CookUnity Review: Where Award Winning Restaurant Chefs Make Your Weekly Meals

Editor’s note: We tested CookUnity ourselves and partnered with the brand to give The Chalkboard Mag readers 50% off their first week with code CHALK50. Click Here to get offer. 

I am someone who could very realistically earn a spot on Worst Cooks in America. I have tried cooking, followed recipes, and purchased ingredients with the sincere belief that I was about to become someone who casually makes dinner at home. But between my work schedule, constant travel, and the deeply offensive pile of dishes afterward, cooking has never been something I enjoy or realistically have time for.

I also tried meal prepping because everyone says it is the responsible, cost effective thing to do. That ended quickly when I realized I do not want to eat the same dish more than twice, and leftovers do not always agree with my stomach.

As a single person, I also do not keep a perfectly stocked refrigerator. Making one interesting recipe usually meant buying ten ingredients, using a tiny amount of each, and watching the rest slowly expire. By the time I added everything up, it often cost more than simply ordering from a restaurant.

So, for a very long time, I relied on DoorDash and Uber Eats nearly every day. Eventually I looked at how much I was spending on delivery fees, service charges, tips, and meals every week. That was when I realized something needed to change, and it led me to CookUnity, the first prepared meal service that genuinely feels like an alternative to ordering from a restaurant.

My Long Search for a Meal Delivery Service I Actually Liked

Living in Los Angeles, I am lucky to have no shortage of prepared meal delivery services. There are healthy services, organic services, local services, and services that can accommodate different dietary preferences and food restrictions. I tested more of them than I can remember, genuinely hoping to find something that would make my life easier.

Time and time again, I was disappointed.

I consider myself a pretty serious food person. I love restaurants, I travel partly to eat, and I get excited about discovering chefs and cuisines. Unfortunately, many prepared meal services taste exactly like what they are: packaged meals.

The food might technically check all the right nutritional boxes, but it often lacks seasoning, texture, and any real personality. Even the more elevated wellness services, which looked beautiful and used impressive ingredients, tended to come in portions that simply were not enough. I did not want another carefully arranged bowl that tasted fine but left me hungry an hour later.

I needed real food. I wanted meals that tasted like something I would actually choose from a restaurant menu, not something I was reluctantly eating because it was convenient.

That is what made CookUnity feel different almost immediately.

What Makes CookUnity Different

CookUnity is not a traditional meal kit. There are no raw ingredients, tiny sauce containers, or “20 minute” recipes that somehow take your entire evening. The meals arrive fully prepared and fresh, so all you have to do is heat and eat.

What really sets CookUnity apart is its chef driven model. You are choosing dishes from acclaimed restaurateurs, television chefs, James Beard Award winners, and chefs connected to Michelin starred restaurants, including Marcus Samuelsson, Michelle Bernstein, and Ludo Lefebvre.

The selection is also hard to beat: 400 meals nationwide from more than 130 chefs, spanning over 45 diets and cuisines. It feels less like subscribing to one meal service and more like having a collection of restaurants in your refrigerator. You can choose how many meals you want each week, then skip or pause deliveries whenever your schedule changes.

The Filters Make It Much Easier to Find Food You Actually Want

One of the most important parts of CookUnity for me was being able to narrow down the menu without accidentally eliminating everything worth eating.

You can browse by chef, cuisine, protein, diet, and lifestyle, with options for vegan, pescatarian, Mediterranean, keto, low calorie, high protein, and GLP 1 focused meals. You can also filter out ingredients and categories you want to avoid, including gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, added sugar, pork, and spicy foods.

This may not sound particularly exciting until you have food restrictions and have tried using another meal delivery service. With many companies, I would enter my allergies and dietary needs only to discover that my exciting weekly menu had suddenly become two plain chicken dishes and one deeply uninspiring vegetable bowl. It felt less like customizing my meals and more like being punished for having dietary restrictions.

With CookUnity, I still had plenty of interesting options after applying my filters. I could save my preferred cuisines, proteins, nutritional goals, and ingredients I wanted to avoid, which made it much easier to get to the meals that actually worked for me without conducting a full ingredient investigation every week.

The Real Test: How Does the Food Actually Taste?

Everything can look impressive on a website, but none of it matters if the food tastes like it came from the back of an airport lounge refrigerator.

This is where CookUnity won me over. The meals arrive fresh rather than frozen, individually sealed, clearly labeled, and ready to heat. More importantly, they taste much closer to something I would order from a restaurant on Uber Eats or DoorDash than a typical prepared meal.

When I want something filling and comforting, my go-to is the Pink Sauce Rigatoni with Chicken from Cat Cora, the first female Iron Chef and the first woman inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame. For a lighter lunch, I love the Classic Salad Niçoise with Albacore Tuna from Ludo Lefebvre, whose acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant Trois Mec earned a Michelin star.

The portions are also noticeably more satisfying than what I have experienced with other services. CookUnity leaves me full without sending me back to the refrigerator an hour later.

I Started Choosing Meals by Chef

Once I found a few chefs whose food matched the way I like to eat, I started checking their dishes first every week. It is similar to finding a restaurant you love and wanting to work your way through the menu.

That is one of the more enjoyable parts of CookUnity. You begin to learn which chefs consistently make the kinds of dishes you like, which cuisines you gravitate toward, and whose meals you can order with confidence.

