Mari Llewellyn: Founder of Bloom Nutrition

Kara Goldin 0:00
I am unwilling to give up that I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be I want to be, you just want to make sure you will get knocked down but just make sure you don’t get knocked down knocked out. So your only choice should be go focus on what you can control control control. Hi, everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world’s greatest leaders. We’ll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can’t wait to get started. Let’s go. Let’s go. Hi, everybody. And welcome back to the Kara Goldin Show. Today we’re joined by an incredible guest. I’m so inspired by her and we were just chatting right before I hit record. And we have Mari Llewellyn here who is the founder of the incredible brand Bloom nutrition, you may have caught her on Tik Tok or Instagram or any of the other social platforms that she’s on as well. She has millions and millions of people who are part of her community and checking out exactly what she’s doing. But in addition to that, she has created an incredible company and great products. And in this fast paced and competitive world of health and fitness, building a successful brand takes more than just a passion for wellness. And obviously, Mari knows this all too well. And her journey to success really serves as a testament to figuring out a great idea something that has meaning, and also perseverance. So welcome, Mari.

Mari Llewellyn 1:50
Thank you. That was a lovely introduction. Thank you so much for having me. Of

Kara Goldin 1:54
course, of course. So your story and deciding to start Bloom nutrition is very personal. And would you mind sharing a bit about how did this all get started?

Mari Llewellyn 2:06
Yeah, for sure. So, as you said, very personal, I lost 90 pounds in 2017. And that’s kind of the short version of the story. It was a long journey for me. In college, I kind of had underlying mental health problems and was dealing with it through alcohol, partying, food, anything that kind of numbed the pain, I was put on a number of medications to help with the depression and anxiety. And that pretty much numbed me out. So I was in a really, really dark place, kind of hit rock bottom in my life. And I had probably gained, you know, 6070 pounds at this point. And ended up having to drop out of school in my last semester before I was about to graduate. So I moved back home with my dad, and kind of had this reality check. It was this moment of like, okay, I don’t have my degree. I don’t have a job. I don’t really have any passions or goals. I had been living in fight or flight for so long, that I never really thought about, okay, what do I love, like what is my purpose in life, and that was something that I wasn’t really sure of, and I wanted to figure it out. So I kind of was completely out of control. And to me, the very first step that I could take was my health. I was dating my now husband, Greg, who is a bodybuilder. And I had watched him, you know, while we were dating, cooking all his meals, going to the gym twice a day, like really dedicating himself to this mission. So I told him, You know, I really want to get into this, like, I want to take control of my health. And he helped me as much as he could. He taught me, you know, the weightlifting some of the basic compound movements. I began by kind of emulating his diet, which was interesting because it was obviously the diet of 230 pound bodybuilder, basically, so I had to kind of figure it out on my own and figure out what worked for me and I just started educating myself, reading books, listening to podcasts, immersing myself in the wellness space. And it really brought me a lot of purpose and passion and I feel like I developed a discipline and work ethic that I had never had before. And I always say what I learned in the gym was so applicable to real life. I ended up going back to school getting my degree. I got a job at Orangetheory fitness I was the opening shift, so I’d get there at three in the morning I’d bring my Tupperware of meal prep, and I just started like really pushing myself further than I ever had before. And in November of 2000 17 I actually posted my first before and after photo, and I hadn’t been sharing on social media at all during the journey was a very personal sort of private thing for me, because I was really going through it mentally. And sharing that photo completely changed my life, it blew up, way more than I had anticipated. And that was really the start of my career and the the start of everything, I can obviously go into more detail. But that was the backstory of my, my brand and everything I’ve done. So

Kara Goldin 5:31
we’ll get into the brand in a few minutes. But I do want to talk about, you know, this health journey that you went on, I was on my own health journey. And that was what really encouraged me to think about what I was drinking, because diet sweeteners for me were, you know, not doing the trick. I thought diet meant health. And when I figured out that I never was a water drinker. And that’s why I wasn’t drinking water. That’s when I started looking down at my diet soda and thinking maybe it’s this and I was super early. I mean, this is 2004, there wasn’t anyone talking about this. And I had lost two and a half in two and a half weeks, I had lost 24 pounds in two and a half weeks just by giving up the diet soda. So I really saw this for myself how, you know, just making one little change and becoming much more aware could really change things a lot. What are some of the big misconceptions you encountered around healthy living and weight loss?

