THE MILK
Welcome to The Milk- the podcast that pours it all out: the messy, the magical, & the mildly unhinged moments of motherhood and womanhood. Real talk, honest stories, and reminders that none of us really know exactly what we’re doing- and that’s kinda the best part! I’m Tayla- your host and mom of soon to be three. So let’s laugh, learn, and milk this season of life for all that it’s worth.
THE MILK
Ep. 28 The Missing Piece of Postpartum Care with Restorative Roots
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What if postpartum recovery started with food? We sit down with Holly Stein, founder of Restorative Roots, to talk about the part of postpartum care that too many of us never get taught: food that actually supports healing, digestion, hormones, and mood after birth (and the ones that DO NOT).
Holly shares how her first postpartum left her depleted and struggling, then explains what changed when she discovered the “First 40 Days” framework rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. We get specific about what warm, easy-to-digest meals do for a postpartum body, why bone broth shows up in so many traditional cultures, and which nutrients moms are commonly low in after delivery, including iron, omega-3s, magnesium, B vitamins, and collagen-building amino acids.
We also talk practical postpartum meal prep, comforting freezer-friendly options, and the reality that recovery still matters even if you are months postpartum and feel like it is “too late.” If you’re pregnant, planning a baby shower gift, or craving a postpartum redemption, this conversation will help you build a plan that feeds the mom first, without guilt.
More Of What We Cover:
• Holly’s first postpartum experience and what felt missing
• Why warm soups and stews matter in early postpartum recovery
• How Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda frame the first 40 days
• Key postpartum nutrients and how depletion can affect mood and energy
• Bone broth, healthy fats, organ meats, and warming spices as recovery staples
• Herbal tea blends for replenishment and daily support
• Meal prep ideas like breakfast burritos and energy balls for the freezer
• How Restorative Roots ships frozen postpartum meals nationwide
• The mental load of motherhood and why planning postpartum changes everything
Check out Restorative Roots for your own postpartum healing or to gift a friend for theirs!
Use discount code: TAYLABURKE10
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Welcome To The Milk
SPEAKER_00Welcome to The Milk, the podcast that pours it all out, the messy, the magical, and the mildly unhinged moments of motherhood and womanhood. Real talk, honest stories, and reminders that none of us really know exactly what we're doing. And that's kind of the best part. I'm Taylor, your host and soon-to-be mom of three. So let's laugh, learn, and milk the season of life for all that it's worth.
Meet Holly And Restorative Roots
SPEAKER_00Hi everyone. Welcome back to The Milk. I have another very special guest with us today. It's Holly Stein. She is the founder of Restorative Roots. I reached out to her after constantly seeing her company pop up on my phone as I was in like my third trimester. And I was like, wait, I need this. And I feel like nutrition postpartum is the missing puzzle piece that so many women we either don't know about, we've never learned about, um, or just like the importance of how specific nutrients can really impact our postpartum time and our healing and recovery. So once I saw Restorative Roots, I was like, I have to reach out. I need to try this product and I need to get her on the podcast because it's something that I feel like every single mom should know about before becoming a mom while pregnant. And you just seem like such a wealth of knowledge of like everything that like moms need in postpartum care in such a different way than just like we always, you know, there's like the postpartum kits and the this and the that, and it's like we are missing out on such a key element to our healing and uh of our bodies. So welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. So happy to have you here. I'm happy to be here. Do you want to give a little intro on like who you are and just tell us about restorative roots? Yeah, um, I'm Holly.
SPEAKER_01I'm born and raised here in Southern California, right up the street from you. Um, I have three kids, nine, five, and one. Um, I'm very, I guess people would say crunchy, down like the holistic rabbit hole.
SPEAKER_00We love it, we love a crunch.
SPEAKER_01We're a crunchy mom. Um at homeschool, my older kids and you do that too?
SPEAKER_00Yes. Oh, so before we started, Holly and I were just talking about the laundry list of her life right now, and that was not on it. I cannot believe you do that too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so yeah, luckily my son is he's on summer break right now. Um, but yeah, we homeschool, my son skateboards, my daughter dances, um, kind of like in the thick of like all of their stuff right now.
SPEAKER_00While running this business.
SPEAKER_01Wow, yes. Yeah. Yeah, we got the business.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so what inspired you to start restorative roots?
