How I Thrive: Wildwonder Founder Rosa Li

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 Wildwonder founder Rosa Li, who gets quality sleep by defying screen time rules and has a podcast list that will have you hitting "subscribe."

Name: Rosa Li

Age: 34 

City: San Francisco, CA 

Company: Wildwonder, a wellness beverage brand focused on immune and gut health. They're healing drinks that lift you to create everyday wonders! 

Role: Founder & CEO 

Beyond the role: Food fanatic, amateur cook, world wanderer, boxing enthusiast.

Morning routine: 

I don’t drink enough water during the day, so I’ve been trying to hydrate more. My morning starts around 6:30 a.m. with one glass of lemon water and one glass of coffee or matcha latte. Breakfast is a big deal for me — it helps me wake up and kickstarts my metabolism and energy. It can be as simple as a banana if I’m running behind, or as fancy as a breakfast burrito if I decide to splurge. I spend 30 to 45 minutes reading all my newsletters to catch up on world events and entrepreneurship news before I start tackling emails. I usually go for a 7:30 a.m. boxing session or high-intensity interval training before work. But now that gyms are closed, I’ve been doing yoga at home.

The first thing I do after work:

Dinner! Something I look forward to every day. Dinner is usually my time to socialize and catch up with friends while exploring new restaurants, but the pandemic has obviously altered my way of life. Now I cook a lot and schedule Zoom dinners with friends.

Dinner ritual:

There’s definitely more Netflix and less socializing during dinner these days. Cooking has always been quite therapeutic for me. I usually stir fry something simple, with a balanced portion of veggies, protein and carbs (I always leave room for dessert), while I listen to Audible or a podcast. My favorites are How I Built This, Unfinished Biz, Acquired, Taste Radio, and Invest Like the Best. 

Nighttime routine: 

Getting sufficient, quality sleep is a top priority for me. Over the years, I've found that sleep is the best solution for productivity, immunity, and stress management. I use an aroma therapy diffuser with Saje essential oils as well as a Bearaby weighted blanket to improve the quality of my sleep.

I used to be a night owl and work past 2 a.m., but now I try to be in bed by 11. Contrary to the advice of limiting screen time before bed, I have a routine of streaming Netflix or YouTube videos right before bed. It's the equivalent of meditation apps for me!

How I define self-care: 

Favorite childhood toy or hobby:

Painting! I used to draw and paint a lot. My grandparents took me to Chinese watercolor classes while I was growing up. I don’t have time to paint anymore, unfortunately, but I do enjoy admiring art in physical and digital spaces.

State of your (email) inbox: 

I’m the opposite of an inbox 0 person. To avoid shocking everyone, I won’t disclose the number of unread emails in my inbox. But I usually just star the ones I need to go back to.

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