The customer ratings also make it easier to decide. When I am stuck between two meals, I usually look at which one other subscribers rated more highly. With so many options each week, those ratings help prevent me from spending an unreasonable amount of time debating two different chicken dishes.

Between the rotating menu, new dishes, and a few chefs I now reliably order from, selecting my meals has become something I actually look forward to each week. CHECK OUT THE LIST OF CHEFS HERE.

It Made Eating at Home Much Easier

The obvious benefit is that I no longer have to cook, shop for one specific recipe, or order restaurant delivery every day. I know there is something in my refrigerator that I am actually excited to eat, whether it is for lunch or dinner, so I do not have to wait until I am starving, scroll through delivery apps for 45 minutes, and somehow spend $50 on an ordinary meal.

I am also wasting fewer groceries and throwing away fewer ingredients that I optimistically purchased but never found time to use. CookUnity gives me the convenience of takeout without all the extra fees and last minute decision making.

I can also see how useful it would be for families, especially during the back to school rush when everyone is on a different schedule and no one has time to cook every meal from scratch. Since each person can choose something different, parents are not forced to find one dish that somehow satisfies every child’s preferences, dietary needs, and current list of foods they have suddenly decided they no longer eat.

It is not going to be cheaper than cooking in bulk every Sunday. But that was never the realistic comparison for me. My real alternative was ordering delivery almost every day, and compared with that habit, CookUnity makes considerably more sense.

Is CookUnity Worth It?

CookUnity makes the most sense for people who love good food but do not have the time or interest to cook every day. It is especially useful for busy professionals, frequent travelers, single person households, and families where everyone wants something different.

For me, the value is simple. The meals are convenient, satisfying, easy to customize, and good enough that I do not feel like I settled for meal delivery. I started using CookUnity to spend less on restaurant delivery, but I stayed because it gives me the same sense of choice and enjoyment without opening DoorDash every day.

And as someone who remains fully qualified for Worst Cooks in America, that may be the closest I am ever going to get to having award winning chefs cook for me every week.

We do not give up valuable refrigerator space lightly, but after testing CookUnity ourselves, we feel pretty confident you will love it as much as we did. We partnered with CookUnity to give our readers 50% off their first week with code CHALK50. Consider it your sign to let someone else handle the cooking for once.

All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health related programs. This story is brought to you in partnership with CookUnity.

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9 Clean Vitamin C Serums That Are Actually Worth the Money

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Vitamin C is one of those ingredients nearly every expert recommends and nearly every skincare brand sells. Finding one you will actually enjoy using is another matter. Some formulas smell strange, sting on contact or begin turning orange before you have made a meaningful dent in the bottle. Others promise a litany of benefits but seem to deliver little beyond another step in an already crowded routine.

The best vitamin C products make their case much more clearly. They help brighten dull skin, soften the appearance of dark spots and provide daily antioxidant protection without making consistency feel like a test of character. From a powder you mix fresh each morning to a moisturizer that quietly replaces two products, these are the nine clean vitamin C formulas we believe are genuinely worth the money.

Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream

Kat Burki Vitamin C Intensive Face Cream stood out because it replaced two steps rather than quietly adding another one. The formula pairs 15 percent stabilized vitamin C with adaptogens, MSM and a mineral rich base, giving it the brightening ambition of a serum with the comfort and lasting hydration of a proper moisturizer.

The texture feels rich and cushioning at first, then settles neatly beneath sunscreen and makeup without leaving skin greasy or overloaded. We reached for it most on colder mornings, when our skin felt dry or when layering a separate serum and moisturizer seemed like unnecessary admin. It may not be the most targeted choice for stubborn pigmentation, but it is easily one of the most appealing for dry, dull skin that wants treatment and moisture in one very good jar.

Marie Veronique Vitamins C+E+Ferulic Serum

For anyone who considers SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic the vitamin C serum to beat, this is the clean beauty alternative we would look at first. It combines vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid in a gentler, more layered formula that disappears easily beneath moisturizer and SPF.

After speaking with founder and chemist Marie Veronique Nadeau about vitamin C, collagen production and skin longevity, we had an even greater appreciation for how thoughtfully this serum is formulated. We noticed better hydration, softer looking fine lines and a clearer, more rested tone without the sharpness of stronger vitamin C serums.

Marie Veronique C Therapy Serum

We reach for Marie Veronique C Therapy Serum when skin feels reactive, depleted or simply less tolerant than usual. Rather than relying heavily on acidic L ascorbic acid, it brings together gentler vitamin C derivatives with green tea, beta glucan, glutathione, alpha lipoic acid and nourishing plant oils.

Compared with the brand’s Vitamins C+E+Ferulic Serum, which feels more like a traditional daily antioxidant treatment, C Therapy is the softer landing. It never felt like settling for a weaker formula. It simply allowed us to keep vitamin C in the routine without asking already unsettled skin to tolerate more than it could handle. For sensitive or mature skin dealing with dullness, uneven tone or a compromised feeling barrier, this is the more considerate choice.

OAK Essentials Daily Vitamin C Serum

OAK Essentials takes the opposite approach to the stingy, highly acidic vitamin C serum. Its silky formula combines two stable vitamin C derivatives with squalane and antioxidant rich plankton extract, addressing dullness and dark spots while still treating hydration as part of the assignment.