A Rough First Postpartum Wake Up
SPEAKER_00Like, was there a specific moment where you noticed that something like this was lacking in postpartum care?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so this business was born out of my first postpartum. So I was already kind of like down the wellness rabbit hole at that point. I got pregnant with my first. I did an insane amount of research about, you know, pregnancy, the right, you know, the nutrition, the exercise, the supplements, everything for pregnancy. I was well researched for, you know, birth, all that. And we ended up choosing um a birth center. I had a midwife, I had a doula, I did hypnobabies, like very well prepared. And then for postpartum, I did nothing. And it wasn't like I was like, I'm good, I got that, like I don't need it. Like nobody told me. And I feel like even being like having the midwife in the doula, like no one told me what it was gonna be like postpartum. So I think I had maybe like one meal that I prepped and threw in my freezer, like for fun or whatever. And then postpartum came and I was insanely constipated. I had such bad mood issues, like I didn't feel good, and I remember thinking like maybe like six to eight weeks after he was born, like I was like, I just feel blah all the time. I told my husband, I'm like, if this is like the very best it gets, I don't think I want any more kids. Like, I love him, but like I think I'm done. And he's like, Yeah, okay, you know, whatever. Like, obviously, I was still in the thick of the fourth trimester, not knowing that. And so, you know, time went by, things got better, you know. And then before I got pregnant with my second, I discovered like traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda in the book The First 40 Days, and it laid out everything you need to be doing for postpartum, which is warm soups, stews, warming ingredients, avoiding like cold smoothies, which is basically all that I ate first postpartum. I'm like, I gotta lose the weight, um, I gotta bounce back. When can I fit back into my jeans? Like, and it was like raw salads, raw veggies, cold, you know, cold things. And no wonder I felt so terrible because that's the opposite of what you're supposed to be doing. So second postpartum came. I prepped over 60 meals in my deep freezer. And then when she was born, all my husband had to do was just defrost, reheat, bring me the food in bed. And I just remember like sitting in bed, like wearing a diaper, my nipples are like and I was like, uh every time he brought me a meal though, I felt like I was being like wrapped in this like warm hug, and I was just like, it was like my shoulders like relaxed. It was like an exhale, feeling like it's all gonna be okay. Like it made, and then my first poop, like I was so scared, it was so easy. Like I was like, oh my gosh, like my digestion is like so much better this time. And then I also had like a three-year-old running around the house, and even with that, it was still such an easier postpartum. Like, I like cherish those like first 40 days of like that postpartum time again. And so then when my daughter was about a year, I cooked for like two other friends um who were having their like second and third babies, and like you guys know, you need to experience what I experienced. And they both said the same thing. They're like, Oh my gosh, like I feel like so much better. So being like an entrepreneur, I was like, We need to start this business, we have to do this. My husband's like, I would like more passive income, and and like we do not know what we're doing. I was like, it's fine, we're gonna figure it out. Like, I just I made like a like a Squarespace website, like a little Canva PDF, and I just said, Website coming soon, click here for the menu. Like, I'm like, let's just see, and I like reached out to some doulas, and then it started like exploding around just like Orange County and people, you know, referring their friends, whatever. Um, and then yeah, and now extrapationwide. Like it just That's insane. Yeah, and what when did you launch? What year? That was uh 2021, end of yeah, like November, December.
SPEAKER_00So it's been five, not even five years yet, probably. Yeah, four and a half years. Okay. And so how I guess so. For anyone who doesn't know what restorative roots is, you are a postpartum meal delivery service. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So we cook everything, soups, stews, things like that. We portion it into containers, freeze it, and then ship it on dry ice nationwide.
SPEAKER_00Nationwide. That's crazy. Okay. It's like I feel like it's the perfect gift to give someone for like a baby shower, baby sprinkle. It's something that's last on our list as moms of like, oh, feeding ourselves. It's like feeding the baby, you know, getting through postpartum, getting through the nights, all of that, but it's one of the most important things on in our healing, I think. Truly. Do you why do you think nutrition and postpartum, I guess like meals, why do you think that's something that is so often overlooked nowadays?
SPEAKER_01I know it's interesting because if you go to like any other eastern culture around the world, like they're already doing this. Like this is they've been doing it for this is like how they do it. Like, you know, I talk to people like, oh, I'm Indian, my mom, da-da-da-da-da. Like, I'm Mexican, oh, and my culture, this is what we eat, and I'm Korean, and this is what my mom made for me with the pig speed and this, and that all the common theme was like warm, brothy things. But I think it's so overlooked because well, I think the moms overlook it because no one's talking to them about it. Like, you go to prenatal and it's all this like preparation of like, here's the supplements, here's the birth, and then you have the baby, and it's like, here's some stool softener, see you at six weeks, and here's a like a half-ass check for like postpartum depression, and everything's so focused on the baby. So I think first-time moms coming into it don't think to do anything about it because no one's telling them.
SPEAKER_00And then for the providers, I don't know why they're not. It's so crazy because you spend nine months growing this human and your body changing significantly, and like what happens with your hormones, what happens with your body, with your organs? How like if you've ever seen the diagram of like where your organs go at the end of pregnancy, I'm like, you mean my stomach is close to my heart right now? Yeah, it is just insane what happens in our body, and we spend nine and a half months going through that. Yeah, and then like the end goal is the baby pops out and no one really cares anymore. It's all about the baby. It's all about the baby. Yeah. And then you go to your six-week appointment. I just had mine, and I was so shocked because it was my first one I tore, like minor. Yeah. Um, my second was a C-section. This one, like, I didn't tear. They asked you this question. Like, I apparently, if you don't tear, they don't even do a vaginal check. Like, they didn't even like put their hands inside me. They didn't do anything to make sure anything was okay down there.
