An Interview with Erica Mock, founder of twenty-five eight

Feb 22

Feb 22 An Interview with Erica Mock, founder of twenty-five eight

This interview first appeared on Your Zen Mama

Erica is the founder of an innovative food delivery service called twenty-five eight. I first came across her ridiculously good fudge during a podcast with Dr. Berlin, and instead of co-hosting, I ate through the podcast instead. If you live the Los Angeles or Orange County, you are in luck because you are in Erica’s current delivery zone. Her food is nourishing and specially made for post-partum mamas (even if you had your kid 4 years ago). The only dairy she uses is ghee, and it is the most beautiful, thoughtfully made food, packed with goodness. At YZM, we really love companies that are making it easier for us to nourish ourselves in the healthiest way (why is that so hard to make it a priority?!). Twenty-five eight makes this easier by delivering fully prepared food, delicious treats, mylks, broths, and more to families, so mamas have more time for the other 1,000 things you need to do. You don’t have to be a mom to eat twenty-five eight, and you may want to hide it in the back of the refrigerator if you don’t want it all to be eaten in a day by the other members of your household. You can hear more from Erica on what prompted her to create twenty-five eight here…

interview by Kacy Byxbee, editor, Your Zen Mama

WHO IS IN YOUR FAMILY?

My husband Dan, our one year old son Aydan, our two mini-golden doodles Enzo + Sophia and my two horses Hudson + Domingo

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Originally, I was born in Connecticut. My family all ended up in south Florida, so we visit the East Coast often.

HOW OLD ARE YOUR KIDDOS?

My little man just turned 1 on January 14 – its so cliché to say it, but I truly do not know how to stop the time warp thing going on.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE EIGHT?

Yes! Funny story: the birth of my son and my business occurred simultaneously.

A few years after meeting my husband Dan at a Tony Robbins event, we conceived our son Aydan. Pregnancy was the greatest gift, but also the greatest challenge physically, mentally, and emotionally that I ever experienced. For the first four months, I was so sick that I couldn’t tolerate the smell of a heated pan on the stove. It was like I could smell every meal that was ever cooked on that pan – no matter how clean it was to begin with. I knew that I needed nourishing foods to nurture and grow the miracle inside of me, but no current meal companies or restaurants met my almost impossible standards. I viewed “eating for two” with regards to quality, not quantity. I only wanted the best for myself and my son.

Twenty-Five Eight is the gift I can now offer all the mamas throughout their pregnancy journey: before, during, and after baby. My business is my way of taking care of a community of women. From my experience, these nourishing meals are what made me feel whole again. In my months of struggling with breastfeeding coupled with sleepless nights, nourishment was what I looked forward to the most. With each bite of intentionally made meals, I began to feel restored. I gained a whole new appreciation for what my body is capable of achieving when it is fueled with whole, unadulterated foods.

My aim is to empower every woman to intuitively trust what her body guides her to eat. It is our job to focus on the how. We never criminalize entire food groups, but we will always use the most unadulterated version of each ingredient. We limit the places, processes and packages to an absolute minimum to ensure that our meals only include the most vitality-rich ingredients.

Being a mother is a full-time job. The meals we make are symbolic for the support, love and understanding we so desperately need while navigating on this incredible journey. Without nourishment, we cannot sustain the long nights and endless days of nurturing our beautiful children.

WHY IS WHAT WE EAT OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE RIGHT AFTER WE GIVE BIRTH?

After doing our own version of a Chinese 30-day postpartum (my husband and his family are from Beijing, so I gave it a go), I have to say that I no longer believe it is 100% the “what we eat” as much as it is a combination of “the what,” and “the how it makes you feel.”

Of course, there are many things we always recommend, like never eating or drinking anything cold or raw in the first month postpartum. This helps to stoke mamas digestive fire to help restore its function after the organs shift back into place. Things like black sesame and bone broths are excellent for this time for many reasons. There is a lot of science and study behind micronutrient content and biochemical reactions in the body, etc.

But here’s some big hitter questions: coffee or no coffee? wine or no wine? chocolate or no chocolate?

