Golde Co-Founder and CEO Trinity Mouzon Wofford Believes Wellness Comes In Seasons—And It’s Time to Honor Yours

Right now is my favorite season to garden: It’s springtime, so everything’s just beginning again, and there’s so much work to do out there. Even if I’m just doing some mulching, it’s a meditative experience and an opportunity to think about what seeds I want to plant for future seasons. I’m a huge proponent of thinking about your wellness habits in the same ephemeral way. Whether it’s a workout you’re enjoying or a new meal you’re loving in this current moment, it doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture in your life; it can serve you in this season, and then you can let it go when it’s no longer instrumental to your health and well-being.

To me, wellness is really all about the practices you create that help you to feel like your best self. Of course, there are a lot of superfoods in my routine. Golde’s Coconut Collagen Boost mixed with Pure Matcha is my daily afternoon treat for energy and healthy skin. I think finding those simple practices that give you joy are really what’s at the center of each person’s relationship with wellness and self-care.

I grew up in a family that prioritized health. (Almond butter and cod liver oil were always in the pantry!) It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized how powerful a holistic lifestyle could be. I watched my mother struggle with an autoimmune disease, only to see so many of her symptoms improve when she made foundational changes in her wellness routine. I knew from that experience that it was so important for everyone to have access to products that made it easy, and actually enjoyable, to feel your best—and that’s what we’re committed to at Golde. But while some habits are made to last a lifetime, others can just make an appearance (and that’s totally okay).

To me, wellness is really all about the practices you create that help you to feel like your best self.

For instance, lately, I’ve been doing a lot of dry brushing, an ancient practice that’s believed to have originated in Ayurveda, a holistic medicine practice from India, and it’s known for exfoliating the skin, boosting lymphatic drainage in the body, and improving circulation. I’ve never habitually dry brushed myself in my life, and I don’t know how long this is going to last—but I’m not pressuring myself to, like, “never stop dry brushing!”

Or, pretty soon it’s going to be summer and I know I’m going to get back on my smoothie kick. It’s very hard for me to do the smoothie thing in winter, but I find that in warmer months I’m really craving something fresh and hydrating every day. Also, going for more walks. Especially with the days being so long, it’s that wonderful situation where after work, you can actually go on a nice long walk. There’s something to be said for just appreciating these calendar seasons and the seasons within yourself—and also learning something from them.

Holy failure is so eloquent because that’s where the progress happens and that’s where you become better.

Gardening for me is totally separate from work, but it also builds me into a better leader. If you plant something for the first time and it works out, great… but you didn’t learn anything. Whereas holy failure is so eloquent because that’s where the progress happens, and that’s where you become better. Sometimes you go to harvest carrots, and when you pull them up out of the ground, you find that all you have are these gnarly nubs. You have to laugh at that, and you have to laugh so often at work, too.

Bring a little bit of lightness into your wellness habits and let that lightness seep into the more “serious” parts of your life—it’s such a game-changer. Even if it just helps you weather this season of life with a little more perspective, it’s served its purpose. Something new grew out of the mulch.

Trinity Golde Wofford is the co-founder and CEO of superfood essentials brand Golde and one of Well+Good’s 2021 Changemakers. Find out more about her by following her on Instagram. 

As told to Kells McPhillips.

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