What are your daily rituals and how do you create a sense of constancy and coziness? Are those feelings important to you?
I wake up pretty early most mornings. If I’m up first I’ll bring Casey coffee in bed, then light some incense, write in my journal, or meditate. The morning has always been a precious time for me...I’d say constancy and coziness are at the heart of why we started Canyon Coffee. I think constancy comes to many in the form of routines and habits. To me, what makes a routine a ritual is the intention put into it, seeing the action as an opportunity to do something mindfully. Lighting the kettle, burning incense, making and enjoying a cup of coffee—those things all feel cozy to me!
You are a traveler by nature, have the shifts of the past few months made you feel different about wanderlust? How have you scratched that itch in meaningful ways during this time?
Before the pandemic, I was used to being out of town 2-3 times a month! So there has definitely been a marked change in how much I’m traveling. But while I can’t wait to travel again without restrictions, this time has definitely brought out the inner home-body in me. Just as I’m sure I’ll be even more appreciative to travel after this time, I’m also feeling more appreciative of all my books and our home and the long walks I’ve been enjoying in our neighborhood...We’ve still done some traveling, though, mostly through road trips. There’s so much to explore here in California, but also around the US. In the summer, we actually drove all the way to Minnesota to visit Casey’s family and New York to see my family. We did a loop, so we got to see so much of the country. It was so beautiful being on the road enjoying all the open space.
You started and now run your business with your partner, Casey. That is a joyful leap and a big adventure, for certain, but how do you maintain balance or barrier between the personal and professional, between your worker-selves and lover-selves?
I have to say I truly love having a business with Casey. It took time to find the right way to operate, and in many ways it's an ongoing pursuit! But I feel that we've found a sweet spot of working well and efficiently with each other, making the most of each of our respective talents while still having our life outside of work—where we turn off the business. We have our distinct roles we own in the business, and support each other in them. We're both free to "turn off" when we want, and also free to bring up new ideas or talk about projects when we're off work. We just respect if/when the other says "Let's not talk about work right now." There are ups and downs of course, but I wouldn't want it any other way :)
In some ways, I think the little things like cooking together, going on walks, or just doing any typical non-work related activities helps us phase out of co-worker mode and into lover mode.