Our guest today is Zoe Lind van’t Hof, the co-founder of the functional food brand Wunder Workshop and founder of Boobs Essential. In this episode, we talk about her journey of love, legacy, and purpose, conscious entrepreneurship, and how to follow your dreams no matter how risky they seem to be.
The Beginning
“It was always bringing in nature into our home and being out in nature, which was the foundation of my upbringing.”
Zoe was born in Australia, but moved to the Netherlands and later to Germany with her late mother after her parents separated. She had a beautiful upbringing, as her mom spent a lot of time in nature with her and raised her in a holistic, spiritual way.
Zoe went to University in Manchester to study criminology and political science, because she was always interested in psychology, and how the mind works. She die her masters in International Relations with her thesis on Climate Change.
She subsequently worked in interior design but knew this was not her passion.
Reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now shifted her perception. She understood that she wasn’t living in the present moment, and gave herself 6 months to decide if she would stay in her job or not. After 6 months, Zoe knew that her true passion was creating natural oil blends, and potions, so she decided to follow her heart.
Following Her Calling
“If I overthought the risks of all of that, then I probably would have just freaked out.”
It was at this time when Zoe and her mom went to Sri Lanka for a traditional ayurvedic retreat. She was always fascinated by all the healing herbs, but this time she got especially interested in turmeric and its healing properties. When she came back from the retreat, she decided to quit her job and create a product from turmeric. She chose Golden Milk, which wasn’t well known in the UK or Germany at the time.
While Zoe was preparing for her new business, her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Zoe spent as much time as she could with her mom during the last year of her life. At the time, Zoe was only 25 years old, and she remembers that time as a painful, but beautiful period, where she developed an even deeper connection with her mother.
Being with her mother and her own journey with grief gave Zoe a powerful perspective on how poorly we as a society deal with death and grief and Zoe´s powerful sharing´s and advocacy on grief through her social media channels raise awareness and touch many people.
During her mother’s treatment, Zoe found out about the many healing characteristics of the Cannabis plant. Wunderworkshop now also offers CBD oils.
Living A Conscious Life
“This too shall pass.”
Being true to her values and living a conscious life also means taking difficult decisions. Over the years, Zoe and her business partner, Tom, who is also her boyfriend, got many offers from investors. However, in some cases, what the investors proposed was not in line with their values as they would have compromised on sustainability in order to increase revenues. Zoe and her partner turned down these offers, as they want to grow in a healthy and sustainable way.
Zoe regularly practices mindfulness and spends as much time in nature as she can. Her mantra in life is “this too shall pass”, which always helps her calm down in stressful situations and put her life in perspective.
Palma’s Practice On Increasing Self-Awareness
This week’s practice is about increasing your self-awareness and to notice whenever you contract or whenever you feel expanded and open.
We invite you, to simply be aware of those shifts of openness, expansiveness and closeness or contraction without changing them in any way. Just see if it's possible to be with both of those states, observe them, and allow them to be as they are.
Just notice what happens.
About Our Guest Zoe Lind van´t Hof
Zoe learned about health and nutrition from her late mother, who had been in the wellbeing industry for over 40 years. This meant she grew up plant-based, surrounded by botanicals, developing her own intuitive herbalism, foraging and growing organic food was the daily norm. This knowledge and motivation has led her to start up her own business.
Having travelled with her late mother to Sri Lanka to experience and learn more about Ayurveda, Zoe learned about turmeric and its benefits. A couple of years after finishing her Masters degree in International Relations with a thesis on Climate Change, she went back to Sri Lanka to establish a partnership with the suppliers of our most crucial ingredient, Turmeric, and begin her journey to starting Wunder Workshop.
A special thanks to Zoe Lind van’t Hof for taking the time to share her inspiring story with us.
Resources Mentioned In The Show:
Zoë Lind van’t Hof and Tom Smale - Super Root Spices
palma@palmamichel.com
Continue Your Journey
Now it is time to find your own unique path. We can help you to connect with your innate wisdom and create an inspiring vision for a deeply fulfilling and meaningful life. Apply for a discovery session on our website,palmamichel.com.
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Thank You
Thank you for joining us on this journey of the Explorer’s Mind Podcast.
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Until next time, We truly appreciate you listening and look forward to continuing this journey together.