Women In Wellness: Roxanne Wise of Rookie On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
There’s no roadmap for something that hasn’t been done before. Sometimes we want to copy other successful brand or campaign ideas because we saw them have success- but they are not you and you are not them. Try new things!
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Roxanne Wise.
Rookie is a sustainable sourced, Vegan brand that is simplifying supplements so anyone can be well. Rookie is Non-GMO, Gluten free, soy free, dairy free and is made in the USA. The brand is committed to clean, kind practices through every part of the process. The brand partnered with wellness experts to include immune boosting supplements, along with morning/evening and pre-workout supplements all made with bioavailable super nutrients like Vitamins, Ginger, Elderberry, Magnesium, melatonin, Guarana and Ashwagandha to name a few.
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?
I am a mom of two busy boys, and started Rookie because I wanted to take care of myself. After 10+ years in advertising and ecommerce, I was tired. I had had two kids during that timeframe, scaled two successful businesses, and found myself depleted. I created Rookie because I wanted better options for me and my family that felt accessible, and fit into my lifestyle.
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?
Two separate times in my career I vividly remember realizing that there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. I have pitched multi-million dollar accounts to boardrooms of executives, and stood toe-to-toe with C-levels and Presidents asking me for advice. Nobody has all of the answers. It doesn’t matter what your career “pedigree” or background says- anything is possible if you believe you can do it. Everybody is making it up as they go.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Wanting things to be perfect, and asking TOO many questions. Questions are good- trying is better. I figured this out early on, and believe it made me a better doer. Present ideas, present plans, and then ask for feedback. This has formed Rookie and every company I’ve been a part of.
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 days of grandma’s portable pill holder are gone- people are fast-paced, complex, and unique. I wanted to offer supplements that matched that. Our blends are advanced level ingredients for on-the-go, meant to be built into whatever kind of lifestyle you have. Forget adding ashwagandha to your protein shake and taking a B complex along with your multivitamin- why not add a single stick to water and get all of the benefits of the above in one drink?
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
1. Stay true to you. Adapting a new personality or trying to take on a lifestyle you aren’t familiar with is not only unsustainable, it’ll set you up for failure.
2. Just try. Start today, try again tomorrow, make a change for good. Small consistent steps are better than getting up and training for a triathlon.
3. Get a buddy. If you are trying a new class, or making a commitment to a new workout regimen- find someone to go with you. It’s so much more enjoyable to do it with somebody else, and makes us feel more accountable to our commitments.
4. Try new things! Sometimes we prevent ourselves from trying because we are afraid of failing, or looking stupid. I encourage my kids all the time to try new things, but it’s some of the hardest advice to give adults. I recently got back into horseback riding after 15 years of not doing it and am loving it! I also took my first ski lesson with my 5 year old this year. I fell A LOT, but was so proud of myself for trying!
5. Ask questions! When we are learning the best course of action is application, and doing the movement you don’t understand in a class only opens ourselves up for injury or worse! How do I isolate in that movement? Is this right? How did you train for that? Nobody likes looking dumb- but to be honest nobody identifies with the know it all either. We like people who are open, so why not be that.
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 hope Rookie is it! I felt there was a gap in wellness where it caters a lot to the already fit, or already very well versed in adaptogens and blending their own nut milk. What about me? I am a regular mom trying to do my best, and I think there are a lot of women like me. I want to normalize being a ‘rookie’, no matter our experience levels so that we all feel like we have a place in wellness.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. Just because someone doesn’t like peanut butter and jelly doesn’t mean PB&J isn’t good. We are not for everyone, and that is okay.
2. Nobody has all of the answers (see above ;))
3. Be flexible. Ask for feedback. Make changes that better your business.
4. Find a mentor, or a sounding board. It’s so helpful to bounce ideas off of someone, or talk through hard times.
5. There’s no roadmap for something that hasn’t been done before. Sometimes we want to copy other successful brand or campaign ideas because we saw them have success- but they are not you and you are not them. Try new things!
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Definitely mental health. I think mental health is equally as important as physical health, and love that we are able to talk about it. My mom’s generation wasn’t able to, and I think we saw a lot of silent suffering from that age group. Normalize it, talk about it, exercise it just as you would your body.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Women In Wellness: Roxanne Wise of Rookie On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.