Mari Llewellyn 6:38
So really good question. I think even current day, a lot of people assume that you don’t eat yummy food when you’re living a healthy lifestyle. And I personally, completely disagree. And now when I if I ever have a cheat meal, or you know I have something that’s something I would have loved back in the day, my palate has changed so much, that it tastes so artificial to me that I can’t even enjoy it. So I’d say that the food healthy food can be so much fun. And it’s made me so passionate about cooking and trying new things. My diet now is very focused on whole nutrient dense foods, I eat a lot of protein, and my food is really flavorful. And I love it. So I think that’s one big, big misconception. I think also that the concept of over exercising and that cardio is really necessary for weight loss is another big misconception. I pretty much lost all of my weight, just weightlifting. And I really feel like it changed the composition of my body truly, I never wanted to just shrink, I wanted to, you know, have muscle and look athletic and strong. And that’s something that stayed really true to this day. In terms of cardio, I pretty much just walk like I just, you know, walk around my neighborhood take work breaks and go on walks. And I think people have this perception that you need to like run or bike or you know, have intense cardio regimes. And I don’t agree with that. Another misconception with living a healthy lifestyle. I think that maybe it makes you antisocial. And I did go through a period of time where I was a bit more isolated because I was so focused on my goals, but I think that was necessary for me with where I was at. Now, there’s such a big community in the wellness space and you can have so much fun having like a wellness day with your friends sauna, cold plunge cook together. I think there’s so many people that enjoy optimizing their life that now it can be a really social activity as well. So I’d say those, those three. So

Kara Goldin 8:52
you’re the founder of Bloom nutrition as well as Mari fitness. And as I mentioned earlier, you’re all over social. So if anyone wants to check it out, maybe you don’t know who Mari is or Bloom nutrition definitely go online now or right after this podcast and check it out. But how would you describe Bloom nutrition and its mission? Obviously you started eating a lot healthier. You saw for yourself how just making those changes and taking control of everything. But what was it that you felt like you needed to put into something that people could purchase and that it would really be helpful to them?

Mari Llewellyn 9:36
So something I struggled with on my health journey was finding supplements that were for my demographic, so I was obviously new to fitness. I was a female, and I would walk into a GNC and look for a supplement for me and I felt like everything was very masculine or intimidating. I had like red, yellow, black and I was like I think I’m in the wrong place. cuz like, I just don’t see anything that’s really speaking to me. And I would come home with various supplements. And my husband would be like, Oh, no, take that back like that has tons of caffeine and it’s not good for your anxiety. This has this. So I wanted to make something that was for my girls, I had a really strong community at this point. I wanted supplements that I felt like were delicious, but easy to incorporate in my routine, and had amazing ingredients. So the my husband’s also very passionate about supplements. So he was like, let’s go and he’s so entrepreneurial. Together, we kind of made the perfect team. In January of 2019, we launched our first product, which was an all natural pre workout. So at the beginning of Bloom, we were definitely more gym performance oriented. And we did everything ourselves. So we did labels, we did customer service, we did marketing, I did the photo shoots. So we really took it from the ground up, obviously with the help of food scientists and manufacturers. But it was really like a labor of love. The Pre Workout sold out right away, which we were like, Okay, I think we’ve got something here like, let’s keep going. So we made protein we made EAS all very in line with the things that I wanted. And the girls were responding really well. But I felt like I hadn’t quite quite found our thing yet. And then right before COVID, I had been talking about creating something that was an all in one supplement for my nutrients, vitamins, something that was good for gut health, I was really focused on gut health at the time. And I really struggled getting in enough vegetables. I’m very protein oriented. But I wasn’t super into vegetable, that was something I struggled to get enough of. So I was like, I think we need to make some kind of greens powder. And it was a dip difficult formula, because obviously greens don’t taste amazing, especially when you mix them all together. So I was like I you know, I think this is difficult to get down. And my goal was to make it really yummy, and accessible and friendly and approachable. So we went through a bunch of different formulations. And I remember we took I took one formulation on a vacation with my husband. And it was actually the vacation we got engaged on which obviously didn’t know. So we were celebrating eating drinking a lot. And I was taking the greens like twice a day. And really finding I felt so much better bloat wise, hangover wise, energy wise. And I was like, I think this is it. And I was sharing all of this, I documented everything on my social media, I basically treated it like my diary. And the girls were freaking out about it, they all wanted to try it. So we launched right before COVID. And then obviously the pandemic hit, and everyone became really invested in inner health and immunity. And it was kind of the perfect storm and the Greens just took off. And they kept selling out over and over and over. Mostly because our company is 100% self funded. So Greg and I were investing all of our money. And it was difficult to get enough capital to keep this quantity of product in stock all the time. So we just kept adding more and more and more. And now today, we are pretty much known as a green company. And the greens are in target. They’re in Walmart. We’re exploring other retailers right now we’re on Amazon. So it’s really crazy to see the journey from the beginning to now and and the way the Greens have had an impact on the wellness industry.

