How I Thrive takes an inside look at founders, entrepreneurs and leaders and the behind-the-scenes self-care work they do to in order to live balanced, happy lives. Today's edition is with bRUNch Running founder Alexandra Weissner, who has the coziest bedtime routine ever and a workout schedule that inspires us to lace up our sneakers and go for a run.
Name: Alexandra Weissner
Age: 34
City: Denver, Colorado
Company: bRUNch Running, a fitness community that helps individuals fall in love with running through community runs, online programs and challenges, annual road races and a podcast.
Role: Co-founder
Beyond the role: Athlete, auntie, sister, a daughter, and friend. Outside of running, I've been enjoying triathlons a lot. I've always loved to be in the water and on the bike. Being outside is my happy place. Whenever I'm not working I'm trail running, hiking, or sipping a kombucha with a mountain view.
Morning routine:
The first thing I do after work:
Part of being an entrepreneur and a founder? Sometimes you have to work late. I try to wrap things up by 5:30 most days so that I can incorporate some movement into my evening. This can be as simple as doing some yoga in my home gym, taking the dogs for a walk with my roommate, an evening hike or a game of tennis. Movement brings me joy, so I always try to find ways to add more of it into my life. This summer we've been cooking dinner and hanging out in our backyard with our dogs most nights. Some nights I'll read. We do have a few shows, like "Yellowstone," that we are obsessed with. If I still have a lot of work to do, I'll sit on the couch and knock things out as I watch some of my favorites on Netflix.
Dinner ritual:
I usually eat dinner around 6:30 or 7. I love to cook! Most of the time I'm cooking for myself, but some nights my roommate and I eat together. We do aim to order delivery at least once a week. There are so many great restaurants in Denver, and we want to support them during this time.
Nighttime routine:
I love a good routine. My bedtime routine usually starts around 7:45 or 8pm. I clean the kitchen and we take the dogs out. After I've changed into my PJs, I brush my teeth, wash my face, and get into bed to read. I try to read for at least 30 minutes each night. I love both fiction and non-fiction. If it's a very stressful week I'll make sure I'm readying fiction so I can relax my mind more before I close my eyes. Around 9 or 9:30, I turn off the lights and turn on the Calm app for a sleep story. I need a little noise as I drift off.
Self-care guilty pleasure:
Massages. A good massage is the best thing. I ask a lot of my body, and a massage helps my muscles and my mind recover. I also get migraines, and I've found a massage every couple of weeks helps to keep them at bay.
Workday self-care hack:
Cuddle and pet the dogs. FaceTiming with my sister and her kids is also part of my daily self-care. They always make me laugh and smile! I've also been known to turn on some music and have a dance party.
How do you define self-care?
Anything that brings a smile to my face.
Favorite childhood toy or hobby:
As you can probably tell by now, I've always been very active. My favorite hobby as a child was dancing, specifically ballet. I started dancing at age two. Ballet taught me discipline, hard work, and how to find joy in moving my body.
State of your (email) inbox:
I totally use it as a task list. I wish I could get to zero, but I don't see that happening. I have some many folders so that if I ever need to look something up, I know where to find the email.
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Illustration by Megan Behrendt