This is the serum we would point toward for beginners, sensitive skin or anyone who has repeatedly purchased an ambitious vitamin C formula only to stop using it two weeks later. It is lightweight enough to sit easily beneath moisturizer and SPF, but has more cushion than watery serums that can leave dry skin feeling tight. Daily vitamin C should not require a daily negotiation, and this one makes consistency unusually easy.

Loulu Hawaiʻi Pod Power Duo

Loulu Hawaiʻi is an Oʻahu based skincare brand that pairs island grown botanicals with modern formulation. Its Pod Power Duo stands out for keeping the vitamin C dry until the moment you use it, helping protect its potency and giving you a freshly activated treatment each time.

Each single use pod contains 26 percent pure L ascorbic acid with vitamin E, ferulic acid and hyaluronic acid, a combination designed to brighten dull skin, soften the look of dark spots and support collagen while helping defend against environmental damage. Once mixed into the brand’s Makalau SC All in One Skin Activator, the formula feels far more hydrating than we expected from something this potent. It takes an extra step, but the freshness and high concentration make it worth it.

Drunk Elephant C Firma Fresh

We were slightly skeptical about having to mix C Firma ourselves, but the format ended up being part of what made the serum convincing. The formula combines 15 percent L ascorbic acid with vitamin E and ferulic acid, while keeping the liquid and vitamin C powder separate until activation to help preserve freshness.

Once mixed, it is surprisingly straightforward to use. We noticed the biggest difference in texture and clarity, with skin looking smoother, more refined and considerably less dull. This is one of the more intensive formulas in the edit, so very sensitive skin may want to introduce it gradually. It is the pick for someone who wants serious L ascorbic acid and is willing to perform approximately 30 seconds of bathroom chemistry to get it.

Herbivore NOVA 15% Vitamin C + Turmeric Brightening Serum

Herbivore NOVA stood out for how specifically it approached the dark marks that tend to linger long after a breakout has otherwise left the building. Its 15 percent THD vitamin C is paired with turmeric and naturally derived arbutin, creating a formula that targets uneven tone without relying on an especially acidic delivery system.

After sitting down with Herbivore cofounder Alex Kummerow for our Living Well series, we had an even greater appreciation for the intention behind the brand’s balance of results and ritual. We noticed newer post blemish marks becoming less obvious over time, while the complexion took on a fresher, more luminous look. We especially liked it for breakout prone skin that wants to address discoloration without making the rest of the routine more complicated.

Tatcha The Brightening Serum

We have tried enough brightening serums to know that sensitive, breakout prone skin is often asked to choose between comfort and results. Tatcha The Brightening Serum was one of the few formulas that did not make us feel that tradeoff. Its lightweight texture combines a time release form of vitamin C with Japanese plum, ferulic acid and a pro glutathione antioxidant complex.

The serum feels silky and hydrating rather than overtly treatment heavy, and it sits especially well beneath sunscreen and makeup. We noticed newer post acne marks softening first, while older pigmentation required more patience. It was easy to use consistently because our skin never felt as though it needed a recovery day afterward.

True Botanicals Vitamin C Serum Booster

True Botanicals gives you more control than almost any other vitamin C treatment in the edit. The waterless powder contains a concise blend of ascorbic acid and ferulic acid, keeping the vitamin C dry and stable until it is mixed into a water based serum or moisturizer.

Our Living Well conversation with founder Hillary Peterson gave us a closer look at the brand’s approach to bringing nature, science and ritual together. There is a little trial and error involved in finding the right ratio, but once we found the balance, it became surprisingly easy to fold into an existing routine. It asks for slightly more participation than a ready made formula, but the freshness and flexibility are precisely the reasons to choose it.

Westman Atelier Suprême C

At $325, a vitamin C serum has no business being merely pleasant. Fortunately, Westman Atelier Suprême C is one of the few luxury treatments that feels genuinely different from the moment it touches the skin. The single ingredient formula is made entirely from THD ascorbate, a stable, oil soluble vitamin C derivative sourced from Japan.

The springy gel oil texture gives skin an immediate polished glow, absorbs beautifully and creates the sort of smooth, supple base that explains why a makeup artist would become obsessive about skin prep. With continued use, pigmentation appeared softer and our skin looked firmer and more even. One or two pumps were enough, so the bottle lasted longer than expected, although no one will be calling it a bargain.

TL;DR: The Quick Debrief

Which clean vitamin C serum is best for sensitive skin?

If you have sensitive skin, look for formulas that use gentler vitamin C derivatives instead of high-strength L-ascorbic acid. Options like Marie Veronique C Therapy Serum, OAK Essentials Daily Vitamin C Serum, and Tatcha The Brightening Serum are designed to brighten skin while being more comfortable for sensitive complexions.

Can vitamin C serum help fade dark spots?

Yes. Vitamin C can help reduce the appearance of post-acne marks, sun spots, and uneven skin tone over time. Consistent daily use, along with sunscreen, typically delivers the best results.

Should I use vitamin C serum every day?

Most people can use a vitamin C serum once daily, preferably in the morning before moisturizer and sunscreen. If you have sensitive skin or are new to vitamin C, start a few times per week and increase usage as your skin adjusts.

What is THD vitamin C?

