Take care of and value your employees and partners because it takes a team to build a company/see a vision to fruition, not an individual.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Emilie Fritz Veloso.
Emilie Fritz is a serial entrepreneur, startup consultant, co-founded O.N.E. Coconut Water which was sold to PepsiCo in 2012. She is the former CEO of Sacred Space Miami and a Founding Member of the Georgetown Ambassadors for Women, Peace & Security
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
AsI have been building One Tribe over the past 20 months, from concept to opening in early December, it has always felt like my entire life and career have led me to this business. One Tribe is the unification of what I call my five passion/value pillars (health/wellness, women, education, community and spirituality), and the knowledge and experience I have accumulated in my career.
I started my career in NYC and London as a communications consultant. At first in the Fashion and Beauty industries, but quickly realized that my passion was in health and wellness. I moved back to California, my home state, to earn an MBA in entrepreneurship. I didn’t have an idea for a company yet, but I somehow knew that I was meant to build businesses — to be an entrepreneur. It was in business school where I met my future business partner and husband. We met competing at a business plan competition for MBA students at University of Texas Austin. He presented the business plan for O.N.E Coconut Water, which he wrote while he was in business school in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was there presenting the business plan for what is today Marmont Hill, Inc. I knew nothing about coconut water at the time, but the business just made so much sense. As I learned about the extraordinary health benefits of Coconut Water, I saw a simple health marketing campaign — because as I always say -everyone from pre-birth to old age should drink coconut water. We joined forces and launched O.N.E. Coconut Water from our apartment in West Hollywood and built it into a mutli-million business which we eventually sold Pepsi, Co, Inc.
After the sale of O.N.E to Pepsi, Co, we relocated to Miami, FL and settled our young and growing family. A few years later, I was excited to get back to work and joined The Sacred Space Miami as its CEO. There I gained experience managing a multidivisional center united by a single mission. I left a few months before the world was turned upside down by Covid with the plan to finally and officially launch One Tribe. One Tribe has been a dream + idea in my head for many years. One Tribe was conceived out of the experience of having my first child in Los Angeles. I drove all over LA for different classes and services such as physical therapy, breast feeding support, Mommy and me classes, etc. I was lucky to join a mommy and me group when my son was just 6 weeks old. That class and that group influenced my parenthood journey in immeasurable ways. While there were many great resources in LA, I still had to find it, book it and then drive myself there. I just wished all these businesses were in one centrally located place. I didn’t want to recreate the individual businesses as much as bring them all together. The concept of One Tribe was born — a Pre and Post Natal Wellness and educational center offering both in person and virtual classes and appointments. More importantly, One Tribe is a trusted source saving women time and from being overwhelmed with information. One Tribe is a place of community for women on their journey to mother and beyond. A place for them to find their tribe.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
My business partner and I knew back in 2005/2006 that coconut water would be a billion dollar category in the US within ten years. It seemed very logical to us. However, when we launched sales of O.N.E. Coconut Water with grocery retailers in California, the retail buyers knew nothing about coconut water. We had to explain that it is NOT the milk, was the natural water drained from a 9 month old green coconut, and review the health benefits. Every sales pitch was a challenge, but we landed every single account we met with. What was really interesting was that for the first time in a long time, a beverage did not squarely fit into a beverage category. Coconut water was a juice, a water, produce, a sport drinks, a specialty drink, etc. In the end, this allowed us to more easily enter grocery stores, because the retail buyer could place us in a few sections of the store. I remember a few years later walking into a Whole Foods only to find Coconut Water listed as its own category. I was so thrilled to be a part of helping establish and build the coconut market in the US.
The main lessons here are perseverance and always follow your intuition.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
A mistake I made early in my career was feeling ashamed to ask for help or trying to solve everything myself. One of the smartest things you can do is ask questions and ask others for help.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
The mission of One Tribe is to empower women and their families on the journey to parenthood and beyond. One Tribe strives to build community for women and facilitate authentic connection through shared experience and education. New motherhood can be very isolating and overwhelming. It is our belief that we were not meant to have babies in isolation, but in tribe.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
1 . Walk. A lot. I try to walk everywhere and love to take long walks, i.e. more than 60 minutes. It keeps my weight stable, and can be both social or solitary. My favorite thing is to plan a walking meeting versus a coffee, lunch or breakfast meeting. When alone, I use long walks as meditation time and to solve problems. I will ask myself a question I need answered and walk until I have it solved.
2 . Listen to your body. You know your body better than anyone. If something feels off or different, be your own advocate and get to the bottom of the situation. After I gave birth to my first child, I knew something was wrong. I kept going back to my doctor with symptoms of exhaustion, joint pain and foggy headedness. Every time I visited him with complaint, he concluded it was my fluctuating thyroid (I have Hashimoto’s disease.) It was not, I continued to have symptoms, but also excused it because I was exhausted running a growing company, breastfeeding, and not sleeping a lot with a newborn. With increased brain fog and after I stopped breastfeeding, I went back to the doctor again — I then met with another endocrinologist, a rheumatologist and finally a gastroenterologist. After another three months, we discovered that I had Celiac Disease. I knew for months something was wrong. I had to work hard for the diagnosis. Luckily it is an auto immune disease that is treated solely with a Gluten Free diet.
3 . Follow your intuition. Whenever I make a decision that I am on the fence about, I always ask myself, what does my gut know. I even made my co-founders agree to always ask me and themselves — what does your gut say?
4. Find balance in all you do. Take time for your health and things that bring your joy and laughter. Balance can be challenging, but you should always strive for it.
5. Drink Coconut Water. From pregnancy to old age, drinking pure coconut water is good for your health and hydration.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I believe in and support the work of The Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace & Security and Moms First, which both work tirelessly to make sure women get a seat at every decisioning making table and are valued in society. When women are part of the decision making in relation to policy, business, diplomacy, etc society and world will have less violence, greater peace and stronger economies.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- As an entrepreneur you never get to really take a break.
- Everything you do takes 2x as long as you planned, and usually costs 2x as much as you budgeted.
- Trust your intuition — every time you make a decision double check with your gut.
- Take care of and value your employees and partners because it takes a team to build a company/see a vision to fruition, not an individual.
- Always ask for help. Build a great team of advisors and mentors.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
I feel very strongly that taking care of our environment should be our collective first priority. If we do not take care of our planet, everything in our lives will be affected — our homes, our health, our food, our water.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
IG: the.one.tribe
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com .