Kara Goldin 13:39
Where did the name come from?

Mari Llewellyn 13:41
Great question. I really wanted something that represented transformation, not just for myself, but for everyone following me because I feel like everyone was on their own journey. Maybe it wasn’t weight loss, but it was about becoming stronger or becoming a better version of themselves. Like no matter what that meant. So I felt like Blum really encapsulated that. And I’m still obsessed with it to this day. I’m so happy that we landed on that name, and that I didn’t let my husband choose it because he’s not the best. He’s not the best with names.

Kara Goldin 14:13
I love it. That’s great. So before founding Bloom nutrition, obviously you had started your own fitness, you’d worked at Orangetheory. But you didn’t have experience starting a physical goods product. Did you feel like you were equipped to do this? I mean, you know, obviously you wanted this product, it sounds like for yourself. That’s a that’s, you know, terrific. But it’s also you’re starting a whole company around this and shipping it and trying to figure out how do you build awareness around it? I mean, what was it that has been really the hardest part of that? Yeah,

Mari Llewellyn 14:54
it’s a great question. Yeah, I had no experience and if you’d asked me you In college, I had no desire to be involved in business, I was very creative. I was a designer merchandising major, which actually ended up helping me a lot in our process. Greg was always the numbers guy, the entrepreneur, the marketing guy, I was always really into branding community. So together, we kind of were the perfect skill sets. But still, neither of us had ever done this. I mean, we had a little bit of business experience. Because I had sold workout PDFs, that was the first product I ever made. It was a PDF guide for the plan I followed. And that was basically just because my community was asking for it. And we would actually manually email people this guide, and they would pay pal us $5. And then we figured out how to make a website. But it was like a little bit of a training camp for what was to come. And we also sold a resistance band, which was the first ever physical products and we hand packed and ship that out of my dad’s attic. So we had a bit of experience. But still starting Bloom was a whole other ballgame. And I always say now, I think people kind of wait for permission to start a business. And they think that they need a certain qualification. But really all you need is that passion and the willingness to take a chance. And we just put one foot in front of the other every single day. I think the hardest part was maybe hiring. And I still feel you know, now we’re blessed to have over 100 people working for us. It’s incredible. But back then Greg and I did everything ourselves. And I think finding the right people who are better than you is hard, especially when you’re young, and you’ve never hired before, and you don’t know what to look for. The first person we hired was for customer service, because that was probably the worst task of everything. It’s just so tedious. And then, you know, figuring out how to hire but still stay in our best skill sets. And now as the company has evolved, Greg and I are hardly ever in the same room because we have such different roles in the company. But yeah, I would say hiring and figuring out where to delegate. So

Kara Goldin 17:15
you both co founded the company. And then you hire it sounds like you hired in people to actually run it after. Was it a period of time? Or are you guys still running the company.