SPEAKER_01That's crazy.
SPEAKER_00It was like 30 seconds, like, oh, you didn't tear? Okay, here we're gonna do a a swab and then you're good to go. I'm like, wait, that that was it? So you're not like nothing else? And there was like the checklist of like, do you feel hopeless? Do you feel like you want to die? Do you like all these things? And it's like, all right, well. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, okay, so like we're not we're we don't care about my hormones or you know, healing everything else in my body. Like it's not, it's more of just like the physical and oh your baby's good.
SPEAKER_01Like that whole thing I feel like could be dissected into a like a whole episode on its own. Like, that's crazy. I was I didn't tear on my third, but my midwife did check me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. You a midwife probably gives you a little bit more time than average.
SPEAKER_01But but the questionnaire though, it'll be like, Are you crying a lot? I'm like, yeah, but then in my first one, I'm like, I should say no, because they're gonna say You feel judged, and like you're like, Am I gonna go to a psych work? Yeah, are they gonna like like put say I have depression, but I'm like, but yeah, I'm crying, but that's normal, right? To an extent.
SPEAKER_00It's uh it's like okay, where it's such a gray area of like when is something a problem and when is it just normal? And if it is a problem, then they're gonna pick up they're not the ones that can help you. So it's like, okay, are they gonna just send you somewhere else, or do you have to do all this reach research to find someone? It's like when do we have time to like seek help and care? And like there's just not a streamlined way of taking care of postpartum women. Yeah, yeah. And it's it's tough. So, anyways, that's why when I discovered your company, I was like, this is such an awesome like concept of nourishing the body, which like I feel like in all of my postpartum experiences, I'm like, oh, just like heat up these leftovers, or oh, just like grab a handful of nuts or this or that, or like focusing on my milk supply. Like this, it all completely made sense. And it was the first time I've really focused on the warm foods mentality.
The First 40 Days Framework
SPEAKER_00Do you want to explain like the four the first 40 days a little bit?
SPEAKER_01So TCM, yeah, it's like first 30 to 40 days. It's called like the golden month. Ayurveda also says the same thing. So TCM, traditional Chinese medicine, they say, you know, you're depleted in qi, which is like your life force. Ayurveda says you have an elevated vata, which is like that very like light, airy kind of energy. And to nourish that, you need to be having warm, oily, fatty, soft, easy to digest foods because you need those things to like rebuild, you know, your hormones, your hormones need fat and cholesterol. Your brain needs fat and cholesterol, and you need like the you know, the the from bone broth, you get like collagen and glycine, all these things, and that is like the literal building blocks of tissue. So you have, you know, maybe like a scar from your C-section, you had a tear, you had, you know, all your ligaments from you know, moving around and stuff from the relaxing, like you need these specific nutrients to actually rebuild. So they really prioritize the rest and then the warm, easy to digest foods because your um digestion kind of like goes offline. And if you're eating cold things, it's like it slows it down, yeah, it's making it work harder.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, it's true. It's like when I was postpartum, I was so focused on like, okay, how can I get the most nutrients with eating like as little as possible to shed baby weight and this and that, and I was so hyper focused on all of that. And I look back and I'm like, oh my gosh, all I was eating was smoothies and salads. And that was the total opposite of what I should have been eating. And so it all makes sense though. And someone else actually, one of my girlfriends read this one book about kind of like the first 40 days, and it was something to do with also like the reason why you need warm versus cold. It's something of like what you attract is what you or sorry, what you take in is actually like what you're absorbing of like even if it's like uh what you're watching, like apparently you're not supposed to watch like true crime, yeah. Because like your body's almost like an open door. Yeah. So anything that you're exposed to, your body's absorbing it. So that's why it's like you need warmth, not coldness. Like you want your body to be warm, not cold. Which I'm like, oh, this all makes sense. Yeah, it's like the chills.
SPEAKER_01I love that you said that because I feel like like our piece of the puzzle is the actual literal food. But I'm like, your diet consists of like what you eat, what you consume via like relationships, TV, podcasts, like all of those things. So it's not just the food.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's true. I this time around I was very intentional where of like I where I was like, I only want positivity and good things as as much as possible. You know, it's like I don't want to watch the news. I'm not gonna watch my favorite murder mysteries in my first 40 days. Yeah, it's another thing. I was trying to just like I just really wanted to to kind of protect my energy during that time. And I was like so much more aware. And so far I felt so much better. I don't know if it's because of that, but it definitely didn't hurt.
