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At HigherDOSE, we believe that self care is essential in keeping your body strong, your mind calm, and your heart open. We take nature-inspired technologies and harness their power to create rituals that make biohacking your vitality accessible and self care a seamless experience that can be done in the comfort of your own home.
In honor of Mother’s Day, we sat down with co-founder Lauren Berlingeri to learn more about her journey into motherhood and how self-care has shaped who she is as a woman, a business owner, and a mother.
– Q & A with LB –
HD: Lauren, you’re an inspiration to working mothers in wellness! We want to hear more about your journey into motherhood – the good, the bad, and everything in between. Your twins will be four this year, what a wild ride it’s been! What did your self care look like when the twins were first born?
LB:Thank you so much for that! The twins coming earthside was a bit of a traumatic experience for me – I pushed for 6 hours and ended up having an emergency C-section for their safety and mine. My babies were in the NICU for two weeks, 45 minutes away from our home. On top of recovering from the C-section, I developed back issues and pelvic floor issues. I was so worried about the babies all the time that my self care had become non-existent. A year later, I had a grand mal seizure that changed my life. My body was crying out for help and I needed to listen.
HD: Wow, that sounds intense. What did this experience teach you about yourself, and your body?
LB: I thought because I was fit and athletic, I’d have no trouble delivering. I figured women do it every day! But, I quickly learned that it’s the wrong way to look at things. The day I delivered the twins, it was the best and worst day of my life – it was the most challenging thing I’d ever gone through. If I were to do it over again, I wish I would have honored and respected my body more and what it was about to go through in order to have a more peaceful delivery experience.
HD: How did you navigate this new normal?
LB: Honestly, you just do it. Women are amazing, especially moms. No matter what, the babies always get the most of you and you forget how to take care of yourself. It took me a whole year to figure it out, and now it’s such a priority of mine. It took some adjustments and shifting around my priorities - I removed some stuff like making a bunch of social plans, drinking alcohol, and even work! I needed to create boundaries for work and when I was on my phone for example, scrolling Instagram for hours throughout the day had me feeling not great about myself.
Making these changes helped me learn how to navigate that first year. The more I take care of myself, the more I can show up for my kids, my husband, my business, and my life.
HD: How has your self care expanded now that the twins have grown?
LB: After the fourth trimester and a year of breastfeeding, I made it a priority to do less. Less hardcore workouts, no extreme running or pushing my body too much – but some form of movement every day, like yoga, pilates, or walking. I am always looking for ways to relax and nourish my body now. I focus more on structure, balance within workouts, and functional movements instead of just giving it way too much.
I don’t put pressure on myself to do these things either. In the past it felt like a job to take care of myself, and now it feels like the way I connect with myself and give back to my body so I can keep giving to our family. You can’t pour from an empty cup after all!
No matter what, every day I do something for myself. The amount of time I have each day might vary, but it can be anything from 5 minutes of breathwork to 40 minutes of sitting in the HigherDOSE infrared sauna. There are so many things you can do to feel good in your body – the more in tune you are with yourself, the easier it is to know what you need and when you need to pull it out of your wellness tool belt.
HD: Are you able to do different things now that you couldn’t do when the babies were first born? Are there any old pre-baby rituals you’ve picked back up?
LB: When you have an infant, you might be breastfeeding, holding them a ton, etc. You have to surrender to the fact that the baby needs you and you don’t want to have too much on your plate. When the baby is asleep or otherwise occupied, you need to make self care a priority.
Now that the twins are turning four this year, our lives are SO different as they’ve become independent and can move on their own. I’m able to really focus on getting myself back. I’ve been constantly spoiling myself – doing workouts 5-6 times a week because I love it, regular bodywork and facials. I feel much more calm and relaxed. I can also get more work done now that they’re at school. It feels like I’ve gained back about 40% of my time, whereas when they were babies you get almost no time for yourself at all.
HD: How do you incorporate the children into your wellness journey?
LB: I LOVE this question. I don’t think it’s enough to tell children that they should be healthy. I think you have to show them and lead by example. I have two little mini-me’s who talk like me, eat like me, move like me. It’s pretty wild! So it’s really important to show them how to be healthy.
If they see me exercising, I’ll say “I’m doing yoga or a workout because I want to take care of my mind and body.” They constantly see me in the sauna and cold plunge. My daughter will even coach me, encouraging me when I’m in the cold plunge. It’s the cutest thing. We have bodyworkers come over for myofascial and lymphatic massage.
It’s all a part of their lifestyle now. It’s a part of who we are, and I already see them adopting these things. They’re always trying to get into the Sauna Blanket or jump in the cold plunge. They love eating healthy foods. They always want to be barefoot in the grass or naked. These healthy little beings. It’s just something they’ve adopted because it’s how we truly live.
HD: Let’s talk about self care as a family. Are there things that you all do together that are considered part of your family wellness routine? What are some things the children enjoy doing that double as self care for you?
LB: After 6 o’clock, my husband and I are not on our phones working. We spend this time connecting with our kids. We like to end our day by going for a walk with the dog and being barefoot in the grass – this is a big one for us. We don’t watch TV right before bed. Instead, we’ll run a bath for the kids using salts and they love this! It’s their nightly ritual.
Another important aspect of our healthy living is that the kids eat what we do. We don’t make separate food for them and they really enjoy this. If they don’t finish their dinner, we’ll hold onto it and when they look for a snack later on, we’ll pull the dinner back out and warm it up. They understand that meals come first, and snacks can be had afterwards.
Our children are also always with us. I’m not trying to fill their schedules every day with kid stuff. They don’t always need a source of outside entertainment – we’re very mindful of how much screen time they get. If they’re watching tv, it’s an educational show they can learn from.
The idea that children constantly need outside stimulation can burn them out, as much as it can run parents ragged trying to schedule it all! Of course they have their toys too, but they also have each other – they utilize their imaginations and can be creative, playing outside and with the dog. Watching what they come up with ends up entertaining my husband and I, as much as it does them!