Mari Llewellyn 17:28
So we were running it fully just us two for probably two years. And then slowly started to build the team. My husband is the CEO and is currently fully running the company. He has his hands and everything. I’m actually working out of the Bloom office right now. So my studio is in the Bloom office. So Greg’s running around out there, I’m still very involved with branding events, influencers, sharing the story of the brand. So we’re both still super involved. But have people working for us who are really good at their jobs, which is great. That’s,

Kara Goldin 18:05
that is terrific. And so it allows you to kind of poke your head in and do what you do best. It sounds like for sure. So the green, the Bloom greens is amazing. It’s such it’s really taken off, as you mentioned, what is it that differentiates that product from maybe some of the other copycat or competitors? I don’t know how you view the world out there, we we’ve all got him when you launch a company, and especially if you’re doing well and you’re getting a lot of attention, you’re gonna have those people but what would you say is like the key thing that’s really differentiating your product from others that might be looking like yours?

Mari Llewellyn 18:45
Yeah, I think the differentiation biggest one I would say is taste. I think a lot of greens powders are really hard to get down I had, I was in a meeting the other day, and it was a retail buyer who compared the other greens to the bottom of a lawnmower. So I thought that was an interesting reference. So I’d say taste is a big one. Branding, we have a real sense of community with Bloom. And I think the people who use Bloom and follow us online, who know the backstory, feel like they’re in a community we do a lot of in real life events. And it’s like really a lifestyle. And I think it’s a lot more fun and approachable and less of an intense perspective. It’s about making wellness fun, and making it accessible to everyone a huge reason why we wanted to get into Target and Walmart is so we could be accessible to everyone around the country. And not just the air ones are the top niche health stores in the country. We wanted to be there for everyone because the followers of Bloom are around the country. So yeah, I’d say that’s what sets us apart there.

Kara Goldin 19:54
So how do you know you’re successful as an entrepreneur so you’re are, you know, obviously the likes and the people watching you and you’ve built this community. But I always go back to the stories, the ones that I’m sure there’s some stories that you really remember where you’ve shared your story. And now a lot of other people are sharing their story we had that. Actually, the first few days that we got hit on the shelf, I had somebody who had just been diagnosed with type two diabetes, who and this was, again, 2005, before anyone was really even talking about this, that they said, thank goodness, you launched a product that doesn’t have that extra stuff in it, because I can drink it. And I feel normal. And I can only imagine you’ve seen many of those types of communication, or you’ve met people that have shared those stories, any one stand out to you in particular? Yeah,

Mari Llewellyn 20:56
I think that’s I mean, that’s really the best part, I’m sure you agree is like hearing other people’s stories, meeting them in person. That’s why I love the events or even just running into someone on the street and hearing about, I think, because my story and Bloom are so intertwined, and so personal, I get the privilege of having people open up to me because they’ve had their own transformation story. So I love in particular, when people tell me that they also have BPD borderline personality disorder, which was my diagnosis, or they have trauma that they’ve overcome, and that wellness has helped them so much. And that the greens is a huge part of their routine and helps them feel grounded, and great every single day. Those are so special. I have a lot of girls reach out who have IBS and stomach problems and have seen amazing results from the greens. Also acne. Acne has been a huge thing for me. I struggled with acne for over a decade and the Greens was something that really helped me and I’ve had girls tell me the same. Honestly, just anyone who’s you know, getting vulnerable with me, it really resonates in a way that I can’t even explain. It’s, it’s the best.

Kara Goldin 22:05
Yeah, and I think it’s, it’s as I was doing more and more research on you, it’s not just about the weight, the weight was the start of it. It was just it was about overall getting healthy. Mind and Body, which of course is top of mind for so many people today. Do you feel like the story is really powerful, like what hooks people in but then you’re enabling them to really do it for themselves, right through products that you’re supplying. But what do you think it is that that really has allowed you to kind of build the company you have today?