SPEAKER_01Oh, certainly. And and they say the way that you you can't prove this, but the way that you heal the first 40 days will impact the next 40 years of your life. So 40 days is not a long time to go without true crime and like you know, cold smoothies and like all those things.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
Nutrients, Mood, And The Gut
SPEAKER_00So are there specific things that you know off the top of your head that like women are specifically like depleted in after giving birth?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so like iron is a big one because you're losing a lot of blood, and low iron equals like fatigue and low energy. You have like DHA and omegas, which is like nervous system and brain, like B vitamins, um, like magnesium, zinc, um collagen, things like that. And it's interesting, they've there's a correlation between um like nutrient depletion and higher risks of postpartum depression. And a lot of those nutrients that you're depleted on are ones that contribute to mood. So I would love to see like people who are going through postpartum depression. The first line not to be like, jump straight to meds, which is a great tool if you need it. But I think the first thing would be like, let's like replete your nutrients and like start there, because if you've been eating crackers and cold coffee and like no food, like you're super depleted.
SPEAKER_00It makes sense because the gut brain axis are completely interrelated. Like, yeah, the way your gut is is how your your mental state will be as well. If your gut's out of whack, your mood's gonna be out of whack and vice versa. It's like same with like hormones and all that. So, like once you you start. I really have always I'm like a very past uh certified uh health coach. Okay. And so like my concept has always been that like food first has new nutrition and like healing, and then you you scale off of that. So like when you focus on your gut first, because it controls everything else in your body, that everything else can shift and enhance as well. So it's like that's why I love focus the the idea of focusing on food to kind of address those issues like postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety first, yeah, before obviously mixed with like you know, fresh air, therapy, totally sunlight, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Put your feet in the grass. Yeah, like and I like that you said the gut too, because the bone broth is so good and healing for your gut too, which is also good for your mood. Um so we yeah, everything's cooked in bone broth that we simmer with like regenerative bones.
SPEAKER_00Um, what other foods do you focus on in your meals that are like essential for postpartum recovery?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so definitely the bone broth, um like grass-fed animal fats. So we cook everything with either butter, ghee, or tallow. So you need a c fats, equal hormones. So you need good, healthy fats for replenishing. We use organ meats, so which can be scary to some who are not familiar with that, but you cannot taste any of them. Like, I have a very strong palate to detect the smallest amount of liver, and I'm like, if I can taste it, it's too much. Like, so you can't taste anything. It's in like our chili, um, our creamy chicken and our hearty sausage stew. You will never know what's in there. Definitely bone broth, all the like all the animal fats. I would say any high quality animal like product, like whether it's like butter, eggs, meat, um, beef, and lamb are both super warming, um, like grounded, like well-cooked, like root veggies. We include.
SPEAKER_00Um and you're really into herbs. I've seen. Yes. Okay. Oh my gosh, we have saying that. We have to talk about herbs because one, I know you have a lot of herbs in your meals. Yes. But then there's also specific teas that you recommend that are the most beneficial for postpartum time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so herbs and spices. So they're warming spices like your turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, those are all really good for inflammation and also warming, and then herbs, yes, like um ashwagandha, nettles, red raspberry leaf, oat straw, um, red clover blossom. Like those are all really great for postpartum.
SPEAKER_00So do you recommend any like sipping on teas because they're warming as well, too, during this time? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So we used to sell it, but we don't anymore because it's just it got too difficult. But I we sold a herbal blend that was nettles, red raspberry leaf, oat straw, and red clover blossom, which have so many vitamins and minerals, they're like replenishing, they're warming. And so I would sip on that like every day.
SPEAKER_00So, do you you have breakfast and lunch?
Herbs, Teas, And Comfort Meals
SPEAKER_00Do you want to go through like some of your menus? Because they're menu items, because they're so unique. And I had I got your big package. Okay. The oatmeal was incredible. Okay. And then also I love the chicken one. I mean, they're all good. Yes. But they were so do you want to go through them? Because they're very unique.
SPEAKER_01It's funny. The creamy chicken is our most popular dish, and it's like so plain, but so for some reason like postpartum, this just like hits the spot. Um so we have a rice pudding, which has Shadavari, which is a really um, it's like the the queen of like herbs, um, great for like hormones and postpartum. Um, we have it has pasture rice eggs in there, coconut milk, cinnamon. We have like the oatmeal kangee. Um, we have like a venison breakfast, like more like savory breakfast porridge. We have a chili lentil stew, um, a sausage stew with buckwheat. We have a yellow chicken curry congee.
SPEAKER_00What's your favorite? I think the rice pudding. The rice pudding and the curry.
SPEAKER_01Like that's like my breakfast. And we have a Mediterranean lamb stew now. Um, but they were all meant to feel like things that you we oh, we have the kitchery, which I think that's the most obscure one that people are not familiar with. That's like a very popular Indian dish. Um, I think we might be replacing it soon with something else. Um and who makes these recipes? So I did. You did, okay. Yeah, so a lot of them, I mean, lentil stew is lentil stew and chili is like, you know, chili. Um, so I'll like make them, but now we have someone in our kitchen who I'm like, I don't have the time anymore. Like we had this like idea for this like meditation.