THD ascorbate (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate) is a stable, oil-soluble form of vitamin C that is often gentler than pure L-ascorbic acid. It is commonly used in premium skincare formulas because it remains stable longer and can help brighten skin and improve the appearance of uneven tone.

How do I choose the best clean vitamin C serum?

The best clean vitamin C serum depends on your skin type and goals. If you're targeting dark spots, look for formulas with brightening ingredients such as vitamin C, ferulic acid, or arbutin. For dry or sensitive skin, choose hydrating formulas with stable vitamin C derivatives and soothing ingredients that support the skin barrier.

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5 Things Worthy of a Spot on Your Nightstand

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Your nightstand should do more than collect charging cords, half read books and yesterday’s water glass. The right essentials can make the transition to sleep feel noticeably better, whether that means softening dry hands overnight, blocking out light, easing you awake with a sunrise alarm or simply making a glass of water feel a little more elegant. These five picks are useful, beautiful and worthy of the limited space beside your bed.

What Earned a Spot

Soft Services Theraplush Xtra Milk

Most hand creams get tossed into a drawer. Theraplush was designed to stay within reach. This limited edition collaboration with DedCool pairs Soft Services’ overnight hand treatment with the clean, softly sensual scent of bergamot, amber and white musk. The formula contains retinol, colloidal oatmeal and panthenol to help smooth dry hands, soften cuticles and improve the appearance of delicate skin overnight. The set also includes a travel spray of DedCool Xtra Milk, making it part hand treatment and part bedtime fragrance ritual.

Hatch Restore 3

The Hatch Restore 3 may take up the most real estate, but it also does the most work. The smart sleep clock uses gentle light and sound to create phone free wind down and wake up routines, including a gradual sunrise experience that feels far less aggressive than starting the morning with a blaring phone alarm. It is also one of the rare pieces of sleep technology that looks calm enough to keep beside the bed.

Lunya Weighted Silk Sleep Mask

Lunya’s Weighted Silk Sleep Mask adds a little more substance to the classic silk eye mask. It is filled with recycled glass beads for gentle pressure and can be placed in the freezer for a cooling, depuffing moment before bed. A wide elasticized band, thermoregulating materials and a washable mulberry silk exterior make it feel both practical and properly luxurious.

Issy Granger Blue Bedside Carafe and Tumbler

Drinking water in bed feels considerably more elegant when it comes from a handblown blue glass carafe. Issy Granger’s set is made from lightweight borosilicate glass and comes with a matching tumbler that rests neatly on top as a lid. Because each one is individually crafted without a mold, slight differences in shape and color give it the character of a decorative object rather than standard glassware.

Drowsy Sleep S.O.S Pillow Spray

A few sprays can make getting into bed feel like the beginning of an actual ritual rather than the moment you finally stop answering emails. Drowsy’s botanical fragrance combines bergamot and lavender with geranium, ylang ylang, vetiver, cedarwood and patchouli. Spray it over the pillowcase around 10 to 15 minutes before bed, giving the scent time to settle into the fabric before you climb in.

TL;DR: The Quick Debrief

What should you keep on your nightstand?

A useful nightstand should include items that support comfort and relaxation, such as a sleep mask, water carafe, calming fragrance, or sleep technology.

What are the best products for a bedtime routine?

The best bedtime products are the ones you will actually use. A moisturizing hand treatment, a weighted sleep mask, a smart sunrise alarm and a soothing fragrance can all help turn the last few minutes of the day into something that feels more intentional.

Are sleep products worth buying?

Sleep products can be worthwhile when they solve a specific problem, such as improving comfort, reducing distractions or creating a more relaxing bedtime environment.

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You Can Taste DedCool’s New Fragrance at Erewhon Before You Can Smell It

Most fragrance launches give you a list of notes and ask you to imagine the rest. DedCool is letting you taste its new scent first.

Ahead of Mocha Magic’s September 14 launch, the brand is debuting an $11 Erewhon smoothie inspired by the fragrance. Available August 1 through 31, it blends coconut cream, cold brew, cinnamon, vanilla, cacao and dates into a drinkable preview of the scent’s warm, cozy mood. Apparently, the new way to sample perfume comes with a straw.

A Fragrance Preview You Can Actually Taste

The ingredients offer a fairly clear idea of what to expect from Mocha Magic: creamy, subtly sweet and very much aligned with the gourmand fragrance revival currently making everyone want to smell like vanilla, coffee or an exceptionally expensive pastry.

Instead of testing the scent on a paper strip, you can order its edible interpretation at Erewhon and drink it in the parking lot, which is arguably a more accurate representation of modern luxury anyway.

The collaboration also gives DedCool a clever way to introduce a fragrance that no one can smell yet. Cold brew, cacao and cinnamon suggest warmth and depth, while coconut cream, vanilla and dates soften everything into something richer and more comforting.

It is essentially an edible mood board for a perfume, minus the moody campaign model staring through a window.

Xtra Milk Is Back, Too

Mocha Magic is not DedCool’s first drinkable fragrance experiment. The brand is also bringing back its Xtra Milk Smoothie after its original Erewhon debut in July 2025.

Inspired by DedCool’s bestselling Xtra Milk fragrance, the $11 drink combines cold-brewed organic Earl Grey tea, coconut milk, banana, dates, cardamom and blue spirulina, then finishes everything with Erewhon’s signature vegan cream top. It will be available from August 1 through September 30.