Mari Llewellyn 22:44
It’s interesting, because at the beginning, people only really knew of Bloom through me. It was like Maori supplement company. But now we’ve gotten to the point where people find Bloom, and rarely even know who I am, which is amazing. Like that was the goal from the beginning. And you know, a few of the core followers still know of me and know my story. But I think having a presence online, we definitely have a ton of influences who love the product and share the product. Ranging from mums to nurses to business owners, so many different walks of life. So people have seen the product online, and heard, you know, personal reviews from people that when they run into it in the store or see it on Amazon, they already feel like they understand it, and have been a part of the community. So I think that’s really helpful. And also hearing other people’s stories that they can relate to, you know, I have my own unique story, but we have, you know, I always think of this influence we have called mama calls Callie. She is a mother in South Carolina. We just did a collab product with her. And so many people relate to her on Tik Tok, and she’s sharing the greens and how she takes them in her own way. So I think people are just finding, you know, their person or that influencer online, and that’s how they’re learning about the greens.

Kara Goldin 24:03
What has surprised you most, since you’ve started your company about building a brand? And you know, something that maybe you didn’t know, before you were a founder?

Mari Llewellyn 24:16
Oh, that’s such a good question. I think how emotional it is. I would say like Bloom and Pat perhaps it’s because of how I started the brand. But letting go and hiring people and letting them take on responsibility at first was really hard for me. And I kind of had a bit of a grieving process when I let go of some of my responsibilities because I felt like Bloom was my child and I still feel that way. And seeing it out in the world. Like it’s its own beast now. And it’s kind of wild to watch that happen and it’s definitely an emotional roller coaster like your ex static that it’s doing well, and it’s in retail, but at the same time, it’s like, that’s my little, that’s my baby. So it’s like, it’s a weird journey, and I didn’t expect it to be so emotional, I would say,

Kara Goldin 25:12
I totally understand what you mean. So it’s, it’s definitely interesting to, to watch it and and, frankly, to trust as as you’re growing your team out. And I think that’s super, super important. But I also share with entrepreneurs to be sure to never lose touch with and understanding exactly what is going on. Because oftentimes, you might have to go back in, right and figure stuff out when you see that things have gone wrong. And I’ve seen that over and over again, and other companies, as well, friends of mine, that, you know, they sort of took their hands off the wheel a little bit and let somebody else run a certain aspect of it. And that’s where you seem to really run into trouble. So I think always staying close to it. Or at least having your co founder be super close to it is essential. So if you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice. What would it be? Ooh, I was thinking about, like, on all those stressful days, when you’re, you know, really trying to figure this stuff out? What do you think is kind of the key thing.

Mari Llewellyn 26:24
Such a good point, I think on the hardest days, I think you can’t really celebrate the best days without the hard days. And I feel like the hard days are when we learned the most. And you really need to make those mistakes and feel how that feels in order to never do it again. So I think the hard days are really, really crucial. And to just kind of soak it in and know that a really good day is coming in to just keep writing it out. And even with starting my podcast, I heard this statistic that 90% of people don’t even make it past the first episode. And I feel like that applies to businesses as well, just by continuing and pushing through the hard part. You’re already winning, you know, so just keep going and get through the hard stuff. Because it’s not supposed to be easy.

Kara Goldin 27:14
What is your your wellness, your health and wellness routine? So you get up you? I would imagine that your greens is part of it. But what do you mind if I ask what what do you wake up to?

Mari Llewellyn 27:26
Totally no greens is definitely a part of it. That’s like the first thing I like to do. I’m an early morning workout person. So for example today, I woke up at six. I’m at the gym by 630. It’s just down the street from me. I wait lift for about 30 to 40 minutes nowadays, there’s not long sessions. I will take my dog on a walk. I have coffee, make my breakfast. Breakfast is a big thing for me. Sometimes I meditate I go through ups and downs with meditating at the moment. I’m doing it at night. So yeah, my morning is a little bit rushed sometimes because I like to be in the office by nine. Get ready for the day. I always have a gallon of water. And I’m on a pretty intense supplement regime because I have done a lot of lab tests with a naturopath so I’m working on Candida, you know all those things. So I take a lot of different supplements throughout the day and an organizer at home at night. We love sauna and cold plunge on the weekend. I’ll do it in the morning, but we love going in the sauna and the cold plunge. I love red light therapy. Red light therapy has been awesome. We also have this pmf mat. Not sure how I feel about that one apparently it’s grounding. It’s good for sleep. So I’m still experimenting with the PMF mat. Red lights amazing for the skin inflammation.