SPEAKER_00Between three kids, homeschooling, running a business.
SPEAKER_01So we have someone in our kitchen who's been with us since the beginning, and he is like so on our page with like nutrition and everything, and he's so passionate. Like he has now taken over, like developing the recipes. I'm like, I'm like, this is what I want. Like, can you just make it better? And because you know, we have to like scale them up to like you know 40 gallons at a time. And the kangies, we have to like add a little bit more liquid than you would normally if you were gonna eat it fresh, because once they cool and you freeze them, it they're like a little bit different. So he kind of does all that now. Um that's a bit so yeah, but they're all meant to feel like familiar things, like oh my grandma, like lentil stew. Like it wasn't meant to be like creative, like unique fusions where you're like, what is this? Like I wanted to feel like things that are like comfortable and familiar, like not something like obscure in this like very like vulnerable time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, it is it is like the most vulnerable time in our lives.
Smart Meal Prep And Snack Ideas
SPEAKER_00And one thing that I didn't do much of ahead of time, but on top of this, like obviously your service. Are there any things that you recommend meal prepping before having a baby? Like little, you know, like yours are obviously like the nourishing meals. Like, what do you eat as snacks in between? Like, do you recommend like the little Powerballs or what what were what are your favorite things to before baby comes as like a first-time mom? What are some of your favorite things that you'd recommend for them to make?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I love to cook and meal prep. So even though we had all like I didn't have this business with our second, but I had it with our third. So I'm like, I already had all those things, but the things that I made on top of that were definitely I did breakfast burritos, which were yummy, but like definitely the little like lactation like energy balls. We got that um recipe on our blog.
SPEAKER_00Did you just freeze the breakfast burritos and then detaw them after?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I wrapped them in parchment paper and then in foil, and then I like vacuum sealed amazing them all. But definitely, yeah, I did lactation cookies, lactation brownies.
SPEAKER_00And you have all these on your website, you said?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah. Those recipes should all be on there. Um we also have a sister store called the Milk Market, which is we sell the mixes. So we our lactation cookie mix, our brownie mix, we have a muffin mix that are all lactation promoting. Um we used to like sell them. But it it was so hard to keep up, like at scale. So I'm like, if we can at least sell the mixes, I'll feel better about kind of like cutting them from the menu for now. Um yeah, I did I love muffins, so I did muffins. Um, but I feel like different variations of the energy well are great because they're very like nutrient dense, they're high in fat with like nut butters, the oats are really good for lactation, and you need something that's gonna be like yeah, you know, nutrient dense.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So you've obviously worked with thousands of women, I'm assuming. Yeah. And you connect with all of them. What's been like your I guess like the most rewarding part of this job? Because I feel like you can relate so much because like you are a mom, you've been in their shoes.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Um, I I mean it's I love hearing all the testimonials from everybody, but I love especially like the second or more time moms who had the really bad postpartum the first time and then prioritize their nutrition and were like, oh my gosh, that was life-changing. And I'm like, because I resonate with that story so much, and you really got to see the difference between not prioritizing it and how bad you felt, and then you know, eating the right foods and being like, wow, this actually like made a difference. Yeah. So I love those stories.
SPEAKER_00So, how many boxes have you guys sold? I'm curious. Do you know off the top of your head? I don't.
SPEAKER_01Okay, I feel like that'd be like such a great stat to have. I know. Okay, one year ago, Shopify said it was like this like little like per like shopping bag trophy for 10,000 orders.
SPEAKER_00Amazing.
SPEAKER_01And then we've only like grown exponentially since then. That's a good question. But like so many. Yeah, like it's so crazy.
Growing The Business Beyond Postpartum
SPEAKER_00Where do you see restorative roots going from here?
SPEAKER_01I would love, so we're bringing on baby food soon. Yeah, so we have baby food coming, and then we want to do like meal prep too. So kind of like ones you're past the first 40 days, because they're got to a point where I'm like, okay, I'm like done eating the kangies and the soups. But like, okay, now I'm six weeks postpartum. It's not like life is easy now. Like I'm still in the thick of it. Like, I have other kids, like, I need easy meals. So I want to we want to bring in meal prep this year, but I think we want to like move into eventually more like just healing meals in general because we get so many messages from people who like have h like, you know, post-explant surgery or just post surgery in general, or like people who are like, My so they have cancer, or like all these like different things.
SPEAKER_00Um and they benefit the same way. I mean, they need to lower their inflammation. Yes, they need high fats, especially for cancer patients. A lot of the time they go on the um oh my gosh, what is the diet where it's like all healthy fats and you like completely limit um sugar? Oh my keto. Oh keto. Yes, yes, yeah. It's like super high keto for cancer patients, which is very similar to to yours. It's like you're not adding any sugar, it's very focused on protein and high fats. Yeah. So I feel like that it that would be awesome. Because I was going to ask you after, I was like, okay, well, what happens after the 40 days like when you're done with this meal surface, like you still want to prioritize your nutrition the same way, but it's almost like you're like you go to like a graduating box. It's like yes, you move to the next chapter.