Like the fragrance, the smoothie is soft, creamy and comforting, with Earl Grey and cardamom adding enough aromatic interest to keep it from tasting like a very expensive banana shake.

The original launch was billed as the first time a functional fragrance had been transformed into a beverage. Its return suggests that people were apparently very open to drinking their perfume, provided it came with a cream top.

Fragrance Is Becoming a Full-Sensory Experience

Beauty brands have spent years turning products into entire lifestyles, so fragrance entering the smoothie bar feels strangely inevitable. DedCool is not claiming the drinks will make you smell like the scents. The idea is simply to translate each fragrance’s mood into something you can experience before spraying it on your wrist.

It is playful, highly photogenic and much easier to share online than a paragraph about base notes.

Mocha Magic officially launches September 14, but curious shoppers can start forming opinions on August 1. It may be the first fragrance preview that also doubles as an afternoon caffeine order.

TL;DR: The Quick Debrief

What is the DedCool Mocha Magic smoothie?
The DedCool Mocha Magic smoothie is an $11 limited-time Erewhon drink inspired by DedCool’s upcoming Mocha Magic fragrance.

When does Mocha Magic launch?
The fragrance launches on September 14.

Where can you buy the smoothie?
The smoothie is available at Erewhon locations from August 1 through August 31.

Is the Xtra Milk smoothie returning?
Yes. The Xtra Milk smoothie returns through September 30.

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Living Well with Steph Hon, Founder and CEO of Cadence: On Better Routines, Smarter Packing, and Building Cadence

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We all know the feeling: you finally get your routine down at home, then the second you travel, go to the gym, head into a long workday, or leave for the weekend, everything starts to fall apart. Your skincare leaks. Your supplements get tossed into a bag. Your essentials are suddenly everywhere.

That very everyday frustration is what led Steph Hon to create Cadence, a design driven system for carrying the products and routines that help us feel like ourselves wherever we are. Before founding the brand, Steph’s life was shaped by movement, from dance to documentary work to constant travel. That background now shows up in the way Cadence is built: precise, intuitive, and quietly obsessed with making daily life feel easier.

We spoke with Steph about the problem that inspired Cadence, what it took to develop the first Capsule through 207 prototypes, how she thinks about hiring and building a team, her real life packing system, and what living well means to her now.

Explore more from our Living Well series, where founders, creatives, and wellness leaders share the routines, rituals, and ideas shaping how they live

Living Well with Steph Hon

For those meeting you and Cadence for the first time, how would you describe what you’ve created and the everyday problem that inspired it? Cadence is for people going places. It's a design company that makes product systems for people doing cool things in their life. We help you bring your daily essentials with you, because we believe that when everything has a place, you have space.

When someone's meeting Cadence for the first time, I like to start by asking: what's something important to you that you're pursuing right now? Maybe you're training for a marathon, or you're dating someone new you're excited about, or you're just trying to be a good mom. Then I ask: what's hard about that? Maybe it's staying organized, or it's tough to get to the gym before work. That mental burden is what Cadence supports. We make it easier to get up and go, to pack for a day out with your family, to feel less like you have to remember everything.

The problem, tactically, was that the products in my life would leak, break, and sit in ugly plastic bags. I wanted the products I carried every day, including my skincare and my supplements, to match everything else in my life, and to hold together in a way I didn't have to think twice about.

Your path to Cadence did not begin in consumer products. It began with dance, documentary work, and a life that required a lot of movement. Looking back, what do you think those chapters taught you that business school never could that still show up in how you design, lead, or make decisions today? For me, business school teaches a linear way to do things. Cadence is about creativity, artistry, and breaking the mold. We never source products that already exist, we design everything from the ground up. That's not a rejection of anyone else's path; it's just been common sense to me: if you want to be a design company with real excellence and a loyal community, you design something great, full stop.

Dance and documentary work taught me to draw conclusions based on what I was actually trying to build, not to fit a mold. Dance especially shows up in our product design. I'm hyper focused on how we move and how movement impacts how we feel. Our products are magnetic, so you can attach the cap to the bottom or the side and always keep one hand free. If you're doing your makeup in a car, on a train, or with your kid nearby, the product is designed to move with you, and that's what makes you feel good.

Cadence started with a very everyday frustration, trying to take your skincare, supplements, and personal routines with you without the usual mess. What was the part of that problem that felt bigger than just “better travel bottles”? Ultimately, the problem is that we all have our own unique routines, the things that make us feel most like ourselves. Every routine is different, and that's foundational to how Cadence is built. Those routines are hard to bring with you when you leave home, and honestly, hard to keep organized even at home. That feels small, but it has a real impact on how you show up.

Whether it's a gym day, a big day at work, or a first date, those are the moments you want to feel your best. That's the problem we're solving: how do you feel like yourself when you're out of your zone and away from your normal things, and how do you keep that sense of groundedness?

The first Capsule went through 207 prototypes, 4 patents, and at least 8 target launch dates before it came to market. What was that development process really like behind the scenes, and what did it teach you about building something from scratch without compromising the original vision and adapting along the way? At Cadence, we dream first and figure out the details second, which is counterintuitive to almost everyone I talk to about it. But if you don't dream first, you'll never build something great.

