Behind the Brand: NUCIFERA BODY
NATURE AND INTENT JOURNAL profiles conscious brand owners that create a meaningful impact through living their nature and intent.
A few weeks ago we connected with the amazing Meredith Baird Figone, founder of coconut and natural beauty brand, NUCIFERA BODY, at her beautiful Venice home where she lives and work with her husband & daughter. Meredith has been in the raw food and wellness industry for years and is also an author of notable books Everyday Raw Detox, Raw Chocolate, Plant Food, and Coconut Kitchen. In this brand interview, she shared how she navigated birthing her brand and baby (at the same time), the evolving conversation in the beauty and wellness industry, and remaining authentic online and offline while building a brand. Read on to learn more about Meredith and NUCIFERA.
Read on to learn more about Meredith and NUCIFERA.
As someone who has been in the raw food & wellness industry for many years, how do you stay inspired? What are your thoughts on the evolving conversation around wellness and clean beauty?
Meredith: I currently find it hard to stay inspired about food/wellness in general, but when I need inspo in that department I look to books. Cookbooks, vintage wellness books, and a few accounts that offer good info - but mostly there is just too much noise, and the information feels very silo-ed. I find more inspiration in art, fashion and other forms of design that inspire what I do. Finding inspiration is fuel for me in virtually every aspect of life.
For food specifically I used to get inspired by fine dining and restaurants, and now I am much more open to finding the inspiration from the pop up vegan pizza stand, or the taco truck, and things that feel more undiscovered.
I do think self-care, and wellness overall is a positive trend. Taking care of yourself is the first step in taking care of everyone else as long as it comes from a positive place. The part I’m not sure about is the dialogue that is constantly telling you that you need more, need to be more, need to clear your subconscious more, need the relationship or whatever more it is. Sometimes I’m old enough to have evolved out of that sort of - I’ll call it teen brain- that is constantly focused on self improvement - I’ve certainly been there, but am too distracted currently to get too hung up. I think the awakening that happens when you’re in your 30s is that it never gets fully figured out. If you just keep it positive self improvement is certainly a source for motivation, inspiration, and drive to live a full life- you just also have to balance it out with gratitude for what you currently have.
In a past interview, you shared how you found out you were pregnant at the same time you launched NUCIFERA. What was your initial response and how did you feel about the timing?
Meredith: The first month we launched was a little surreal because we randomly got a lot of press and were busy in a way that I wasn’t ready for at all. Of course, that was something to be grateful for, but it was definitely overwhelming. I was lucky in that I had a pretty easy pregnancy so working during wasn’t that hard.
What I found to be more challenging was actually having a business and a newborn. That first year was pretty foggy and I honestly don’t see how I did it (and grew the business). There were plenty of times I told my husband that I wish I had a normal job and maternity leave- but in hindsight that feels crazy for me. (Not to mention, who gets maternity leave in this country?!) There is a strong survival instinct that kicks in, and I think you see it a lot with new moms in Instagram culture especially- like “Hey! I’m still here, doing my thing, I just have a sidekick!” All of that feels a little crazy and overwhelming to me- even a little sad- but overall probably a blessing. I think women naturally gravitate to community postpartum - we always have - and Instagram, entrepreneurship, and this modern online phenomenon is our new version of that.
“Taking care of yourself is the first step in taking care of everyone else.”
We’re so inspired by the fact that you’ve built a brand on one multi-purpose product, The Balm. Can you share how you started creating the balm for yourself and why you choose the ingredients?
Meredith: I never had skin issues in my life until I was in my mid 20’s living in NYC. I got a really bad cold, and that seemed to ignite eczema and psoriasis like rashes. It was actually very upsetting. I was well on the wellness path so I became obsessed with hacking my symptoms. This battle went on for years. I went to all kinds of experts and specialists to get diagnosed with psoriasis. My mom had it so I figured that was it, but continued to try and rid of it naturally.
The Balm was developed out of this process- the butters, oils, and essential oils that I used and were the most effective for me. I was always making version of this, mixing and matching ingredients. Then, when I wrote my book Coconut Kitchen, I really saw the value in a multipurpose product and knew that my balm could be used in this way too. To cleanse, shave, soothe the skin, hydrate, great for sun, the list goes on.
My husband was the one who encouraged me to make a business out of it, and when I started giving it to friends to try the response was so positive I knew we had something.
The Mist was developed much in the same way. I was just making it for myself, and loving it.
We do have 2 new products coming in the new year that I am super excited about. They are all multipurpose. We really believe in dismantling this idea that you need 20 different products for every aspect of your skincare routine. It’s all marketing. Sometimes it is fun to pamper yourself and use all the things, but most of us are busy and need it streamlined.