It depends. It depends on how those things make you feel, like way, way deep down inside. When I tried to avoid coffee during postpartum in fear of it causing gas in my little one, guess what happened? Aydan got gassy anyway. Instead of playing a depravation game with my food (in addition to sleep deprivation), I decided enough is enough and I had my cup of coffee. The memory of this is still so vivid: the warm mug in my palms, the intoxicating aroma, the smooth buttery texture. That was one of my best memories in those early days. When I gave myself the freedom to do an unacceptable thing, it made me feel like solid gold, like I could go another hour. Like, “I got this.”

SO! That being said, at twenty-five eight, we don’t serve dairy except for grass-fed ghee, we don’t use glutinous ingredients and we never use refined sugar or hydrogenated oils. We use the highest quality version of every ingredient, so you can satisfy your innermost cravings and desires knowing that you’re eating the best version of that food available.

ANY BALANCE SECRETS?

Yes. Getting lost in nature weekly. This is an absolute must. It is almost like an attunement for me and my little family. Crisp cold air, snow crunching under my boots, the deafening whistle of wind through the pine trees; when nature talks I listen.

LA vibes are intense. This city is a mecca for all that is wellness, and we are so beyond blessed to live in this incredible city during this incredible time. I truly believe we are onto something here – an awakening of the collective consciousness. But sometimes the intense yang energy can leave us feeling drained and disconnected.

If you can’t escape to Big Bear, or if you don’t have time to connect with animals, a super simple way to tap root is to take your shoes off and touch your feet directly to the earth. Let the unnecessary and excess drain through your feet and into the earth, and allow her to hold you up in this moment. It’s a 10 second practice that will help you to feel grounded and so damn good.

HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED WITH YOUR PARTNER SINCE YOU BECAME PARENTS?

Less sex. A lot less actually. We share a family bed, and that has certainly changes things beyond what I expected. It’s getting better though as he gets older ;) Other than that, the biggest changes are with our own mental and spiritual health and development. It is incredible how your ego shrinks as your child grows – we realized that we owe it to our son to break the patterns that don’t serve us, and to act as a living example for our little man.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO AS A FAMILY?

Spending time at our home in Big Bear. I always lived in a rural area with my horses and my chickens, so being in LA has been a real shock to say the least. Our family trips to BB are so peaceful and allow us to really connect in with each other.

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

A Woman’s Worth by Maryanne Williamson

WHERE DO YOU FEEL MOST INSPIRED?

Where I feel most inspired isn’t a physical place as much as it is a head space for me. When I feel clear, nourished, and connected is when I feel most inspired.

WHAT DOES FEMININITY MEAN TO YOU?

My understanding of femininity has really changed over the past few years. Particularly, its changed the most throughout my journey of new motherhood. Now, my perception of femininity revolves heavily around being heard and being seen, as a woman, as a mother and as a lover.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE STRESS?

See “balance secrets”

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING PART ABOUT BEING A MOM?

Real Talk: With a new baby and a new business, there is often a tug of war going on between getting work done and spending quality time with my little man. After all, I am doing this for him, to create a legacy for myself and my family – but I definitely struggle with overwhelming guilt when it comes to choosing work over spending every minute with Aydan.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS?

The many, many moving parts. From ingredients and ordering, to the kitchen and the staff, and then of course the logistics of delivery. The only way we could figure everything out was to actually do it. Our soft launch has been instrumental for us to iron out all of the details to ensure a smooth process from start to finish.

WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING RIGHT NOW?

The back of my eyelids ;). TV is a super rare treat. If we have the downtime, Dan and I will usually watch a throwback movie and fall asleep halfway through.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS?

Small micro steps, in the right direction, will lead you to your goal. Don’t let the thought of starting something huge paralyze you. If you do one tiny little thing every day for your business, you’ll surprise yourself by what you can actually accomplish with cumulative effort. Time is on your side, go for it ;)

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR NEW MOTHERS?

1. You are a warrior birth goddess, and you are doing a damn good job!

2. Let’s get you fed, mama.

3. Take a daily shower, it will make you feel like a real human again.

4. Get help; whether it’s your mother, friend, nanny, whoever you trust – even if it’s just while you take a nap by yourself.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?

Never quit on a hard day.

This is not to say that you should continue doing something that is painful or gives you great displeasure. But if you truly want something, and it isn’t going smoothly – remember never quit on a hard day. The new day will come and you’ll smile with gratitude knowing that you didn’t give up.