SPEAKER_01Because it's you're still but even still, like I for people listening to this who are like, well, I'm already like six months postpartum, it's too late for me. Like, if you have not repleted your nutrients, it like you still need to do that. Like, you're still gonna be tired, whatever, whatever you're experiencing. Like, if you have not gone through replenishment, like you need to do that still.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
Mom Of Three Reality Check
SPEAKER_00Okay, so you're also a mom of three.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00What I I just love asking this because I'm like in the thick of it. What transition was the hardest for you? Or like how was the jump?
SPEAKER_01Um, I think zero to one was my hardest because I used to be a wedding planner and I was like very like type A and independent, and I feel like my whole life like changed, and I pretty much stopped working after he was born. Cause I'm like, I don't want a situation where like maybe my kid is sick and I have to go to a wedding. I don't want to do weddings and have to like, because it's so demanding. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And choose in those tough situations. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Like, oh, my son has like, you know, an ear infection, but like, oh, I gotta go to the wedding. Like, I like I don't want a job like that. So I kind of and I feel like from one to two, I'm like, well, I've already like rearranged my whole life. So and I think with the zero to one, two, I was like, we're getting on a schedule. He's gonna nap from this time to this time, and then it never went like that. Like, I was so focused on like losing the weight, getting this, you know, just being so type A. And then I realized that's not how this is gonna work. And then so like one to two was easier, and then two to three, I'm like, well, it's already chaos. Like I have low expectations.
SPEAKER_00I literally describe it the same way like zero to one was such a lifestyle shock. And I always say that becoming a parent turned me from a type A person to like, I'm not saying I'm type B, but I'm like an A-B. Yeah, you know, like I'm I'm an A minus. Yeah, yeah. Like it's like I I I'm I'm strict and like with some certain things, and then there's others that I'm like, if it's out of my control, it's out of my control. And I've learned to just accept all of that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00One to two, the difference for me, it was just like the logistics of now. It's not just passing one baby from one parent to the other. It's like, no, no, no, we just switch kids. And we both each still have a kid. Yes. And then everyone's like, how's the jump from two to three? Like, are you dying? And I'm like, to be honest, you don't even like notice. Our life was such chaos before that we just like added like let's just like a tablespoon more of chaos so far. I mean, I've seen way less.
SPEAKER_01They say three is the gateway to four. And I'm like, Oh no. I get that. If I was younger, I would probably do it. Yeah. Not that I don't feel that I could have I'm I sure I know I could have a healthy pregnancy and outcome. But I'm like, I'm 41 now, like I think I'm just I'm done, I'm ready to like move on to the next phase.
SPEAKER_00But if I was younger, I'd be like, yeah, I would do it. Like it's already Did you always know that you wanted to get back into work at some point? Or did this just kind of it seems like it kind of just like presented itself once you started cooking for a few other families? And or did you did you know you wanted to get into something again?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like I am a very entrepreneurial personality. Like I oh, I'm like, if I get just paid for my business ideas, like I have I'm constantly like so many ideas. Um I'm like, okay, I can't pursue all of these. Yeah. But this one I was just so passionate about. I'm like, we have to do this. And so it worked out. Like my husband, um, within wasn't it? No, within a year or so of it, he like went full-time on this business. Like, we got so like the universe has just opened all the doors at the right time, where it was like he um got like let go from this really toxic job, and we're like, oh my gosh, but we were relieved. And then a few months later, he found this like amazing, like part-time job that was enough to like cover all of our expenses, but it gave him time to work on this. And then after like eight months of that, they had to like reconfigure and let him go from that. And it was the first month that we were like, yeah, we could live off of this, like, we'll just see how it goes. And then he obviously had more time to work on it, so I feel like every door has just opened at the right time. That's right. I know it's right. Yes, it's like all the stars align. Yeah, like it's hard work, but it's been so effortless, like in terms of yeah, the stars aligning.
SPEAKER_00What's your role in the company and what's your husband's and how many people do you have on your team?
SPEAKER_01So I am like the visionary now. I don't everything, any task that I take on is nothing time sensitive that we're like, Holly, we need this because I'm like, I I'll get to it when I get to it. So a lot of like ideas like for marketing, I go to our marketing meeting and our leadership meeting, um, like blog post ideas, like things like that. And then my husband, he's like the CEO and handles all like the spreadsheets and like keeps everyone going. And we have probably like five or six people in the kitchen. We have like an email girl, a social media girl, marketing assistant, web guy. So awesome. Um, you know, a CPA, the finance lady, you know, the usuals.
SPEAKER_00I bet like five years ago, you would be so proud of where you're like wouldn't believe where you're at now with this business. Like back then, you know, just like a crazy little idea of like we should start this. And now seeing where you're at in five years, it's probably like very like larger than life.