The plant based skincare world is so fun. There are so many interesting ingredients to work with, and I believe the healing properties extend well beyond what we understand.
Do you believe you’ve found your career or live in alignment with your life purpose? How has your most potent personal experiences from childhood into adulthood and career journey shaped your present life as a mother, creative, and entrepreneur?
Meredith: I am definitely living in alignment (most of the time-ha!) but my career has certainly been informed only by my passions. I always thought I was going to be a lawyer, but a trip to raw food school post college fired me up for something else. 2006-2008 was also a weird time to find a normal job, and I’ve never had one!
How would you define your authentic essence in relation to your work and personal life?
Meredith: I think I’m lucky in that its all one in the same. I love my work, love getting filled with ideas and thinking about how to make it happen. I think the hard part is just time. These days my official work hours are pretty short so it’s very hard to make some things happen that I want to. As most of us know - creativity doesn’t have a time clock, and sometimes things flow more naturally than others.
Do you believe you’ve found your career or live in alignment with your life purpose? How has your most potent personal experiences from childhood into adulthood and career journey shaped your present life as a mother, creative, and entrepreneur?
Meredith: I am definitely living in alignment (most of the time-ha!) but my career has certainly been informed only by my passions. I always thought I was going to be a lawyer, but a trip to raw food school post college fired me up for something else. 2006-2008 was also a weird time to find a normal job, and I’ve never had one!
How do you stay inspired? Can you share your process in creating a new dish / recipe, formulating products, or building a brand / sustainable lifestyle business?
Meredith: Getting offline is huge. Even just reading a book in the bath allows my mind to wander in healthy creative ways. Travel of course is great, but even just traveling and exploring within your own city can be huge. Los Angeles especially offers so much!
Nature and exercise is also very important for me. I find so much therapy in walking, hiking and being outdoors.
I can’t say that I have a specific process, but I think what I’ve always been pretty good at is staying in the game. Obviously if something is making you miserable it isn’t working, but you have to be able to detect self sabotage. So many people start things and don’t keep up. You can also change your mind within what your doing. For me personally, I’m not that interested in the beauty business so starting a beauty brand felt unnatural, but then I adjusted my thinking- what I AM passionate about is clean living, feeling inspired, and the power of plants to make you feel amazing. So that’s all I’m doing!
How do you stay inspired? Can you share your process in creating a new dish / recipe, formulating products, or building a brand / sustainable lifestyle business?
Meredith: Getting offline is huge. Even just reading a book in the bath allows my mind to wander in healthy creative ways. Travel of course is great, but even just traveling and exploring within your own city can be huge. Los Angeles especially offers so much!
Nature and exercise is also very important for me. I find so much therapy in walking, hiking and being outdoors.
I can’t say that I have a specific process, but I think what I’ve always been pretty good at is staying in the game. Obviously if something is making you miserable it isn’t working, but you have to be able to detect self sabotage. So many people start things and don’t keep up. You can also change your mind within what your doing. For me personally, I’m not that interested in the beauty business so starting a beauty brand felt unnatural, but then I adjusted my thinking- what I AM passionate about is clean living, feeling inspired, and the power of plants to make you feel amazing. So that’s all I’m doing!
With social media being a huge part of building a brand, how do you use it to grow your business while remaining rooted in your authenticity.
Meredith: This is an ongoing conversation for me, and Instagrams current engagement tactics make it even more confusing. I’m always asking What’s Next? Because something will be. Keeping relationships with my stockists and current customers is something that is super important, and I want to continue doing more of - because the people, the customers, and the bricks and mortar - that’s how you’ve got staying power regardless of what is happening online.
I also try to use tools like Planoly to help me keep my content edited and spend less time looking for things to post, and queue things up when it feels fun and creative. Do I get caught in a negative comparison loop sometimes? Of course.
This isn’t necessarily patting myself on the back, but it may sound that way. I start to become naturally repelled by things I see over and over again and always have. My personal feed can evolve with my mood, but when you have a brand it’s a little different because you certainly see copycats - intentional or not. I see many brands out there using the multipurpose point to sell products that aren’t multipurpose at all (with outrageous pricing). With a brand I think its also important to be just enough in the curve that you aren’t too far ahead. Finding that balance. When we first started people would literally ask “what does multipurpose mean?” And now people say they love it! Thinking about how to evolve, strengthen the brand messaging, and staying authentic to what feels right in my gut, and what feels inspiring to me is my guide. It sounds cliche, but it’s true.
I know in my heart I’m not trying to do anything that isn’t authentic, so that’s a solid starting point.
So grateful to feature an inspiring human and conscious business owner leading with her nature and intent.
Follow Meredith on Instagram @me_baird and her company @nuciferabody | Photos and interview by Kristine Lo.
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