Kara Goldin 28:57
So how do you use that? I’m just curious like the red light.

Mari Llewellyn 29:01
I prop it up and I use it on my face for like acne scars. Sometimes I mean my husband sits in front of it completely naked, to be honest because it’s really good for like everything. It’s good for fertility. I’ve heard a lot of good things and I’ve seen good results with my skin so I’m a fan of that. And then we always wear blue light blocking glasses in the evening just to try and wind down if we’re looking at screens or anything to get that blue light away. And we always cook dinner together. It’s kind of a ritual in my house. My husband and I no matter how busy we all we always sit down for dinner together and we love cooking. So yeah,

Kara Goldin 29:39
what’s the best meal like or the typical meal? That is like the easy go to for you. Typical

Mari Llewellyn 29:46
meal is a ribeye. We love steak, big red meat people. Maybe a salad for me. I love a good salad with a good dressing and avocado. We did a sweet potato last night. We love using Ghee or tallow. So we eat pretty simple. And then I like to have like a little dark chocolate at night as well. And tea peppermint tea in

Kara Goldin 30:13
the morning. How do you use the greens, the the Bloom greens.

Mari Llewellyn 30:20
I do a scoop in cold water with ice and a little bit of lemon and I like to have it before breakfast. So when I get back from the gym, have my greens, lemon and ice. It’s super yummy. I know some people put it in a smoothie you can mix it with you can really mix it with anything you want. And take it any time a day that works for you. I like mornings personally. And I’m really into the strawberry kiwi flavor right now. Is

Kara Goldin 30:44
that your favorite? I was gonna ask you which one you like the

Mari Llewellyn 30:48
most? Yes, it. It’s hard to pick. I love all of them. But I say strawberry kiwi or mango is my top two.

Kara Goldin 30:55
That’s awesome. So you can buy it online, obviously. And you mentioned Target, Walmart as well. You’re getting into lots of retails retailers, we’ll have all that info in the show notes. But Mari, you’re terrific. I’m definitely going to keep tabs on you because I think you guys are doing some really great stuff. And you’ve really nailed how to actually build brand awareness and let people know exactly what you’re doing. And obviously, you’re helping people create health in their own lives, which is super, super wonderful. So, Mari Llewellyn, thank you so much for coming on. And thanks, everybody for listening.

Mari Llewellyn 31:36
Thank you guys. Bye.

Kara Goldin 31:39
Thanks again for listening to the Kara Goldin show. If you would, please give us a review and feel free to share this podcast with others who would benefit and of course, feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode of our podcast. Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Goldin. I would love to hear from you too, so feel free to DM me. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my Wall Street Journal, best selling book undaunted, where I share more about my journey including founding and building hint. We are here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks for listening and good bye for now. Before we sign off, I want to talk to you about fear. People like to talk about fearless leaders. But achieving big goals isn’t about fearlessness. Successful leaders recognize their fears and decide to deal with them head on in order to move forward. This is where my new book undaunted comes in. This book is designed for anyone who wants to succeed in the face of fear, overcome doubts and live a little undaunted. Order your copy today at undaunted, the book.com and learn how to look your doubts and doubters in the eye and achieve your dreams. For a limited time. You’ll also receive a free case of hint water. Do you have a question for me or want to nominate an innovator to spotlight send me a tweet at Kara Goldin and let me know. And if you liked what you heard, please leave me a review on Apple podcasts. You can also follow along with me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at Kara Goldin. Thanks for listening