I believe a founder's job is to be flexible 99% of the time and unwavering 1% of the time, and my team will tell you, I'm unwavering about the product. A lot of people today have taken the Silicon Valley "launch at 80%" philosophy and applied it everywhere, but there's a fundamental difference between a digital product and a physical one. You cannot apply that thinking to something physical.

We wanted to create something that had never been made before, so we had to invent it from scratch. People told us no one would pay for it, that you couldn't even embed magnets into bottles because of manufacturing constraints. We didn't market plan our cost of goods or run some deep analysis upfront. We followed the problem, and then we solved it.

The Capsule had to be beautiful, leakproof, refillable, magnetic, durable, TSA compliant, and easy to use. Which of those requirements created the biggest design challenge? Honestly, all of it was a huge design challenge. That's why we have our design team in house and work with family owned manufacturers in Thailand and Canada, who are, in a way, investors in Cadence too. But if I had to pick, it was the leakproof, magnetic, and refillable pieces that were hardest.

We hold ourselves to high manufacturing standards, so we chose factories that produce medical grade products to meet them. The tricky part is that our products need to be universal. A lot of products on the market force the customer to make sacrifices. For example, traditional travel bottles can't hold oils or serums because the silicone absorbs the product. We needed something chemically resistant to every product on the market. That's hundreds of thousands of formulas.

For the magnetic piece, we had to reinvent the injection molding process itself. That's one of the things we've patented. And for the leakproof, refillable piece, we modified industrial seals to be airtight and resistant to pressure well beyond airline standards, over 16 PSI, above what's required to fly without leaking.

You’ve said one of your biggest learnings has been hiring the right people at the right time. What does “right” mean to you: the right skill set, the right personality, the right timing, or the right relationship to the brand? And for other entrepreneurs, how can they get better at recognizing that before they are desperate for help or hiring the wrong people? Our team often says they've never felt so comfortable anywhere else. They found their people, and nothing means more to me than this. I think we know who our people are: they're obsessed with their area, the kind of person who was nerding out about one thing in high school and now gets to do it alongside other passionate people. A lot of them also have some love of art or design, no matter their role. Our digital engineer majored in math, computer science, and art history, and that's very "Cadence."

This is genuinely hard, and it's taken me a while to trust my gut on it. As Glennon Doyle says, it's about tapping into your own sense of knowing. That's difficult because when you need help and want to support your team, it's tempting to say yes to someone even when your gut is raising a flag. What I've learned is there's almost always a stopgap, some form of quick support for your team, while you wait for the right person.

In interviews, I've noticed the people who do well here are genuinely excited about the product itself, not just the idea of making money. So my advice: follow your gut, trust your knowing, and move fast if someone is great at their job but making the rest of the team feel bad. That's never going to be a fit.

When you’re packing for a longer trip now, how do you use Cadence in real life? What goes into your system, what have you learned to edit down, and what tips would you give someone who wants to get the most out of theirs?

There are levels to using Cadence, and I have perfected my system over the years.

My system now: a medium Parcel holds all my liquids, connected to my Emergency Parcel with tampons, bandages, mints, Advil, Lactaid, extra contacts, and all my essentials. That sits magnetically connected to my Tech Parcel, with cords and cables. When I leave the house, I fold them together and pop the whole thing in my bag.

For capsules, I organize by color and type. I use one set for liquids like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion, and smalls for skincare. A few tips: push cotton rounds into a capsule and add micellar water for makeup removal when you are out. Use our adapters for hair care, since they create a controlled pour for shampoo and body wash. And if you don't want to touch your product directly, our spatula is magnetic, durable, and hygienic for transferring things. My last tip: get a few extra labels in a color you love for your everyday products, and a different color for supplements. Then everything's ready to go, always.

Has your idea of sustainability changed as you’ve gotten deeper into manufacturing? It's stayed pretty consistent, because we've always believed the best thing we can do to be sustainable is make products you can hand down to your kids, things still around in ten, fifteen, twenty years. That's why Cadence offers a lifetime guarantee on the capsule system: if anything happens to it, we replace it, no problem.

Sustainability is about using the right material for the right application. We don't make tote bags for events. If I'm going to make a tote bag, it's going to be the best one you've ever used, solving a real problem, made to last. Otherwise, I'd rather give you something made of recycled material that's meant to be easy to dispose of responsibly.

For the capsules, longevity is priority number one, alongside using as high a percentage of recycled material as possible. In manufacturing, we save all of our scrap material, regrind it, and put it right back into new capsules.

Outside of Cadence, are there any brands right now that you think are doing something genuinely interesting? I love any brand with a truly excellent product. I'm obsessed with Fishwife (read our Living Well Interview with Fishwife here). I'm close friends with Becca, and it's one I reach for. It has that same quality Cadence aims for: I know I can reach for it and do a million things with it without overthinking. Same with Dianna. We started our businesses around the same time and have stayed close over the years, and I'm obsessed with her dry shampoo. It's excellent in every way. Really, it just comes down to products that are fantastic.

What does living well mean to you at this stage of your life? Living well means being in the moment. Anything that helps me stay in the moment is well worth my time, money, and energy.

