September Reflections: Gratitude, Growth & Everyday Healing

September Reflections: Gratitude, Growth & Everyday Healing

 

Hi my loves,

It’s my birthday month (26 trips around the sun!) - and what a month it’s been.

September has felt like one of those chapters where everything happens at once: business milestones, new routines, big decisions, and a few grounding rituals that have kept me anchored along the way.

This is why I love writing these monthly round-ups. It’s not just about the “stuff” - it’s about the rituals, tools, and little moments that are genuinely shaping my days right now.

HOLY CACAO Highlights

  • From My Kitchen to 16 Countries: When I think back to those first months - placing my first stock order and wondering if anyone would even buy - it feels surreal that HOLY CACAO is now being sipped and enjoyed in 16 countries. A true full-circle moment.
  • Launching on W-Wellness: We’ve officially joined W-Wellness! From my first call with their founder to conversations with their team of nutritionists, I just knew it was the right fit for HOLY CACAO. They care deeply about quality and alignment, which is everything to me.
  • Our Biggest Customer Order Yet: This month we received our biggest order to date - a real pinch-me moment. Every single order means so much, but knowing someone loves the products enough to order at this scale left me feeling incredibly grateful.
  • The Countdown Is On: I can’t share too much just yet, but let’s just say something new (and very delicious) is coming soon. Trust me - it’s worth the wait, and I can’t wait to reveal all.


My Routine Right Now

After experiencing serious burnout earlier this year, my focus these past few months has been on healing. Now, I feel ready to begin pushing myself again - showing up as my best self in a way that supports my health and feels aligned with the vision and exciting future of HOLY CACAO. This is what my current routine looks like:

Prioritising Sleep

I aim to be asleep by 10pm and wake up at 7am. I know that’s a luxury not everyone has, but good sleep has been one of the biggest game-changers for my hormones, skin, and energy.

Morning Sunlight

Yes, even in England. I try to get at least five minutes of natural light on my face first thing. It’s such a small step, but it makes a huge difference for hormone balance and circadian rhythm.

Loaded Water

My healing cocktail:

High-Protein Breakfast

Right now I’m obsessed with mince and scrambled eggs. I can already hear the judgement through the screen, but don’t knock it until you try it. It sets me up with stable energy, keeps me full, and honestly - I love it.

Focus Cacao in the Mug

I hunted for ages to find the perfect stainless steel mug (aesthetic but practical) and finally found one - OTE on Amazon, and she’s a beauty. I sip my Focus Cacao on the drive to the gym, where I usually work from for the day. I tend to pull in around 8:30am, singing along to Noah Kahan, who I’ve had on repeat lately.

Work Block 1 (8:30–11:30am)

Deep work time. Every hour I take a quick lap outside to move my legs and reset (though if I’m being really honest, I don’t always stick to it).

Gym (11:30am–1pm)

I rotate between weights, yoga, and pilates. If there’s one positive that’s come out of burnout, it’s how much more in tune I am with my body. I listen carefully and give it what it needs. I always finish my workout with some walking on the treadmill, where I catch up on our DMs. (Connecting with you all is one of my favourite times in the day.)

Lunch + Reset (1–1:40pm)

A quick shower (+ sauna if I have time), and a protein-packed lunch before diving back in.

Work Block 2 (until around 4:30pm)

Focused time to push projects forward and check in with the team.

Driving Home

My parents are currently abroad so I’m borrowing their car. This might be a niche reference, but did you ever hold your parents’ car keys in the supermarket pretending they were yours, just to feel cool? Turns out that feeling hasn’t left me… except now I’m a 25-year-old child driving something far too serious…

Dinner + Final Work Block (until 6/6:30pm)

I try to have a hard cut-off here. Does it always happen? No. But I do my best.

Evening Walk + Podcast

I wind down with a walk, usually listening to a business or health podcast. At the moment I’m loving The Odd Muse Podcast or really nerdy deep-dive e-commerce ones.

Evening Ritual

  • Stretching with candles lit
  • Journalling
  • Calm Cacao in bed to complete my wind down routine and switch off.

Things I’m Loving This Month

  • Lumi Lamp - Waking up gently to light rather than a blaring alarm feels so peaceful. I notice such a difference in how energised and calm I feel.
  • Brick Phone Lock - This might be my best purchase yet for both productivity and switching off. I “brick” my phone at 9pm, so no more work or social notifications creeping in. Most days I keep it locked while I work too, which helps me focus properly.
  • My Beige Cap - If I had to choose a desert island item, a cap would probably make the cut. Simple, practical, and I just love it.
  • New Alo Trainers - I only ever buy white trainers… which is probably the most impractical choice when you live in Devon. Am I aware of that? Yes. Will I stop? Absolutely not - these are just too beautiful.
  • The Swimsuit I Finally Bought from Away That Day - This sat in my basket for months before I finally treated myself as a birthday present from me to me. No regrets - and the compliments made it even better.

Personal Lessons & Learnings

  • High - I grew as a business owner. I had to make a really tough decision about letting someone go. It wasn’t easy, but I handled it with integrity and felt real growth. The high wasn’t in the letting go itself, but in how I navigated it – that felt like serious progress.
  • Something I’m Noticing - As I take on more work again, I can feel the impact on my body and hormones, and it’s starting to show up in my skin. The truth is, I love what I do so much that I could happily spend every hour of the day working on it, but my body keeps reminding me that if I don’t slow down, it will force me to. Going into next month, I know I need to find a little more balance (if that even exists as a founder - I’ll let you know…)

I always want to be honest and the hardest part is that when my skin flares up, it really does knock my confidence to show up online. But maybe that’s all part of the journey.

It’s a reminder to slow down, even when my mind just wants to keep pushing. And just because I own a wellness brand doesn’t mean I have it all figured out.

Balancing work, health, and hormones at 25 is still very much a learning curve, but I feel excited knowing I can build a brand that creates products to support us all on this shared journey. That is, and will always be my “why” and driving force behind everything I do.

A Few Moments That Filled My Cup

  • Buying a vlog camera - a game-changer! You can expect more behind-the-scenes soon.
  • Wild swims and bodyboarding in Cornwall – It turns out those Cornish waves really do fix everything.
  • Reading all of your reviews, seeing your story tags, and watching HOLY CACAO being shared with friends - this is truly what builds the brand.

I’m forever grateful to every single one of you for being on this journey with me.

With love,

Claudia x

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