getting some me time and some family time — it’s a win win.
The first thing I do after work:
Family time! This is my favorite way to destress after work. Depending on the day, after work is typically 6 or 7 p.m. For me, it’s so important to start and end the day with your loved ones. Even outside of quarantine, I always try to set boundaries in my schedule so I’m able to clock out for a few hours and get home in time to have dinner with my family. A family dinner is typically how I like to cap the work day because time with them is what it’s all about! And when it’s been an extra long day, a glass of wine with dinner is key.
Dinner ritual:
We typically eat dinner around 6 or 7 p.m., and I’ve definitely been doing a lot more cooking during quarantine! It’s been a great way to spend quality time together, and my kids feel the love with a home cooked meal. It’s also been a fun, relaxing activity for me with this extra time.
Nighttime routine:
After our family dinner, my husband and I get the kids to bed and I’ll log back on for an hour or so to make sure everything’s closed out for the day. After showering and doing my skincare routine, I like to carve out a few minutes to prepare for the next day ahead. First things first, I set the timer on our coffee maker. That way it’s brewed and ready before I even open my eyes in the morning.
I also like to set out my outfit for the next day. I have an outfit "formula" that I use every day to make getting dressed easy and fun, and setting it out the night before makes the process that much easier and it’s one less thing I have to think about in the morning. Right now, that formula pretty much consists of one of our LIVELY bodysuits or our All-Day Tee on top, our No-Wire Push-Up bra or one of our bralettes, our All-Day Joggers on the bottom and a kimono to add a fun and cozy element to it. Also, if I’m doing an IG Live, I love to throw on my hoops.
Self-care guilty pleasure:
A glass of wine after a long day is my favorite thing to indulge in and treat myself with — we all deserve a little extra self-love during this time.
How do you define self-care?
Indulging in whatever keeps you sane and setting boundaries in your day. For me, that means almost always logging out to have dinner with my family and during quarantine it’s meant making compromises in my schedule to give some extra attention to my kids.
I’ve been gracious with myself in knowing that it will take some compromise in work schedules between my husband and I to balance the kids, and accepting that for what it is and going with the flow has been huge for my sanity. I think it’s extra important to be gentle with ourselves during this time and be aware that your schedule and productivity may not look the same.
Since we’re spending so much time on our screens we’re able to get more done in a shorter period of time, so taking breaks or breaking up the day into sections is more common. I’ve been big on mid-day runs as a form of meditation and, even though I’m not always excited to do it, I always feel like a new person afterward. It does wonders for my energy, my creativity, and my productivity and it just keeps me sane overall. Little things like this that ground you and make you feel even the slightest bit better are the best form of self-care.
State of your (email) inbox:
As much as I aspire to be a zero inbox person, that's definitely easier said than done especially while WFH with the family. I like to keep all my to-dos very organized on my Google Calendar to use that as a checklist throughout the day and week making sure I don’t lose sight of any tasks at hand.
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Illustration by Megan Behrendt