The post Living Well with Steph Hon, Founder and CEO of Cadence: On Better Routines, Smarter Packing, and Building Cadence appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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How to Calm Your Nervous System at Home, According to an Expert

Most of us know the feeling of doing everything "right", eight hours of sleep, a quiet evening, no obvious crisis, and still waking up depleted. According to Dr. Carli Axford, founder of the Spinal Flow Technique, that's because sleep and true rest are not the same thing, and the difference comes down to what the body is still holding.

In the first part of our conversation, Dr. Carli explained what somatic healing is and how the body stores stress, often for years, as physical blockages along the spine. Here, she turns to what we can actually do about it: why rest so often fails to restore us, and the simple, practitioner-free practices anyone can start today. Her book, Awaken Your Spinal Flow, is out from Hay House in May 2027.

You've talked about how rest doesn't always feel restorative. Why can someone sleep eight hours and still wake up depleted? Because sleep and true rest are not the same thing. Most of us are carrying years and years of stored tension, layer upon layer of stress the body never got to release, and while all of that is held in the spine, the body stays in fight-or-flight. We close our eyes and sleep, but the blockages are still there. That river of energy that's meant to flow from the sacrum all the way up to the cranium and back again can't move freely; it's interrupted, stuck, working in segments rather than as one connected system. So the body rests without ever truly connecting, and the deep repair that's supposed to happen overnight simply can't take place.

This is why a person can do everything "right" and still wake up heavy and depleted. It's not a lack of hours, it's a body that's still braced, still holding, still running on survival. The abundant energy that lives inside us is what leaves us feeling rested, restored and genuinely energised, but we can only access it when the flow is connected and the blockages have cleared. Sleeping with a stressed, stuck body doesn't restore us. Real rest comes when the body moves out of survival mode, the river flows freely again, and the whole system can finally move as one.

What are a few simple, accessible practices someone could try at home today to support their nervous system? Nothing requiring a practitioner. Everything we need is already inside us and we have three tools that we can use to access this, breath, touch and movement, and the body knows exactly what to do with them. The first practice is simply to listen. Rest both hands on your belly or your heart, close your eyes, and notice what's there, with no judgement and nothing to fix. Your body speaks in sensation, your heart in feeling, your mind in thought, and most of us have never stopped to hear them. Is your body whispering, or is it screaming? Where? Gently ask what it might be telling you and whether there's one small thing you could change to give it what it needs. This is where all healing begins, because the body is always talking to us. We've just forgotten how to listen.

The second is to shift into the healing zone, and this is the switch that takes you out of stress. Rest both hands on your lower belly, let them sink in, and breathe into that place beneath your hands, in through the nose for a count of four, out slowly for a count of six. That longer exhale is the one signal that moves the body out of fight-or-flight and into the state where healing can actually happen. The third is to activate the base of your spine with movement: lying on your back with your knees bent and hands on your lower belly, gently rocking your pelvis forward and backwards, letting soft breath and motion return to the lowest part of your spine. This is where the river of cerebrospinal fluid begins its rise, and even a minute of gentle movement invites it to flow.

If someone has only five minutes a day, what's the single most effective thing they can do to support their nervous system? Start by shifting into the healing zone, hands on your lower belly, breathing in for four and out for six, letting the exhale grow longer than the inhale to bring your body out of survival. Then, once you've settled, let the breath begin to travel. On each inhale, draw the breath all the way up your spine from the very base to the top of your neck; on each exhale, let it flow all the way back down again. You can let your spine gently move with it too, softly rising as the breath climbs, softening as it descends, so the breath and the spine are moving together as one, up and down, up and down. It's a simplified version of the full practice I teach in my forthcoming book, but even in this small form it's powerful.

This is the most valuable five minutes you can give yourself, because it does more than calm you. It invites the river of cerebrospinal fluid to flow freely up and down the spine, clearing interference and easing the blockages where stress gets stored. When the breath and the body move as one like this, even for a few minutes a day, you're not just relaxing, you're restoring the natural flow your whole nervous system depends on, and teaching your body to work as one connected whole again.

For someone who feels "wired but tired" at the end of the day, what would you recommend they try before bed to actually downshift? That wired-but-tired feeling is the signature of a nervous system that's been running on adrenaline all day and doesn't know how to come down, exhausted underneath, yet still buzzing on the surface. The mistake is to lie down and expect sleep to do the settling on its own. It won't, because the body hasn't yet received the message that it's safe to let go. So before sleep, you can do a short practice I call The Spinal Rest. Lie down, rest both hands on your tummy, and begin the 4-6 breath, in through the nose for four, out for six. As your body settles, gently reflect on your day: what worked, what you can learn from it, what you might need more of, and how you'd love tomorrow to feel.

Then, once you feel settled, let the breath begin to move through your spine. Inhale for a count of four, drawing the breath all the way up from the base of your spine to the very top; exhale for a count of six, letting it flow all the way back down again. Up on the inhale, down on the exhale, slow and unforced. With each round, let yourself sink a little deeper: into the bed beneath you, into that flow moving up and down your spine, into the innate intelligence that is you. This is the place of peace that has always been inside your body, and as you connect to it, the whole system settles as one, and true, restorative rest can finally reach you.

These daily practices are a starting point, but your work points to something bigger: the idea that the body has its own innate capacity to heal. That's the heart of your forthcoming book, Awaken Your Spinal Flow. What's the core idea you most want readers to take away from it? If there's only one thing to take from the book, let it be this: the body already holds everything it needs to heal. We're each born with an innate intelligence that knows how to repair, regulate and restore, and healing isn't about adding something from the outside. It's about removing what's been blocking that intelligence from flowing, and reconnecting to a capacity that has been there all along.