SPEAKER_01It's so crazy. And I'm like, we I'm like seeing all these people on our payroll. I'm like, this is crazy. Cause I when I was a wedding planner, I feel like I was kind of like just me and like some assistance, and like I always felt like it was I don't know. I'm like, but I feel like this is like a real business. Not that it wasn't a real business before, I'm like, this is like a real business. Yeah, like we are like feeding our family like this. This is crazy. Um, like I that was always the goal, but like I don't. I mean, it's and I feel like that's my husband's better at like taking the leap and being like, yeah, we just need to like take the step forward. I'm like, oh, I don't know, like I'm so stingy with like you know, on some things, or like I'm too scared to like take risks. Yeah, like because my husband is full-time in it, there's like always one of us who is like all in on it, so then that really helps. Um I don't work like full-time hours, but I always feel like there's so many plates, like not everything is great all the time. Like when one thing's going great, then something's being dropped, and then I'm like, maybe I'm not getting my steps that day, or like maybe I'm not drinking enough water that day, or um, but I think definitely like I try to like prioritize like the kids right now. I'm like, they're so young. Um, my oldest is nine. I'm like, oh my god, that is halfway to adult. Like, we are halfway done. How is that possible?
SPEAKER_00And you probably feel like you just had him.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like I feel like he's five, but he's like nine. I'm like, we're halfway, and as he gets older, we're only gonna be spending like less time with him. He's only gonna be needing less. Um, so I feel like I have that like perspective now that I'm like, okay, all in on the kid stuff. Like I we do have like a sitter that comes, you know, a few days a week to help. Um, but I have her helping with like dishes and like laundry and like things. I'm like, okay, like I'll hang out with the baby right now. Like you do that other stuff.
SPEAKER_00Like I always I've always like I've un I understand like when people say that being a parent is hard, like taking care of your kids, especially as like a full-time mom at home. Yeah toughest job out there, yeah, in my opinion. Like you're literally working almost 24 hours a day constantly, you know. Um, I always say that the hardest part of the job isn't taking care of the children, it's doing everything else that comes with it. For sure. It's like the cooking, the cleaning the dishes, the doing the laundry, the you know, running errands, all those different things. Like I would rather hang out with, I don't need a sitter to take care of my kids. I need someone to help do all the other stuff.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Like when they say I'm like, I'm like, I don't want a vacation for my kids. I just want to like hang out with them and not have to like be in charge of like discipline. I just want to do that.
SPEAKER_00And have things booming on. Yeah. It's like we always, you know, as moms, we talk about the mental load. It's like that's the most exhausting part of it. It's like, okay, did my kids eat? Oh, we need we need more diapers. Oh, I forgot to get this for dinner, and all of those things that come around. Oh, I haven't done the laundry for a while, and oh, now my daughter doesn't have her dress. And what about this class project or this or that? Like all these different things. We just had our today was Bash's um last day of school, and it's like, oh, I for almost forgot about his class party, and then oh, I have to get the kids the gifts. Our nanny's out of town. We just got back from extra, like all these things, and like, oh no. Oh my gosh. Oh no.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's fine. This morning it was like 11 a.m. Like, I need to lay down, like I need a break, because it's just like getting them like to be like self-sufficient, like human beings, and like because sometimes it's easier to just do it for them. But I'm like, okay, we gotta like brush our teeth and like we gotta clean up the like make your bed. But I'm like, oh my gosh, if I just did it myself, it would be done. But I'm like, no, that doesn't serve them.
SPEAKER_00I feel like getting them to like parenting is like the healthy balance of like showing your love by wanting to do things for your children. Yes, but then also like the truest form of love is allowing them to be independent humans and do it themselves. Yeah. When we just like, I I like I will watch my daughter fight over like trying to do something and she's getting frustrated, and I'm like, I need to do this. And Scotty's like, relax, give her some time to figure it out on her own. And it's true, like the second they get it on their own, it's like the most rewarding experience. There's no better experience.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, oh my gosh, watching them learn how to like button a shirt for the first time, you're just like, oh my gosh. I know, I'm but then they do it, and then yeah, like you said, like the I mean, you can't replace that sort of like self-confidence.
SPEAKER_00It's
Plan Postpartum And Protect Your Energy
SPEAKER_00true, it's true. Well, this was so fun. I know thanks for having me. What is um just to leave our listeners with someone who maybe hasn't experienced postpartum before or maybe has and it wasn't the greatest experience, and they're they're looking for a postpartum redemption, I guess. Like, what is one thing that you want to tell this woman?
