Welcome to Steep & Tell, our interview series steeping the stories of women founders we admire. Over a cup of tea, we ask about slow mornings, hard seasons, the rituals that keep them grounded, and the honest truths no one warns you about in business. Pour something warm and settle in.
This week we're sitting down with Dr. Sara Love, founder of Lichen + Leaf, her tea company built on a simple, radical belief: that rest and fun aren't the opposite of productivity, they're what make it possible. You can find her at @lichenleaf.
What does a slow morning look like for you, and how do you protect it?
Relaxing with a nice cup of tea and petting my cat. Ideally, I can go for a walk, but that isn't always possible. I protect it by not scheduling early meetings and blocking my calendar until 10am for any tasks. (It also helps that my kiddo is grown and out of the house.)
What is your non-negotiable ritual that keeps you grounded?
Going outside for at least 30 minutes a day and taking deep breaths, enjoying nature.
What is something about running your business that no one warned you about?
Branding and storytelling are more important than a quality product.
Tell us about a hard season or a failure that ended up shaping you or your brand.
When I was experiencing some major burnout and knew things had to change but was unsure where to even begin, I let myself be open to any change or opportunity and enrolled in a class that helped me clarify my vision and focus on what my goals were, not what people expected from me. This has been an absolute game changer. I am a much better person for it, and it helped me create a brand new business in a completely different industry from the one I had been working in.
When you are overwhelmed, what actually helps? The real thing, not the advice you are supposed to give.
Take a deep breath and focus on all the wins. I try to keep a journal of wins and look back at what I have accomplished.
What do you wish more people understood about what you do?
I give people permission to rest and have fun. That can be really hard for people to accept in a chaos culture where everything is supposed to be "work" or "productive," because having fun and resting are a critical component of a productive working person.
A small luxury or habit that has been worth every penny?
Hiring a bookkeeper!
Which other woman founder should we all be paying attention to?
Jasmine of Essance Skin Care and Alison of Perspektiive Design Co.
If your brand were a cup of tea, what flavor would it be and why?
My brand is a cup of tea! And all my tea blends are my babies, so I can't choose just one. I love them all equally.
Anything you have coming up that you would like us to spotlight?
Lichen + Leaf regularly joins tea celebrations and pop-ups with fellow tea makers. Follow @lichenleaf for what's next.
Sara's answer to our tea question was the best kind of impossible: her whole brand is a cup of tea, and she loves every blend like one of her babies. So we won't pick one for her. We'll just say she's our favorite kind of founder to feature, a fellow maker who believes that slowing down is the whole point.
Follow Sara at @lichenleaf and explore her blends at lichenleaf.com.