The Healer's Journey is where we remember that the healer we've been searching for is not someone else, it's ourselves. Pain, symptoms and exhaustion do not show us that something is wrong with us; they are messages, and once we learn to read them and release what we've been carrying, we get to come home to a body that feels calm, light and free. I've watched that happen for tens of thousands of people, and I wrote this book so it can happen for many more.

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It’s Hot. Here’s What We’re Actually Drinking to Stay Hydrated

At a certain point in summer, your emotional support water bottle starts to feel a little uninspiring. The days are hotter, we are outside more, and between workouts, travel, beach days, and simply existing through a heat wave, staying hydrated suddenly requires a little more attention. The NIH recommends drinking extra fluids during hot weather, but that does not mean every sip has to come from the same bottle of lukewarm water you have been carrying around since breakfast.

This summer, we are mixing things up. There is cold pressed fruit hydration straight from the fridge, an electrolyte formula made for the days we are actually sweating, coconut water we will never stop buying, and even a beauty focused drink that makes hydration feel suspiciously close to skincare.

Consider this our current summer hydration rotation.

Pressed Hydration+ Watermelon Dragon Fruit

This is exactly what we want waiting in the fridge when the temperature starts climbing. Pressed Hydration+ Watermelon Dragon Fruit brings together coconut water, watermelon, dragon fruit, lemon, and lime with six essential electrolytes, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and chloride. There is also 450 milligrams of L glutamine in the formula.

What makes it especially right for summer is that it drinks more like something you would genuinely crave on a hot afternoon than a traditional sports drink. It is bright, fruity, and best served cold. We would grab this after a workout, throw one in a beach cooler, or reach for it during the afternoon slump when plain water simply is not inspiring anyone.

Best for: Hot afternoons, post workout hydration, and anyone who wants their electrolytes to taste like summer.

Gnarly Hydrate

For the days when summer involves considerably more activity than lying beside a pool, we are reaching for Gnarly Hydrate. This one is firmly rooted in performance, with a full spectrum electrolyte formula designed around sustained activity and sweat. The current formula includes sodium, potassium, and magnesium, contains no artificial colors or sweeteners, and is NSF Certified for Sport.

That makes it the one we would pack for a long hike, outdoor workout, bike ride, or any summer adventure where you know you are going to come back considerably sweatier than you left. The flavors also make it considerably more fun than the typical serious sports nutrition formula, with options including Orange Pineapple, Raspberry, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemonade, Salted Margarita, and Piña Colada.

Best for: Hikes, outdoor workouts, long active days, and the people who actually earn their electrolytes.

Pique B•T Fountain

This is hydration for the person whose wellness routine has somehow merged completely with their skincare routine. Pique B•T Fountain combines electrolytes and minerals with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, positioning hydration as part of a broader beauty from within ritual.

We like it because it brings something completely different to the hydration conversation. This is not the packet we are necessarily grabbing before a marathon. It is the one we mix over ice in the morning because we already think about moisture everywhere else in our beauty routine, so why stop at the bathroom cabinet?

Best for: The beauty obsessed, morning wellness rituals, and anyone who likes their hydration with a side of skincare.

Harmless Harvest Organic Coconut Water

There are trends in hydration, and then there is coconut water, which we will happily keep coming back to every summer.

Harmless Harvest remains one of our refrigerator staples, whether we are drinking the original organic coconut water straight from the bottle or reaching for one of the brand's other variations, including coconut water with watermelon and sparkling coconut water.

There is something about an ice cold bottle after being outside all day that just hits differently. We also love using it as the liquid base for smoothies or pouring it over plenty of ice with a squeeze of fresh lime when we want something that feels a little more intentional than opening another bottle of water.

Best for: Beach bags, morning walks, smoothies, and the coconut water loyalists among us.

Plant People Wonder Hydrate

Okay, technically we are not drinking this one. We are chewing it.

Plant People's Wonder Hydrate takes the electrolyte category in a completely different direction with a sugar free, lychee flavored gummy. The formula includes electrolyte minerals such as magnesium and potassium, along with vitamin C and prebiotic fiber.

We would not swap these in for actual fluid intake, obviously, but as an addition to a summer routine, the format is undeniably convenient. No shaker bottle. No powder mysteriously accumulating at the bottom of your tote. Just a hydration adjacent supplement you can keep at your desk or throw into a carry on.

And frankly, we appreciate any wellness product that understands we do not always want another powder.

Best for: Travel, handbags, supplement maximalists, and anyone officially over mixing things into water.

Loonen

And then there are the days when what we really want is just very, very good water.

Loonen takes a more considered approach to bottled water, starting with spring sourced water that is filtered, tested, and bottled exclusively in glass. The brand currently offers both still and sparkling versions.

We particularly like the sparkling bottles for summer dinners, long lunches, and those late afternoons when we want something cold and fizzy without opening another functional beverage. Add citrus, fresh mint, or cucumber and suddenly drinking water feels significantly less like a task.

Best for: The dinner table, poolside lunches, and anyone whose preferred beverage aesthetic is very nice European hotel.

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