SPEAKER_01I like you said redemption. I feel like I, my second one, I'm like, I don't need a redemption birth, I need a redemption postpartum, which I got with my second and third. And I think it's don't leave postpartum just to like up in the air. You need to prepare. Um, that needs to be something that you're thinking about, and you know, you're planning a nursery, you're planning all these things. Like, postpartum is a thing that you need to plan for, and it's you need to plan for food, especially like that, you know, that first week or two, like your maybe your husband's home, you have friends dropping off meals, and then like week two or three comes, and now it's kind of like radio silence, like you, which is one of the reasons I love that our meals are frozen because you have them in the freezer for when you need them. It's not like, oh, you got this box delivered and it's fresh and you have to hurry and eat it, but then your friend brothers lasagna or whatever, like they're there when you need them. Um, and we also have like a free download on our website that is like quick, quick postpartum guide prep, and it's just like a few little tangible things um of like you know, preparing, um like meal prepping each other. Yeah, there's like meal preps, um, you know, warming spices, herbs, like things like that that are just very tangible that you need to think about. Like, do not leave it to chance.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that's that's that's a good point.
SPEAKER_01And then also I think like it's so hard in the beginning, and it's not always gonna be this hard. Although it's always hard, but it just changes, but it gets better. I feel like every stage just gets better and better. So if you're like in the beginning, being like, it like, yeah, is this for me? Like, am I always gonna feel like this? Like it just gets better. So it's true.
SPEAKER_00It's like the hard will always be there. Like the challenging. I always say it's like a challenge. Like it's nothing you can't get through. Like we've we've done hard, we can do hard. You know, we've sometimes you have difficult pregnancies, sometimes you have difficult difficult births, you know, difficult postpartums, like we've done it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And each time makes us stronger. And the farther along we go in it, for some reason, it's like it just becomes more manageable. Yeah. It's like the it's not as daunting hard. Yeah. You know, I don't know. It just always even with like repeat postpartums or or new experiences, it's like things that we've never experienced before. It's like the hard just feels, even though it's like a new different type of hard, it just feels more manageable. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Your capacity just your capacity grows. It's exactly like me with one kid could have not handled three, but it's like you just slowly grow into it and then become and then they or they become mobile and then you start, you just keep growing. And I hate the like, oh, the just you wait. I hate when people say that, but I love the like, oh, just you wait, like how much better it gets. In a positive, in a positive way. Like, oh, just wait till they this, it just gets better and better and better.
SPEAKER_00I remember when I had my two kids, I would like if I was alone with them, I was like, oh my gosh, this is so much. Like I couldn't imagine three. And then naturally just evolving to a mom of three. Yeah when now I'm now the you know, rare times when I'm just with the two of them, I'm like, this is so easy. I just yeah, I mean, I'm like, oh my god, how did I ever like complain about this or feel overwhelmed? Like, yes, you you're you it's valid in the moment. Like how you're feeling is true. Like it was probably overwhelming, it was difficult, but that was my capacity. Yeah. And now that it's grown, like I can I can be with all three at the same time. Oh, for sure. And I like don't even overthink it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I remember the first time I was done with all three of them. I'm like, okay, I'm this is my first time, and now it's so funny.
SPEAKER_00Like after a couple times, your discapacity just yeah, you always think you can't do something, and then when you're put in it, it's like you naturally level up energetically, everything. It's it's been the coolest thing to experience. Like, damn, like we're cool like that.
SPEAKER_01I know, and people say, Oh, I could never have twins. I'm like, well, if you we're pregnant with twins, you're not gonna only take one of them, like you're just gonna do it. Like, stop saying that meeny meeny miny mode. Which one am I gonna take? Like, no, you could do it, you're you're going to do it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you just figure it out. It's true. We really are super, superhuman.
Where To Find Restorative Roots
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so where can everyone find you? Like your Instagram, your website orders if people want to place orders.
SPEAKER_01Our website is restorativeroots.com. Our Instagram is eat.restorative.
SPEAKER_00Um, so you can find us cool. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. We'll put everything in the just description if people want to check out your meals. And you have different like kits, there's different levels of them, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so there's different preset boxes, and then you can build your own box too. So most people will order a preset box the first time, kind of like try everything, and then they'll do like a build box for their subsequent orders because they know what their favorites are. Now, and do you have a discount code?
SPEAKER_00Uh, I would love one. Okay, so give everybody.
SPEAKER_01You can put it in the notes, we'll get you. Perfect. Amazing.
SPEAKER_00So if you're listening, find the discount code in our notes. Thank you so much for listening in another week with Holly. If anything, I just hope this episode makes you feel supported and just inspired to really take care of yourself during the postpartum time because that's why I wanted to have this conversation, especially while I'm still in this state of being postpartum now, eight weeks. But just really wanting to prioritize our well-being because we put you know our heart and soul into our babies and as we should, and you know, we love them so much. But just a reminder to love ourselves back, yeah. And we are better people when we take care of ourselves for others, is what I've noticed. And this time around, I've definitely noticed a difference. Me like yeah, taking it slow, being so much more intentional. I'm like, wow, I've shown I show it for myself to be able to show it for everyone around me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, love that.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you guys so much.
